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1«шиитешим-лшшаи» ^кищ 2024 / philological sciences
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PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES
УДК 821.111
Dadashov Joshgun Azerbaijan University of Languages Azerbaijan, Baku DOI: 10.24412/2520-6990-2024-5198-29-32 INTERACTION OF FANTASY AND POSTMODERNISM IN THE CREATIVITY OF MICHAEL
MOORCOCK
Abstract.
The article talks about the interaction of novels written in the genre of fantasy with the principles of postmodernist development. The coexistence of the works written in both genres is primarily due to their decision on the borders of fantasy and reality. The fantasy genre coexists with the aesthetic principles of postmodernism in the English literature, and this interaction is widely reflected in the article as the main features of Michael Moorcock's creativity.
Key words: Michael Moorcock, English literature, fantasy, postmodernism
Introduction. The genre of fantasy created in the 20th century maintains its reputation in literature in the 21st century. The emergence of the fantasy genre coincides with the formation and organization of postmodernism, and it seems that it is for this reason that it can go hand in hand with postmodernism, which brings together all artistic and aesthetic ideas. Postmodernism, as a cultural phenomenon of the 20th century, has maintained its influence in the modern era, and the interaction of the fantasy genre with it is understood and understandable from this point of view. Contemporary literature, which is in various relationships with each other, tends to the mixture of literary types and genres, polyphony, prefers quotations and intertextuality, and stands out for its closeness to postmodernism Lance Olsen writes that postmodernist fantasy is the literary equivalent of deconstructivism [7, p.26]. One can't disagree with these views of the critic. Indeed, the presence of both on the borders of fiction and reality brings them closer. The polyphony existing in postmodernism can synthesize it with any literary genre. This, in turn, is a characteristic of the fantasy genre. In the artistic world of fantasy, the fantastic, mystical and mythical worlds come together; mythical heroes appear with the characteristics of modern man. Fiction with reality forms the plot line of fantasy, as in postmodernist literature. Myths, legends and fairy tales become a part of the author's creativity, providing fiction fantasy with religious-folklore examples.
It should also be noted that when the genre of fantasy was created in the literature of the 20th century, it mostly went together with fantastic literature and adopted plots and motives from it. However, its characteristic features are different and the writer tells the stories based on his imagination with the help of magical and mystical forces. In other words, the fantasy genre describes the writer's imagination, the artistic world created by the writer. In the book "Exploring Children's Literature" prepared jointly by Nikki Gamble and Sally Yates, they interpret the fantasy genre as "mythical creatures and wizards live in this world, and they are the author's imagination, an environment where the real world doesn't exist" [6, p.120].
The similar situation of postmodernist literary prose and fantasy suggests that postmodernist reality and the fantastic world and fantastic reality are interconnected and contain a whole. In other words, it is a special kind of fictional world that is different from the real world. Yegana Abdullayeva, a researcher studying this problem, explains fictionality, which is a feature of postmodernist literature, as follows: "What distinguishes the postmodernist narrative from the narratives of other pre-existing artistic systems is that it reworks known texts into a textual space between fiction and reality" [2, p.109]. Fantastic elements, common genre features of folklore and postmodernist literature, fantasy, can move from one genre to another according to the artistic-aesthetic principles of postmodernism Such polyphonism erases the boundaries between the real world and the fictional world, and ensures integration between genres. In this regard, Maral Yagubova said that in postmodernism, "it is impossible to separate reality and imagination from each other. In metafiction, which is a model of postmodernist literature, the borders of fiction and reality are completely violated" [11, p. 121].
As for the English literary prose, Osama Alsharab writes completely correctly that "English literature, as a whole, has been affected by the postmodern era. This includes fantasy literature, which is a genre of postmodern literature. It is important to note that fantasy literature borrows characteristics from postmodern literature [1, p.52]. In fact, the fantasy genre appears together with the aesthetic principles of postmodernism in English literature. We can observe the most vivid example of this interaction in the creativity of the modern English writer Michael Moorcock (1939). If we look at M. Moorcock's extensive creativity, we can see that there are themes of returning to folklore-mythological roots, the universality of the world model, dual reality and time travel. His series of novels "The Elric of Meln-ibone" (1961-2022), "The Swords Trilogy" (171 — 1974), and "The Dorian Hawkmoon" (1967—1975) are notable for their synthesis of fantasy and postmodernism. In particular, it can be seen that fantasy and post-
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modernist incitement work together in the writer's novels about Jerry Cornelius, "The Final Programme" (1969), "A Cure for Cancer" (1971), "The English Assassin" (1972), "The Condition of Muzak" (1977): the synthesis of fantasy, detective and postmodernism are features that bring together the idea-content of the novels mentioned.
Experiment. The character of Jerry Cornelius created by M. Moorcock is one of the best examples of fantasy literature. This image combines a rock star, a great scientist of the time, a physicist, a murderer, and he is literally the anti-hero of postmodernist literature. It can also be considered an example of magical, mystical and fantastic development from postmodernism, the peak of M. Moorcock's creativity, "the most important author of sorcery and magic in general, sword fighting" [8, p.18]. It should also be noted that events containing magical, fantastic and mystical elements bring M. Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius closer to the heroes of X. L. Borges. Apparently, it is for this reason that Ralph Willett interprets M. Moorcock's inclination towards mysticism as "itself a hoax, reminding us not only of Borges, but also of Poe" [9].
Jerry Cornelius's initials begins with "J.C." and some critics take this image as a sign of Jesus Christ. The Eternal Champion is also able to die and resurrect, is a healer, and has healing properties when needed. By the way, let's note that the series of novels about Jerry Cornelius was written between 1960 and 1970. Stories about England of these years, its capital London, make up the content of the novels. Jerry Cornelius, the hero of the novel, embodies both a real person and an inhabitant of a magical, fantastic world, covered in mysticism from head to toe. He is both a scientist in the field of physics and a religious person, he lives in discos and entertainment clubs, and he is withdrawn and "hides" in his own world. But in the end, he becomes the Messiah.
As Jerry Cornelius transfers from novel to novel, he sometimes becomes a man and sometimes an invisible creature; he dies at the end of one novel and reappears as if nothing happened in another novel. This is also due to the fact that the hero lives in a postmodern textual space and can appear in alternative realities. On the other hand, such a shift is related to the play premise of postmodernism, and Jerry Cornelius, as we mentioned, is the anti-hero of postmodernism It should also be noted that the character of Jerry Cornelius is intended as a parody of another hero of the writer - Elric from Melnibone. It is known that Elric is albino, while Jerry Cornelius has dark black hair; Elric tends to be more melancholic, while Jerry Cornelius likes to have fun and laugh. They are united only by the Eternal Champion, who has never known each other, but is a traveler of the same path. Through the presence of Jerry Cornelius, the hero of the mythical fantasy, the reader sees the changes that may happen in the future, but at the same time understands the reality of today's world. Jerry Cornelius embodies the hypocrite man of the modern world as a gun-wielding assassin, politician, gamer, revolutionary, scientist and religious man. According to Delta Dart, he is a character who is constantly forced to play, moving from role to role: "In a
way Jerry Cornelius and all the multiverse books are about shifting identities tosuit one's context. ...in the modern world, in other words, you have tolearn to weave and dodge and drift and take advantage of what the moment offers... The trick is tochoose your masks. To choose your roles. And play them consciously as roles [4, p.420].
Discussion and results. Jerry Cornelius is halfhuman in "The Final Programme". He often changes his appearance, after each change he hardly returns to his original state. Sometimes he complains about his situation. His ideal in life is his sister Catherine, and all his efforts are to find her, thus to gain his own identity. His brother Frank uses him according to his own purpose and opposes his wishes. It is interesting that M. Moorcock adds elements from the traditional adventure fiction and surrealist writing technique to the postmodern development. The aesthetic principles of Surrealism are primarily manifested in war scenes with the participation of flying ships and airships. In addition to ordinary people, Jerry Cornelius is surrounded by the inhabitants ofthe mystical world. The mythical, fantastic world created by the writer's imagination is reminiscent of a witches' ball-masquerade. At its center is Jerry Cornelius, who changes his appearance at any time. As Frank Weinreich rightly points out, "fantasy in its beginnings abstained from playing with reality, instead it invented whole different worlds of magic and weirdness, which stated unmistakably that they lead beyond the borders of reality" [10, p.16].
Jerry Cornelius, who doesn't care about the world, lives flexibly and carelessly, is loved by the reader despite all the antihero characteristics. It is no coincidence that in the novels "A Cure for Cancer" and "The English Assassin" he becomes a mystical hero, standing between reality and fiction, but expressing the desires of a modern man. For this, M. Moorcock turns to newspaper pages and websites, "loads" the hero with news known to everyone, and turns him into a news carrier. The novel "The Final Programme" is a description of a dystopian world, a real image of future events.
We can clearly see this in the content of the work: Jerry must enter the father's house and get the documents that his brother Frank has hidden. Knowing all the ins and outs ofthe house, Jerry is able to accomplish this mission, but is unable to save his sister, who is hidden in the basement. Abstract and chaotic events take place around this plot. In the end, with the help of a super computer, the desire to create an ideal human is realized. This new type of person is Jerry, who happens to be a member of both sexes. Those who see the new creature kneel in front of it and marvel at the latest invention of science. Covering a mystical, fantastic plot, the novel ends with a vision of a new invention.
As for the novel "A Cure for Cancer", it is more reminiscent of a postmodernist collage of absurd events. In this novel, Jerry Cornelius lives in a world at war with himself, fighting against the harsh laws of his country, which is also ruled by his brother. It seems that the search for the "cancer medicine", which is a product of the writer's imagination, implies the application of the decaying structure and the values that are against
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the person. This novel also stands out as a true description of the people of London. Life in this city has lost its stability. The world politics has turned into an un-solvable knot. As a whole, the work is a description of a society living in crisis. At the borders of fantasy and postmodernist development, what man and the technology that surrounds him is capable of is revealed. M. Moorcock's writer imagination manages to show the scope of the crisis prevailing in the world. Marking people and technology as an interdependent and mutually defining reality, Scott Bukatman writes that "Western culture is experiencing a crisis caused by technologies" [3, p. 38]. These ideas are an important part of the idea-artistic features of M. Moorcock's novel.
In the novel "The English Assassin", although Jerry Cornelius is an English assassin, the reader witnesses his own death. Throughout the novel, Jerry lives in a coffin, where he rests and lives. As a whole, the novel deals with a crisis of chaos in the noisy streets of London, which have already become ruins. The inhabitants of the city - Jerry's mother and brother - are eager to fulfill their wishes in this hustle and bustle. Jerry's incredible adventures go hand in hand with all the ugliness faced by modern man, and against the background of the banality of everyday life, it does not seem so scary. But in all cases, M. Moorcock creates mystical and fantastic situations, he can keep the reader tense in the artistic world of his fantasy.
On the other hand, the novel "The English Assassin" describes a world where the apocalypse is happening. The chaos reigning in the country, the empty, ruined London comes alive before the reader's eyes with all its horror. Jerry is again at the center of events. London is gradually going bankrupt, and the city's population is engulfed in endless conflicts. In other words, the mystical, fantastic world created by the writer shows the true face of degradation, chaos and absurdity. Michael D.C. Drout writes that "The fantasycreates the reality, and Borges writes as if both are equally real, inhabiting,as they do, the minds of his readers. Borges's uses the techniques to provide a false documentarytrail, a pseudo-authority for his fantasy"[5, p.60]. It is no coincidence that M. Moorcock is also compared to Borges due to the mystification and fictionality created in his works. M. Moorcock, who combines his fantasy with the development principles of postmodernism, follows Borges, "writes as if both are equally real".
The last novel by Jerry Cornelius, "The Condition of Muzak", also deals with an apocalyptic world. English civilization is already destroyed, and the writer turns this spiritual death into an apocalyptic image. Relations between people have disappeared; moral degradation has spread to all areas of culture and art. People were forced to wear masks. This compulsion also affected Jerry's life. For this reason, he is forced to wear the mask of comedy del arte - the mask of Harlequin. Harlequins play on stage, Jerry Cornelius plays in life. This is the idea that the writer conveys in the work: all the characters on the stage have to play, they play their part, and they enter any role. You have to play and become Harlequin to make your way in the apocalyptic world.
Jerry Cornelius also experiments with different characters and different images. He wants to make a decision in London, but his hometown, like its inhabitants, has long lost its image. London, England and Europe have long been removed from civilization and live by neighborhood laws based on agriculture.
In this regard, the novel "The Condition of Muzak" is an apocalyptic premonition, a warning to the human race that forgets the past and doesn't take the present and the future seriously. M. Moorcock's authorial fantasy creates a model of "a different world within the real world that is a part of it" [6, p. 121], as Nikki Gamble points out. Undoubtedly, this world arises from the interaction of fantasy and postmodernism
Conclusion. The fantasy created in the postmodern period is characterized by features such as intertex-tuality, hypertextuality, metatextuality, simulacrum, the dissolution of the character in the novel. The postmodernist novel is characterized by the disappearance of the traditional hero type and the social character of the characters. In this respect, the postmodern novel and fantasy are similar: in both genres, the hero is the personification of an idea rather than the personification of individuality. In both genres, the emphasis is not on how things end, but how they are described. The artistic world created by fantasy changes one's attitude to vital issues such as escaping from reality and being able to name reality. This doesn't mean that the fantasy is far from reality. However, in order to refute it, he tries to convince the reader by bringing together what is possible and what is not possible on the borders of reality and fiction. For this reason, the main feature of fantasy is related to the loss of boundaries between reality and fiction.
In the postmodernist novel, truth and fiction, reality and fantasy often step in the form of rhizomes and fragments. Such novels manage to bring together different cultural concepts. Fantasy also tries to see its depicted characters as they are in the real world, to see events in a realistic and mystical or fantastical image. Through such novels, the reader moves into a mystical, magical world, but at the same time doesn't lose touch with reality, values what happens in the work as the writer's imagination. The characteristic feature of fantasy is based on the stories in the artistic world based on the writer's imagination. Thus, we can come to the conclusion that M. Moorcock's character Eternal Champion (Jerry Cornelius) is a perfect example of the fantasy genre. It is this image that paves the way for changing the structure of the imagination of the fantasy, for the idea of being an inhabitant of not one but several worlds. This, in turn, parallels the postmodernist idea that truth is multifaceted.
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