ABSTRACT
Chekhov’s descriptions enjoyed great success among readers who knew and loved the Russian countryside, and Chekhov even found himself referred to as ‘the greatest Russian landscape painter’. It is doubtful whether Chekhov had the opportunity to make a study of Tolstoy’s theoretical works, since their publication was banned in Russia for the time being. In spite of the chorus of praise which greeted The Steppe, and the enormous advance in Chekhov’s literary reputation which it marked, complaints began to be made against his writings, often by very influential critics. Having seen his family well settled at Sumy, and having rested there for several weeks, Chekhov started on the second stage of his summer travels, and visited the Suvorins at their dacha near Feodosiya in the Crimea. It is difficult to determine exactly which these six or seven years were, but they included the period 1886-1888, during which a number of Chekhov’s stories give evidence of a strong interest in Tolstoyism.
