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Short Fiction · Character

Stepanida

An elderly grandmother figure, often called Babushka.

minor

Also known as the babushka Stepanida, Babushka Stepanida, Babushka

First appearance: short fiction

Stepanida shows up with force in XV. The page is where that presence becomes real.

Stepanida calls out to Glasha from the kitchen window, asking why she neighs like a horse, but receives no reply.
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In XV: Stepanida calls out to Glasha from the kitchen window, asking why she neighs like a horse, but receives no reply. Later, in XVIII: A buxom, red-cheeked maid attending to the samovar at the bottom of the stairs,…

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Character Web

12 connections

A slice of how Stepanida sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

AIAlexandra Ivan…GLGlashaEKElena KirillovnaMIMishkaBABarinyaSTStepanida

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Recurring domestic characters
  • Domestic female characters
  • Diverse recurring and allegorical figures
  • Focal and household figures

+7 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

SetupAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because the old man undergoes a profound psychological reversal, abandonin…

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In the story

Stepanida appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Stepanida in short fiction