I. S. Turgenev in artistic reception and evaluation by A. P. Chekhov

Abstract

The article centres on Chekhov’s attitude to Turgenev’s prose, which has not yet received proper scholarly attention despite numerous attempts. Following the traces in Chekhov’s correspondence and literary works, we observe the gradual transformation of his opinion about the output of his closest predecessor.His opinions about the older peer are wide-ranging and often controversial, complicating the study of his perception of Turgenev’s works. Yet many scholars see Chekhov as a direct successor of Russian literary traditions epitomized, among others, by Turgenev.The paper attempts to show that, despite drawing on the experience of the earlier generation of Russian authors, Chekhov was an undisputed innovator. Chekhov’s poetics is typified both by having origins in Turgenev’s writing style and going beyond it. Recurrent allusions to Turgenev in Chekhov’s letters and literary works suggest that, despite artistic differences, Turgenev the artist interested Chekhov and regularly inspired his stylistic search.