Point of View

The majority of Chekhov's stories are written in the narrative, omniscient point of view. The advantage to the reader this style provides is knowing the thoughts, feelings and actions of all characters.

However, a handful of stories from this collection are written in first person. The story "Easter Night" is written in the first person perspective. From this perspective, the reader is able to see only the one-dimensional view of the protagonist and then make some of his or her own conclusions about the state of reality the character is residing in. "The House with the Mezzanine" is also told in first person.

In "The Boring Story" the story is presented by the protagonist Professor Stephanych, who provides a stinging critique of modern Russian literature. By using one of his own characters as a vehicle, Chekhov is able to provide what was no doubt the current...