CONTRADICTION AND HARMONY IN THE SIGNS OF SENSUALITY IN SERAT CENTHINI AND KITAB QURROTUL 'UYUN: A Saussurean Semiotic Analysis

Abstract

Discourse on sensuality in the Nusantara literary tradition always lies at the intersection of the sacred and the profane, the spiritual and the physical. Two monumental texts from two different major traditions the Serat Centhini from Javanese culture and the Kitab Qurrotul 'Uyun from the Islamic pesantren tradition offer a wealth of paradoxical signs of sensuality. This study examines the representation of signs of sensuality in both texts using Ferdinand de Saussure's semiotic approach. The main focus is to identify the signifiers and signifieds that shape the meaning of sensuality and to analyze the forms of contradiction and harmony in the governance of signs of sensuality between the two texts. The research method used is a qualitative approach based on library research with Saussurean semiotic analysis. The results of this study indicate that Serat Centhini employs a metaphorical-poetic strategy with signifiers from the realms of nature, mysticism, and aesthetics (mustikha, Sang Hyang Otapatra, prang tandhing) to envelop biological signifiers, while Kitab Qurrotul 'Uyun employs a more explicit strategy but frames it within a constellation of religious signifiers (intention, prayer, sharia). Both texts reject the dichotomous separation between physical and spiritual realities, dialectically integrating contradictions into transformative harmony. These findings contribute to an understanding of how sensuality is symbolically constructed in the Nusantara literary tradition and offer a constructive model for dialogue between local culture and religious values.