The national myth in S. Clarke’s novel “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell”

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the constituent elements of the English national myth, embodied in the novel “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clark (2004). The work gained genuine success immediately after its appearance, but the reasons for this success have not been investigated to date. The literary criticism focused mainly on the way S. Clarke followed the English literary tradition associated with the names of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Walter Scott and other writers of the 19^th century. The article traces S. Clark’s skill to handle different sides of the national myth, presented in the novel, by creating characteristic images, typical forms of private and public existence, images of English ethnopsychology, etc. S. Clark introduces into the narrative the oppositions characteristic of the national myth: “we – they”, “friend – foe”, defining the plot conflicts. The result of this is an absolute harmony of the novel pathos with the hypostases of modern English consciousness and an artistic summation of England’s place in the world, its role in human history.