Among Hamlet and don Quixote (about theatre and literature parody in story “Baron” by A.P. Chekhov)

Ivanshina E. A., Yarmonov Y. M.

The article on the material of the story "Baron" raises one of the aspects of the relationship between art and life in the works of Anton Chekhov. During the analysis of the story the clothing of the character is actualized, which is an allegorical props, referring to various literary contexts, allowing you to enter the hero in a certain literary series (Bashmachkin, "underground", don Quixote). Particular attention is paid to the ingenious position, which is allocated to the theater prompter and which allows him to combine the functions of actors and spectators in one person. The hero of the story, despite all his parody, transforms the ordinary place in which he serves, because he plays the role of guardian of the memory of the ideal theater. But, once on stage just for a moment, he was like touching my dream, he is "burnt". In Chekhov's works there is a similar situation: the protagonist, who wants to become a part of the theatrical world, fails in his aspirations.

Keywords:theatre, occupation, allegorical props, case, scandal, underground, parody.