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Chapter 20 - Chekhov’s Intelligentsias

from Part III - Culture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2023

By
Svetlana Evdokimova
Edited by
Yuri Corrigan
Yuri Corrigan
Affiliation:
Boston University
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Summary

Svetlana Evdokimova explores the enigma of the Russian intelligentsia itself as a cultural body that has been defined in highly disparate ways. Evdokimova reviews the ambiguity of the term in Russian society while staking out Chekhov’s own tormented relationship with this group as its harsh critic and devoted champion. How could Chekhov both fault the intelligentsia for its multiple perceived flaws and use the terms intelligentnost’ and intelligentnyi approvingly as a marker of refinement and culture? Evdokimova identifies the reason for this seeming contradiction not so much in any inconsistency on Chekhov’s part, but in the instability and varying usage of the term “intelligentsia.”

Keywords

ChekhovintelligentsiaradicalismcultureEuropeintellectualism
Type
Chapter
Information
Chekhov in Context , pp. 154 - 160
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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