Deconstruction of the image of Merlin in postmodernism (based on Thomas Berger’s novel “Arthur Rex”)

Abstract

The article examines the transformation of Merlin’s image, as an embodiment of the Wise Old Man archetype in Thomas Berger’s postmodern novel “Arthur Rex”, in comparison with its canonical representation in Thomas Malory’s late 15th-century work. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing interest of philologists in the interpretation of archetypal images within contemporary culture. Its novelty is the insufficient exploration of this archetype linguopoetics in postmodern prose in general and in Berger’s novel in particular. The theoretical framework of the study is based on mythopoetic criticism and the concepts of deconstruction, intertextuality, and irony, which shape the poetics of postmodernism, along with the notions of philological topology and linguopoetics. The research identifies the invariant core of Merlin’s archetypal image, including its key roles (a prophet, a counsellor, a magician, and a lover) and the corresponding linguistic means of their representation. The article demonstrates that in the postmodern text these features undergo systemic deconstruction, accompanied by the lowering of the image, its humanization, deheroization and a shift from a high to a low ironic mode. Particular attention is paid to the linguopoetic devices that enable this transformation, such as stylistic hybridity, irony, anachronisms, grotesque elements, evaluative vocabulary, and aphoristic expressions. The study concludes that the deconstruction of the archetype does not lead to its destruction but reveals its variability and contributes to the formation of a multilayered literary image.