The story "Cheesy story" by Chekhov, a brief summary of which is given in this article, is considered the programmatic work of the author. It is necessary to know and understand it in order to understand the ideas of the author. Chekhov wrote this story in 1889 and published it in the journal Northern Herald.
The main character
In the center of Chekhov’s novel “A Boring Story”, the summary of which you are currently reading, is the figure of the scientist and professor Nikolai Stepanovich. He achieved in his field everything that one could dream of, enjoys well-deserved respect and honor. Moreover, he himself is an old man who is overcome by an incurable disease. According to his own estimates, he has no more than six months to live.
Nikolai Stepanovich draws up notes in which he is trying to realize his position, believing that fate itself sentenced him to death. In these notes, he captures his usual course of life.
Professors are overcome every night by insomnia, the wife and daughter, whom he had loved so much before, are now only harassed by minor life difficulties. At work, he has several close associates. This is the doorman Nikolai, who is devoted to the professor, and the prosector Petr Ignatievich, whom he himself characterizes as a learned dumbass.
The lectures at the university, which he had previously compared with poetic works, now deliver only torment.
Everyday life around
Chekhov in "Boring History" (a brief summary of the chapters will help you prepare for the exam or seminar) notes that his main character is not a theologian or philosopher. His entire conscious life was occupied exclusively with the ultimate goal of the universe, in his thoughts he never went into the details of what to expect in the afterlife.
Now everything that pleased him in life and brought pleasure has irrevocably gone. This is a favorite job, family and self-confidence. From the last days he is separated by new thoughts that before he simply did not occur to him. Nikolai Stepanovich begins to think that life cruelly deceived him. Neither his brilliant past, nor his glorious name can alleviate today's pain for him.
A regular professor comes to a regular professor several times. Chekhov in "Boring History" (a brief summary will help to better understand this work) describes them in detail. This is a negligent student who is trying to beg the topic for a dissertation, his colleague in the faculty. All of them seem to be far-sighted to the main character, and their problems are ridiculous, not worthy of his attention.
Katia
Nikolay Stepanovich is still glad to see only one visitor. This is the daughter of his late friend Katya, who grew up in the family of a professor. From the age of 15 she passionately fell in love with the theater. She began to dream of the glory of the actress, was so carried away that she went to work in provincial productions.
Chekhov in "Boring History" (you can read a brief summary in this article) describes in detail her disappointment. Two years later, she realized that the theatrical future was not for her, Katya lost faith in her talent, suffered unhappy love, even tried to take her own life, buried her child.
Nikolai Stepanovich always loved her as a daughter, trying to help with advice, for this he wrote lengthy letters that did not help. Having suffered a crash in her life, Katya lives on the remains of her father’s condition. She lost interest in life, spends days at home reading books, occasionally visiting a professor. She does not like his relatives, and they reciprocate her.
Family dinner
Chekhov in “A Boring Story” (you can write a summary for the reader’s diary based on this article) describes everything that has ceased to be pleasing to the professor. He is burdened by family dinners.
At the table there is his wife, daughter Liza, several of her friends at the conservatory and Alexander Gnekker, a contender for her hand, who in Nikolai Stepanovich only causes dislike. He comes to their house almost every day, while no one really knows what means he lives on, where he gets his income from. At the same time, he talks about music, boasts of acquaintance with celebrities. Nikolai Stepanovich decides that this is the next to take root in art.
The professor yearns for cheerful family dinners, thinking that the inner life of his wife and daughter irrevocably eluded him.
Trains in Kharkov
A trip to Kharkov is a mission that a wife has been entrusting to him for a long time. Gnekker is from Kharkov, you need to go there to inquire about him, to find out about incomes and parents. Nikolai Stepanovich did not want to go, but he leaves home for fear of insomnia and goes to Katya.
Only in her house does he feel comfortable and warm, can he complain, talk about his problems. He admits that his past life seems to him an ideal built composition, now the task is not to spoil the finale, having met death with a calm soul.
Katya constantly has a philologist Mikhail Fedorovich. Apparently, he is in love with her, but he does not dare to admit it. He annoys the professor with slander and anecdotes from university life. With harsh expressions, he interrupts the discussion about shredding the young generation and the lack of ideals among young people. He compares these interlocutors with toads, but he is drawn to them again and again.
Summer at the cottage
In the summer, the professor lives with his family in the country. At night, insomnia again overcomes him, and during the day, instead of work, he reads French novels. He is sure that creativity is the main condition for personal freedom. He discusses theater, literature and science clearly and aptly. Only thoughts of imminent death overshadow everything. Everything else remains practically unchanged: Snekker comes to dinner, the prosector and the doorman regularly visit him.
An outlet again becomes Katya, who comes to ride Nikolai Stepanovich on her scarab. She, too, is sad, realizing that her life does not add up, and that money and years go without a trace. The professor understands that template advice cannot help her, so she does not know how to answer her question: "What should I do?"
In the evenings she still has Mikhail Fedorovich, the same gossiping and in love. Nikolai Stepanovich now joins his attacks on students, literature and theater.
Sparrow night
A terrible night comes with lightning, thunder, wind and rain. People call such passerines. The professor wakes up from the horror of a sudden death. He can not cope with this fear. Inexplicable sounds surround him: either groans, or laughter.
At this time, his wife runs to him, who calls to Lisa’s room. She groans from unknown flour and immediately rushes to his neck. The professor does not know how to help her daughter, whose soul has some kind of heaviness.
After a few hours, he could not fall asleep, then someone knocks on the window. With heavy forebodings Katya came to him. She begs Nikolai Stepanovich to take the money from her and go somewhere to be treated. When he refuses, disappointedly leaves.
Finally, the professor goes to Kharkov. There he comes to complete indifference. He finds out that no one knows anything about Gnekker. He does not even react to a telegram from his wife, in which she reports that Gnekker secretly married their Lisa. Such an attitude to the world frightens him, because indifference is the paralysis of the soul.
Hotel morning
The next morning at the hotel, he begins to think that he understood the reason for his weakness. He believes that in his judgments and feelings there is no common idea. In this case, a serious illness or fear of death is enough for the meaning and joy of life to disappear in an instant. The professor gives up, deciding to wait for it to end.
At this time, Katya enters the room. She says that she arrived just like that, but at the same time drops a letter from Mikhail Fedorovich. Again she asks Nikolai Stepanovich how to live on.
The professor barely stands on his feet in utter confusion. Without waiting for an answer, she leaves where her eyes look. The main character understands that he sees her, most likely, for the last time.
Critics of the story
An analysis of Chekhov's "Boring Story" should begin with the fact that critics have taken the story ambiguously. Some believed that this is a strong and deep thing in which even the subjective notes that are noticeable in the reasoning of the protagonist do no harm. Many noted that all the heroes, even minor ones, came out very lively. Everyone especially liked the novelty of the motive.
In reviews and analysis of the text of “Boring Story”, experts noted that the story turned out to be journalistic and subjective. It was then that Chekhov gained a reputation as a thoughtful author. I admired the mind of Chekhov, listening to the story, even Leo Tolstoy.
At the same time, there were critics who, analyzing Chekhov's “Boring Story”, emphasized that the author had come to the revelation that any deviation from the demand of reason leads to a sad realization that life was wasted. In addition, the author was accused of unsuccessful imitation of Tolstoy in this story.
In the analysis of "Boring Story" it should be noted that most of its characters are in a "spiritual impasse." Well-veiled autobiographical motifs also appear in it. The story tells about a spiritual and personal crisis, which is clothed in the form of a story about the last months of the life of an old professor. In his declining years, the scientist loses faith in the ideals and truths that he has followed all his life. Instead, a fear of death develops, a misunderstanding of the meaning of passing life. Because of this, he feels lost and alone.