Short Fiction · Character

Liza

A woman whose name carries the weight of other people's assumptions, forcing her to navigate love and identity on terms she never fully chose.

supporting

Also known as the real Liza

First appearance: a living chattel

As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Liza is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The wife torn between love for Groholsky and pity for her husband Bugrov.

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With Groholsky (romantic): Groholsky and Liza are lovers, with Groholsky deeply infatuated with…

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Character Web

26 connections

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

Relationship types

Character groups

+21 more in the full Character Web

Story tension across the book.

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the psychological peak where Ivan Dmitritch’s paranoid resistance…

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Groholsky
romantic · positive
Groholsky and Liza are lovers, with Groholsky deeply infatuated with Liza. How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

Liza appears across 14 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I
The wife torn between love for Groholsky and pity for her husband Bugrov.
II
Liza is Groholsky's beloved; she enjoys the peace and watches the arrival of luxurious goods at the villa opposite, feeling envious.
III
Grows increasingly depressed in her life with Groholsky, secretly meets Bugrov, is devastated when Bugrov leaves, eventually runs away to him, and later appears well-fed and content as Bugrov's wife.
A Pink Stocking
Lidotchka, the wife, who writes a poorly composed letter and is upset by her husband's criticism.
Martyrs
Lizotchka Kudrinsky, the young married lady who feigns illness and imagines her own dramatic death.
The Cossack
Maxim's wife, who insists on keeping the Easter cake whole and is later blamed by Maxim for their unkindness.
I
The narrator's daughter, heard speaking rapidly in her sleep.
Chapter II
The narrator's daughter, now a young woman with a suitor, Gnekker; the narrator feels she has become a 'sham' version of her former self.
Chapter III
Mentioned as the narrator's daughter; the narrator feels disconnected from his family.
IV
The narrator's daughter, who jestingly calls him 'your Excellency' and is engaged to Gnekker.
V
The narrator's daughter, found in distress and moaning in her room.
VIII
Lida (Liza) is Sasha's sister; she is found asleep on a chest in the dining room during the crisis.
III
Lida's sister, referred to as Genya in the text; she is sent out of the room during the argument.
IV
Not present in this chapter.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Liza unlock in the free preview.