AND “FIVE POODS OF LOVE”: INTENTIONS AND FEARS OF THE CHARACTERS OF CHEKHOV’S “THE SEAGULL” IN THE LITERARY SPACE OF THE PLAY

Authors

  • Yurii G. Pastushenko Kuban State University

Abstract

In the article the dramatic space of Chekhov's play “The Seagull” and its relationship with the actions and mental life of the characters are considered. It appears to combine real, symbolic and metaphysical space and can therefore be called multiplex. The real space – the world of actions – is not homogeneous, it is segmented, and there are loci of different value from the point of view of the characters and the author. Segmentation is seen as evidence of the incompleteness of the world itself. The local world, which tends to be closed, and the big world, which correlates with the symbolic space, is distinguished. Symbolic space – the world of opinions and reputations – determines the intentions of the creative characters, first Treplev and Zarechnaya, their aspiration to fame. Nina, obsessed with the dream of the stage, encounters the cruelty of the “world of opinions”. Metaphysical space – the world of abstract ideas – is embodied in Treplev's play but affects the fate of the characters. Treplev, trying to create innovative art, suffers a defeat, since his metaphysical search remains unclaimed. Treplev's suicide is interpreted as an attempt to overcome the boundaries of the spaces.

Key words: Chekhov, “The Seagull”, space, segmentation, localness, big wide world, metaphysics, intention, creativity

Acknowledgements: the author expresses gratitude to Valeria Viktorovna Saichenko and Natalia Markovna Shcharenskaya for the valuable comments made during the discussions of this work.

Author Biography

Yurii G. Pastushenko , Kuban State University

Ph.D. in Philology, associate professor of the Department of Russian Literature History, Literary Theory, and Criticism, Faculty of Philology,

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1603-9237

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Published

2025-10-01

How to Cite

Pastushenko Ю. Г. . (2025). AND “FIVE POODS OF LOVE”: INTENTIONS AND FEARS OF THE CHARACTERS OF CHEKHOV’S “THE SEAGULL” IN THE LITERARY SPACE OF THE PLAY. Proceedings of Southern Federal University. Philology, 29(3), 107–116. Retrieved from https://philol-journal.sfedu.ru/index.php/sfuphilol/article/view/2108

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 3 (2025)

Section

LITERATURE STUDY

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Copyright (c) 2025 Yuri G. Pastushenko

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