THE MYTHOLOGEME OF THE CENTER OF THE WORLD IN THE WORK OF M. MOORCOCK

Abstract

The article examines the principles of the embodiment of the mythologeme of the Center of the World in the works of M. Moorcock, a representative of the British New Wave of fantastic literature. The evolution of the image of the city of Tanelorn from early to late works is traced, as well as the formation of the concept of the Multiverse, which determines the specifics of M. Moorcock’s work as a whole. It is established that the creative method of M. Moorcock was influenced not only by mythological models, but also by scientific and philosophical searches of the second half of the twentieth century, especially the aesthetics of postmodernism. It is concluded that the image of the city of Tanelorn has all the signs of the mythologeme of the Center of the world (ideality, absoluteness, inaccessibility, connection with initiation, etc.), however, M. Moorcock makes Tanelorn ambiguous and emphasizes that it can be not only a city, but also an abstract idea, and in some works connects it with the image of the Grail. It seems important that Tanelorn, being the Center of the World, becomes the subject of a struggle between the forces of Chaos and Order, as well as the movement of the eternal city towards decline, which corresponds to postmodern ideas about decentralization.