NOTICE OF THESIS EXAM KAREL THEODORE WIDJOJO ADIWARDOYO

---

NOTICE OF THESIS EXAM

KAREL THEODORE WIDJOJO ADIWARDOYO

202200010010

 

 

OCTOBER 17, 2025, 1:00 PM

Building C, 7th fl., Room: C706

 

Adviser           : Dr. Engliana

 

Examiners     : Ferdinan Okki Kurniawan, Ph.D. & Dr. Anna Marietta da Silva

 

Title

INDONESIAN STUDENT’S RESPONSES TO METAPHOR IN ENGLISH LITERATURE: A TRANSACTIONAL READING STUDY

 

Abstract

Although English literature courses are implemented in Indonesia, their quality and depth of engagement are not always prioritized. In particular, the exploration of literature as a means of fostering higher-order thinking skills remains underdeveloped. To address this subject, it is important to examine how Indonesian students read and interpret literature, especially when confronted with figurative language such as metaphor. This study investigates how Indonesian EFL students interpret metaphors in English literary texts using Rosenblatt’s transactional theory, which distinguishes between efferent (information-focused) and aesthetic (emotionally engaged) reading stances. Twelve undergraduate students of English literature engaged with Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper and Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants through response journals, online literature circles, multimodal responses, and interviews. The findings show that students often defined metaphors symbolically rather than strictly through conceptual metaphor theory, yet they successfully identified key themes such as descent into madness, crossroads of life, burdens of choice, and alcohol as escapism. The more nuanced responses consist of sensible mixture of efferent and aesthetic approaches, combining factual understanding with emotional connection. The results highlight the pedagogical value of guiding students to balance efferent and aesthetic reading, thereby enriching interpretation, fostering empathy, and enhancing metaphorical awareness. Future research should explore how language proficiency further shapes students’ interpretive skills.

 

Keywords: Conceptual Metaphor Theory, English Literature, EFL, Transactional Theory, reading comprehension, metaphor interpretation