Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Novel Ma Wara'a At-Tabi'ah Karya Ahmad Khalid Taufiq: Perspektif Kritik Arketipal Northrop Frye

Dzu Luthfin, Prof. Dr. Fadlil Munawwar Manshur, M.S.

2026 | Tesis | S2 Sastra

Novel Ma Wara'a At-Tabi'ah karya Ahmad Khalid Taufiq merupakan salah satu karya sastra horor Arab modern yang menghadirkan pertemuan antara dunia rasional dan dunia supranatural. Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh adanya pola representasi keterbatasan manusia yang berulang dalam lima volume novel, baik melalui posisi tokoh maupun struktur cerita. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan bagaimana representasi keterbatasan manusia dibangun melalui posisi tokoh serta bagaimana struktur arketipal membentuk representasi tersebut. Penelitian menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif dengan pendekatan hermeneutik melalui close reading. Data penelitian berupa kutipan naratif, dialog, dan deskripsi dalam lima volume novel Ma Wara'a At-Tabi'ah. Analisis dilakukan menggunakan perspektif kritik arketipal Northrop Frye, khususnya Theory of Modes, mythos of irony, dan demonic imagery. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Ahmad Khalid Taufiq secara konsisten merepresentasikan keterbatasan manusia melalui konstruksi tokoh dan struktur arketipal. Rif'at Ism?'?l ditempatkan sebagai manusia biasa (low mimetic mode) yang mengandalkan rasionalitas dalam menghadapi berbagai peristiwa, tetapi posisinya bergeser menuju ironic mode ketika berhadapan dengan dunia supranatural sehingga kemampuan rasionalnya mencapai batas. Selain itu, representasi keterbatasan manusia dibentuk melalui ruang-ruang arketipal yang berfungsi sebagai demonic world, benturan antara rasionalitas dan dunia supranatural sebagai struktur konflik, serta penyelesaian cerita yang mempertahankan ambiguitas melalui mythos of irony. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa horor dalam lima volume Ma Wara'a At-Tabi'ah tidak hanya berfungsi membangkitkan rasa takut, tetapi juga menjadi sarana Ahmad Khalid Taufiq merepresentasikan keterbatasan manusia ketika berhadapan dengan realitas yang melampaui jangkauan rasionalitas.

Ma Wara'a At-Tabi'ah by Ahmad Khalid Taufiq is one of the prominent works of modern Arabic horror literature that portrays the encounter between the rational world and the supernatural. This study is motivated by the recurring pattern of the representation of human limitations found throughout the five selected volumes of the novel, reflected in both the protagonist's position and the narrative structure. The study aims to explain how the representation of human limitations is constructed through the protagonist's position and how archetypal structures shape this representation. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method with a hermeneutic approach through close reading. The data consist of narrative passages, dialogues, and descriptions taken from the five selected volumes of Ma Wara'a At-Tabi'ah. The analysis is conducted using Northrop Frye's archetypal criticism, particularly the concepts of the Theory of Modes, mythos of irony, and demonic imagery. The findings reveal that Ahmad Khalid Taufiq consistently represents human limitations through both characterization and archetypal structure. Rif'at Isma'il is portrayed as an ordinary human being (low mimetic mode) who relies on rationality in confronting various events, yet his position gradually shifts toward the ironic mode when encountering the supernatural, where the limits of human rationality become apparent. Furthermore, the representation of human limitations is reinforced through archetypal spaces functioning as a demonic world, the conflict between rationality and the supernatural as the central narrative structure, and narrative resolutions that maintain ambiguity through the mythos of irony. This study concludes that horror in the five selected volumes of Ma Wara'a At-Tabi'ah functions not merely to evoke fear but also as a literary medium through which Ahmad Khalid Taufiq represents the limitations of human beings when confronted with realities that transcend the reach of rational understanding.

Kata Kunci : keterbatasan manusia, kritik arketipal, low mimetic mode, mythos of irony, demonic imagery