THE QUINTESSENCE OF A LEADER IN BORIS JOHNSON’S BIOGRAPHICAL DISCOURSE (BASED ON THE BOOK “THE CHURCHILL FACTOR: HOW ONE MAN MADE HISTORY”)

Abstract

The article reveals the specific features of constructing the image of a leader in Boris Johnson’s book “The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History”. The relevance of the study is determined by the focus of humanitarian sciences on the phenomenon of a charismatic leader during periods of global socio-cultural shifts. B. Johnson demonstrates a new model of leader image formation achieved through the synergy of the Maverick and Hero archetypes. The theoretical and methodological framework of the research is grounded in the archetype theories of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. A comprehensive approach integrates contextual, hermeneutic, and archetypal methods of analysis. The study identifies that the mythopoetic components of the leader-as-nation-saviour image are actualized by classical mythonyms such as Hercules, Achilles, Icarus, and Cassandra. These names endow the leader with heroic traits and serve as markers that transition a real historical figure into the realm of myth. The destructivecreative traits inherent to the Maverick archetype and realized in W. Churchill’s image are identified: a readiness to take risks, creativity, eccentricity, a desire for attention and recognition, disregard for the rules of the political establishment, the ability to foresee events, and the proactive construction of one’s own image. It is established that B. Johnson laid the foundation for Winston Churchill’s triumphant mission as a Hero by shattering the canonical image of a flawless statesman, substantiates the thesis that courage, originality, and foresight – the defining traits of a Maverick. By juxtaposing his character’s rebellious spirit with the conformism of the political elite, the author proposes his own concept: a true leader is forged in the crucible of defiance characteristic of a Maverick – a loner whose prolonged political isolation eventually converts into the absolute legitimacy of a nation’s saviour. The research demonstrates that Boris Johnson, in constructing the leader’s image, blends the documentary authenticity with artistic and figurative interpretation, utilizing conceptual metaphors, metaphorical epithets, precedential phenomena, allusions, and archetypal imagery that shape a multidimensional portrait of a political leader, statesman, and saviour of the nation.