Artykuły
The body and its functions in the early prose of Boris Pasternak
Pasternak retained discretion in presenting the sexual life of his protagonists, and in particular its physiological details. This is not to say that he ignored this motif entirely. The early novel The Childhood of Zhenya Luwers portrayed the physical and psychological development of a twelve-year-old girl on the threshold of womanhood, together with her associated observations and experiences. In The Story the main character goes through two contradictory sexual episodes — with a vulgar prostitute and a woman of high personal culture. As a rule, however, the narrator describes reactions connected with sex, which serve the depiction of emotions and inner experiences, primarily of the female protagonists, while maintaining a certain distance and, at times, by resorting to allusions.