IDEAS OF „RADICAL EVIL” IN THE POPULAR CULTURE

Abstract

Popular culture, in its various expressions, recycles numerous archaic myths. Among them, „American monomyth” (Jewett and Lawrence) is recognized as – central. It develops throughout scheme: peacefull society – emergence of outer, evil threat – strengthening of threat and damage produced by evil – arrival or „becoming” of a hero – confrontation with the threat – final conflict – destruction of evil and re-establishment of the harmony. This scheme prevails in whole contemporary „horror” genre, but in one case – that treats „Christian theme”of arrival of Antichrist” as radical, extreme evil. This paper examines ideas of Antichrist as „radical evil” in modern culture, in literature, music and film (specially emphasizing movie trilogy „Omen”) and compares them with its symbolic presentations in culture of Christian West between 11. and 19. century. Discovering continuity of ideas and representations of „radical evil” which evolve in modern era, the author of paper, furthermore, observes most important describtions of this myth in the culture of West and East (Krustanov, Solovjev) in 20. century. He notices that this ideas reveals fears that evil is no more threatening or attacking society „from outside”, but approaching „from within”, with the help of system deprived of all its moral values and necessary knowledge how to resist to its control, except those taken by astrayed and lonely, marginalized individuals.