A. P. Chekhov’s Plays in Guzel Yakhina’s Novel “Eisen”: On the Importance of What’s in Parentheses

This article examines two parenthetical constructions in Guzel Yakhina’s novel “Eisen.” Both constructions allude to Chekhov’s plays: the first to “The Cherry Orchard,” and the second to “Three Sisters.” It examines how classic Chekhovian titles, detached from the texts they initially reference, become short, independent texts with their own meanings in subsequent culture, often far removed from the original meanings of Chekhov’s plays. While Yakhina’s reference to “Three Sisters” is limited to the meanings of the title formula, without incorporating the meanings of the play itself, Yakhina’s use of “The Cherry Orchard” also brings to life the crucial situation of Chekhov’s comedy — the felling of the orchard. This event, presented as a final remark, is not embedded in the title formula as a standalone, separate text, so in this case, we can speak of a semantic reference not only to the formula “The Cherry Orchard” but also to the comedy itself. Meanwhile, both parenthetical constructions interact, forming a system whose meanings enrich the recipient text — Yakhina’s novel “Eisen.” The characters’ perspectives demonstrate the author’s assessment of existence, where art and life are understood through each other.

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