On the Paradoxes of Memory in Maria Stepanova’s In Memory of Memory

Monika SIDOR

Abstract

The article comprises an analysis of Maria Stepanova’s insights into the meaning of ‘memory,’ as seen in the context of memory studies. The author argues that Stepanova’s In Memory of Memory brings out the antithetic nature of the concept of memory and that the Russian writer achieves this effect by scrutinizing various aspects of remembering. The article focuses on some chosen elements of the semantic field of ‘memory,’ thus highlighting differences between the popular notion of the contingency of the processes of memorizing and remembering, on the one hand, and, on the other, the narrator’s observations in the process of reconstructing the family history in question. The author of the article also refers to the issue of generic attribution of Stepanova’s work, concluding that the genre of ‘romance’ is, in the writer’s rendition, merely a concept which makes it possible for her to broaden the scope of deliberations, make use of a wide array of materials, and avoid construction schematism. Such a framework demonstrates the intricacies of the processes of remembering and emphasizes a personal, spiritual link to the past as an alternative to the traditional practices of memorization.

Translated by Dorota Chabrajska