Alekhine meets the Luganovich family and becomes a frequent guest in their house. But over time, both he and Anna Alekseevna understand that they love each other. However, fears of ruining their well-established life, of offending loved ones, of hurting children does not allow them to confess their feelings, and for many years they will hide their love from each other. A man in love will open only at the moment of parting, realizing that he has abandoned happiness and great love because of stupid doubts.

The story "About Love" is the final part of the "Little Trilogy" by A.P. Chekhov. All three stories of the cycle are united by the theme of the “boxiness” of the characters, which prevents them from living truly happily, surrendering to their feelings.

Read the summary About love Chekhov

The comrades had breakfast, and the cook Nikanor dropped in from time to time. Alekhine said that the beautiful Pelageya was in love with Nikanor, but refused to marry him, since he was not a fool to drink. Alekhine launched into reasoning that love is one continuous secret. All people in love, in his opinion, constantly think and argue about something. And all these questions arising one after another distract from the feeling itself.

It was obvious that Alekhine was eager to tell something secret. All lonely people love to pour out their souls at times. The gloomy autumn weather outside the window favored long conversations, and Alekhine nevertheless began his story.

After graduating from the university, Alekhine moved to Sofyino. His father was in debt, and most of the debt was collected to pay for his son's education. Alekhine felt himself owed, began to plow, sow, mow together with the peasants. In the beginning, he tried to combine peasant labor and the landlord way: he read newspapers after the field, drank coffee. But his work was so exhausting that he began to fall asleep in the sleigh, not getting to bed. Slowly he dismissed all the servants, leaving only those who had worked under his father.

After some time, Alekhine was chosen as a magistrate. Periodic trips from village to city for meetings became something of a kind of entertainment. Somehow after a special protracted case, a new acquaintance Luganovich invited him to dinner. Visiting Alekhin saw his twenty-two-year-old wife Anna Alekseevna. She was young, sweet, intelligent and charming. After leaving for Sofyino for the whole summer, Alekhine periodically recalled the image of a woman in his memory.

In the fall Alekhin went to the theater, where he accidentally met Anna Alekseevna. She asked about his health, said that she remembered him in the summer. The next morning, the Luganovichs invited the hero to their place for breakfast, and after that they all went to their dacha together.

So Alekhine visited the Luganoviches on every visit. If he did not visit them for a long time, they began to worry about his health. They complained about his peasant physical labor and lack of money, saying that with his education he should be engaged in science. The couple gave him gifts and insisted that he take money from them if there was a problem with creditors. Alekhine was embarrassed, and he tried to thank them, each time bringing flowers, birds and oil from the estate. But he forbade himself to borrow from them.

He thought more and more about Anna Alekseevna, and became more and more unhappy. He could not understand why at such a young age she married an aged man, and why he did not meet her before Luganovich. Alekhine doubted the correctness of his feelings and from this he was afraid to admit them. They believed him in this house, the family was happy, could he destroy all this with careless words? Is it possible that they would have stopped loving each other in the end, and then what? The woman thought the same: she did not want to lie or hurt her family.

Several years have passed. Anna has already had her second child. Luganovich and the children always greeted Alekhine warmly, rejoicing in his visits. He himself continued to suffer from love. They often went together with Anna Alekseevna to the theater, which gave rise to rumors in the city. The woman's mood more and more often deteriorated from experiences, life fatigue appeared, she was saved only by leaving her husband and children to the mother. The prolonged silence led to a nervous breakdown. She began to get irritated with Alekhine himself, demonstratively challenging all his words in front of others.

And suddenly Luganovich was sent to another province to work. It's time to say goodbye: at the end of the summer, Anna was supposed to leave for Crimea at the insistence of doctors, and a little later, the husband and children will go to a new place.

On the day of departure, many people gathered at the station to see off Anna Alekseevna. Having said goodbye to her husband and children, she entered the train. Alekhine ran into her compartment to give her the forgotten basket, and unexpectedly hugged her tightly. Tears flowed from the woman's eyes. The man confessed his feelings to her, realizing that all the obstacles in their path now seemed stupid and insignificant. In love, one cannot proceed from considerations of misfortune or sin, because there are much more important things.

Alekhine kissed the woman, and they said goodbye forever. The train had already started, the man got into the next empty compartment and cried there to the nearest station. He reached Sofyino on foot.

Burkin and Ivan Ivanovich went out onto the balcony after the story: the rain had already ended and the sun was shining brightly. They both knew Anna Alekseevna and considered her a beauty. Everyone thought about how longing in their hearts the lovers should be saying goodbye.

Picture or drawing About love

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• Summary Shergin For amusement

Two hunters, a veterinarian and a gymnasium teacher, are caught in a heavy, heavy rain with no end in sight. And they decide to go to the village of Sofyino, which is not far away.

The owner, Alekhine, was very happy with him: he had not seen intelligent people for a long time. Spending the evening in a hospitable home, the veterinarian tells the sad story of his brother, who dreamed of saving money, buying an estate and living freely as a master. And so that he must have a gooseberry. The official's dream came true, but the story did not satisfy the audience. It was getting late, and they went to bed.

Morning conversation

And the next day, after breakfast, they began to talk about love. Chekhov (the summary of his stories is always very capacious) told the reader a story, echoes of which can be found in his later story "The Lady with the Dog". You can find many parallels. Pavel Konstantinovich approached the delicate question of love philosophically. Chekhov began a summary of this story with a question about the strangeness of the relationship between the beautiful maid Pelageya and the cook Nikanor. She loved this man, but did not agree to get married, because his temper was violent and pugnacious. Nikanor, however, did not recognize anything except a church wedding. So this story could not be resolved in any way. Both were just tormented. Then Alekhine continued to talk about love. Chekhov understands the summary of his thoughts to the subtleties. Loving, a Russian person constantly asks himself questions that only annoy him: how will this all end, good or bad.

There are no answers. Alekhine continued to speak, and it was evident that he wanted to tell a story about love. Chekhov summarized the narrative in a first-person story.

The life of Pavel Konstantinovich Alekhine in the village

Alekhine led a calm, unhurried and, as it were, detached story. The weather was normal, gray and rainy, and his listeners had nothing else to do. Alekhine arrived in the village long ago. She had a big debt left over from her father. And the hero of the story decided to put the farm in order at all costs. At first, as befits a master, he lived in the upper rooms and tried to bring the new village life in line with his cultural habits. But the system quickly failed: working hard, like a peasant, he began to sleep in the hayloft, eat in the room, stopped washing, not to mention reading something. But he was elected to the magistrate and on business he had to be in the city, and oh, how nice it was - sometimes turn again into a cultured person.

Dating in the city

They received him warmly, and he made many pleasant acquaintances. So, to his misfortune, or maybe not, he met with the Luganovich family. Luganovich's wife, Anna Alekseevna, made an unusually warm, sweet impression on Alekhine and made him feel that he had known her for a long time. It was clear that this is a close-knit family, even for those little things, how they made coffee together, how they understood each other, without needing words. Alekhine left, but the memory of a sweet woman was unobtrusive to him. In the fall, he happened to meet again with Anna Alekseevna. And again she caused the same feelings - extraordinary closeness and striking beauty and grace. Love is an existential feeling. If it is given to survive, then you can understand something. If it has passed by, then no best works will help. Alekhine began to visit the Luganovichs quite often and became "his own", "domestic man": he was offered money on credit, presented with gifts, he was loved by children and servants.

Anna Alekseevna

For some reason, a simple woman seemed inexplicably beautiful and necessary - the movement of her hand, and the wave of her eyelashes, and even silence next to her were necessary. Time passed. Alekhine was full of bitterness, since in the city he saw that Anna Alekseevna was also waiting for his arrival.

But both were silent. What could they change in their life? They both lacked determination, such as the heroes of Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina and Alexei Vronsky. What did Chekhov himself think about love? An analysis of a feeling that brings simultaneously joy, and bitterness, and torment, and inexpressible happiness, he gave in this story. The heroes were tormented by questions about the family, about lies and truth, about the outgoing youth. Could the happiness continue, built on the destruction of everything they had? In their relationship, irritability appeared on the part of Anna Alekseevna. This can only be explained by constant uncertainty, which one wants and is afraid to change.

the end

It all ended simply, as it happens in life. Luganovich was transferred to serve in another province. Anna Alekseevna went first to the Crimea, where doctors sent her, and then to her husband. This is how Chekhov ends his story. The heroine's love was finally spoken out loud in the compartment. Tears flowed, there were hugs and kisses, it was immediately understood what petty and unnecessary feelings stood in front of them as an obstacle, that all their well-meaning reasoning was empty. Virtue was not worth thinking at all. But the train picked up speed, and the heroes were leaving forever in different directions.

If the Luganovichi had not left, then love, perhaps unspoken, timid, would never have ended. Anna Alekseevna would slowly grow old and cry. Alekhine's life would fade and wither. But that would be love. Now from her there are memories and gratitude that this happened.

(Story, 1898)

Alekhin Pavel Konstantinovich - the main character, is also a character in the story "Gooseberry", where his portrait is given: "... A man of about forty, tall, stout, with long hair, looking more like a professor or artist than a landowner." He graduated from the university, and although, as he says, he is a white-handed man by upbringing, and an armchair man by his inclinations, he is nevertheless forced to do household chores on his estate, on which he had a big debt, because his father spent a lot on his son's education. Seeking

to pay off, A. and the donkey on the estate, simplified, engaged in agriculture, he is elected to the honorary magistrate.

A. tells the visiting veterinarian Ivan Ivanovich Chimshe-Himalayan and the gymnasium teacher Burkin first the story of his beautiful maid Pelageya, who was in love with a cook, a drunkard and a violent temper; then about his own love - to the wife of the deputy chairman of the district court Luganovich Anna Alekseevna. Having become acquainted with them, he becomes a frequent guest in their house, a friend of the family. He visits Anna Alekseevna at the theater, talks to her for a long time. A. feels unhappy.

He thinks a lot about Anna Alekseevna, trying to "understand the secret of a young, beautiful, intelligent woman who marries an uninteresting person, almost an old man ...". The hero hides his feelings, fearing and not wanting to interrupt "the happy life of her husband, children, this whole house, where they loved me so much and where they believed me so much." A. guesses about her response to him, but they do not confess to each other (“We were afraid of everything that could reveal our secret to ourselves”). Neither A. nor his beloved see prospects for other than just friendly relations, and therefore nothing changes between them over the years, although the hero feels that she is close to him and they cannot live without each other.

After Luganovich's appointment to another province, their family leaves, and during the farewell, finding Anna Alekseevna alone in the train compartment, A. finally confesses his love for her. At that moment, in his words, “with a burning pain in my heart, I realized how unnecessary, petty and deceiving everything that prevented us from loving was. I realized that when you love, then in your reasoning about this love you need to proceed from the higher, from more important than happiness or unhappiness, sin and virtue in their current sense, or you don't need to reason at all. "

According to the writer L. A. Avilova, the story reflects the history of her relationship with Chekhov - "a novel that no one ever knew about, although it lasted ten whole years ...".

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Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

"About love"

Ivan Ivanovich and Burkin spend the night at the Alekhin's estate. In the morning at breakfast Alekhin tells the guests the story of his love.

He settled in Sofyina after graduating from university. There were big debts on the estate, since Alekhine's father spent a lot of money to educate his son. Alekhin decided that he would not leave the estate and would work until he paid the debt. Soon he was elected an honorary judge of the peace. To participate in district court hearings, he had to be in the city, which amused him a little.

In court, Alekhin met the chairman's comrade Dmitry Luganovich, a man of about forty, kind, simple, arguing with "boring common sense." One spring Luganovich invited Alekhin to dine with him. There Alekhin first saw Luganovich's wife Anna Alekseevna, who at that time was no more than twenty-two years old. She was a "beautiful, kind, intelligent" woman, and Alekhin immediately sensed in her a "close being." Alekhin's next meeting with Anna Alekseevna took place in the fall at the theater. Alekhin was again fascinated by her beauty and again felt the same closeness. The Luganovichi again invited him to their place, and he began to visit them on every visit to the city. They took a great part in Alekhine, worried that he, an educated person, instead of doing science or literature, lived in the village and worked a lot, gave him gifts. Alekhin was unhappy, he constantly thought about Anna Alekseevna and tried to understand why she married an uninteresting person, much older than her, agreed to have children from him, why he was not in Luganovich's place.

Arriving in the city, Alekhin noticed in Anna Alekseevna's eyes that she was waiting for him. However, they did not confess their love to each other. Alekhin thought that he could hardly give much to Anna Alekseevna if she agreed to go after him. She, apparently, thought about her husband and children and also did not know if she could bring Alekhine happiness. They often went to the theater together, God knows what talked about them in the city, but it was all untrue. In recent years, Anna Alekseevna had a feeling of dissatisfaction with life, sometimes she did not want to see either her husband or children. In front of strangers, she began to feel irritation against Alekhine. Anna Alekseevna began to be treated for a nerve disorder.

Soon Luganovich was appointed chairman of one of the western provinces. Parting was coming. It was decided that at the end of August Anna Alekseevna would go to the Crimea, as the doctors ordered her, and Luganovich would go with the children to her destination. When Anna Alekseevna was seen off at the station, Alekhin ran into her compartment to give her one of the baskets that she had left on the platform. Their gazes met, their spiritual strength left them, he hugged her, she clung to him and cried for a long time on his chest, and he kissed her face and hands. Alekhin confessed his love to her. He understood how petty it was that prevented them from loving, realized that when you love, “then in your reasoning about this love you need to proceed from something higher, from something more important than happiness or unhappiness, sin or virtue in their current sense, or no need to reason at all. " Alekhin and Anna Alekseevna parted forever.

This story of Chekhov begins with breakfast, in which the owner of the house, the landowner Alekhin and his guests, the hunters, decided to gossip about the love of the serf girl Pelageya for the cook Nikanor, a peasant with a very violent disposition. So they started talking about love. And Pavel Konstantinovich told his story, starting his story with the assertion that one cannot judge and explain every case of love by uniform generally accepted standards.

After graduation, Alekhine returned to his father's estate Sofyino to help his father pay off the debts taken to pay for his education. Here he took up agriculture with all his vigor and diligence. Everyday life was spent in monotonous hard work. The most pleasant event in his life was his acquaintance with the chairman of the district court Luganovich and his young wife Anna Alekseevna.

She made an extraordinary impression on him. Intelligent, beautiful, kind - Alekhine described the woman so enthusiastically, sparing no epithets. He immediately sensed a "close being" in her.

Anna Alekseevna also did not remain indifferent to Pavel Konstantinovich, although she never showed it. She and her husband took care of Alekhine, about his affairs and health.

As the years passed, their feelings grew stronger, but they did not dare to cross the line because of the education they received and their duty to their neighbor. Over time, Luganovich's wife began to develop a nervous breakdown, she was very often in a bad mood, and a strange irritation appeared towards Alekhine.

Everything always ends. Luganovich was appointed chairman of one of the western provinces, Anna Alekseevna, at the insistence of doctors, left for the Crimea. And here is the last scene of farewell: when Pavel Konstantinovich enters her compartment without any bad thought, finally, these two lovers explain themselves, a wall that they themselves built out of social rules and family responsibilities is crumbling between them. Before parting forever - it all became unimportant.

Chekhov wrote the story "About Love" in 1898. The work completes the "Little Trilogy" of the author, which also includes the stories "The Man in the Case" and "The Gooseberry" studied in literature lessons. In the story "About Love" the author reveals the theme of "case" in love, showing how people themselves limit themselves, do not allow themselves to be happy. You can read the online summary "About Love" right on our website.

main characters

Pavel Konstantinich Alekhin - a poor landowner who shared with the guests his love story for Anna Alekseevna.

Anna Alekseevna - a kind, intelligent woman, wife of Luganovich; Alekhine was in love with her.

Other heroes

Luganovich - “Comrade Chairman of the District Court”, “the nicest person”, husband of Anna Alekseevna.

Burkin, Ivan Ivanovich - guests of Alekhine, to whom he told his story.

Alekhin, Ivan Ivanovich and Burkin talked over breakfast. The owner said that his maid Pelageya was deeply in love with the cook Nikanor, but did not want to marry him, as he drank, raged and even beat her.

Reflecting on the nature of love, Alekhine comes to the conclusion that "this mystery is great." The man believes that Russians adorn love with fatal questions: "is it honest or dishonest, clever or stupid, what will this love lead to." And Alekhine told about his love.

He moved to Sofyino immediately after graduating from university. Since "there was a great debt on the estate," Alekhine decided to give in to his urban habits and work hard until he paid everything. Alekhine together with everyone plowed, sowed, mowed.

In the first years, the man was chosen to be an "honorary magistrate." At one of the meetings, he met Luganovich. He called Alekhine to dinner and introduced him to his wife Anna Alekseevna, who was then no more than twenty-two years old. Alekhine "felt in her a being close, already familiar." The next time Alekhine met Anna Alekseevna at a charity performance.

Pavel Konstantinich visited the Luganovichs more and more often, becoming their "own", he was always welcome. And each time Anna Alekseevna made on him "the impression of something new, extraordinary and important." They could talk, be silent for a long time, or she played the piano for him.

If Alekhine did not come to the city for a long time, the Luganovichs began to worry. They did not understand how an educated person can live in a village. Luganovichi gave Alekhine gifts, and if he was “oppressed by some creditor,” they offered to lend money, but he never agreed.

Alekhine all the time tried to "understand the secret of a young, beautiful, intelligent woman who marries an uninteresting person, almost an old man, has children from him."

Every time, arriving in the city, the man saw that Anna Alekseevna was waiting for him. However, they did not confess their love, "hid it timidly, jealously." Alekhine reflected on what their love could lead to, that he could not offer her an interesting life, but only "a more everyday atmosphere." “And she seemed to reason in the same way,” thought of her husband and children. They often visited the city and the theater, there were even unfounded rumors about them.

In recent years, Anna Alekseevna "has already been treated for a nervous breakdown," she felt dissatisfaction with life. In front of strangers, she experienced "some strange irritation" against Alekhine.

Soon Luganovich was appointed "chairman of one of the western provinces." At the end of August, the doctor sent Anna Alekseevna to Crimea for treatment, and it was decided that she would come to the family later. Seeing off the woman, Alekhine ran into the compartment at the last moment. He hugged her and began to kiss, she pressed against him and cried. "I confessed my love to her, and with a burning pain in my heart I realized how unnecessary, petty and how deceiving everything that prevented us from loving was." He kissed her one last time and they parted forever.

Reflecting on what they had heard, Burkin and Ivan Ivanovich regretted that Alekhine was not engaged in science or something like that, and about what a mournful face the young lady must have had during parting.

Conclusion

The main characters of the story "About Love" close themselves from their feelings, try to hide them not only from each other, but also from themselves. With the compositional device “story within a story,” Chekhov emphasizes how much Alekhine regrets his lost love, even many years after the incident.

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