Thesis Radical Fantasy Mark P Williams 2

8/13/2019 Thesis Radical Fantasy Mark P Williams 2

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Radical Fantasy: A Study of Left Radical

Politics in the Fantasy Writing of MichaelMoorcock, Angela Carter, Alan Moore, Grant

Morrison and China Miille

Mark P! Willia"s

Thesis for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyMark P. Williams, The University of East Anglia, !"!.


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Contents

A#stract#############################.p.

Ackno$ledge"ents########################..p. $

%ntroduction###########################.pp. % & '.

Disc(ssing )antasy* The Pro+lem of Definition#############.pp. ' & ".

eft -adical riti/(e of )antasy* Darko 0(vin and 0)1)antasy#######.pp. "$ & !.

The 0ocial 2al(e of )antasy* Mar3ist Theory##############pp. ! & 4.

The hapters###########################pp. 4 & $".

Cha&ter 'ne: Michael Moorcock and Anarchis"

"* Anarchist history and theory#################### pp. $ & %.

* Anarchism, )antasy iterat(re and the Undergro(nd##########.. pp. %$ & '".

$* Elric of Melni+on5* the 06ord and 0orcery genre in tension#######...pp. '" & 7!.

%* 8erry orneli(s and Anarchic Aesthetics###############..pp. 7! & 9.

'* To6ards an Anarchist Aesthetic###################pp. 9$ & 44.

hapter :ne oncl(sions#..#####################pp. 4; & ;".

Cha&ter ($o: Angela Carter)s Surrealist Political Aesthetic!

"* 0it(ating arter#########################..pp. ; & ;7.


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Cha&ter Four: Grant Morrison)s Su&erheroic Aant+Garde: Post"odernis",

Surrealis" and Situationis"!

MorrisonCs Avant1>ardism##.##################pp. !% & ".

"* The 0(perheroic1ritical Method###############..#.pp. "; & $4.

* 0(rrealism, et6een BrealismC and B6onderC*$nimal Man%Doom Patrol#.pp* ! & '".

$* :cc(lt Anarchist 0(perheroes* The Invisi&les%The 'ilth########.pp. $9 & %;.

%* Postmodernism as Decadence inNew ()MenSeven Sol!iers of *ictor"##pp. %; & '4.

hapter )o(r oncl(sions#####################pp. '; & 7.

Cha&ter Fie: China Miille)s Maris": A -ialectical Materialist Aesthetic of Fantasy

"* Mar3ist Dialectics and iterat(re#################..pp. 7$ & 74.

* Mar3ist )antasy Theory#####################.pp. 74 & 9".

$* Mi5villeCs Mar3ist )antasy Theory################....pp. 9 & 99.

%* Mar3ist 0(+ectivity in Mi5ville##################pp. 94 & $!.

'* -evol(tionary 0(+ectivity as -esistance##############..pp. $! & $"".

hapter )ive oncl(sions#####################..pp. $" & $"'.

(hesis Conclusion:

-adical )antasy* To6ards a 2ernac(lar Modernism##########.#pp. $"7 & $.

i+liography##########################.pp. * $$ 1 $7!.

Mark P. Williams


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A#stract: .Radical Fantasy: A Study of Left Radical Politics in the Fantasy

Writing of Michael Moorcock, Angela Carter, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and

China Miille!)


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March & 0eptem+er, !"!

Ackno$ledge"ents

0o many formal and informal relationships have helped +ring the thesis to its presentform for 6hich < am partic(larly gratef(l.

)or all their professional g(idance and inp(t < am very gratef(l to Professor 2ic 0ageand Dr Allan loyd10mith for s(pervising the thesis in its early stages, offeringimportant insights and pointing me in the right directions, and like6ise to Professor-e+ecca 0tott for taking on and s(pervising the proect thro(gh to the end, offeringthoro(gh and tho(ghtf(l editorial g(idence. < 6o(ld also like to thank my internaland e3ternal e3aminers Professor Mark (rrie and Dr )arah Mendlesohn for theirval(a+le and constr(ctive criticism.

Thanks to the UG Het6ork for Modern )iction 0t(dies for allo6ing me to contri+(teto its conferences and o(rnal p(+lication ritical Engagements. Partic(lar thanks to0teven arfield of The University of Westminster and to Dr Hick ?(++le of r(nelUniversity.

Thanks to Michael Moorcock for allo6ing me to intervie6 him t6ice d(ring theco(rse of prod(cing my thesis, responding genero(sly to my /(estions. Thanks to

Geith 0e6ard of -eality0t(dio for asking me to prod(ce one of those intervie6s forhis 6e+site.

)or their friendship < have several special people to thank. 8oe Gennedy and Martynole+rook, for many ho(rs of talks, de+ates and general disc(ssions on literat(re, lifeand the 6orld in general 6hile 6e 6ere 6riting (p, rarely has talking politics +een som(ch f(n. Io( helped me retain a sense of the e3citement of 6orking on the PhDd(ring the long process of 6riting, thank yo(. Thanks also to orcan Mc>rane, agreat ho(semate, all ro(nd great person and fello6 traveller in the realms ofcontemporary fiction and pop c(lt(re. To close friends :li ?enderson,


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%ntroduction

This thesis 6ill analyse the (ses of fantasy in the 6ork of five ritish fiction 6riters

6ith left radical politics* Michael Moorcock, Angela arter, Alan Moore, >rant

Morrison and hina Mi5ville.


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/(estion are 06ord 0orcery, alternate history, magic realism, 0(rrealism, s(perhero

comic +ooks and secondary 6orld narrativesF these terms connote /(ite different

traditions, and have each +een arg(ed to constit(te different relationships 6ith

dominant ideology. y analysing ho6 the 6riters (nder disc(ssion (se these forms,

pro+lematising them as categories, < 6ill e3plore the 6ays in 6hich they engage 6ith

the same political and c(lt(ral de+ates of the relationship +et6een form and content.

-iscussing Fantasy: (he Pro#le" of -efinition

To discern 6hat is meant +y Bfantasy literat(reC as an o+ect of st(dy, it is necessary to

negotiate +et6een a series of attempts to define or limit the term and the e3tended

de+ates 6hich emerge from them.


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fantasy, +y 6hich fantasyCs manifestations of the impossi+le ac/(ire meaning*

6rongness, Ba sense that the 6hole 6orld has gone aske6CF thinning, Ba fading a6ay

of +eingnessC manifested thro(gh Ba loss of magic or the slo6 death of the gods, or the

transformation of the landCF recognition, 6here Bthe protagonist finally ga=es (pon the

shrivelled heart of the thinned 6orld and sees 6hat to doCF and healing, a transition or

ret(rn to a +etter KthickerL state of +eingness Boften accomplished N#O thro(gh literal

metamorphosisC. The Enc"clope!ia of 'antas" e3tends the scope of the term fantasy

to encompass the (se of the fantastic in narratives 6hich might +e categorised

vario(sly as Bafterlife, allegory, dark fantasy, fa+(lation, fairytale, folklore, folktales,

horror, science fantasy, science fiction, s(pernat(ral fiction, s(rrealism, taproot te3ts

and 6onderlandsC, emphasising that there Bis no rigoro(s critical consens(s over the

precise definition and reachQ and interrelation of any of the terms listed a+oveC.$

l(te and >rant arg(e that fantasy is Ba self1coherent narrativeC that

Btells a story 6hich is impossi+le in the 6orld as 6e perceive itCF%

this Bimpossi+le

taleC 6ill likely +e set in an Bother6orldC, Ban internally coherent impossi+le 6orld in

6hich that tale is possi+leC.' Their arg(ment rests on an historical distinction +et6een

pre1 and post1Enlightenment 6here it is only after the Enlightenment has esta+lished a

dialectic of realfantastic that fantasy 6riting in the modern sense can e3ist. This is

partly the +asis on 6hich rian Aldiss famo(sly dates science fiction in +illion ,ear

Spree K";9$L to the p(+lication of Mary 0helleyCs 'ran-enstein in "4"4, e3panding

(pon this B0tone Age tr(thC in Trillion ,ear Spree K";47L to e3plore in greater detail

Bthe dream 6orld of the >othic novel, from 6hich science fiction springsC as a kind of

l(te, 8ohn and >rant, 8ohn, The Enc"clope!ia of 'antas" Kondon* :r+it, ";;9L, pp. $$41;.$

l(te and >rant,Enc"clope!ia, p. $$9.%l(te and >rant,Enc"clope!ia, p. $$4.'


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historical (nconscio(s 6hich 0) emerges as reaction against.7 Whether s(ch

distinctions of pre1 and post1Enlightenment can +e applied to fantasy is in /(estion.


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e3tent 0) and fantasy re/(ire strict separation, this te3t designates fantasy as Bthe

presence of the impossi+le and (ne3plaina+leC in literat(re and art, disting(isha+le

from 0) B6hich, 6hile it may deal 6ith the impossi+le, regards everything as

e3plica+leC.; Mendlesohn and 8ames note that this description is hide+o(nd +y +eing

c(lt(rally specific and allo6ing in other categories s(ch as horror, so they +ase their

disc(ssion on reference to fo(r key theorists of the fantastic* BMichael Moorcock,

6hose Wi1ar!r" an! Wil! 2omance locates fantasy in the lang(age in 6hich it is

6rittenCF rian Atte+erryCs Strategies of 'antas"for providing the model of Bfantasy

as a f(==y setQ 6ith a core and an ever ha=ier corona of te3tsCF 8ohn l(te, for his

Bgrammar of fantasyC linking fantasy to narrative as fo(r movements in The

Enc"clope!ia of 'antas" Ksee a+oveLF and )arah MendlesohnCs o6n 2hetorics of

'antas" K!!4L."!


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loom takes a schematic vie6 of the relation +et6een great poets and

their poetic te3ts 6hich 6e can (se in a limited sense to (nderstand the f(==iness of

fantasy sets. ?e identifies the an3iety of infl(ence as prod(cing a staged process in

the prod(ction of poetic te3ts* "L the poet Bs6ervesC a6ay from their prec(rsor

implying a Bcorrective movementCF L opposition, 6here BNaO poet antithetically

completesQ his prec(rsor, +y so reading the parent1poem as to retain its terms +(t to

read them in another sense, as tho(gh the prec(rsor had failed to go far eno(ghCF $L an

aesthetic +reak 6ith the Bparent1poemC to avoid imitation or repetitionF %L the

prod(ction of a Bpersonali=ed o(nter10(+lime to the prec(rsorCs 0(+limeC 6here the

poet prod(ces a co(nteractive e/(ivalent to the prec(rsor poetCs te3t, an e3tension of

the opposition to their 6orkF 'L a poetic s(+limation of this opposition, a c(rtailing of

infl(ence, 6hich +y comparison implies that the prec(rsorCs infl(ence is similarly

c(rtailedF 7L finally, a process of ret(rn 6here the ne6 poetCs reading can dominate

readings of their prec(rsor."$

BPoetic infl(enceC, then, is the res(lt of a ne6 a(thor dra6ing

BinspirationC from a great 6ork, and the conc(rrent attempt to 6rite their 6ay o(t

from (nder the po6er relationship that this implies. )or loom, an act of 6riting that

avoids act(al imitation KidealisationL of a 6riter 6ho has inspired it is inevita+ly

s(+ect to the an3iety of infl(ence Ka sense of the over+earing presence of great poets,

6hich he descri+es as +oth Hiet=schean and )re(dianL. This an3iety res(lts in a

Bpoetic misprisionC, that is a deli+erate critical BmisreadingC of the originary te3t

6hich ena+les the ne6 6riter to Bclear imaginative space for themselvesC."%We can

identify this 6ith the e3ample of taproot te3ts as identified in the Enc"clope!ia of

'antas"as literary landmarks, te3ts s(ch as The Divine Come!",+eowulf,'austus or

"$loom,$niet", pp. 'J9."%loom,$niet", p. '.

Mark P. Williams ;

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#ulliver0s Travels,"'and interte3t(ally, 6ith recent pop(lar p(+lications, te3ts 6hich

+egin to dominate the perception of their f(==y sets. Elements of s(ch a process can

certainly +e identified +et6een, for e3ample, the 6orlds of TolkienCs Lor! of the

2ingsand 0tephen DonaldsonCs hronicles of Thomas ovenant, or +et6een Po(l

AndersonCs +ro-en Swor!6ith its incest and poisono(s +lade motifs and Michael

MoorcockCs Elric novelsF considering the relationships +et6een s(ch te3ts as a

str(ct(re of comple3 infl(ences prod(ces a n(anced vision of collections of f(==y

sets.

MendlesohnCs 2hetorics of 'antas" approaches fantasy from a

primarily str(ct(ral perspective in a similar 6ay. Dealing at length 6ith the str(ct(res

common to certain types of fantasy, the +ook generates a BpoeticsC of contemporary

fantasy +ased on considering Bho6 partic(lar rhetorics deli+erately or (navoida+ly

s(pport ideological positions and in so doing shape character, or affect the

constr(ction and narration of a storyC."7


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irony or some form +alance +et6een dichotomies.! 2hetorics of 'antas"concl(des

6ith a fifth category of B


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fantasy as a mode is characterised +y sim(ltaneo(s contrary tendencies* on the one

hand, tendencies to6ards codification and the rigoro(s defence of +o(ndaries Kand the

creation of s(+1genresL, 6hich conceives of the fantastic as a set of narratologically

determined devices, 6here the (se of the devices determines the content that can +e

conveyed, and on the other hand co(nter1tendencies to6ards totalising vie6s of

fantasy as an e3pression of li+erating imagination 6hich resists or s(+verts

+o(ndaries. )antasy provokes these contrary classifications +eca(se, even in its most

commodified form it still retains some element of the p(rely imaginary, a core

ackno6ledgement that its str(ct(res and logic are predicated on reading the

impossi+le as if it 6ere the real.

Any attempt to disc(ss fantasy depends on a series of ass(mptions

a+o(t ho6 fantasy operates 6hich prod(ce a methodological effect* selecting from the

many interpretations of fantasy inevita+ly leads to6ards a selective vie6 of 6hat

constit(tes a fantasy te3t. Each fantasy te3t can +e considered as e3pressing an

implicit theory of fantasy 6hich favo(rs a partic(lar form(lation of fantasyCs f(nction

as a literary mode. The present thesis is concerned 6ith a related proect* ho6 does a

left radical political perspective analyse the codified and the radically (ndecida+le

/(alities of fantasy@ and* ho6 do left radical 6riters act(ally (se fantasy@

Left Radical Criti*ue of Fantasy: -arko Suin and SF+Fantasy

Politicised perspectives on fantasy theory fre/(ently find themselves defending

fantasy against a charge of escapismF < arg(e that this is a necessary conse/(ence of

Mark P. Williams "

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eval(ating fantasy literat(re on social gro(nds 6hich reveals the cognitive potential of

fantasy literat(re as a medi(m for ideological criti/(e.

What does BideologyC mean in this conte3t@ . Giernan, -alph Mili+and, K:3ford* lack6ell, ";4$L, p. !.'Tolkien, 8.-.-., B:n )airy10toriesC K";%9, pp. ""J9!L from Tree an! Leaf Kondon* >eorge Allenand Un6in, ";7%L, p. '.

Mark P. Williams "$

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as the social val(e of the fantasy as art. Tolkien goes on to allo6 politics, in a rather

limited sense, into his disc(ssion, indicating that he refers to Breal Escape, and 6hat

are often its companions, Disg(st, Anger, ondemnation, and -evoltC,76hich are the

s(+stance of political fantasy and satire. Moreover, altho(gh he stops far short of

advocating politically critical fantasy, in likening the paradigmatic +attles of BgoodC

and BevilC in fantasy to a desire to escape from social evils s(ch as Bh(nger, thirst,

poverty, pain, sorro6, in(stice NandO deathC he concedes the potential importance of

materialist engagement to fantasy.9

eca(se TolkienCs perspective is in so many other 6ays, o+vio(sly

ideologically opposed to the perspectives of left radicals, and +eca(se B:n )airy

0toriesC is inconsistent in its definitions, the part of his BdefenceC 6hich deals 6ith

politics and social val(e is easy to overlook. The latter half of B:n )airy 0toriesC

emphasises the importance of the Be(catastropheC to fantasy narrativesF this is an

ideological narrative constr(ction 6hich effectively reinstates BescapismC on the

gro(nds of hristianity, +(t his +asic idea of fantasyCs primary f(nction in the first

half of his arg(ment is concerned 6ith (sing fantasy to propose a form of BescapeC

that is materialist in its terms. As )arah Mendlesohn and Ed6ard 8ames point o(t in

$ Short Histor" of 'antas" K!!;L, BNtOhose 6ho mock The Lor! of the 2ings

fre/(ently miss the point that it is as m(ch a novel of the >reat War as Erich Maria

-emar/(eCs $ll 3uiet on the Western 'rontC.4 TolkienCs ideas of fantasy have a

con(nction 6ith left radical criti/(e +eca(se they are informed +y the same social

fears and desires. Michael 06an6ick, 6hose anti1fantasy novel The Iron Dragon0s

Daughter K";;$L inverts many of the ideological positions Tolkien ass(mes, has

o+served that TolkienCs Bportrayal of evil events 6as informed +y things he kne6 only

7

Tolkien, B:n )airy 0toriesC, p. '%.9


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too 6ell N#O all the ills of his times are implicit in his 6orksC, creating a Bvision of the

com+ined horrors of the t6entieth cent(ry NthatO ended 6ith hope and forgivenessC in

a (topian attempt to imagine a +etter 6orld.; ?o6ever, B:n )airy 0toriesC concl(des

6ith a defence of escapism 6here it is only in the afterlife can 6e really escape.


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N0)O can +e defined as a literary genre 6hose necessary and s(fficientconditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition,and 6hose main formal device is an imaginative frame6ork alternative tothe a(thorCs empirical environment, and that is disting(ished +y thenarrative dominance or hegemony of a fictional Bnov(mC Knovelty,

innovationL validated +y cognitive logic.$!

Bognitive estrangementC implies a do(+le movement of domesticating the (nfamiliar

and defamiliarising the familiar, to create an imaginative space for social criti/(e.

Deriving the term Bnov(mC from the Mar3ist philosophy of Ernst loch, 0(vin

e3plains the effect of cognitive estrangement rests on the a+ility of the ne6

concept(al element, the Bnov(mC, to posit a fictive 6orld 6hich operates differently

from the -eal +(t can +e (sed to reflect critically upon the -eal. This nov(m is

necessarily Ba totali=ing phenomenon or relationship deviating from the a(thorCs and

implied readerCs norm of realityC, it esta+lishes an escape thro(gh a Bchange in the

6hole (niverse of the taleC.$" This BescapeC is cr(cial to the social val(e of 0) te3ts

for 0(vin, allo6ing critical space for considering the Bdominance or hegemonyC of

ideology in the real 6orld thro(gh implicit or e3plicit comparison 6ith that of the

nov(m.

enreC

K";97L, 0(vin e3plains ho6 this comparison operates. ?e conceives of 0) as a form

of hypothetical 6riting* B0) takes off from a fictional KliteraryQL hypothesis and

develops it 6ith e3trapolatory and totali=ing KscientificQL rigorC. $ 0(vin clearly

states that his terms are ela+orations of the 6ork of ertolt recht and 2iktor

$!0(vin, Darko,Positions an! Presuppositions in Science 'iction KGent, :hio* Gent 0tate UniversityPress, ";44L, p. 77.$"0(vin, Darko,Metamorphoses of Science 'ictionKHe6 ?aven and ondon* Iale University Press,";9;L, p. 7%.$

0(vin, Darko, B:n the Poetics of the 0cience )iction >enreC Kpp. '9J9"L from Mark -ose Ked.LScience 'iction4 $ Collection of Critical Essa"s KEngle6ood liffs, H8* Prentice ?all


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0hklovsky and the -(ssian )ormalists* he translates 0hklovskyCs term BostranenieC as

BestrangementC Kcriticising the common translation of BdefamiliarisationC and finding

the translation of rechtCs *erfrem!ung Effe-t as Balienation effectC to +e misleadingL.

To 0(vin, estrangement is a specific Bformal framewor-C for the prod(ction of 0) as

an artistic genre,$$not a description of the fantastic or art in general. 0)Cs critical

orientation to6ards society and its emphasis on the f(t(re provide its cognitive effect*

B0) sees the norms of any age, incl(ding emphatically its o6n, as (ni/(e, changea+le

and therefore s(+ect to a cognitive glanceC 6hich sees ho6 they might +e changedF$%

0) criti/(es the -eal from a position of progressiveness +y s(+ecting the social

val(es of the -eal 6orld to do(+t, spec(lating on possi+le alternatives. )rom this

position, 0(vin arg(es that cognitive estrangement is (ni/(e to 0)*

The estrangement differentiates N0)O from the BrealisticC literarymainstream of the "4th to !th cent(ry. The cognition differentiates it notonly from myth +(t also from the fairy tale and the fantasy. Thefair" talealso do(+ts the la6s of the a(thorCs empirical 6orld, +(t it escapes o(t of its

hori=ons and into a closed collateral 6orld indifferent to6ard cognitivepossi+ilities.


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empirical environmentC, he comments that the Bcommercial l(mpingC of fantasy Binto

the same category as 0) is th(s a grave disservice and rampantly socio1pathological

phenomenonC.$7 ?e has since moderated this vie6, +(t it still informs his perception

of the relationship +et6een 0) and fantasy +ased on the conditional (se of the term

Bpossi+le 6orldsC. ?e e3plains his distinction of these 6orlds from fantasy 6orlds

(sing a cognitive disc(ssion of metaphor in the conception of alternate 6orlds,

Bpossi+leQ refers to their not +eing r(led o(t +y the +asic invariants of verisimilit(de

Ke.g. the philosophy of scienceL dominant in the social addresseeCs ideologyC.$9 0(vin

takes the Bpossi+le 6orldsC of 0) as Bmodels Kmore precisely as tho(ght1e3perimentsL

or as totali=ing or thematic metaphorsC,$46hich operate in predominantly consistent

6ays. ?o6ever, he does ackno6ledge that +oth B+ad 0)C and 0cience )antasy

challenge the +o(ndaries of his definition if not its core thesis.

With the rise in pop(larity of fantasy fiction in general, and forms

6hich prioritise play 6ith rigid generic definition s(ch as postmodernist, slipstream

and interstitial fantasy 6riting, the permea+ility of the +o(ndaries of 0) and fantasy

have +ecome of more interest to theory than defence of an impermea+le core.

Theorists, 6riters and critics 6ith an e/(al interest in fantasy and 0) are happier to

e3tend the remit of cognitive estrangement to incl(de fantastical te3ts 6hich may or

may not make claims to6ards rationalist epistemology. After all, even for Tolkien,

BescapeC is accomplished in fantasy in s(rprisingly similar 6ays to ho6 it is

accomplished in science fiction for 0(vin* B-ecovery K6hich incl(des ret(rn and

rene6al of healthL is a re1gainingJregaining of a clear vie6C 6hich he descri+es as a

$70(vin, B:n the Poetics of the 0cience )iction >enreC, p. 7$.$9

0(vin, Darko, B0), Metaphor, Para+le, and hronotopeC K"7!J4"L5 $ctes Du Premier Collo6ueInternational De Science 'iction !e NiceMetaphores No7 8)9:K";4$L* "74.$40(vin, B0), Metaphor, Para+le and hronotopeC, p. "7;.

Mark P. Williams "4

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perspective Bfreed from the dra+ +l(r of triteness or familiarityC, a li+erating

estrangement.$;

)antasy and 0) criticism has moved a6ay from rigid distinction and

to6ards more disc(rsive, f(==y delimitations of generic and modal +o(ndaries dra6n

from l(te, Atte+erry and Mendlesohn.


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analysis of fantasy 6hich takes a specific political stance m(st +e considered to have

partic(lar importance 6ithin the field.

Michael Moorcock, Angela arter, Alan Moore, >rant Morrison and

hina Mi5ville all partake in this shared atmosphere in direct and indirect 6ays. My

thesis 6ill sit(ate each one in the specific intellect(al conte3ts 6hich inform their

6ork and give it its partic(lar character as fantasy. < arg(e that, taken together, the

diverse perspectives 6hich they +ring to the 6riting of political fantasy ena+le (s to

concept(alise the f(nction of contemporary fantasy in a non1red(ctive 6ay 6hich

preserves its radical potential 6ithin its social formations as genres 6ithin an

overarching mode. )rom the perspective of this thesis it is important for conceiving

the social val(e of fantasy, in relation to its val(e for individ(al readers as social

s(+ects, that the irred(ci+le core of fantasy remains its (ndecida+ility* its fo(ndation

on a conscio(sness of the impossi+le 6hich can +e mo+ilised to resist and criti/(e its

codification.

(he Social /alue of Fantasy: Marist (heory and Left Radical Fantasy


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them. ?e +egins +y s(mmarising some of the stances that fantasy theory has taken

over the last forty years and calls for a Mar3ist theory of the social val(e of fantasy

and the fantastic. o(ld arg(es that BMar3ist theories of fantasy and the fantastic

offer an opport(nity not only to engage 6ith e3tremely pop(lar areas of c(lt(ral

prod(ction +(t also to +etter model the s(+ect for political pra3isC.%


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6here an o+ect seems to meet its reflection 6ithin a mirror. )or 8ackson, the para3ial

area can Brepresent the spectral region of the fantastic, 6hose imaginary 6orld is

neither entirely realQ Ko+ectL, nor entirely (nrealQ KimageL, +(t is located

some6here indeterminately +et6een the t6oC.%% This form(lation tends to6ards

dealing 6ith specific types of fantasy narrative rather than fantasy in general, and

leans on a constr(ction of fantasy as a mode 6hich is most akin to the e3pression of

the (nconscio(s. o(ld criti/(es 8ackson for persistently failing to Bade/(ately

disting(ish +et6een phantasy Kin psychoanalytic terms, the so(rce of (nconscio(s

fears and desiresL and the genre of fantasyC, 6ith the res(lt that this, ignoring the

latterCs mediated nat(re as fiction and its historical nat(re as commodity, Be3p(ngNesO

the different material +ases and modes of prod(ction of psychic and literary fantasyC.%'

?o6ever, < arg(e that the am+ig(ity over phantasyfantasy is partly a f(nction of the

(se of the term BfantasyC itself rather than simply a fa(lt of 8acksonCs categorisation.

Even if )re(dian phantas" is separated, social (se of the term BfantasyC retains

associations 6ith daydream and fancy +eca(se it calls (pon the history of descri+ing

the fac(lty of the imagination in a 6ay 6hich is not 6holly red(ci+le to a single

form(lation of the term.

oth Todorov and 8ackson are criticised +y o(ld for referring to

fantasy +ased on already1canonical literat(re, a practice +y 6hich the la+o(r involved

in prod(cing fantasy te3ts Bis red(ced to the familiar +iographical and conte3t(al

details of individ(al 6riters, solitary geni(ses 6ho transcend the material conditions

of their historical and material sit(ationsC, contri+(ting to the reification of Bthe social

division of la+o(r (nderpinning the ideological notion of a(thorshipC.%7 ?e 6rites that

%%8ackson, -osemary,'antas"4 The Literature of Su&version Kondon and He6 Iork* Meth(en, ";4"L,

p. ";.%'o(ld, BDreadf(l redi+ilityC, p. 7!.%7o(ld, BDreadf(l redi+ilityC, p. '9.

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B8ackson, like Todorov, is engaged in the sly application of non(niform val(es in

order to introd(ce a hierarchy consonant 6ith a pre1e3isting canonC.%9


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paranoia operates in the 6ork of Philip G. Dick. o(ld 6rites that* BNaOccording to

Mar3, h(man species1+eing and species1life consists of conscio(s la+o(r (ndertaken

in a collective or comm(nity frame6orkC composed of Ba cy+ernetic process of

imaginative constr(ction and material constr(ctionC.'" The social meaning of

BperformNingO s(ch operations on material reality can +e seen as a f(ndamentally

paranoid act NofO re1ordering of a pre1e3isting order so as to make a sensi+le system of

meaning 6ithin a tra(matically and intransigently el(sive -ealC, something 6hich

Balso applies in the manip(lation of lang(age and the prod(ction of te3t, 6here the

limits of matter are replaced +y the limitations of lang(age, disco(rse, ideology and

the commodity systemC.' Writing fiction is al6ays an attempt to impose a pre1

e3isting order on the -eal, and it pres(pposes a model of the individ(al s(+ect in

+oth its characterisation and its implied reader 6hich form part of this attempt to

make sense of 6hat it means to +e an individ(al in terms of e3perience and feeling.

)rom this position, o(ld arg(es that fantasy as a form is +oth analogo(s to the

processes of commodity prod(ction on the one hand and analogo(s to the process of

s(+ect formation on the other. ?e arg(es that the codification 6hich the fantasy te3t

is s(+ect to, 6hile ostensi+ly +eing an e3pression of the individ(al imaginary, can +e

directly applied to (nderstanding s(+ectivity in gerneral* Bthe KparanoidL fantasy te3t

is N#O homologo(s to the KparanoidL s(+ect 6ithin ideologyC.'$

Under capital the individ(al is interpellated into many different

Bs(+ect positionsC in the process of +eing formed as a s(+ect of ideology Kprod(cer,

6orker, cons(mer, 6riter, reader, etc.L 6hich form a f(==y set of possi+ilities open to

the Bconcrete individ(alC KAlth(sserL. The f(==iness of the individ(al is held together

+y a paranoid grand system 6hich creates a sense of meaning and of +eing in the

'"


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6orld. 0imilarly, the fantasy te3t dra6s (pon Bthis force, this contin(al location and

dislocationC (nder ideology in its 6orld1+(ildingF the secondary 6orlds of fantasy

implicitly ackno6ledge a central parado3 +y 6hich they are defined* Bthey are not

only not tr(e to the e3trate3t(al 6orld +(t, +y definition, do not seek or pretend to

+eC.'% eca(se fantasy te3ts can e3plicitly thematise the sense of +eing +oth codified

and reg(lated in the 6orld, 6hile +eing sim(ltaneo(sly concerned 6ith the fantastic

and irred(ci+le, they can model the process +y 6hich the individ(al (nder ideology

can ackno6ledge their o6n stat(s as concrete individ(als. o(ld spec(lates that

fantastic te3ts might B+e seen to constit(te a vernac(lar modernismC in this sense* a

pop(list response to contemporary modernity 6hich descri+es the e3perience of the

individ(al (nder capitalist modernity and offers a personally therape(tic and

politically reinvigorating estrangement to the social s(+ect.''

o(ld adds that BNaOny Mar3ist attempt to e(logise fantasy fiction as a

mo!e as +eing s(+versiveQ or progressiveQ 6ill +e as one1sided as the alternative

stern den(nciation of the form as mystificatoryQ or reactionaryQC, '7he e3plains that

it is precisely fantasyCs (ndecida+ility +et6een these e3tremes 6hich ena+les it to +e

mo+ilised for radical criti/(e.


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o(ldCs Bvernac(lar modernismC places its emphasis on the pop(lar or

pop(list aspect of fantasy as its most significant. < 6o(ld instead s(ggest that, far

more important than its act(al or even perceived pop(larity, the vernac(lar modernist

potential of fantasy lies in its accessi+ility and its a+ility to infiltrate other idioms and

make them into aspects of its o6n (nderlying contradictions. My o6n thesis 6ill

e3plore 6ork of varying pop(larity across different s(+genres 6ithin the general field

of fantasy.

y e3ploring the social conte3ts of different manifestations of fantasy

in the 6ork of five 6riters 6ith left radical politics, this thesis 6ill concept(alise the

political1aesthetic determinations 6hich limit fantasy and the 6ays in 6hich the

(ndecida+ility of fantasy can +e conscio(sly (sed for the immanent criti/(e of

form(la fantasy. )ollo6ing on from o(ld, < arg(e that fantasy 6ill al6ays have a

distinct capacity for opposing the aesthetic determinations of form 6hile +eing +o(nd

to them* intense codification only accent(ates the internal contradiction 6ith the

(ndecida+ility that it rests on. )(rther, < contend that the theorisation of fantasy in

this 6ay can similarly resist critical orthodo3ies, s(ch as the (tilitarian interpretation

of the social f(nction of art, and provide a rene6ed interpretation of the val(e of

fantasy literat(re for the radical eft.

eft radical theorists tend to privilege the social f(nction of literat(re

over its aesthetic val(e, +(t eft radical fantasy 6riters as prod(cers of literat(re are

attempting to relate the /(alities of fantasy to its individ(al e3periential manifestation,

as 6ell as to its social f(nction. Ed6ard 8ames /(otes -o+ert 0ilver+erg saying to a

panel 6hich incl(ded Darko 0(vin, that the B(tilitarianC vie6 of literat(re Bis rather

dreary to a practising 6riterCF'4it red(ces or +elittles the s(+ective po6er of literat(re

'40ilver+erg, /(oted in 8ames, Ed6ard, Before The Hov(m* The Prehistory of 0cience )ictionriticismC Kpp. ";J$'L Patrick Parrinder Ked.LLearning 'rom >ther Worl!s4 Estrangement5 Cognition

Mark P. Williams 7

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to a side1effect of its prod(ction. pium #eneral an! >thersKondon*>rafton, ";4%L.

Mark P. Williams 9

9


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donCt (dge fiction 6riters +y their politics N#.O o(is )erdinand 5line 6as sc(m,

+(t a s(per+ 6riterC.7"

< arg(e that the creative decisions taken +y the five a(thors foc(ssed on

in this thesis, developing their respective (ses of fantasy, represent an ongoing

attempt to resolve or (nite the tensions of left radical political aesthetics to generate

an aesthetic of li+eration in fantasy literat(re. This thesis s(ggests that tho(gh they

take different paths and (se divergent s(+genres in their careers, they all arrive at

similar concl(sions on the f(nction of fantasy and its relationship 6ith politics and

aesthetics.

(he Cha&ters

iL Michael Moorcock


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iiL Angela arter

hapter t6o proposes that the 6riting of Angela arter is 0(rrealist, arg(ing that her

0ocialist and feminist positions find their e3pression in a late version of s(rrealism

6hich she derives from personal enco(nters 6ith 0(rrealist te3ts d(ring her time in

8apan. arterCs (se of 0(rrealism has +een noted +efore, +(t has previo(sly +een

analysed primarily for its contri+(tion to her 6riting as a form of all(sion, sit(ating it

6ithin a postmodernist frame6ork. < arg(e instead that 0(rrealism infl(ences arterCs

fantasy on a str(ct(ral level, and relate arterCs fantasy to conceptions of 0(rrealist

methods of generating materialist criti/(e thro(gh the (se of the fantastic.

iiiL Alan Moore


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hapter fo(r analyses the mainstream s(perhero comic +ook 6ork of >rant Morrison.

< arg(e that Morrison attempts to import ideas and techni/(es dra6n from 0(rrealist

and 0it(ationist art and theory into mainstream s(perhero comics in order to offer a

criti/(e of contemporary cons(mer society and the commodity form. This chapter

analyses the development of MorrisonCs s(perhero comics for D and Marvel in

terms of the relative degrees of 0(rrealist dis(nct(re and 0it(ationist criti/(e of

society they manage to convey 6ithin the economic and editorial strict(res of

mainstream comic +ook p(+lication. < compare MorrisonCs (se of the s(perhero in his

creator1o6ned series 6ith his corporate1o6ned 6ork to sho6 ho6 the e3pression of

his politics changes, and arg(e that the anarchic political sensi+ility of his creator1

o6ned fictions is act(ally closely related to the 0(rrealist aesthetic of his corporate1

o6ned 6ork.

vL hina Mi5ville

)inally, in chapter five, < analyse ho6 secondary 6orld constr(ction in hina

Mi5villeCs as ag novels relates to his Mar3ism. < arg(e it is +ased on the principles

of dialectical materialism, and constit(tes an attempt to conceive of the individ(al

6ithin society in Mar3ist terms. This chapter s(ggests ho6 Mi5ville locates his 6ork

in relation to diverse traditions of 6riting and tho(ght, and demonstrates that his

literary techni/(es represent a partic(larly strong innovation in the (se of fantasy for

political ends.

All of the 6riters (nder disc(ssion negotiate +et6een contrary demands of politically

committed and aesthetic positions, arg(ing for the val(e of fantasy as a mode 6hich

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has great potential po6er for political criti/(e against the perennial acc(sation of

escapism. This thesis asks* ?o6 does each 6riter +alance the demands of these

positions in their fantasy 6ork@


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Michael Moorcock descri+es himself as an anarchistF as >eorge Woodcock indicates

a+ove, anarchism as a set of ideas is deceptively simple to invoke yet diffic(lt to

really grasp.


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scientifically informed st(dy of the social and geographical demands of place on

c(lt(re, principles 6hich he e3tends in his disc(ssion of Anarchist1comm(nism.

M(ch anarchism leans to6ards comm(nism as the preferred (ltimate

state of h(man relationships as the fo(nders of anarchism 6ere involved in the same

historical str(ggles as the early proponents of Mar3ism. ?o6ever, altho(gh

contemporary anarchism is clearly connected to the emergence of the He6 eft

Kincl(ding hippie c(lt(re, +lack po6er, feminism and gay rights gro(psL, not all

anarchism is recognisa+ly Mar3ian in derivation. A considera+le s6athe of anarchist

tho(ght, dra6ing on Ma3 0tirnerCs ideas of BEgoismC,7%holds vie6s more distinctly of

the -ight, often identified as li+ertarian individ(alism, advocating freedom from ta3es

and state interferenceintervention in private life and on private property.


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metanarrative of postmodernism and o+serves that KleftL BNaOnarchism has little tr(ck

6ith the theoretical filigree of postmodernism and prefers to ackno6ledge Mar3Cs

alienation as a lived, sens(o(s reality that is comple3 +(t codified, and seeks to

replace it 6ith an alternativeC.79 This echoes aspects of the position that Moorcock

takes, +(t, as this thesis 6ill indicate, the relationship +et6een anarchism and

postmodernism is more comple3 than 0heehan s(ggests.


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We m(st ref(se to +ecome prisoners of its standards of reality andpracticality. :(r task, as the old anarchist slogan goes, is to B+(ild the ne6society in the vacant lots of the oldC. :r, as Marge Piercy p(ts it in her

poem, 2ough Times, B6e are trying to live as if 6e 6ere an e3perimentcond(cted +y the f(t(reC.9"

The lang(age here is appealing to the idea of a Brevol(tion of everyday lifeC theorised

+y -ao(l 2aneigem and the 0it(ationist (y De+ord

and others descri+e as Bthe spectac(lar societyC or Bthe society of the spectacleCF

BspectacleC for the 0it(ationists is the totalising system of distractions +y 6hich

capital sed(ces and l(lls the mem+ers of society.9 0it(ationist resistance is +ased on

spontaneity, the discovering of Bsit(ationsC o(tside the norm and the seeking o(t of

forgotten (r+an spaces for their affective /(alities KpsychogeographyL 6hich can +e

p(t to imaginative ne6 (ses to find anarchic 6ays of living in (r+an environments.

This more avant1garde interpretation of anarchism has clear parallels 6ith 6orks of

imaginative fiction, and the e3pressions of anarchism in literat(re commonly make

this connection.

What all interpretations of anarchism share can +e tho(ght of trans1

historically as a contin(ing tendency to6ards anti1a(thoritarianism. Anarchist ideas

are possessed of a marked optimism regarding the a+ility and 6illingness of the

ordinary person to empo6er themselves, a factor 6hich perhaps e3plains their

dissemination amongst and association 6ith other li+eration movements. This

optimism is perhaps the defining characteristic of anarchism then, 6hich (nifies the

late nineteenth1 and mid1t6entieth1cent(ry strands of the movement, a (topian

9"

Erlich et al,2einventing $narch", p. %.90ee De+ord, >(y, The Societ" of the Spectacle trans. Donald Hicholson10mith KHe6 Iork* oneooks, ";;' N";79OL.

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imp(lse and an orientation to6ard the 6orking classes. Anarchist rhetoric often

evinces a fetishisation of the state as the (ltimate so(rce of social evilsF anarchism

and anti1statism are almost synonyms from the 6ritings of Mikhail ak(nin on6ards,

and anarchists fre/(ently display antipathy to6ards BmainstreamC or BpartyC politics.

This is typified +y the common anarchist slogan BDonCt 2ote, it only enco(rages

themC 6here BthemC is al6ays negative and almost al6ays the forces of the state or

those in coll(sion 6ith the state. As the slogan s(ggests, most anarchists oppose the

very idea of voting as an alienation of political e3pression from lived e3istenceF

BDonCt vote, it only enco(rages themC can +e seen as the mirror image of the Bo3ygen

of p(+licityC rhetoric (sed against far1right e3tremist gro(ps. Michael Moorcock does

not advocate a+stention from voting +(t, follo6ing from the more pragmatic, perhaps

more nineteenth1cent(ry common1sensical, theories of Peter Gropotkin, advocates

(sing all availa+le media to engage 6ith contemporary politics in order to advocate

an anarchist position.


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tro(+le for the policeQC.9% The reasons for the movement dying do6n are spec(lated

(pon f(rther in Melt=erCs The $narchists in Lon!onand may relate to tensions 6ithin

the 6orking class movement, +(t Melt=er insists this is a fl(ct(ation* BThro(gho(t the

years of )ascism, Anarchist gro(ps in England and America kept in to(ch 6ith the

str(ggle against M(ssoliniF altho(gh 6ritten off +y socialists as a dead movementQ,

they appeared every6here in


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o6n father having left, as he p(ts it, Bmore or less on 2E1DayC 94J6as a 8e6ish

E(ropean 5migr5 6ith close ties to previo(s generations of E(ropean anarchists. ordon,$narch" $live, pp. J'.

Mark P. Williams $4

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Anarchism then, from the period 6hen Moorcock 6as most involved 6ith it, is a

shared tendency to6ards something rather than a sing(lar, totally cohesive gro(p.

)rom >ordonCs description of contemporary anarchism, it is composed of gro(ps of

B(sC against BthemC in loose movements 6hose interests occasionally meet in

con(nct(re and generally dra6 (pon a shared c(lt(ral heritage of ";7!s resistance

and protest.

MoorcockCs relationship 6ith anarchism also fl(ct(atesF in the

introd(ction to The 2etreat 'rom Li&ert"K";4$L, Moorcock details the development

of his personal political standpoint. This development +egins 6ith his active

involvement 6ith the anarchist movement of the fifties and 6ith BHD and anti1racist

activities in Hotting ?ill K6here Mosley made his last +id for parliament in ";';LC

thro(gh to oining the a+o(r Party Bin the +elief that it 6as possi+le to achieve

change thro(gh traditional party politics.C4 A change in this vie6 led him a6ay from

a+o(r and, conse/(ently

NfOor a 6hile Kd(ring the so1called i+eral -evivalQL < 6orked ati+eral Party head/(arters, as an editor and leaflet16riter, since reenland spec(lates that the central diffic(lty of the early Elric

stories in respect to the political /(estions 6hich interest Moorcock is a pro+lem of

"!"(tter6orth, in D. M. Mitchell,$ Serious Life KManchester* 0avoy, !!%L, p. 7%.

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form, and of genre e3pectation and reception. >reenland 6rites that post16ar ritish

literat(re e3presses a distinct intellect(al scepticism of the hero, choosing instead to

foc(s on the anti1hero, Bin 6hose h(nched form the death of the social hero is

perfectly e3pressedC and the angry yo(ng man B6hose righteo(sness is +orn of

disill(sionment, not idealism, and 6ho resists elevation to heroic stat(s thro(gh his

passionate concern for the everydayC. "! ?e notes that Elric remains part of the

pro+lem Moorcock is attempting to engage 6ith* Bthe romantic, doomed championC

remains Ba fetishC not yet demystified,"!$< arg(e that Elric is a s(+version of the heroF

altho(gh he is morally pro+lematic, ha(nted and physically the opposite of strong

fantasy heroes, +eing physically frail and introspective, he is still adolescent in his

emotions. While the form of ElricCs advent(res is +roadly derivative of the /(est

narrative 6ith occasional strong s(+versions of meaning KBDead >ods a(ghCL they

are still firmly 6ithin the s(+genre of 06ord and 0orcery. Elric remains an epic

fantasy heroF his heroism is determined +y the genre in 6hich he finds himself,

altho(gh 6hen placed in another genre & as Moorcock has o+served else6here "!% &

epic fantasy heroesC o+vio(s shortcomings Ka reactionary and e3tremist nat(reL can +e

rendered more clearly +y alienating them from their genre conte3t. MoorcockCs

6riting in the Elric stories displays a distinct tension +et6een the demands of the

genre and his o6n stated interests in developing more comple3 scenarios manifesting

as interplay of te3t(al details 6hich resist the overarching narrative.

ElricCs al+ino skin acts as the mark of an o(tsider, making him stand

o(t against the 6eathered skin of those aro(nd him, a device derived from the tit(lar

anti1hero of p(lp novel Monsieur /enith the $l&ino +y Anthony 0kene. Moorcock

"!>reenland, The Entrop" Ehi&ition, p. "$;."!$


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took 0keneCs character as a model and +lended the characteristics of Monsie(r enith

6ith those of 0keneCs 8ack the -ipper from his Kno6 rarefiedL novel The 2ipper

2eturns K";%4L. Descri+ed +y 8ack Adrian as Ba chilling fantasy N6hereO the -ipper

s(rvives +eyond his normal life1span and constantly changes identity, +y stealing the

life1forceQ of his victimsC it foreshado6s +oth Elric of Melni+on5 and 8erry

orneli(s."!' This sinister (nderlying model from MoorcockCs p(lp reading leaves

certain traces (pon +oth Elric, thro(gh 6hich Moorcock clearly intends to complicate

the reception of his o6n al+ino hero. enith sho6s the physical competence and

theatrical dandyism 6hich Moorcock 6o(ld reprod(ce in Elric*

enith in his immac(late evening clothes, 6ith his thin patentshoes (pon the sno6 of the sill and his theatrical cloak draped aro(ndhis sho(lders, smiled as he listened. This 6as the kind of thrill he livedfor. ?e had +eg(n this game of thrills a long time ago, +eing inhimself +oth the setter and the solver of the pro+lem. A means ofe3citement, it 6as a means of forgetf(lness, forced (pon him +y thea+normality of his al+inism. )or years in his role of taskmaster he had

+een in the ha+it of saying to himself, ?ere is something that yo(

cannot do,Q and forth6ithF slave of egotismF p(ppet of his o6n strangecomple3es, he had attempted and s(cceeded in doing that something.-idic(lo(s game, +(t at the same time, prod(ctive of the e3citement6here+y he tr(ly lived."!7

enith is +oth attentive to the partic(lars of dress and recklessly egotistical in his

approach to his o6n +ody. As a Bp(ppet of his o6n strange comple3esC he is

presented as a +eing not f(lly in control of himself +(t al6ays seeking control, he is

f(ndamentally adolescent in his s(+ordination of his o6n +ody to his desires. These

details are em(lated in the first description of Elric in Storm&ringer, 6here ElricCs

sartorial style is Bo+sc(reC and BaffectedC, making him a dandy in a 06ord and 0orcery

(niverse*

"!'

Adrian, 8ack Kpp. i3J3i3L from his introd(ction to 0kene, Anthony,Monsieur /enith the $l&ino,for6ard +y Michael Moorcock KManchester* 0avoy, !!"L, pp. 3J3i."!70kene,Monsieur /enith the $l&ino,, p. $.

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?e 6ore his long hair +(nched and pinned at the nape of his neckand, for an o+sc(re reason affected the dress of a 0o(thernar+arianN*O long knee1length +oots of soft doe1leather, a +reastplateof strangely16ro(ght silver, a erkin of che/(ered +l(e and 6hitelinen, +ritches of scarlet 6ool and a cloak of r(stling green velvet."!9

Elric has a self1destr(ctive streak of recklessness 6hich, taken 6ith his affected dress,

mannerisms and ha+its of +ecoming depressed and introspective, s(ggest an

e3istentialist imp(lse in MoorcockCs characterisation, a clear opposition to ?o6ardCs

onan, +(t nevertheless a recognisa+le hero1type* the -omantic hero. This feeds into

a strong egotism, 6hich, 6ith its hint of chivalry, connects Elric directly to the

yronic myth of the tort(red individ(alist.

As 8enni alder notes in her st(dy Heroes4 'rom +"ron to #uevara,

yron represents all the comple3es of the -omantic eighteenth1cent(ry hero to (s* he

is BNtOhe hero of sensi+ility, the man of feeling characterised in terms of his a+ility to

respond to moments charged 6ith +ea(ty or emotionC com+ined 6ith the mores of

Bthe se3(al heroC, and incorporates the darker action heroes 6ho are Bem+ittered

o(tcasts and o(tla6s, 6ith a r(thless co(rage 6hich stems from some inner

comp(lsion rather than choice.C "!4 This partic(lar description +y alder gets to the

most formalistic designation of the yronic as a generic fig(re and is therefore most

appropriate for considering Elric, 6ho conforms to its o(tlines. Elric clearly feels

deep emotions constantly, he is a chivalric lover setting off to save his +eloved 6hen

6e first enco(nter him, and is clearly an o(tcast. )(rther he is an action hero of

considera+le egotism, his s(periority in +attle descri+ed as an am+ivalent mi3t(re of

skill and the arrogance of privilegeF Elric feels that +eing a Melni+on5an gives Bhim

the right to enoy 6hat 6o(ld shock lesser mortalsC and he retains a sense of his o6n

innate s(periority 6hich is e3plicitly amoral* B?e 6as a sorcerer and had shed +lood

"!9Moorcock, Storm&ringerKondon* Mayflo6er ooks, ";74L, p. "."!4alder, 8enni,Heroes4 'rom +"ron to #uevara Kondon* ?amish ?amilton, ";99L, pp. $J'.

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in many devio(s 6ays in p(rs(it of his artC. "!; ?ere the character em+odies ideas of

elitism and aristocratic privilege 6hich oppose MoorcockCs developed political

position as a left anarchist, +(t are nevertheless +o(nd (p 6ith the same concerns*

ElricCs sense of himself as a privileged individ(al, 6ere it in another genre, 6o(ld

seem /(ite fascistic. The pro+lem is that 6ithin s(ch a partic(lar form(lation of the

s(+genre this is o+f(scated +y the demands of plot and story. What MoorcockCs

6riting at this early stage seems to s(ggest is that the form(las for (nderstanding this

partic(lar type of fantasy are already too closely +o(nd to am+ig(o(s political

positions to +e separated o(t. The reader is left in some do(+t as to ho6 m(ch of the

Banti1C is intended in MoorcockCs constr(ction of Elric as a s(+version of the concept

of BheroC and ho6 m(ch is incidental to the necessity of creating the impression of a

fantasy hero.

As a character Elric is fre/(ently little more than an a(tomata, standing

for the genre of s6ord and sorcery itself in these stories.


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6hether it is ever Bright to serve evil in p(rs(it of goodC""J+(t in order to raise 6hat

he considers more pertinent moral /(estions Moorcock +egan to move closer to

modernity in his 6riting, specifically to6ards 0) and spy fiction*

< made the form (p as < 6ent along, taking elements of thehandleres/(e detective story, 6ith its laconic asides, and com+iningthem 6ith elements of the chic Avengers1style caperJnot 8amesond, +eca(se < hadnCt read any then, or seen the filmsF +(t < 6asinfl(enced +y things that 6ere infl(enced +y them. There 6as William(rro(ghsF and my o6n s6ord and sorcery, 6hich < +ased it onJall asa 6ay of cele+rating the modern age* (sing the ne6 6orld ofelectronics and technology as toysF careless action, gender1+endingF allthat. -elationships so kno6ing that theyCre conscio(sly cond(cted in

terms of roles. < donCt +elieve in that no6, +(t < did then.

""$

eneath the old War spy narrative MoorcockCs 6ork s(ggests 6e can see a 06ord

0orcery vie6 of the 6orld 6hich the a(thor considers potentially dangero(sF this vie6

consists of specific f(nctions* a capa+le hero 6ho em+odies or represents his

peopleco(ntryF a sinister, po6erf(l villain 6ho is the sym+olic opposite and

em+odies or represents :ther peoplesco(ntriesF a /(est1o+ect to +e stolen, li+erated

or discovered, and an (nfamiliar territory to traverse K6ildernessforeign landL.

MoorcockCs essay B0tarship 0tormtroopersC and in his s(pport of satires s(ch as

Horman 0pinradCs The Iron Dream, s(ggeststhat this 6as his dominant vie6 of genre

at the time. 0(ch an (nderstanding of genre fiction seems to +egin from the practical

narratological +ase of +eing a p(lp 6riter, treating genre as a series of m(ltivalent

BelementsC, BmotifsC and BKstock1LcharactersC 6hich form different reactions depending

(pon the conditions (nder 6hich they are com+ined, or as 2ladimir Propp s(ggests*

B)(nctions of characters serve as sta+le, constant elements in a tale, independent of

ho6 and +y 6hom they are f(lfilledC therefore the differences in narratives depend on

ho6 and +y 6hom the f(nctions are carried o(t. (t, in em(lating an epic or folk1tale

""

Moorcock,IC$ #uar!ian Conversations.""$Moorcock in >reenland,Michael Moorcoc-4 Death Is No >&stacleKManchester* 0avoy, ";;"L, p.49

Mark P. Williams ''

''


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form BNtOhe n(m+er of f(nctions kno6n to Nthat formO is limitedC and th(s the

sophistication of 6hat can +e accomplished is red(ced. ""% MoorcockCs vision of the

6riter is +ased on the one hand on his e3perience of hack16riting and its antagonistic

relationship 6ith literat(re and on the other on his interest in literary e3periment and

the avant1garde.


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Many of MoorcockCs characters are similar types* ElricCs 6eak

physical demeano(r is compensated for +y dark forces, 6hich in t(rn render him an

o(tcastF or(m, the Prince 6ith the 0ilver ?and, is con/(ered and horri+ly maimed

and makes a similarly d(+io(s pact 6ith po6ers he does not (nderstand to regain

some sem+lance of B6holenessCF the first 2on ek is a no+leman 6armonger 6ho

makes a pact 6ith the devil 6hile the second 2on ek is an aristocrat t(rned

revol(tionary sympathiser 6ho finds himself reected +y the ideal )rench rep(+lic he

so(ght to +(ild and is forced to flee the Terror.


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dialog(e 6ith each other in her novel The Dispossesse! K";9%L, in that it does not

spend as m(ch time on the mechanics of ho6 Anarchist tho(ght might flo(rish. More

importantly, e >(in 6orks thro(gh more of the shortcomings of anarchism in The

Dispossesse!, presenting it as a mindset 6hich is every +it as in need of revol(tionary

rec(peration to prevent it from stagnating as the ideologies it replaces. -ather more

f(lly than Moorcock, e >(in disc(sses and 6orks thro(gh ho6 an organisational or

+(rea(cratic class might emerge and preserve its o6n interests even in a 6holly

anarchist society and also ho6 the social press(re to6ards retaining anarchist ideals

might prod(ce its o6n tensions.

These same /(estions are raised thro(gho(t MoorcockCs 6ork +(t not

e3plored in s(ch detail in the orneli(s novels, altho(gh in his historical Pyat Z(artet

he does tackle the historical manifestation of some of these iss(es 6ithin specific

conte3ts.


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5: 6erry Cornelius and Anarchic Aesthetics


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different g(ise. E/(ally, it also represents a separation 6ith Elric* it is the +reaking

apart of e3pectation precisely +y revealing the genre form(la 6hich generates the

e3pectations in order to more clearly demonstrate ho6 it 6ill depart from them.

ElricCs invasion and sacking of his home city of


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adapted to the moment. orneli(s novels and stories are th(s a se/(ence of anarchic

B+reaksC 6ith a shared ideal frame of reference.


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6orking life,"%MoorcockCs o6n interests as manifested in the orneli(s novels are

aesthetically similar in their means of e3pression to Modernism in their emphasis on

the idea that there is a sense of fragmentation inherent in modernity.

Moorcock is taking from the ommedia dellCArte the characteristic

6hich -o+ert ?enke considers its BheartC and making it central to his prod(ction of

fiction* Bthe str(ct(ral tension +et6een linear, 6ell1constr(cted plot +ased on a literary

model and the centrif(gal improvisations of the stand1(p performerC."' The most

important strand 6hich Moorcock adds to the ommedia to make this leap to6ards a

set of images and techni/(es 6hich he considers appropriate to his o6n epoch is from

the theatrical techni/(es of recht* the masks of the ommedia archetypes are Bp(t

onC +y characters from the genre fiction Moorcock gre6 (p 6ith and as an aspect of

his hack16riting. < intend no peorative sense in my (se of the termF hack16riting is

necessarily +o(nd to the idea of pop(lism as that 6hich may +e of lo6 or mediocre

/(ality +(t primarily as that 6hich appeals to the largest n(m+er of people +y selling

itself to the masses as the Bcommon denominatorC. This inevita+ly dovetails 6ith the

political interpretations of pop(lism as an appeal to the people, and, for any leftist

6riter, the idea of pop(lar revolt as a spontaneo(s (prising 6hich constr(cts Bmass1

a(dienceC as B6orking1classesC. MoorcockCs 6ork as a hack16riter is th(s already

negotiating 6ith the (topian tradition of interpreting fantasy as an e3pression of a

political desire for +etter things, and the c(lt(ral tendency to6ards dismissing fantasy

6ritten for pop(lar entertainment as an BescapistC distraction from the material

conditions of life Kthat 6hich is sometimes troped as ideological, a diversion, ro++ing

the revol(tionary mindset of its 6illingness to actJDarko 0(vinCs early criticism of

"%Williams, Mark P., (np(+lished intervie6 BAll P(rpose ?(man eing* An


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fantasy fiction in generalL. 0o, from an early point in his career as a 6riter, Moorcock

is operating in the oscillating terms +y 6hich contemporary leftism defines its field*

the constr(ction of the masses as mostly 6orking1class, passive cons(mers of

sensationalist and fantastic fiction, vers(s the vie6 of the masses as the revol(tionary

classes K6orking1class, +ohemian and intelligenciaL 6ith the potential to (sher in a

ne6 age of e/(ality if they mo+ilise themselves to do so. This is em+odied in the

orneli(s fictions.

Disc(ssing the orneli(s narratives of The Nature of the Catastrophe,

-alph Willet descri+ed these te3ts as e3periments 6hich foregro(nd and then

fragment the Bar+itrary nat(re of literary +eginnings and endingsC +y their contingent

approach to plot*

BThe Delhi DivisionCN#O +egins 6ith the identical sentencesopening the chapter BThe ?illsC in The English $ssassin altho(gh the

protagonist is different* BA smoky reenland points o(t to Moorcock inDeath Is No >&stacle, in the orneli(s

"7

Willett, -alph, BMoorcockCs Achievement and Promise in the 8erry orneli(s ooksC Science'iction Stu!ies, vol.$, part " KMarch ";97L, p. 97."9i+id.

Mark P. Williams 7$

7$


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novels the disr(ptions, the tendency to +e s(ggestive and all(sive in an o+li/(e 6ay,

can even affect MoorcockCs planned str(ct(re Keven conf(sing his o6n resol(tions"4L

+(t the effect on the reader is maintained as an openness to anarchic meanings or as

an open, anarchic sensi+ility.

&stacle, p. ;".";i+id."$!Moorcock, B


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discontin(o(s and fragmentary BselvesC feat(res prominently in rian AldissCs

+arefoot in the Hea! K";77L, 6hich, altho(gh its opening chapter 6as p(+lished +y

?arry ?arrison else6here, 6as serialised inNew Worl!sand is closer aesthetically to

the avant1garde interests of key New Worl!s contri+(tors 6ho employed and

cele+rated characters 6itho(t defined BcharacterC.


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N#O she 6atched 0anders 6itho(t 6aving, as the +oat sped (p on thedeserted river.C"$$

Each man, so similar to the last, em+races the +leakness and the loneliness of total

self1annihilation in the heart of environmental catastrophe at the same point in their

narrative Kthe same page in the first and last e3amplesL. What allard is giving to

other 6riters is an incredi+ly programmatic set of str(ct(res, contracted do6n to +asic

forms and interchangea+le characters and scenarios +ased aro(nd alternative visions

of socio1environmental apocalypse of 6hich The $trocit" Ehi&ition is one logical

e3tension.

MoorcockCs fictions differ in their approach to this open m(ltiplicity.

The distinction is +ased on his (se of the m(ltiverse motifF the str(ct(re of 6hich

allo6s s(ch sim(ltaneo(s contraries to e3ist in chor(s andor contin(ity and 8erry

orneli(sCs advent(res take f(ll advantage of this fle3i+ility. The fig(re has certain

fi3ed details Khe is a dandy, he is the hero, he has gadgets and is +oth advent(ro(s and

slightly naYveL +(t many of the rest of his characteristics are in fl(3* occ(pation and

ha+its, chronotope, nationality and skin1colo(r are all varia+le, shifts 6hich certainly

echo allardCs fictions. Perhaps in response to Moorcock and allardCs shared

interest in William (rro(ghsCs famo(s recommendation thatNa-e! Lunch co(ld +e

read +y starting from any point in the novel, the cover of MoorcockCs Cornelius

3uartetstates that the fo(r orneli(s novels may +e read in any order, conceiving of

them Bas a faceted str(ct(re, like a diamond, 6ith a lot of different planes 6hich can

+e seen thro(gh other planesC."$% Moorcock later retracted this, +(t the image is an

"$$allard, The Cr"stal Worl!Kondon* )lamingo N";77O !!!L, p. "9'."$%&stacleMoorcock reprises the process of devising the orneli(s +ooks as a 6hole,e3plaining * B< conceived it as a faceted str(ct(re, like a diamond, 6ith a lot of different planes, planes6hich can +e seen thro(gh other planes. The 6hole /(artet 6as meant to +e integrated, like planes in a

prism. The reason < said The novels may +e read in any orderQJand pro+a+ly thatCs not a good ideaFreenlandDeath Is

Mark P. Williams 77

77


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important one for (nderstanding the approach to the pro+lem of ho6 to (nify political

and aesthetic interests. The image of a crystalline str(ct(re echoes a similar image

from anarchist philosopher ?er+ert -eadCs (topian novel The #reen Chil! K";$'L. &stacle, pp. ;7J;9."$'-ead, ?er+ert, The #reen Chil! introd(ction +y >raham >reene Kondon* Eyre 0pottis6oode,N";$'O ";%9L5p. "9%."$7-ead, The #reen Chil!, p. "9'."$9


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something operating as a arthesean free play of interpretation, 6here reading is not

a(thoritatative +(t constantly itself in fl(3."$;

Moorcock seems to have considered free fl(id interpretation to +e the

essence of the aesthetic e3pression his te3ts 6ere reaching to6ards, implying that an

anarchist aesthetics sho(ld +e anarchic in mi3ing of style and form, and also fl(id and

open in its interpretive matrices. 0ince Moorcock retracted his statement 6e have to

6onder if he retracted or merely refined his aesthetic stance and, more importantly,

ho6 this manifests in his 6ork.


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To ret(rn to David >loverCs comment KBMoorcock seems ca(ght

+et6een the t6in poles of individ(alism and comm(nalism in hippie ideology and his

de+(nking of the hero fig(re 6as only effectively accomplished, appropriately

eno(gh, as the co(nter1c(lt(re +egan to go into declineC"%!L 6e can s(ggest that it 6as

necessary in order for MoorcockCs fantasy to +ecome more like a non1violent version

of the infamo(s concept of Bpropaganda +y deedC. Hick ?(++le of r(nel University

spec(lated that it is most significant for reading the development of MoorcockCs

orneli(s fictions that 6e vie6 him as +eing very m(ch Bon the losing side in the

li+eral h(manistQ 6ar on (topian tho(ghtC,"%"that, in effect, it is thro(gh having the

+elief in positive (topian alternatives refuse! that MoorcockCs 6riting finds the

energy to really start imagining ho6 to (nify his political and aesthetic interestsF +y

no longer +eing s(rro(nded +y /(ite the same s(+c(lt(re he stretches o(t to find ne6

points of contact 6ith 6ider s(+c(lt(res.


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may +e read in trilogies or /(artets +(t the net6ork of characters formed +y the

m(ltiverse has taken on an overarching interpretive /(ality 6hich is distinctly

anarchic +y +eing m(ltiple, divergent and contradictory.

Tom eament gave a (sef(l lect(re on the relation +et6een

MoorcockCs m(ltiverses and the origins of the term Bm(ltiverseC, dra6ing on ei+nit=.


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str(ct(res them in a 6ay directly recalled +y MoorcockCs later, more developed,

descriptions of his m(ltiverse. K(attari in$ Thousan! Plateaus K";99%L.L

We can th(s +egin to see the m(ltiverse not (st as a 6ay of linking

characters, as it 6as initially, +(t contin(ally reinterpreting the meaning of the

characters and their advent(res* for e3ample, the distinctions +et6een a6 and haos

as to 6hich is a positive and 6hich a negative force are constantly shifting +et6een

the different series of novelsF in this 6ay MoorcockCs m(ltiverse insists on the

contin(al /(estioning of eval(ative ass(mptions and of all (nifying a(thorities. ike

8erry orneli(s, the m(ltiverse is remade or reinterpreted in each series, even

sometimes in a single novel. < s(ggest that The Con!ition of Mu1a- is a key te3t for

(nderstanding this development. This 6ork, its relation to the m(ltiverse, and

MoorcockCs aesthetic interests, is dealt 6ith in more detail in the follo6ing section.

7: (o$ards an Anarchist Aesthetic: (he Multierse, 4&eri"ent and the

-ifferences #et$een Moorcock and 8!S! 6ohnson

To arrive at a disc(ssion of MoorcockCs anarchist aesthetic dra6n from his

e3perimental 6ork < 6o(ld like to +riefly consider the orneli(s novels in light of the

a(thor .0. 8ohnson. Philip Te6Cs +ook on 8ohnson descri+es his 6orks as defined

+y Bthe imp(lse to reflect a random chaos in the te3tsC on the one hand and Ba radical

political a6areness of pra3is and a +road notion of engagementC on the other, t6o

imp(lses 6hich might also +e said to define the e3periments of the New Worl!s

6riters in general and Michael Moorcock in partic(lar. "%% ike Moorcock, ryan

"%%Te6, Philip,+7S7 @ohnson4 $ Critical 2ea!ingKManchester and He6 Iork* Manchester UniversityPress, !!"L, p. 3ii.

Mark P. Williams 9"

9"


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0tanley 8ohnson 6as a ondoner from a 6orking class +ackgro(nd, +orn in the same

decade, 8ohnson in ";$$ and Moorcock in ";$;. A n(m+er of their aesthetic interests

overlap, as 6e shall see, +(t their fictions are distinctly different in tone and style on a

n(m+er of levels 6hich renders the similarities +et6een them all the more (sef(l as a

comparative e3ercise.

At BThe He6 World EntropyC conference in !!4, Hick ?(++le gave a

paper s(ggesting that 6e might prod(ctively read MoorcockCs $ Cure 'or Cancer

K";7;L and.0. 8ohnsonCsHouse Mother Normal K";9"L comparatively as mirroring

te3ts concerned 6ith the same themes.


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>eneral sees his o+ as (sing the position of the military to inc(lcate a very specific

vie6 in the minds of the invaded* from BAmerican strength, American manhood NandO,

American kno61ho6C to BAmerican love, American h(mo(r, American health,

American +ea(ty, American virilityC."%9 This (rro(ghsean riff on militaristic tho(ght

e/(ates virility and love 6ith money and 6arfare in a relentless tirade of associations,

a symptom of reactionary politics spa6ned from the infection of history Kte3tsL +y

reactionary a(thoritarians.

mni&us Kondon* Pan Macmillan, !!%L, p.";9."%;


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mni&us, p. "$$.

Mark P. Williams 9%

9%


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potential +(t, +y lacking an overarching meaning, are (ltimately hopeless. ?ence

8ohnson +reaks (p the narrative of AngeloCs fictional life 6ith a metafictional +(rst of

Bf(ck all this IC,"' spending the s(+se/(ent section, titled BDisintegrationC,

foregro(nding the nat(re of literary artifice as something 6hich is f(ndamentally

inade/(ate to its self1appointed tasks. Altho(gh Moorcock constantly interr(pts and

disr(pts the narratives of 8erry orneli(s 6ith ne6spaper stories and adverts, the -eal

imposing on the fictive, he does not s(rrender the po6er of the fictive thro(gh the

same kind of self1annihilating metafictional gest(res 6hich characterise 8ohnsonCs

maor novels.


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The 6orst possi+le scenario for 8erry orneli(s is realityF it is 6hat his 6hole

e3istence is concerned 6ith escaping from. )rom here the te3t +egins to p(sh this

scenario closer, collapsing elements from the previo(s novels into this one in the

process, grad(ally 6riting 8erry orneli(s into realityQ.

An e3tract from the Jensington Postof ";7' details the death of a

mother and her three children in a fire, an echo of 8erry, )rank and their sister

atherine*

2erdicts of Accidental DeathQ 6ere recorded. B< left the three

children sleeping 6hen < 6ent to 6ork that morning,C said Mr ol(morneli(s 6ho had +een staying in the ho(se at the time. )ire :fficeryril Po6ell said after the fire had +een p(t o(t the +odies of themother and her three children 6ere fo(nd in the front attic room.Pathologist Dr -.D. Teare said that the ca(se of death 6as asphy3iad(e to the inhalation of fire f(mes."'%

The placement of this +rief epite3t s(ggests the possi+ility that the realQ 8erry

orneli(s may have e3isted and may have died tragically yo(ngF or, more

significantly, it s(ggests that 8erry orneli(s is someone 6ho cannot live in reality.

The opening of the novel properJa section headed B8..CJreprises

sections from +oth$ Cure 'or Cancerand The English $ssassin.


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one of$ Cure 'or Cancernor the raving entropy vampire of The English $ssassin.

?e is introd(ced as an idle adolescent 6ith precisely the proprietary attit(de to6ards

6omen that Moorcock has 6ritten against vocifero(sly in The 2etreat 'rom Li&ert"

and his essay BWorking in the Ministry of Tr(thC*

The yo(ng man had lived most of his life in the three1roomapartment and had an intimate kno6ledge of the n(nCs movements as6ell as an affectionate proprietorial attit(de to6ards them* severalhad nicknamesJ:ld -atty, 0e3y 0is, ig+(m, Pr(nefaceJfor he hadgro6n (p 6ith themF they 6ere his pets. >iven the opport(nity, he6o(ld pro+a+ly have died to protect them. ?e did not, of co(rse,regard them as h(man +eings."'7

Until this point 6e have never seen a -ealist 8erry orneli(sF nor have 6e +een given

prior indication that 8erry 6o(ld ever +e portrayed as a -ealist character.


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sets the tone for the -ealist passages of the +ook and raises the themes of m(ch of

MoorcockCs proect*

A+sently, 8erry popped a mandy into his mo(th. B


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)antasy18erry is one 6ho has, in the 6ords of Walter Pater 6ith 6hich

Moorcock opens the novel, achieved the Bcondition of m(sicC, +(t in a 6arped 6orld

of male fantasy, distorted to M(=ak."7 et o(t of my car,C said 8erry. BIo(Cre coming to +its all over the

(pholstery. Io( (sed to +e s(ch a nice yo(ng man, too.CB


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reveal a deeper, more a(thentic s(+stance +ehind them, a 6orld of advent(res,

mysteries and occ(lt devices*

?e recalled a r(mo(r he had heard from a fo(rteen1year1old +ikerspeed freak 6ho had given him a lift 6hen his Phantom had +een shot(p +y local vigilantes (st o(tside irmingham. According to the +ikerthere 6as at least one ancient t(nnel r(nning (nder ad+roke >rovefrom the onvent of the Poor lares. The t(nnel, the speed freak hadtold him, led into all sorts of other dimensions.


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the te3t. ?e disr(pts the tension +et6een the fantasy, non1fantasy and anti1novel

interpretations +y e3isting in a layer +eyond them 6hich seems to definitively

reinstate the m(ltiverse as the a(thoritative metanarrative. This is m(ch like the

concept(alisation of fantasy of M. 8ohn ?arrison, partic(larly visi+le in his

2iriconi(m se/(ence of te3ts The Pastel Cit" K";9"L5 $ Storm of Wings K";4!L,In

*iriconium K";4L and *iriconium NightsK";4'L.

eography shifts and epochs 6aver +(t

2iriconi(m s(rvives, an aspect of the Eternal ity* at once fl(id and intracta+leC. "77

The city is m(ch like MoorcockCs Tanelorn as sym+olic heart of, and metaphor for,

the m(ltiverseF it is sometimes s(+stit(ted for the idea of itself, sometimes only e3ists

as an idea. olin >reenland and Hick Pratt descri+e ?arrisonCs deli+erate

(ndecida+lity as a process of deli+erately (nsettling the reader +y Bsa+otaging the

familiar machinery of 0)C, ref(sing its demands of logical relationships 6ith progress

in favo(r of a more associative (se."79 reenland, olin, and Pratt, Hick, BUnsettling the WorldC Kpp. "!1"9L Savo" Dreams KManchester*0avoy, ";4%L, p. "$."79


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?arrisonCs later novels have clearer political criti/(eFLight K!!L, for

e3ample, criti/(es postmodernism as an aesthetic of escapism. The follo6ing passage

seems to +e a response to the (se of the Bcarnivales/(eC in postmodernist criticism

6here ?arrison (sesLight to /(estion the desire to +e (ni/(e thro(gh commodified

forms*

irc(s 6as in the streets.


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c(lt(ral entropy* 6here one historical form of energy release is taken (p and

mo+ilised +y many other gro(ps in the polyglot lang(age of the imposing city of

ondon in Jing of the Cit" K!!!L. The ver+ose style of Jing of the Cit", 6ith its

kno6ing ockney narrator Denny Dover and intensely rhythmic pacing imitates the

chant1like (r+an shamanism of


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fireC concl(des his convalescence in a cy+erp(nk1inf(sed ondon 6here a more

Anarchistic form of governance has arisen in the 6orld.


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metanarratives as a (nified plane irrespective of their relevant ethical claims. ?is

politics demands a political commitment. As 6e shall see, so do those of the 6riters

6ho 6ill follo6 in this thesis, altho(gh their relative positions in respect to

postmodernism vary, their commitment to ethical and political ideals does not.

Conclusions

MoorcockCs m(ltiverse (nifies the demands of an anarchic avant1garde aesthetic 6ith

political commitment to an anarchist perspective. MoorcockCs (se of the form of the

m(ltiverseJconsisting of +oth parallel and nested (niverses 6hich overlap and

interactJhas developed from a simple techni/(e for linking his heroic fantasy

narratives together into a statement of (nending pl(rality and development, an

overarching anarchic frame6ork for a free play of interpretation. Where a 6riter can

create se/(els and pre/(els in a single contin(ity 6here consistency, and the stat(s

/(o, m(st +e maintained, in a m(ltiverse alternate contin(ities can +e developed in

parallel to s(ggest radically different alternatives to the present 6orld as it is no6 as

alternate nows. What MoorcockCs corp(s of 6riting makes clear mimetically +y

having a m(ltiverse linking 8erry orneli(s, von ek, Garl >loga(er, 8herek

arnelian and the parallel stories of historical fictions, is that he 6rites 6ith intense

deli+eration in each genre, e3ploring themes and characters thro(gh a m(ltiplicity of

scenarios. MoorcockCs m(ltiverse is one long manifesto for progressive change. The

m(ltiverse is also the name of MoorcockCs online disc(ssion comm(nity for(m*

thro(gh this for(m he maintains an interest and engagement 6ith anarchist tho(ght

and 6ith the contemporary voices of protest 6hose allegiances go along 6ith

anarchism V666.m(ltiverse.orgF the for(m has specific threads for disseminating

commentaries a+o(t the infringement or validation of civil rights and freedom of

Mark P. Williams 49

49


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speech aro(nd the 6orld."9%


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MoorcockCs m(ltiverse has +oth politically anarchist content and an

anarchic aesthetic. &stacle, pp. ;7J;9.

Mark P. Williams 4;

4;


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literalisation to prod(ce avant1garde effects 6ithin their 6riting dra6ing (pon the

heritage of anarchic avant1garde aesthetics s(ch as 0(rrealism in diverse 6ays.

Cha&ter ($o: Angela Carter)s Surrealist Political Aesthetic!

0: Situating Carter

This chapter considers Angela arter as a 0(rrealist, an arg(ment e3tended from

Hichola PitchfordCs verdict that arterCs fiction demonstrates her strong political

inclinations +eca(se Bit is impossi+le to separate fantasy from pragmatism, s(+stance

from style, or old stories from ne6 versions if one is to (nderstand the real political

po6er of fictions.C"97 ?o6 then, is political commitment, s(ch as a feminist stance, to

+e located in respect to 0(rrealism in the 6riting of Angela arter and ho6 are 6e to

sit(ate her 6ritings 6ithin a contin((m of other 6riters@

As ever, the /(estion remains the same as that asked +y the Left

2eviewin the early t6entieth1cent(ry* 6hat is the most effective or appropriate 6ay to

e3press radical political ideas 6ithin an aesthetic medi(m@F sho(ld these ideas +e

e3plored 6ith a meas(re of distance or e3pressed more directly in overtly political

terms@F sho(ld formal considerations or BcontentC +e privileged in political fiction@

This chapter e3amines ho6 the aesthetic of 0(rrealism in arter is linked to left

radical politics, specifically ho6 it connects her 0ocialist and feminist perspectives.

"97Pitchford, Hichola, BAngela arterC Kpp. %!;J!L from$ Companion to the +ritish an! Irish Novel98=.K::: ed. rian W. 0haffer K:3ford* lack6ell, !!'L, p. %"$.

Mark P. Williams ;!

;!


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arol Mc>(irk, revie6ing three separate +ooks on arter for Science

'iction Stu!ies, demonstrates the pro+lematic nat(re of descri+ing arterCs 6ork 6ith

a series of /(eries on ho6 to locate arter*


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feminist les+ian feministL to feminist1as1a!ective* feminist academic,feminist 6riter, feminist therapist.C"94

When considering the 6ork of Angela arter as a politically engaged 6riter it is

important to note that her 6riting demonstrates some of the same characteristics of

this B(nofficial oppositionC 6ithin the history of feminism* the shift from feminist1as1

no(n K0ocialist feministL to feminist1as1adective, 6hich, 0e+estyen arg(es, occ(rs

6hen feminism +ecomes an integral part of the 6ork of the 6riterartistactivist 6ithin

a 6ide critical vision of contemporary society. < s(ggest that arterCs fictions

thematise these shifts thro(gh the relations +et6een her characters, and that 6e can

locate her as feminist 0(rrealistF she demonstrates her feminist leanings 6ithin a

process of 0(rrealist r(pt(re 6ith the BgenericC modes she employs 6ithin her te3ts.

H(mero(s other commentators have disc(ssed the relation of specific

arter te3ts to the imagery of the 0(rrealists and to the ideas of 0(rrealism* from 0(e

-oeCs BThe Disorder ofLove4 Angela arterCs 0(rrealist ollageC and 0(san -(+in

0(leimanCs BThe )ate of the 0(rrealist


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did so, the final te3t never emerging for eval(ation."9; There are ample indications of

contin(o(s interactions +et6een arter and 0(rrealism, and if 6e take into acco(nt

certain redefinitions of 0(rrealism as a specifically political and emancipatory

aesthetic, an arg(ment for6arded vario(sly in The Surrealist Min! K";;"L5 The

#enres an! #en!ers of SurrealismK";;;L and +y the editors ofSurrealism $gainst

the Current K!!"L, 6e can revie6 the 6hole of arterCs corp(s in light of her varying

engagements 6ith 0(rrealism in her anti1realist and fantastic fictions, and see ho6

this might +e (nified 6ith arterCs political interests.

arterCs left 6ing political stance is 6ell doc(mented, from her famo(s

(tterances s(ch as* B Come Anto These ,ellow San!s

K";9;L. eca(se she insists on the interpenetration of political and aesthetic interests

her 6ork m(st +e considered in respect to a tradition of politically engaged literat(re.

Moorcock is a (sef(l comparison* arter shares +oth historical ties and fictional

interests 6ith MoorcockF she is from a similar area of ondon and is of the same

generation. ike Moorcock, she demonstrates an a+iding interest in pop(lar

literat(res as a c(lt(ral manifestation of the interests of 6orking class, +ohemian and

yo(th c(lt(res. arter employs the generic modes of pop(lar fiction and mass c(lt(re

thro(gho(t her 6ork to enter into a political dialog(e 6ith c(lt(re as a 6hole, +y

e3ploring ho6 its fringes are form(lated in respect to its centres. Unlike Moorcock

she is /(ick to demonstrate scepticism and offer criti/(e of the fringes* 6here he often

spreads his critical messages over a n(m+er of te3ts, d(e to developing his techni/(e

"9;Wat=, Anna, BAngela arter and SurrGalisme et SeualitGC the Modern )iction Het6orkCs conference

on Angela arter at Horthampton University, 8(ne !!;, see Anna Wat= BAngela arter and ]avi5re>a(theirCs SurrGalisme et SeualitGC Contemporar" Women0s WritingK0ep, !!;L."4!?arron, Mary intervie6ing art

Thesis Radical Fantasy Mark P Williams 2

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