Meyrink's novel “The Golem” and Gothic Tradition in Literature

Abstract

The analysis of G. Meyrink's novel “The Golem” is represented in the article in terms of gothic tradition in literature. The advantage of this investigation is that the majoriry of literary scholars point out those aspects of the novel “The Golem” that are connected with G. Meyrink's interest to occult sciences, alchemy, Buddhizm and Kabala learning. The value of these aspects for the authentic perception of G. Meyrink's text is beyond doubt. But at the same time the role of the elements referring to the gothic tradition in literature is not less important in the narration organization of the novel “The Golem”. For example in narration organization the author of the novel uses not only gothic chronotope but also the elements of the gothic invariant such as mystory and horror, play-acting, fate, manuscript, phantom etc. As a result the system of the characters of the novel “The Golem” correlates in its turn with the characters of a classic gothic novel: the main characters go through some hardships before they find happiness in the ideal love at the ending of the novel; the gothic villain embodies the evil incarnate and is inavitably punished; the phantom being the character's clone shows the transparence (ephemerality) of the border line between two worlds – real and infernal. The given aspect of G. Meyrink's poetics is not taken into account in numerous investigations of literary scholars. Therefore the aim of this investigation to examine the poetics of G. Meyrink's novel “The Golem” in terms of gothic tradition in literature gains particular actuality. As a result the analysis of G. Meyrink's novel “The Golem” shows how meaningful the gothic invariant in the XX th century literature is.