Others open with a snippet of conversation that has presumably been in progress for some time. In his precipitous openings, Chekhov often identifies a character by name, identifies his class or profession, and states his emotional condition, all in a single sentence. The main character’s lineage, elaborate details of setting, authorial incursions- all disappear for economy’s sake. Many of his early stories have little or no exposition at all. Sometimes severely restricted by magazine requirements, Chekhov learned to be direct and sparse in statement. Presumably to satisfy his own puerile interest, the father peeps first and is so mortified by what he sees that he does not allow his son to look at all. For example, in “V more” (“At Sea”), a man decides to provide a sex education for his son by having him observe a newly married couple and a third man through a bulkhead peephole. In several stories, Chekhov deals with childhood innocence encountering or narrowly evading an adult world that is sordid, deceitful, or perverse. Some chronicle the numbing effects of living by social codes and mores rather than from authentic inner convictions, while others record human expectations frustrated by a sobering and often grim reality. Other stories, not built on irony or a momentous event in the central character’s life, are virtually plotless fragments. Like so many other characters in Chekhov’s fiction, Ochumelov is a bully to his subordinates but an officious toady to his betters. When it turns out that the dog belongs to the general’s brother, the officer swears that he will get even with the dog’s victim. In another story, “Khameleon” (“The Chameleon”), Ochumelov, a police officer, vacillates between placing blame on a dog or the man whom the dog has bitten until it can be confirmed that the dog does or does not belong to a certain General Zhigalov.
His sense of self-worth is so intricately bound up in his subservient role that, unpardoned, he has no reason to continue living. After repeated rebukes, he resigns himself to defeat, lies down, and dies. One sketch, “Smert’ chinovnika” (“The Death of a Government Clerk”), deals with a civil servant named Chervyakov who accidentally sneezes on a general and is mortified because he is unable to obtain the man’s pardon. The letter writer, Vladimirovich, is a pompous, officious oaf who makes pretentious statements about science and knowledge with inane blunders in syntax, spelling, and diction, inadvertently revealing his boorish stupidity while trying to ingratiate himself with his erudite neighbor.Īs does this sketch, many of Chekhov’s first pieces lampoon types found in Russian society, favorite satirical targets being functionaries in the czarist bureaucracy and their obsequious regard for their superiors. He also established his preference for an almost scientific objectivity in his depiction of character and events, an insistence that, in the course of his career, he would have to defend against his detractors.Ĭhekhov’s penchant for irony is exemplified in his very first published story, “Pis’mo k uchenomu sosedu” (“A Letter to a Learned Neighbor”), which appeared in 1880. In them, Chekhov experimented with point of view and most particularly the use of irony as a fictional device. Still, in their technique, economy of expression, and themes, the early pieces prefigure some of Chekhov’s most mature work. Others are brief parodies of popular genres, including the romantic novel. Many are mere sketches or extended jokes, often banal or cynical. Most are light, topical studies of social types, often running fewer than a thousand words. Equally important, that mature work reflects very careful artistry, worthy of study for its technique alone.Īnton Chekhov published his earliest stories and sketches in various popular magazines under pseudonyms, the most often used being “Antosha Chekhonte.” As that pen name hints, he was at first an unassuming and relatively compliant “hack,” willing to dash off careless pieces fashioned for the popular reader. In his mature work, he is perhaps the most genial of Russian masters, compassionate and forgiving, seldom strident or doctrinaire. A realist, Chekhov treads a fine line between detachment and a whimsical but sympathetic concern for his subjects. In 1888, he won the Pushkin Prize for his fiction, and in 1900, he was selected to honorary membership in the Russian Academy of Sciences for both his fiction and his drama.Ĭhekhov’s fiction departs from the formulaic, heavily plotted story to mirror Russian life authentically, concentrating on characters in very ordinary circumstances that often seem devoid of conflict. In his lifetime, Anton Chekhov (29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904 ) gained considerable critical acclaim.
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