In 1893, the work of A.P. Chekhov, whose idea he saw in a dream. Genius and megalomania are the main issues that concern the author. We offer a summary of Chekhov's story “The Black Monk”.
1 chapter
The doctor advised Andrei Vasilievich Kovrigin to go to the village in the spring and summer to calm his nerves. At the same time, a letter came from the daughter of an old acquaintance and mentor from Borisovka, who called to visit. Arriving at his native Kovrinka, the hero went to his teacher, the famous gardener Pesotsky. So begins his work "Black Monk" Chekhov. The summary does not include a detailed description of the house and garden of Yegor Semenych. We only note that Pesotsky devoted all his life to plant breeding and care. The result, however, was a magnificent garden, where workers swarmed from morning to evening. And the owner himself devoted all his time to him, rarely daring even for a short departure from the estate. Great help to his father in his case was provided by unmarried Tatyana.
Kovrigin and the girl spent the first night in the garden: frosts were expected and bonfires were burned there. They talked about past life, about the future. And Kovrigin suddenly thought that over the summer he could fall in love with Tatyana, whom she knew as a girl.
2 chapter
In the village, the hero slept little and did not stop working. One evening he heard a serenade about a girl with a sick imagination - she was played by the guests of the Pesotsky. When the music died down, Kovrigin went out with Tatyana to the balcony. He told her a legend he had once heard, whose hero was, as A.P. notes. Chekhov, black monk. Its summary is as follows. A thousand years ago, a ghost monk in black walked the earth. He was seen in many places. Then he stepped out of the atmosphere and set off to wander around the universe. However, the other day a ghost should reappear on Earth.
After the conversation, Kovrigin reached the field alone. And suddenly a tall, moving pole appeared before him. Soon the hero clearly saw the shape - it was a black monk. Chekhov - a summary of the legend coincided with what the hero saw - drew attention to a gray head, black eyebrows, bare feet of a mirage. An excited master returned home and remained in a sublime state all evening.
3 chapter
After the departure of the guests, a conversation took place between Andrei Vasilyevich and Pesotsky. Here is a summary of it. The black monk - Chekhov, he was also very worried - made up all the thoughts of Kovrigin. However, the owner spoke of the future. The fact that the garden after his death will not last a month. That the old man is afraid of his daughter's marriage - a stranger will easily rent trees for rent - and everything is gone. And then he admitted that the only man for whom Tanya could have been calmly given was him, Andrei Vasilyevich. Concluding the conversation, Pesotsky expressed hope: maybe everything will still work out?
Chapter 4
Once Tanya and Yegor Semenovich had a big argument. They did not talk all day, and Kovrigin took on the role of a peacemaker. He gently convinced the girl that both had flared up and that everything needed to be discussed. At these moments, Andrei Vasilyevich came to the thought: he likes Tatyana, and the Pesotsky ones are the only relatives to him in this world. Soon, Egor Semenovich and Tanya talked peacefully in the garden, and Kovrigin went into the park.
5 chapter
Evening shadows reminded the hero of a legend. A familiar person appeared right out of the tree. It was - further we offer a description of the conversation and its summary - a black monk. Chekhov, as a physician, was worried about the state of a person with a disturbed psyche. The conversation began with the recognition that the monk is a ghost, the result of an excited imagination. Kovrigin noted the rather expressive face of the interlocutor and the fact that he looks at Andrei Vasilyevich with enthusiasm. The monk's answer was simple. The master is a genius, and this proves his ability to see ghosts. It seemed to Kovrigin that the monk was reading his thoughts, and he offered to talk about eternal truth. However, the vision began to dissolve in the air until it completely disappeared. Such was the new meeting of the hero with a mysterious ghost and its summary.
Chekhov's “Black Monk” continues with a description of Andrei Vasilievich’s conversation with Tatyana. They met when Kovrigin returned home. Happy and with shining eyes from the experience, he confessed to Tanya in love and offered to become his wife.
6 chapter
A joyful and disturbing atmosphere reigned in the Pesotsky’s house: they were getting ready for the wedding, and then the fruits ripened. Kovrigin tried not to notice the hustle and bustle that had begun. He worked hard, inspiring relationships with Tanya and meeting with the monk. The latter appeared to him now two or three times a week, and Andrei Vasilyevich finally became convinced of his chosenness and exclusiveness.
And after the Assumption Lent , a wedding took place, after which the young left for the city.
Chapter 7
One winter night, Kovrigin talked with enthusiasm to the black monk, laughing and gesturing. During this occupation, Tanya accidentally woke up and found him. The wife noted Andryusha's long-noticed oddities: she speaks to herself, hardly sleeps, smiles strangely. And at that moment Kovrigin realized how dangerous his position was. “I'm crazy,” he admitted to Tanya and Pesotsky, who was visiting them. And in the morning he was taken to the doctor and treated.
8 chapter
By summer, the hero’s nerves recovered, and he no longer saw the black monk. Once in the village, Kovrigin somehow went to the field, where their first meeting took place. Over the year, Andrei Vasilievich has changed: the gait has become sluggish, his face has turned pale and has grown stout from drugs and milk. Everything annoyed him now. And returning home, the man accused his father-in-law and his wife of ruining his life. Previously, the hero was pursued by megalomania, but he was cheerful and happy. Now it has become mediocrity, but no one is easier on it.
In the end, the relationship between Kovrigin and Tanya completely deteriorated. As she did not ask him to be more affectionate with his father, nothing changed. Instead of past happiness, hostility and mutual reproaches appeared.
Chapter 9
Kovrigin was given his chair, but neither in December nor January did the lectures take place. Andrei Vasilyevich was seriously ill. Now he lived with a woman who followed him like a child. Hoping to improve the health of Kovrigin, they went to Yalta. In Sevastopol, where they stayed for the night, the hero decided to print a letter from Tanya, which he received before leaving. Now he believed that he married her in vain, and therefore rejoiced at parting. He suddenly remembered how ugly he had done when he said that Yegor Semenych had asked him to marry Tanya. Finally, Kovrigin read the letter. Father died, the garden dies, and Tanya’s soul is burned with pain and hatred - this is his summary.
Chekhov's “Black Monk” ends with the story of the hero’s death. After reading the letter, he tore it to shreds and experienced anxiety, similar to fear. It seemed to him that now the indestructible force that would bring him and his family so much trouble in two years would come in again. The attempt to work failed. Andrei Vasilyevich went onto the balcony and saw an approaching pillar. Soon the monk stood in front of him and asked why Kovrigin did not believe in his exceptionalism. And the hero suddenly again experienced former happiness and all called Tanya, a magnificent garden, a beautiful former life. In the morning, Kovrigin “was already dead, and a blissful smile appeared on his face” - ends the work “The Black Monk” by Chekhov (you have read the summary of the chapters).