Two centuries of the Russian classics Two centuries of the Russian classics 2686-7494 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-1-110-131 Research Article Articles Rethinking Hoffmann’s Traditions in Chekhov’s Early Stories Koroleva Vera V. red@rusklassika.ru Buzina Svetlana V. red@rusklassika.ru 25 03 2026 8 1 110 131 Hoffman and Chekhov Hoffman’s complex of Russian literature creative irony grotesque the two worlds the image of a mirror parody the problem of mechanization Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 This article examines the refraction of the Romantic tradition, dating back to the work of E. T. A. Hoffmann, in the early stories of A. P. Chekhov from the 1880s. Hoffmannian intertext in Chekhov’s works is identified using the methodology of the “Hoffmann complex”, which is characterized by the unity of subject matter, imagery, and style. 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