The purpose of the article is to make comparative benchmarking perscrutation of poetical and semantic content of V. Ivanov’s novel «Fertility» and K. Fedin’s «Silence» in the aspect of determination of narrative-compositional, figurative-stylistic and, most importantly, motif overlaps, similarities and differences of stylistic means and literary devices in enlightening life of a Russian
village of 20s. The novel’s comparative-benchmarking research plan finds justification on a nominative level, as both «Fertility» and «Silence» converged on poetic diction that is polemically opposed to the harsh style of literature of 20s as well as «an industrial motif of cupola well and cupola furnace, of hummer and anvil» (K. Fedin) canonized by Proletkult.
Determination of intertextual roots of motifs of «silence» («quietness», «fertility»), the ideological and aesthetic role of Bunin’s reminiscences in V. Ivanon’s and K. Fedin’s novels, also including L. Leonov’s novel «Adventure with Ivan», allows us to draw conclusion about the depth of their subtextual content. That appears to be important not as much for overcoming obstacles
of the censorship but for enrichment of aesthetics and poetics of Russian realism.