The Transformation of the Character Sengkuni from Wicarita to Kakawin Bharatayuddha in the Perspective of Literary Anthropogeneology

Abstract

This article attempts to provide an answer to the question of the transformation of the character Sengkuni. The study aimed to explain the transformation process of Sengkuni. The perspective used is literary anthropogenesis. The results of the discussion show that the character Sengkuni in Kakawin Bharatayuddha has undergone an aesthetically transformed process. The process of change is intertextual. Therefore, from the perspective of literary anthropogenesis, there are two important things to note about the character Sengkuni in Bharatayuddha. First, there is a concept of the influence of the Javanese philosophy of life that gives colour to Sengkuni from the works of Old (kuna) Javanese literature, new Javanese literature, and recent Javanese literature. The concept of influence in wayang literary studies is the development of Javanese personality values that are still valid and related to moral ethics. Secondly, there is a change in the form of the transformation of the character Sengkuni from wiracarita (an epic) to Javanese literary texts. The transformation of Sengkuni is still characterized by the noble Javanese personality, so there may be still a kind of judgment on the character Sengkuni as a metaphor for a wicked life. In the eyes of the Javanese, the character Sengkuni is often seen as evil.