Ironie și grotesc în nuvelistica lui Victor Papilian

Abstract

Victor Papilian’s work represents one of the many key moments of the
Romanian literature between the two World Wars. His writings are fundamental
for a better understanding and view upon both the social and artistic contexts. This
paper aims to offer a wider perspective upon Victor Papilian’s short prose, by
establishing twoimportant milestones: the irony and the grotesque. These modern
aesthetic categories play an outstanding role in identifying the singularity of the
epoch’s mentalities: the modern man, who is always searching, always doubting,
always criticizing the world. Our paper aims also to present, from a different point
of view, the inner mechanisms which animate a modern writer’s artistic point of
view. For this purpose, we have selected several examples of short prose, from
Victor Papilian’s work. Our analysis consists in revealing the means by which the
irony and the grotesque are built throughout the text. From a fine irony, up to a
sarcastic tone, the author uses all kinds of means to illustrate his ideas and feelings.
For example, all types of comics and characterization, interior monologue, up to the
portraits illustration. Victor Papilian’s short prose, despite the lack of approach,
remains one of the key milestones in illustrating the main artistic concepts of its
times.