Manifestation of the Maritime World in Malay Literature

HRMARS - This study highlights literary texts that manifest the maritime aspects of the Malay world and their contributions to the realm of Malay literature. Generally, maritime literary texts are another connotation for the tales of the sea and the Malay Archipelago dominated by water. This implies that Malay literary texts hold significant connections and contributions within the scope of Malay cultural, political, social, linguistic, and literary development. Specifically, this study aims to demonstrate the extent of the appreciation and experiences of authors in perceiving the presence of sea elements and their association with Malay thought as depicted in both traditional and modern Malay works. The writing employs a document and literature analysis approach, with a focus on the semantic and sociological aspects of literature. The study findings reveal that Malay authors clearly cannot separate their themes and thoughts from the maritime realm, whether depicted as metaphor, personification, or imagery in their works. Malay poetry, proverbs, and prose are found to be beautifully expressed when maritime elements successfully manifest as a fresh presence in literary works.