„My money!” Dostoevsky and Chekhov: literary parody

The article analyzes the events of burning money in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel „The Idiot” and A. P. Chekhov’s „Drama on the Hunt”. The comparison of the events makes it possible to identify not only the characteristic features of the writers’ narrative, but also to approach a holistic understanding of the works. Using the event of burning money, Chekhov reinterprets it parodically. Chekhov reduces the drama, emotionality and high internal tension, which are typical of Dostoevsky’s narrative, to an ordinary context. Money also plays a different role. If Dostoevsky’s money is a test of the human soul, then Chekhov’s money is a symbol of independence, belonging to the powerful of the world. The article discusses the characteristics of Nastasia Filippovna and Kamyshev-Zinoviev and the topic of insanity as well. A comparative analysis allows us to conclude that the analyzed events have different directions.