Then a person will become a better person when you show him what he is
A P Chekhov
In his stories, Chekhov, as a rule, tries to trace the life of an individual person. The writer managed to show how, under the influence of an ugly environment, the views, beliefs and, finally, the very lives of his characters change. According to Chekhov, each person is responsible for his own destiny, and no living conveniences should influence his choice.
The world created by the writer is socially very diverse: officials, townspeople, merchants, peasants, priests, students, intelligentsia, metropolitan and landed nobility. That’s why the world he created is diverse. moral life modern Russian society.
The heroes of many stories by A.P. Chekhov, having found themselves in the stuffy atmosphere of philistinism, stop fighting, acting, and resign themselves to life. An example is the story “Ionych”. The vulgarity of the environment into which the young doctor Dmitry Startsev finds himself is not immediately revealed. To give an idea of the city's residents, Chekhov introduces us to the Turkin family, “according to local residents, the most educated and talented.”
At first, Startsev likes the Turkins' place. The father of the family's witticisms seem funny to him, his wife's novels seem interesting. The hero is fascinated by the difficult passages on the piano of their daughter Kotik, with whom he even falls in love. Startsev dreams of making a career, dreams of benefiting people. He hates lies, hypocrisy and everything that characterizes philistinism as a vice of society.
But now four years have passed. We meet Startsev again at the Turkins. And again, all the same as before, my father’s witticisms, mediocre novels about what never happens in life, difficult passages on the piano, “which resemble stones falling from high mountain" Although Startsev understands the wretchedness of philistinism, he resigns himself to it and grows into it. During these four years, he lost everything that distinguished him from the inhabitants of the city. Chekhov writes: “He ate and played cards with the same ordinary people who irritated him with their stupidity and satiety.” And his favorite pastime was to count the pieces of paper obtained by practice, take them to the “Mutual Credit Society” and put them in the current account.
The attitude towards money expressively characterizes a person. Many Chekhov's characters are partially, if not completely, revealed through their direct contact with a ruble or a kopeck. I remember how painfully the heroes of the story “Heavy People” part with money. And in the story “Help” the ruble (more precisely, three) acts as a direct spring of bureaucratic activity. As for Ionych, counting banknotes is the highest pleasure for him. Essentially, his work can be regarded as a moral failure.
Chekhov in many of his stories, using the example of the medical profession, showed dependence business qualities a specialist from the life ideal that illuminates the work. The story “A Boring Story” tells the story of the dramatic fate of Professor Nikolai Stepanovich. The hero is talented, has charm, humor, and knowledge. But a “everyday catastrophe” awaited him too. Only in his declining years did Nikolai Stepanovich become convinced that he had no clear ideas about the meaning of life and work. He realized that without such ideas, life is meaningless.
The life of many of Chekhov's heroes could have turned out differently, but they themselves preferred philistine life to free, bold activity. The writer in his works calls not to succumb to the destructive influence of an ugly environment, not to betray the bright ideals of young love, to take care of the person within you, and to find your own business.
“Without work there cannot be a pure and joyful life,” says the hero of the story “Three Years” Laptev. Favorite work is great happiness, as Chekhov’s hero Yegor Semenych admits from the work “The Black Monk”: “The whole secret of success is not that the garden is large and there are many workers, but that I love the work - you know, I love it, maybe to be more than yourself.”
The drama of Chekhov's stories often lies in the fact that the people presented in them do not even understand the meaninglessness of their existence. Here is one of the saddest stories, “Dowry.” The narrator finds himself in a small town house three times, at intervals of several years. Its inhabitants, the mother and daughter of the Chikomasovs, sew a dowry for Manechka from morning to night. First she is nineteen years old, then she is too old. Finally she is no longer in the world. And the mother continues to sew. Marriage becomes more and more of an abstraction, an excuse and justification for an apparently meaningless job. The question of the purpose of life cannot occur to these women. This is how Chekhov describes their home: “The shutters in the house are always closed: the residents do not need light. They don’t need light.” But they don't need not only sunlight, they do not need the light of thought, culture - and without this there is so much trouble with a dowry!
Of course, the “ideological dead end” in which they find themselves Chekhov's characters, is typical for many people at the end of the last century. These years were perceived as a period of timelessness. But the lack of a clear worldview is not only the fault of society. It is always the person's fault. The meaning of life is never given ready-made. People search for it for a long time and painfully, doing the right and wrong things.
The actions of the main character of the story “About Love” determine him future fate. The landowner Alekhine is driven by noble motives. Having fallen in love with the wife of his comrade, he himself refuses happiness with the woman he loves. And only before her departure, Alekhine confesses his love to her, but believes that their love is impossible, he simply has nothing to offer his beloved. It is absolutely clear that if he had not been afraid of life, fought for his love, this would have brought happiness not only to him, noah his beloved.
Chekhov's stories remind us that we determine our destiny ourselves, that we are responsible for what will happen in our lives. And the destiny of every generation, every person is to rediscover the purpose of life. This is why we always need Chekhov’s moral lessons.
Among characters the plays are the owners of the estate, the nobles; there is a merchant capitalist; there are representatives younger generation, denying old forms and heralding the onset of new life. And the meaning of the play is interpreted as a depiction of the historical change of socio-economic formations, social and cultural structures, as a demonstration of the inevitable death of some, the condemnation of others and the greeting of others.
Behind Chekhov's special form lies a special concept of life and man. “Let everything on stage be as complicated and at the same time as simple as in life,” said Chekhov. “People have lunch, just have lunch, and at this time their happiness is formed and their lives are broken.”
Chekhov the playwright completely abandons external intrigue, the struggle of a group of characters around something. Each episode is not a stepping stone in the unfolding of intrigue; The episodes are filled with ordinary, seemingly incoherent conversations, trifles of everyday life, insignificant details, but at the same time they are colored by a single mood, which then turns into another. The play unfolds not from intrigue to intrigue, but rather from mood to mood, and here an analogy with a plotless piece of music is appropriate.
The event that is most talked about - the sale of an estate at auction - does not take place on stage. Chekhov consistently uses this technique - to take the main “incident” off stage, leaving only reflections of it, echoes in the speeches of the characters. Invisible (by the viewer), off-stage events and characters are important in their own way in the play. But their absence on stage emphasizes that for the author they are only a background, an occasion, an accompanying circumstance of what is main. Despite the apparent absence of traditional external action, Chekhov, as always, has a rich, continuous and intense internal action.
In Ostrovsky's plays, the conflict stems primarily from differences in the class status of the heroes: rich and poor, tyrants and their victims, those in power and those dependent. In this sense, the hero of Ostrovsky's comedies and dramas is a “class” person. Chekhov's heroes cause misfortune to others without wanting it, they do not have a “badly directed will.” For example, Lopakhin does not at all harbor hostile feelings towards Ranevskaya, and he does not wish for her ruin, but, on the contrary, for the cherry orchard to become "happy, rich, luxurious...".
The heroes of “The Cherry Orchard” often contrast themselves with each other, convinced of the absolute opposite of their “truths.” The author each time points out the commonality between them, the hidden similarities that they do not notice or reject with indignation. The conflict itself is new: visible opposition with hidden similarity.
A beautiful garden, against the backdrop of which characters are shown who do not understand the course of things or have a limited understanding of it, is associated with the destinies of several generations - past, present and future. Some see the garden as it was in the irretrievable past, for others, talking about the garden is just a reason for fanabery, others, thinking about saving the garden, are actually destroying it, others welcome the death of this garden... A dying garden and a failed, not even noticed love - two end-to-end, internally related topics- give the play a sad-poetic character. However, Chekhov insisted that he created “not a drama, but a comedy, sometimes even a farce.” It is obvious that Chekhov implemented in his “comedy” special principles of combining the dramatic and the comic.
Anton Chekhov spent his childhood and adolescence in Taganrog, where he was born into the family of a merchant. In parallel with his studies at the gymnasium, the young man was forced to constantly help his father in the grocery store. He was disgusted by the sale of sauerkraut and the often drunken customers. But it was they who became the first prototypes of the stories of the future writer. Back in school years Anton tried his hand at creating feuilletons, jokes and short satirical stories. And moving to Moscow to study at a medical university became a new stage in the life of a creative person.
The first successes of the writer can be considered the publication of stories in metropolitan magazines. Realizing that his works could be of interest to readers, Chekhov began to work harder. The process of creating feuilletons and stories brought the author not only pleasure, but also income. But Anton Pavlovich’s dreams of healing did not leave him, so his studies continued. The life and work of Chekhov will be briefly discussed in the article.
First confident steps in literature
After receiving his medical degree, Chekhov began collaborating with the capital’s publication “New Time”. It was here that the author first allowed the editors to indicate his name. Before that, he published under various pseudonyms, insanely afraid of being recognized or receiving negative reviews about his work. But all the talented man’s fears turned out to be unfounded. The metropolitan public “received the new word in fiction with a bang,” and critics were forced to recognize the phenomenon of a new genius.
At the same time, Chekhov himself throughout his life was incredibly embarrassed by the increased attention to his own person. This was reflected in his themes of creativity. Chekhov did not believe in the existence ideal people, believing that life consists of feelings, emotions and experiences hiding behind everyday life. That is why all the heroes of his works are simple, sometimes narrow-minded and unhappy people, devoid of a bright individuality.
A clear understanding of the change of eras, revolutionary sentiments among the masses and the writer’s inner experiences were reflected in his works. The genres of Chekhov's creativity were unique, since he strongly understood the pettiness of man in comparison with the coming changes, world problems and wars. Therefore, most of his characters are shown as eternally rushing people, lost in search of happiness.
Recognition and demand
In 1887, the first collection of the fruits of Chekhov's work was published - the stories "At Twilight". It received positive reviews from critics, as did the play “Ivanov” staged at the capital’s theater. Anton Pavlovich no longer needed to wander around publishing houses in the hope of cooperation. Since 1890, the writer's popularity began to grow every day. Now his works were published in “Russian Time” and “Severny Vestnik”. Colorful and relatable stories were reprinted many times, selling in large editions throughout the country.
But along with success, the first ill-wishers appeared, accusing the writer of lack of civic position. Critics began to look for pitfalls in Chekhov's works. They openly launched tirades against the author, believing that at a time when the country was approaching an inevitable revolution, creating lampoons and comic stories was the height of cynicism.
Unexpected escape
At the same time, the genius himself paid attention only to the opinions of the people whom he admired. One of these was the lump of Russian literature Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. Anton Pavlovich was not only well acquainted with all the works of the meter, but also sought to comprehend his philosophy of life. Not everything in the faithful teacher’s statements seemed correct to him. The wise Chekhov listened to Tolstoy's theories, diluting them with his own feelings and perception of reality.
And when internal protests and events taking place in the country drove Chekhov into a corner, he unexpectedly decided on a kind of escape. The writer’s departure to distant Sakhalin came as a real surprise to everyone. But the writer paused his career, left everyday life and went to observe the life of Siberians.
In the new place, the man did not sit idly by, remembering his profession. Taking risks own life, he began to provide medical services convicts and local residents. It was not so easy for an emotional person to accept the picture he saw on the island. Poverty, disease and early deaths seemed natural process, which the capital’s guest could not accept.
In parallel with his work at the local hospital, Chekhov constantly made peculiar notes in his diary. He recorded all the meetings and events of that time, which was reflected in the book “Sakhalin Island,” published in 1895. But in parallel with his creative achievements, the writer caused irreparable harm to his own health. Difficult living and working conditions accelerated the progression of tuberculosis, which he suffered from. In the future, it was this disease that became the reason for the early death of writers.
Return to the capital
After returning to Moscow, Anton Pavlovich revised most of his principles and previous views. Many of Tolstoy's statements now seemed naive and meaningless to him. Having traveled across the country, he saw how people live, realizing the futility of their attempts to change the world.
New thoughts and feelings were immediately reflected in the stories that came out shortly after arriving from Sakhalin. “My Life”, “Ward No. 6”, “My Life”, “In the Ravine” became one of the few works of the updated author. Having seen what problems the unfortunate inhabitants of the country in the outback face every day, the author considered it obligatory to show their life, problems and experiences. A clear understanding of irrevocably passing time did not allow Chekhov to live in peace. A thinking and feeling person understood that soon the country would cease to exist in the format familiar to everyone, not yet knowing what awaited it. Anton Pavlovich understood that the arrogant aristocrats were doomed to quick extinction, and tried to ridicule all their cheap values.
Subtle humor, mastery of words and a masterly ability to see what was inaccessible to everyone else helped Chekhov form his thoughts and feelings. And to the surprise of the writer himself, publishing houses were in no hurry to abandon his works, willingly publishing new works. Perhaps one of the secrets of the author’s phenomenon, why the work of A.P. Chekhov is considered extraordinary, was the ability not only to show internal conflict heroes, but also to reflect their internal monologue. Before Chekhov, no one had used such methods in Russian literature.
Teachers and students
Many researchers of the peculiarities of Chekhov's work call him their teacher and pioneer in the use of symbolism in literature. But the writer himself never elevated himself to the rank of genius, believing that there are many more talented and successful colleagues in the world. He never hesitated to use their methods of work and study life principles. At the same time, they were all diluted and refined by the thoughts of Anton Pavlovich.
The writer considered Shakespeare and Maupassant to be his indisputable authorities among his Western colleagues. Among domestic authors he was interested in the works of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Their creative heritage had a huge influence on the Russian genius, allowing him to see life with different positions and parties.
After Chekhov's death, Bernard Shaw, Hemingway, Miller, Mann and Garcia Lorca declared themselves to be his followers. And although the style and format of their works are completely different from the work of the writer Chekhov, it was his personality that became an example for aspiring writers looking for their own creative path.
Dramatic works
What belongs to Chekhov's pen? Among the writer’s creative heritage there are many talented dramatic works which are still popular today. Plays "Uncle Vanya", " Cherry Orchard", "The Seagull" and "Three Sisters" were not only positively received by readers, but also taken into development famous directors. They are successfully going to theater stages all over the world, almost without preserving the author’s first fears and doubts.
Anton Pavlovich worked on serious works already while living in Yalta. He was forced to move there due to an exacerbation of the disease. He could no longer be on constant trips and travels, which negatively affected his general health. The local climate had positive influence on Chekhov’s condition, although every day he understood more and more clearly the proximity of the tragic ending.
Creativity helped the writer Chekhov to forget heavy thoughts. After finishing the story, he sent it to Moscow, painfully waiting for the reaction of critics from there. Therefore, when Stanislavsky offered to stage one of the author’s works in the theater, he categorically refused the offer. He rarely left Crimea, so he worried about the fate of his works from a distance. And fears about critical comments caused negative worries for their creator.
Premonition of the imminent finale
One of latest works Chekhov's story "The Bishop", published in 1902. In it the author showed last days Holy Archpriest Peter, knowing about his imminent death. Main character he was in a hurry to do all the important things, realizing that no one would continue his path and would not be able to delay the predetermined move.
Being a physician, a reasonable person understood how dangerous and incurable his own illness was. All attempts by modern doctors to alleviate the patient's suffering came down to bleeding and applying ice to the area of already diseased lungs. Therefore, the only thing left for a lonely man was work and communication with interesting people.
Took care of all household chores sister writer Masha, who devoted almost her entire life to him. She understood and felt her brother so well that she could determine his mood or well-being based on his gait or facial expressions. But even her help could not give relief to Anton, who wanted to work hard, communicate and travel around the world.
Personal story
For many years, Anton Pavlovich felt a feeling of love and passion for his sweetheart and good Lika Mizinova. It was she who for a long time was the writer’s only muse, becoming the prototype main character in the play "The Cherry Orchard". But beautiful story emotional people did not succeed, and soon they began to be burdened by each other’s company. After Mizinova’s departure, Chekhov wrote letters to her less and less, diligently looking for excuses for himself.
A true ally and faithful friend famous person became theater actress Olga Knipper. They got married shortly before the writer's death. The artist, in love with creativity, spent most of her time in Moscow. She served in capital theater under the leadership of Stanislavsky, only occasionally visiting her husband in Crimea. Therefore, their relationship was reflected in passionate and long letters.
It was Olga who convinced her husband to stage his first play at the theater. Once she even had to deceitfully lure her husband into the theater, where “The Seagull” was received with delight. True, this happened only on the second attempt, so the writer’s fears were understandable and explainable.
Tragic and difficult departure
IN recent years Chekhov worked little during his life due to illness and depression. He was no longer pleased, as before, by the beauty of Yalta, Olga's letters and his sister's care. His beloved conversations with Maxim Gorky began to add bitterness and oppressive melancholy. Every day he faded away more and more, to the real pain of everyone around him.
Realizing that something urgently needed to be done, the family council decided to send Anton Pavlovich to Europe for treatment. His wife went with him to Germany, but help was too late. Chekhov died during the trip, having said goodbye to his wife.
According to the writer's wishes, he was buried in Moscow on Novodevichy Cemetery. But during the rebellious mood of the first half of the last century, it was decided to liquidate the cemetery, and Chekhov’s body was reburied in another place.
Unknown Chekhov
The life and work of A.P. Chekhov today are of great interest to all connoisseurs of literature. The only successors of the author who passed away early were his works. Chekhov had no children; he left all his property to his younger sister. It was thanks to Maria Pavlovna that it was later possible to create a museum of the writer, in which there was a place for his personal belongings.
All his life, Anton Pavlovich diligently hid his own experiences from those around him. No one knew who he really loved or what he regretted. Even a serious illness did not transform strong man into a pessimist or whiner. He could tell about all the hardships only in his diaries, of which many were found after Chekhov’s death. It turned out that numerous attacks from critics caused him to think about voluntarily leaving this life.
A legendary man, innovator and reformer in Russian literature of the twentieth century, he found time for almost everything that truly interested him. He collected stamps, did charity work, and initiated the construction of a monument to Peter the Great in his native Taganrog. In between work, the writer managed to travel, visiting the most remote corners of the world during his short life.
He never looked for love, once running away on the eve of his own wedding with Zinaida Efros. And only Olga Knipper managed to convince the man of the need for a wedding. But this did not turn the genius into a calm and balanced person. He will still continue to rush around, loving to create ambiguous situations. Anton Pavlovich loved to say absurd things, observing the reactions of others to them. The writer never refused the opportunity to give advice or make corrections to the works of other authors, considering it an exercise for the mind. At the same time, he endured critical remarks addressed to himself painfully.
But no matter what the writer was, he managed to create a real revolution in world literature. The works of the writer A.P. Chekhov are studied at school, filmed and staged on theater stages. And while the memory of the famous literary genius continues to live, his creative journey cannot be considered over.
Chekhov is a man whose life was based on tireless spiritual work on himself. The work of self-education is the main thing that Chekhov bequeathed to his readers. In this regard, he is a direct successor to the traditions of L.N. Tolstoy.
Chekhov is the heir to all Russian traditions realistic literature, the peak that closes the mountain chain of geniuses. Distinctive Features Chekhov's works are as follows.
1. Denial of old forms of Russian life and anticipation of new ones; lack of its own clear theoretical program and distrust of all dogmatic ideas.
2. Humanity as rejection of any manifestations of slavery in the social and spiritual life of a person; assertion of personal freedom.
3. Objectivity, refusal to preach through literature; trust in the reader: reticence and subtext.
4. Accuracy and conciseness in the depiction of life. Ability to grasp big picture life in its details.
5. The power of generalizations and overgeneralizations.
Let us turn to the story “Student” and try to reveal these features using the example of a specific work.
Pay attention to the symbolism of the landscape, as well as the way Chekhov achieves the objectivity of the story. For example, in the word inopportunely (the wind blew) the author merges himself with the hero, and then the feeling of unpleasant nature is given on behalf of the hero: “It seemed to him...”, etc.
The author’s ability to give a picture of the whole through one detail is shown by the picture that arose in the student’s memory. We can tell you what Chekhov kept silent about: what the life of the sexton’s family was like, how his son’s existence developed.
There is also inconsistency (omission of a logical link) in the depiction of the hero’s feelings. Why did the student talk to Vasilisa and Lukerya about the Apostle Peter? Chekhov does not reveal to us the course of his thoughts. Try to restore it yourself, delving into the subtext.
So, the hero is shown in a moment of mental decline, doubts about the meaningfulness of existence. The fate of Russia seems to him hopelessly unhappy. The whole history of mankind is seen as one sad one, long night. But this night the fire of the fire glows and warms.
Let us pay attention to how the student tells the story of Peter’s denial. Can his story be called skillful and poetic? No. Ivan conveys the text of the Gospel almost verbatim, but his short remarks during the story speak of how clearly he imagines everything that happened to the apostle, how he feels what Peter must have felt. How does this story characterize the hero? Let us answer: despite all the student’s doubts and worries, he feels the strength of faith, love for Christ, and compliance with the chosen role of spiritual shepherd.
And again, Chekhov does not tell us the reason for Vasilisa’s tears. Perhaps the widow herself would not have been able to identify it. The student walks across the field again, and the gloomy landscape returns. But the hero’s thoughts completely changed. Now he again thinks about the past and the future, about the unity and interconnection of times (as when he thought about Rurik and Ivan the Terrible), why now do these reflections fill him with joy?
At the end of the story, the dawn, the inevitable arrival of spring, and the feeling of happiness that gripped the student merge into one.
The result of our analysis is the identification of the deep general meaning of the story. It is no coincidence that almost every specific image in it turns into a symbol. The thoughts of Ivan Velikopolsky reflected contemporary Chekhov state of mind the entire society, which has almost lost faith, wandering in a wretched present. All of Russia is wandering across the great field towards light and joy, saving itself from the temptations of the mind, from weakness of spirit with heartfelt love for Christ.
In Chekhov's story "Student" one can notice echoes of familiar works of Russian literature of the 19th century century: Chekhov's hero is the brother of Grisha Dobrosklonov due to poverty, due to his connection with his native land, due to his thirst for good. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is also akin to him (remember the scene of the conversation on the ferry).
It is important to identify Chekhov’s connection with the traditions of previous literature and at the same time reveal the innovation of his creative method.
Book materials used: Yu.V. Lebedev, A.N. Romanova. Literature. 10th grade. Lesson-based developments. - M.: 2014
The artistic originality of A.P. Chekhov's stories.
The originality and at the same time the merit of Chekhov lies primarily in the fact that he, like no one else, understood the essence of the story as a small epic form, brought this genre to perfection, ensuring that the story, in the smallest possible volume, reflected with maximum truthfulness and with the greatest depth essential aspects of life.
In Chekhov’s stories we find both the simplicity and artlessness of Pushkin’s realism, and the mercilessness of Gogol’s exposure of life’s vulgarity, “the terrible mud of little things in which an ordinary person gets bogged down.” Starting with an anecdote and an entertaining plot, Chekhov, faithful to the principle of writing only the truth, “what is”, gradually moves on to a deep show of Russian life, revealing it skillfully and talentedly, honestly and truthfully dark sides. Chekhov is not afraid of the truth and, fearlessly tearing off life’s colorful clothes, he sentences it with a short and strong phrase: “It’s impossible to live like this anymore.”
His stories depict Russian life at the end of the 19th century. The reader sees representatives of all classes and social groups in Russia - from a beggar to a rich aristocrat, of all professions - from a cab driver to a bishop. And in all cases, the author tells only the truth that society needs.
But Chekhov describes not only the external truth of life. Being a brilliant psychologist, Chekhov reveals masterfully and insightfully psychological state heroes. He knew how to talk about inner life a child (“I want to sleep”), a teenager (“Vanka”), an adult, an old man. The writer even reveals the psyche of animals in such famous stories, like “White-fronted”, “Kashtanka”.
THE ART OF COMPOSITIONAL COMPRESSION BECAME FOR Chekhov one of the main requirements that he made of himself throughout literary activity. “Brevity is the sister of talent,” wrote A.P. Chekhov
The vast majority of Chekhov's stories are miniature stories. The plots in the story are based on one episode. And the choice of plot and its development, as the central issue of composition, was the subject special attention Chekhov.
The exposure should be very short. The narration in Chekhov's stories begins directly with the main action and does not have lengthy descriptions. More higher value the writer gave to the ending of the story, trying to make it as meaningful, effective, and impressive as possible. So, for example,
in the story "The Swedish Match" A mysterious murder is discovered, the scene of the crime is being examined, everyone is in alarm. The “killed man” is found sleeping with the wife of one of those conducting the inspection.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov wrote: “I am used to stories consisting only of beginnings and endings.”
In order to achieve brevity of form, Chekhov avoids large quantity characters. This number is sometimes limited to 2-3 persons. Let us recall the stories “The Intruder”, “Thick and Thin”, “Surgery”, “Daughter of Albion” and others. When the theme and plot require several characters, Chekhov usually chooses a central person, who he draws in detail, scattering the rest, as he put it, “across the background, like a small coin.”
Compositional feature Chekhov's story is also "story within a story" technique ”, to which the author often resorts. This is how, for example, the stories “Gooseberry”, “Man in a Case” and others are constructed. This technique allows the author to achieve at the same time both objectivity and economy of form.
Plays a very important role in Chekhov's story. dialogue. He, in fact, drives the action.
The story “Chameleon” is a skillfully crafted dialogue scene in which several characters participate. The dialogue is accompanied by the author's text, so brief that it has the character of remarks, and so expressive that it acquires independent artistic significance.
IN speech characteristics the typical traits of the hero are revealed. For example, Ochumelov has police rudeness, a rude attitude towards subordinates and an equally rude servility towards those in power and everything that surrounds them.
Scenery Chekhov's writing is, as a rule, stingy, realistically accurate and at the same time maximally expressive.
The writer demanded such an impact from the work that the reader could “read and close his eyes and immediately imagine the landscape depicted.” This is how Anton Pavlovich draws a thunderstorm in the story “The Steppe”: “To the left, as if someone had struck a match across the sky, a pale phosphorescent strip flashed and went out. I heard someone walking on an iron roof somewhere very far away. They probably walked barefoot on the roof, because the iron grumbled dully.”
The landscape can also emphasize the hero’s state of mind. In the story “The Bride,” an inexplicable melancholy oppresses the heroine. On a sleepless night, Nadya sees a lilac covered with fog. Lilac is the personification of youth, and fog is something incomprehensible, inexplicable, so something evil is approaching both the bush and Nadya. She feels that trouble is approaching her.
On the night when she is about to run, there is bad weather outside, the howling of the wind in the chimneys. It seemed to her that someone had been knocking on the shutters all night and whistling, as if calling her out.
To achieve brevity of form, Chekhov followed the line of a completely new attitude towards the reader, whom he attracts to his creative work. The writer requires the activity of the reader's imagination, which he himself knew how to excite, giving impetus to the reader's thoughts. He achieved this through the use of truthful and unexpected details.
Story "Chameleon". Deserted market square. Police warden Ochumelov walks in silence, accompanied by a red-haired policeman. A neat detail: a bundle in the warden’s hand and a sieve with “confiscated gooseberries” - clearly indicates their activity.
In the story “The Bride,” Nadya’s mother considers herself an unhappy woman. The author writes: tears glistened in her eyes and diamonds glistened on her fingers. This immediately makes suffering less valuable.
Everyone considers Nadya’s groom Andrei Andreevich a talented person, because he plays the violin at the bride’s place all evenings, the writer gives his explanation - at this time you can remain silent.
Showing his tastelessly built house for his future wife, the author gives a detail: on the wall there is a painting of a naked lady with a purple vase. And next to it is a portrait of the father-priest.
The goal of maximum savings artistic means Chekhov also allows it in the language of stories. He writes in simple and clear language, understandable to any level of readers. In particular, Chekhov tried to avoid excesses and stereotyped speech patterns in his speech. Showing the diversity of the hero’s reading taste, the writer very laconically and succinctly writes at the same time: “The bookcase against the wall was full of books.”
Comparisons, metaphors Chekhov's works are always new and unexpected. Full of freshness. Here is a description of the sound of intensifying rain in the story “Steppe”: “The rain and the matting seemed to understand each other, talking about something quickly, cheerfully and disgustingly, like two magpies.”
Here is an example of a figurative comparison taken from notebook Chekhov: “The soil is so good that if you plant a shaft in the ground, a tarantas will grow.”
Chekhov's vocabulary is colossal. He is an expert in professional jargon, and the reader unmistakably, even without warning by the author, recognizes his profession and social status character in the story: soldier, clerk, doctor. At the same time, the individualization of language has been brought to such perfection that the character’s language allows the reader to imagine the image of a person in all its living, tangible specifics. Some of Chekhov's stories are entirely based on professional speech: “Surgery”, “Polenka”, “Wedding”. However, here too Chekhov shows great feeling artistic measure, giving only the typical.
Chekhov's language has a lot of musicality and rhythm. This rhythmic structure of speech enhances the impression of the depicted object and creates a mood. So in the story “Steppe”, wonderful lyrical work, the writer achieves through the musicality of his prose that the reader is conveyed a feeling of melancholy from the feeling of the vastness of the steppe.
In his stories, Chekhov also uses the main technique of satirists - exaggeration .
Chervyakov’s panicky fear of his excellency in the story “Death of an Official” or Prishibeev’s annoying desire to interfere in one’s own business and restore order everywhere in the story “Unter Prishibeev” are exaggerated.
Great exaggeration or grotesque , is used less frequently. In the story “The Fat and the Thin,” the petty official’s servility is so great that it is transmitted to his belongings: not only the thin one, having learned about the high rank of his former classmate, hunched over, shrank, and narrowed, but also “his suitcases, bundles and cardboard boxes shrank and winced.” .
Many stories are imbued with subtle Chekhovian humor causing laughter. The author uses “stupid” surnames: Khryukin, Ochumelov and others, and finds funny definitions: Khryukin’s finger is a sign of victory. But subtle, barely noticeable humor does not play a primary role. They are dominated by open laughter at the pathetic and vile “heroes.” This is no longer humor, but accusatory laughter, satire, acquiring wide social significance, which great writer learned from Gogol and Saltykov-Shchedrin. It was satire that brought Chekhov out of the close circle of entertaining “things” and made his works immortal creations of Russian literature.