Anton Chekhov, (born January 29, 1860, Taganrog, Russia—died July 14/15 [July 1/2], 1904, Badenweiler, Germany), Russian playwright and master of the modern short story.

Anton Chekhov, (born January 29, 1860, Taganrog, Russia—died July 14/15 [July 1/2], 1904, Badenweiler, Germany), Russian playwright and master of the modern short story. He was a literary artist of laconic precision who probed below the surface of life, laying bare the secret motives of his characters. Chekhov’s best plays and short stories lack complex plots and neat solutions. Concentrating on apparent trivialities, they create a special kind of atmosphere, sometimes termed haunting or lyrical. Chekhov described the Russian life of his time using a deceptively simple technique devoid of obtrusive literary devices, and he is regarded as the outstanding representative of the late 19th-century Russian realist school (from Britannica.com).
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Assignment:
Chose one of Anton Chekhov’s stories: “Vanka” and discuss how it is a story of character wherein, as Abrams describes, the focus is “on the state of mind and motivation, or on the psychological and moral qualities, of the protagonists” (Abrams, 1999, p. 286)
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/57333/57333-h/57333-h.htm#Flink2H_4_0013
Above is the link for the “Vanka” short story.