Exploring Hidden Narrative Elements through a Close Reading of Vasily Grossman’s Short Story “The Life of Il’ya Stepanovich” (1935)

Abstract

The subject matter of this paper concerns the early phase of Vasily Grossman’s literary career in the mid1930s. Prior to this period, the author proved his ability to evaluate the mechanisms of censorship and developed his understanding of what was publishable and what could be sanctioned through the publication process of his first novel (Bit Yunan, Fel’dman 2019). The research material selected for this paper is the lesserknown short story Zhizn’ Il’i Stepanovicha [The life of Il’ya Stepanovich], published in 1935, and the aim is to provide a close reading and an interpretation key to this text. In order to expose the hidden ambiguity of the short story, the chosen research perspective includes a focus on the function of the protagonist as an entity that does not legitimise the socialist myth; a narratological approach on the use of proper names, on “perspective” and the role of the narrator with regard to the axiological structure of the text.

Keywords

• vasily grossman
• socialist realism
• positive hero
• censorship
• self reflection
• historical progress
• narrator