Perubahan sosial dalam Rip Van Winkle karya Washington Irving melalui teori evolusi sosial herbert spencer

Abstract

This study analyzes the social and cultural changes in Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" using Herbert Spencer's (1820) theory of social evolution. The story reflects the changes that occurred in post- revolutionary 19th century America, which can be seen through the main event when the main character, Rip, accidentally falls asleep for 20 years. Spencer's stages of social evolution, namely increase in size, complexification, differentiation, and integration, are applied to understand how the society in the story undergoes a striking transformation. A qualitative method with a conceptual analysis approach was used to explore key concepts in the story. The results show that the story reflects significant changes in the social structure and cultural values of post-revolutionary American society. Thus, this study provides an in-depth understanding of the relationship between literary stories and the dynamics of social and cultural change in a particular historical period.