The “Epiphany Plot” in Chekhov’s Work (Notes on the Topic “Dostoevsky and Chekhov”)

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Toichkina, A. V. “The ʽEpiphany Plot’ in Chekhov’s Work (Notes on the Topic ʽDostoevsky and Chekhov’).” Dva veka russkoi klassiki, vol. 8, no. 1, 2026, pp. 158–173. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-1-158-173
Abstract:
The study examines the significance of the “epiphany plot” (in Dostoevsky’s artistic development) for the work of Anton Chekhov (1860–1904). In the process of analyzing Dostoevsky’s influence on Chekhov, the contact-genetic method is used. The article examines the “plot of epiphany” in Chekhov’s short stories “The Boring Story” (1889) and “The Bishop” (1902). The “Boring Story” is considered in terms of changing the principles of depicting Chekhov’s “general ideas”. The artistic realization of the “epiphany plot” involves the use of tools of psychological introspection, which is artistically carried out with the help of narration “from the third person,” images of memories, dreams, and the inner speech of the characters. The article compares the dream of His Grace Peter in Chekhov’s short story “The Bishop” with the dream of Alyosha Karamazov in Dostoevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov.” Obviously, Chekhov’s spatial dominant is changing in comparison with Dostoevsky: vertical replaces horizontal. This is not only due to Chekhov’s innovation. The transformations of the “epiphany plot” under consideration were not related to the personal searches of the authors, but also to the patterns of the historical development of Russian literature.
Keywords: “epiphany plot,” F. M. Dostoevsky, A. P. Chekhov, evolution, “comparative poetics,” history of literature
Author: Alexandra V. Toichkina
Information about the author:
Alexandra V. Toichkina, DSc in Philology, Associate Professor, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaia Emb., 7–9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3723-1553

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received: September 16, 2025
Approved after reviewing: November 28, 2025
Published: March 25, 2026
Issue: 2026 Volume 8 No. 1
Pages: 158-173
DOI: Visit Website
EDN:
https://elibrary.ru/UNWQYB
UDK: 821.161.1.09"/19"
Publication Type: Research Article

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