"Little trilogy" by Chekhov. Features of the composition, analysis and summary of the work

In 1898, the Russian writer-playwright Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, whose "Little Trilogy" opened a new topic reflecting the life of a certain part of Russian society, set out to continue his research. The topic promised to be quite extensive and the writer gave it the name "case". Isolation, isolation, "one's own world," in which there is no place for other people, such are the characteristic signs of "a man in a case."

"Little trilogy" Chekhov, the history of creation

According to the testimony of researchers of the great writer's work, the idea of the trilogy was suggested to him by Leo Tolstoy. Anton Chekhov, whose "Little Trilogy" became "the first swallow," intended to create a whole series of works about the features of the "life of the people", but he managed to write only three stories, after which the writer became disillusioned with his creative aspirations. He said about the state of his soul: "You do not want to write, you write about it as boring, fresh, lean food, without taste and smell ..."

"Little trilogy" by Chekhov, features of composition

All three stories are united by a common composition scheme, which reveals the essence of each story. "Chekhov's Little Trilogy," which included three stories: "The Man in a Case", "Gooseberries" and "About Love," was published in 1898. The trilogy took its place among the immortal works of the great Russian writer.

"The Little Trilogy", a short summary

Trilogy, like any literary work, follows a certain plot. "Chekhov's Little Trilogy" is built on the principle of "narrator and listeners," Chekhov united three bosom friends who, over the long years of friendship, were accustomed to sharing stories from their lives with each other. This is a teacher of a rural gymnasium, a certain Burkin, a veterinarian Ivan Ivanovich Chimsh-Himalayan and Alekhine, an educated middle-aged man who lives on his father's estate, which he inherited.

"The Man in a Case"

"At the edge of the village of Mironositsky, in the hiding barn of the elders of Prokofia, the late hunters settled themselves for the night ..." Thus begins the story of Anton Chekhov "The Man in a Case". These hunters were Burkin and Ivan Chimsh-Himalayan. Conveniently settled in the manger, the friends started talking. He did not want to sleep, and Burkin began to tell the story of his colleague, the teacher of the Greek language Belikov.

Strange Belikov

Strange Belikov always walked in a cotton-wool coat, galoshes and an umbrella. He walked like this at any time of the year, and in the summer, too. His teacher carefully packed his personal belongings in special cases and covers. A clock, a penknife, a snuffbox laid out on boxes, which he always carried with him. Such unusual actions of an educated and not yet an old man were explained by his desire to protect himself from the influence of the external environment, he reasoned thus: "... but suddenly something like this will happen ...".

Belikov systematically created his defense, and the whole city was amused over the unlucky teacher, considering his quirks a sign of easy madness. But since he was a good teacher, the schoolchildren's academic performance on his subject did not provoke criticism, he was not touched. Once Belikov lived alone, he was afraid of marrying, otherwise his wife would have to be put in a cover.

But then a new teacher - a teacher of geography and history Mikhail Kovalenko - came to the gymnasium. He recently arrived in the city with his sister, Varenka, a charming special incomplete thirty years old, smiling fidget. The whole gymnasium was subdued by Varenka's cheerful disposition, and Belikov did not escape this fate. He even began sometimes to walk with a young woman, and walking, proving to her with a grim look that "marriage is an extremely serious thing." Varenka listened to him not very attentively, and soon she was tired of moralizing.

Once Belikov met Misha Kovalenko and Varenka when they were riding a bicycle. Looking out of his case, he saw two happy free people, and the whole world turned for him. Shocked Belikov the next day came to the house Kovalenko, wanting to prove how unreasonable - to ride a bicycle, indecent and dangerous, ugly and humiliating. Varenki was not at home, and Michael took and let his colleague down the stairs.

And then Varenka approached. She laughed gaily when she saw Belikov tumbling about the steps. And he was so shocked by what had happened that he barely made it home and went blind. I had a month, and died of mental distress. At the funeral, everyone wished him "the kingdom of heaven," and thought to themselves: "Well, at last the person has received a real case, which now will protect him from any trouble."

Gooseberry

"Chekhov's Little Trilogy" contains another story about the "hard" life of a common man. Once Burkin and Ivan Ivanovich Chimsh-Himalayas, strolling along the field, decided to go to his friend, Pavel Konstantinovich Alyokhin. He greeted the old acquaintances cordially and invited them into the garden. Friends sat among the overgrown bushes of gooseberry, and Chimsh-Himalayan told the story of his brother Nikolai Ivanovich.

The hero of the story since nineteen years worked in the state chamber for a small salary and barely made ends meet. And like any materially constrained person, he had a dream. Nikolay Ivanovich wanted to have his estate, a good house, and most importantly, that the garden grew gooseberries. Not that he liked jam from ripe berries, but he just dreamed about it. Years passed, and all the time before the eyes of the official stood bushes of gooseberry. To ever buy an estate, Nikolai Ivanovich saved every penny, often he had nothing to eat, he put all the money in a box and hid it in a hiding place.

When it came time to start a family, Nikolai Ivanovich got involved in a widow, rich and very ugly, with a bad character. In addition, she was older than him for almost twenty years. Wedding did not play - for reasons of economy, and all the money his wife Nikolai Ivanovich put in the bank. They lived in starvation, went to anything, they did not give birth to children. From such a life a woman died soon.

A dream come true

Nikolai Ivanovich bought a small estate with stunted trees in the garden and healed for fun. First of all, he bought twenty bushes of gooseberries and planted them all around. Then he started a lawsuit with a nearby plant, which, in his opinion, was poisoning the air, and the gooseberry did not grow from it. The trials were endless and ruinous for Nikolai Ivanovich. And yet he felt like a happy man when he went out into the garden in the morning and looked at the bushes of gooseberry.

Two months later, Nikolai Ivanovich fell ill, he developed stomach cancer. Poor nutrition for many years, nervous breakdown, insomnia - all this was not in vain. When he could no longer get out of bed, and death was about to come, the servant brought a full plate of ripe gooseberry into the room. Nikolai Ivanovich did not even look at him.

About love

And, finally, Chekhov's "Little Trilogy" ends with a tale of love. Since morning the rain has charged. Pavel Konstantinovich Alyokhin invited his friends Ivan Chimsh-Himalayan and Burkin to breakfast, who had been visiting him from yesterday. For coffee with liquor, a conversation began about this and that, Alekhine told his friends the love story that happened to him in his youth.

Once Pavel Konstantinovich was elected a district judge as an educated person who knows languages and is well versed in jurisprudence. In court, he met with the deputy chairman, Dmitry Luganovich, and between them a good friendly relationship arose. Somehow after a confusing trial, which lasted two days in a row, when everyone was exhausted, Luganovich invited Alyokhin to dinner at his house.

So Pavel Konstantinovich got acquainted with Anna Alekseevna, wife of Luganovich, a young woman of twenty-two years old, intelligent, beautiful. He immediately felt a kindred spirit in Anna. At dinner they talked about various trifles, had fun, all three understood each other perfectly, as if they had known each other for many years. Alyokhin noticed that there is complete mutual understanding between the spouses, and many were surprised, since Anna Alekseevna, with her refinement and deep inner culture, was a head taller than the simple and superficial Dmitry Luganovich.

On the same day, Pavel Konstantinovich realized that Anna took all his thoughts, tried to remember her every word, every look. Then he did not realize yet that the young woman was also in slight embarrassment after Alyokhin had bowed and went to his house. Between them stretched invisible threads that connected their souls.

Since then, Alyokhin often visited the house of the Luganovitchi, became friends with them and tried in every possible way to be useful. Dmitri and Anna also did not remain in debt, they offered help with money when Pavel Konstantinovich was having difficulties with paying off debts left by his father. But for him, something else was important, he wanted to see Anna's shining eyes every minute, hear her voice, be with her.

Both of them were already in love with each other, but everyone understood that it was impossible to give vent to their feelings, this would make everyone unhappy and ultimately destroy the family of Luganovichi and the life of Alekhine himself. I had to restrain myself, neither Pavel Konstantinovich, nor Anna let my love escape, kept her in a strong case.

And only once, when Anna Alekseevna was going to the Crimea for treatment, Alyokhin, being in a train compartment with her alone, was able to hug her beloved woman, to kiss her. She answered him, bursting into tears, the lovers spent a few happy minutes together and then parted forever.

"Little Trilogy", analysis

Creativity Anton Pavlovich, according to his time, at the end of the 19th century there were enough problems in the life of Russian society. "Small trilogy" Chekhov could be created on any topic, the writer most stories can be combined on a thematic basis. And if the writer did not become disillusioned with the essence of his research and continued to create, we would have received many more works on a "case" theme. And Chekhov's "little trilogies" could well have become "great trilogies."