“DAY OF WRATH” IN THE MIRROR OF HYBRID FANTASY: TYPOLOGICAL SIMILARITIES OF “A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE” BY G. R. R. MARTIN AND “HARD TO BE A GOD” BY THE STRUGATSKY BROTHERS

The article is devoted to a comparative and typological study of “A Song of Ice and Fire” by G. Martin and “Hard to be a God” by A. and B. Strugatsky. These works were analyzed together with their screen versions. The purpose of the study is to reveal the typological (genre, plot, ideological, philosophical and narrative) similarities of both works. The conducted research is relevant as the comparative and typological approaches help to understand the ideological and philosophical messages related to the role of an individual in history and the temptations for heroes endowed with supernatural power. The methodology of this research is based on the combination of typological and comparative approaches. It is worth mentioning here that the comparative approach helps to reveal deep similarities of these two works, and the typological approach helps to comprehend their role in a wide cultural context. The conclusion is made that “A Song of Ice and Fire” and “Hard to be a God” have a number of typologically close features. They belong to the genre of hybrid fantasy; they don‟t have a direct assessment of events, there is no “all-competent” author‟s point of view, but there is a metaphor of “an involved observer” who, nonetheless, is also limited in his possession of information; both works represent a common psychological motivation of the heroes, which is based on a “mechanical” response to evil with more violent evil; a shift from the Christian tradition, atheistic and agnostic philosophizing are also represented in both works as well as a broken denouement and unresolved lines associated with the fate of the main characters. It should be stated that the works under study belong to different historical and cultural epochs but they illustrate the development of a typologically similar trends in literature and cinema, which are as follows: the strengthening of a pessimistic view of man and history; weakening of the spiritual and moral component; lack of assessment of the heroes‟ actions; breakage (or inevitable absence) of denouement. It is important that the works of these authors are in high demand, required by a wide readership and audience, since they satisfy the unspoken “social order”, and in some cases they form it.