ON METAPHOR AND LITERALITY. REFLECTIONS ON ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN'S 'THE CANCER WARD'

Metaphorical nature in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's 'The Cancer Ward' is strictly connected with its literal sense. The author's point is visible already in the title, which reveals the analysis of the Russian term 'korpus'. The article attempts to separate the metaphorical sense from the proper realm of the novel. The author believes this to be a very important issue because the double sense of book was the main reason why it was officially considered unprintable in that time. Moreover, a campaign of defamation was launched by the public opinion against the author. Being a universal work, the novel raises problem of anthropological and ontological nature, which is veiled through its metaphorical aspect. The author proceeds to focus on the thematic aspects of the novel, which are a characteristic feature of the communism reality: customs, political events of the 'thaw' under Khrushchev, and social and cultural changes.