Biographical and literary context of A. P. Chekhov’s story “gusev”

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of biographical and literary contexts of A. P. Chekhov’s story “Gusev” (1890). The study describes the literary and biographical genealogy of the title character. The purpose of the work is to consider Alexander Chekhov, the writer’s elder brother, as a prototype that determines the profane component of Gusev’s image. The story is considered as a “literary gift” brought to Alexander Chekhov from Anton Pavlovich’s trip to Sakhalin. The significance of the genre originality of “Gusev” as a Christmas story is noted, bringing it closer to other similar works by Chekhov. The ambivalent nature of the title character is proved, which combines a dramatic beginning with a comic, travesty beginning. It is concluded that Gusev is an integral artistic image created by the creative activity of the author based on heterogeneous prototypes. The results of the study can be used in the practice of analyzing Chekhov’s prose, as well as in biographical works.