The History of Three Sentences. Internal Transformations in Anton Chekhov’s Prose

Abstract

In the article, the main focus is put on the notion of evolution, in other words, on the internal transformations in Anton Chekhov’s prose. By means of cognitive methodology, it is shown which processes of thinking perform a vital role in the formulation and development of the writer’s work. For this reason, three symbolic sentences were chosen along with the cognitive mechanisms connected to them. The first mechanism, which is the conceptual metaphor, illustrates variants of the development of the same thought in various Chekhov’s literary works. Narrative universals and stereotypes serve as the second and third mechanism. Resignation from these mechanisms lets the writer create an entirely original image of the world presented in the mature phase of his writing. As a result, the reader is provided with a specific task. When no traditional images and techniques are found in the stories composed late in the writer’s life, the readers are meant to determine on their own the whole cognitive-emotional attitude to phenomena around them.