Anton Chekhov - Stories from 1894-1904

This post gives a summary of the stories, novellas and plays of Anton
Chekhov from 1894 to 1804. If you know of things which should be
added, please let me know. Chekhov died of tuberculosis in June 1904.

Short stories

1894

• "The Black Monk"
  
  Summary:
  This story follows the character Andrey Kovrin, a Russian scholar
  who is seemingly brilliant. On a vacation, he starts seeing a black
  monk, goes crazy, and dies.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Monk_(short_story)
  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chekhov/section4.rhtml
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13415
  
  
• "The Head Gardner's Story"
  
  Note:
  Also "The Head-Gardner's Story"
  
  Wikipedia merely gives the date of this story as
  1888-1895. However, litmed gives 1894.
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1185
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1732
  
  
• "Rothschild's Fiddle"
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=11968
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13418
  
  
• "The Student"
  
  Note:
  This simple story captures a profound mystical experience. The story
  tells of betrayal and remorse - a very human sequence but also offers
  the hope of forgiveness.
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1480
  
  
• "The Teacher of Literature"
  
  Summary:
  Recall the first two of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths: suffering
  informs all of human life, and the cause of suffering is
  desire. Nikitin wins the object of his desire, and ought to be
  perfectly happy, but he soon realizes that something is missing - he is
  dissatisfied, he wants to escape the confinement and ordinariness of
  his life. But we know that no matter where he goes, dissatisfaction
  will follow him, unless he renounces desire and achieves
  Enlightenment.
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=11989
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13413
  
  

1895

• "Anna on the Neck"
  
  Summary:
  A story of a poor young woman who marries an older rich man for
  convenience and not love. In the begining she reaches out to her
  family for consolation. In the end, she finds a young single man
  to escort her to social events and they become more distance.
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13413
  
  
• "Ariadna"
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1543
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13416
  
  
• "The Helpmate"
  
  
  Note:
  Also, "His Wife" Not to be confused with "The Wife"
  
  
  Text:
  
  
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13416
  
  
• "Murder"
  
  
  Summary:
  Matvey Terekhov lives with his cousin Yakov, who runs an inn. Matvey
  was once extremely religious and ascetic, but now has left asceticism
  behind. Yakov, on the other hand, is obsessively religious. At one
  point Matvey initiates an argument with Yakov about a religious
  issue. Yakov is overcome with anger and Aglaya, Yakov's wife, hits
  Matvey over the head with a bottle, and kills him. Husband and wife
  are sent to prison in Siberia. While Yakov loses his faith after the
  murder, he regains it in prison.
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1542
  
  
• "Whitebrow"
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13417
  
  

1896

• "An Artist's Story [The House with the Mezzanine]"
  
  Note:
  Also called "The House with an Attic"
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1544
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13416
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27411
  
  

1897

• "At Home"
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13505
  
  
• "Peasants"
  
  Summary:
  A detailed story (45 pages) of a man and his family who must return to
  the rural village he grew up in, after losing his job in Moscow.
  It is a study of the lower depths of poverty and rural life.
  
  Text:
  http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/1285/
  
  
• "The Petchenyeg"
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13409
  
  
• "The Schoolmistress [In the Cart]"
  
  Summary:
  This is a story of a school teacher who is riding in a cart,
  as she regularly does, to go to town to collect her
  paycheck. She day dreams of the people she knew
  when she was younger.
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1732
  
  

1898

• "About Love"
  
  Note:
  Also, "A Little Trilogy: Concerning Love"
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=11985
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1883
  
  
• "A Doctor's Visit"
  
  Note:
  Also, "A Case History" or "A Medical case"
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=73
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13415
  
  
• "Gooseberries"
  
  Note:
  Also, "The Little Trilogy: Gooseberries"
  
  Summary:
  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chekhov/section8.rhtml
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27411
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1883
  
  
• "Ionych"
  
  Note:
  Also "Ionitch"
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=815
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13415
  
  
• "The Man in a Case"
  
  Note:
  Also, "The Little Trilogy: The Man in the Case" or
  "The Little Trilogy: The Man in the Shell" or
  "The Little Trilogy: A Hard Case"
  
  A fascinating story of character. Chekhov uses the device of a tale
  within a tale.
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1075
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1883
  
  
• "A Visit to Friends"
  
  Note:
  Missing from Wikipedia. Appeared in [Y].
  
  Summary:
  A successful Moscow lawyer gets a letter from three sisters he knew
  as a young man. The implore him to visit, with the hope that he
  will take pity and help them save their family estate. Through poor
  management, their estate must be sold and he thinks about
  the life he might have lead had he married one of the
  sisters. In the end, he returns to Moscow to his work,
  never to think of them again.
  
  

1899

• "The Darling"
  
  
  Summary:
  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chekhov/section7.rhtml
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=961
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13416
  
  
• "The Lady with the Dog"
  
  
  Summary:
  This tells the story of an adulterous affair between a Russian banker and
  a young lady he meets while vacationing in Yalta. The story comprises
  four parts: (I) describes the initial meeting in Yalta, (II) the
  consummation of the affair and the remaining time in Yalta, (III)
  Gurov's return to Moscow and his visit to Anna's town, and (IV)
  Anna's visits to Moscow.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_with_the_Dog_(short_story)
  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chekhov/section1.rhtml
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13415
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27411
  
  
  
• "On Official Duty"
  
  Summary:
  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chekhov/section3.rhtml
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1732
  
  
• "The New Villa"
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=11794
  
  

1900

• "At Christmas Time"
  
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=12251
  
  
• "In the Ravine"
  
  Summary:
  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chekhov/section2.rhtml
  
  

1902

• "The Bishop"
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1043
  
  

1903

• "Betrothed [The Fiance]"
  
  
  Note:
  Chekhov's last completed story.
  
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1140
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13412
  
  

Novellas

1895

• Three Years
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=12114
  
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13416
  

1896

• My Life
  
  Note:
  The story contrasts the hypocrisy of the upper class, who believe that
  manual labor is demeaning, but who are also morally corrupt, with
  Misail's gradual development of an authentic personal commitment to
  the simple life.
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=964
  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chekhov/section10.rhtml
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13418
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27411
  
  
  

Plays

1896

• The Seagull
  
  Note:
  A comedy in four acts
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=965
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1754
  
  

1899

• Uncle Vanya
  
  Note:
  Written: 1899-1900
  
  Based on The Wood Demon
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=822
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1756
  
  

1901

• Three Sisters
  
  Note:
  A drama in four acts
  
  Summary:
  This is a beautiful play of character, relationship, and
  motivation. It explores the gap between hope and fulfillment in the
  lives of the Prozorovs and their friends.
  
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=846
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7986
  
  

1904

• The Cherry Orchard
  
  Note:
  A comedy in four acts
  
  Summary:
  http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=11865
  
  Text:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7986
  
  

References

[C]

A. Chekhov http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Chekhov http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Chekhov_bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_short_stories_by_Anton_Chekhov Stories of Anton Chekhov: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/c#a708

[Y]

Avrahm Yarmolinsky (translator and editor), The Unknown Chekhov Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.