A Chekhov Circus

A guide to the short stories of Anton Chekhov

Tag: Adultery

  • No. 16 – Agafya

    “Agafya” is a portrait of rural life pressured by Russia’s changing economy. It is set in a village where justice is served via a peasant court that metes out punishment in the medieval fashion, with floggings and who knows what other cruelties. But in this seemingly medieval society, many of the men ride trains to…

  • No. 12 – Peasant Wives

    Of the hundreds of Chekhov stories I have read, this is the one I have thought back on most often, so astounding are the characterizations, so complete the world created by the writer, and so cruel the lives he describes. The story is complicated, considering how brief it is. The opening pages are presented almost…

  • No. 44 – A Living Chattel

    This is the earliest story included in the 13 volumes of tales that Constance Garnett translated. It’s the only story out of the hundreds in the collection that was published in 1882, when Chekhov was grinding away at medical school and just beginning to publish his work in a few journals, most of them newish…

  • No. 43 – The Two Volodyas

    A portrait of an impulsive young woman, Sofya Lvovna, who has married a dashing playboy many years older than her. The two Volodyas of the title are Vladimir Nikititch, otherwise known as Colonel Yagitch, Sofya’s 50-something husband, and Vladimir Mihalovitch, her childhood friend and former/lingering crush. (Volodya is a nickname for Vladimir.) Having married Colonel…

  • No. 49 – A Transgression

    This is a minor tale, but it’s well done. In fact, it’s among the best twist endings Chekhov ever delivered. The story is extremely short and the whole point is the twist at the end, so if you don’t want a spoiler, just skip the next two paragraphs. “A Transgression” is the story of a…

  • No. 86 – Neighbours

    A weak-willed man ineffectually seeks to avenge the stain on his honor after his sister takes up with a married man.

  • No. 85 – A Trifle from Life

    A man living with another man’s wife betrays a secret confided in him by her son.

  • No. 96 – The Chorus Girl

    An angry wife confronts her husband’s mistress, demanding that she give up the jewelry he bought for her.

  • No. 145 – Terror

    A man falls into bed with the wife of his friend.

  • No. 25 – The Lady with the Dog

    Here it is, Chekhov’s best-known story. If you, an American reader, have ever read any selection of Chekhov tales, this one was almost certainly included in your volume. I, too, had read “The Lady With the Dog” (probably more than once) and my hazy, warm memories of it were the main reason that I thought…