The fantastic chronotope and the image of urban spaces in the works of G. Meyrink and H. P. Lovecraft

The study aims to identify the features of the image of a city – Prague in G. Meyrink’s novels “The Golem” and “The Angel of the West Window” and Innsmouth in H. P. Lovecraft’s novella “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” – as a fantastic space with distinctive features determined by the genre characteristics of the fantastic, the peculiarities of the modernist movement, and the individual styles of the writers. The originality of this research lies in the fact that it is the first to introduce the concept of “New England Myth” in relation to the mythologized space of H. P. Lovecraft’s New England (similar to the “Prague Myth” in G. Meyrink’s works (V. G. Zusman)). Additionally, it has been revealed that certain details of the descriptions of the fictional city of Innsmouth were highly likely borrowed by H. P. Lovecraft from G. Meyrink’s “The Golem”. As the result of the study, it has been determined that both writers use detailed and accurate descriptions of Prague and Innsmouth to create the illusion of credibility for their fantastic events, while also mythologizing these urban spaces. However, mythologized Prague in the Meyrink’s novels serves as a symbolic reality for the spiritual journey of the characters, while mythologized New England (the city of Innsmouth) is a fantastic space that is an integral part of H. P. Lovecraft’s fragmented mythology.