Mythologems in the English-language postmodern literature (on the material of the series of graphic novels The Sandman by N. Gaiman)

Abstract

The article examines mythologemes in the English-language postmodern literature using Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel The Sandman as its material. The relevance of the paper is determined by the sustained interest of the modern philological science to the issues of mythopoetics, intertextuality and to reconsidering mythological structures against the background of postmodern discourse, as well as by the graphic novel being understudied as an independent literary genre. The research focuses on how mythological archetypes, images, and motifs are represented, reinterpreted, and integrated into the structure of a postmodern narrative. The study approaches the mythologeme as a fundamental semantic unit that contributes to the formation of a complex, multilayered textual universe in which meanings operate simultaneously on symbolic, intertextual, and philosophical levels. Special attention is given to narrative mechanisms that allow mythological elements to function both as independent conceptual signifiers and as structural components that shape character development, plot logic, and thematic progression. The analysis of mythologemes across multiple volumes of The Sandman reveals that the narrative encodes deeper meanings intended for interpretation by readers with substantial literary and cultural competence. The research demonstrates that the mythologemes found in the graphic novel have predominantly religious foundations. The text contains references to institutionalized world religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc.) as well as to pre-Christian, pagan mythological belief systems (Ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and other archaic traditions). These references perform key narrative and philosophical functions, forming an intertextual network that supports the mythopoetic architecture of the work. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of postmodern mythopoetics and support the recognition of the graphic novel as a legitimate literary form that requires philological interpretation.