A Family Council by Anton Chekhov

Name: A Family Council
Author: Anton Chekhov

"A Family Council" is a short story by Anton Chekhov that revolves around the Goryanchikov family. The story follows the family as they gather for a council to discuss their financial problems and potential solutions. However, the meeting quickly devolves into a heated argument between the family members, highlighting their deep-seated conflicts and lack of communication. Ultimately, the story ends with no clear resolution or solution, leaving the reader with a sense of hopelessness and despair.

By Anton Chekhov · First published 1880 · Genre: Drama, Family, Literature · 3,139 words

First lines

To prevent the skeleton in the Uskoff family cup-board escaping into the street, the most rigorous measures were taken. One half of the servants was packed off to the theatre and circus, and the other half sat imprisoned in the kitchen. Orders were given to admit no one. The wife of the culprit's uncle, her sister, and the governess, although initiated into the mystery, pretended that they knew nothing whatever about it; they sat silently in the dining-room, and dared not show their faces in the drawing-room or hall. Sasha Uskoff, aged twenty-five, the cause of all this upheaval, arrived some time ago; and on the advice of kind-hearted Ivan Markovitch, his maternal uncle, sat demurely in the corridor outside the study door, and prepared himself for sincere, open-hearted confession. On the other side of the door the family council was being held. The discussion ran on a ticklish and very disagreeable subject. The facts of the matter were as follows. Sasha Uskoff had discounted at a bankers a forged bill of exchange, the term of which expired three days before; and now his two paternal uncles, and Ivan Markovitch, an uncle on his mother's side, were discussing the solemn problem: should the money be paid and the family honour saved, or should they wash their hands of the whole matter, and leave the law to take its course?

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A Family Council is listed on Textopian as a short story by Anton Chekhov, dated 1880 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Anton Chekhov
Date: 1880 CE
Language: English
Genres: Drama, Family, Literature, Classics, Psychological
Length: 3,139 words
Structure: 1 section, 42 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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Genres

Drama — The important focus on familial relationships and conflict lends this book to the drama genre.
Family — As the title suggests, this book explores dynamics within a family, making it relevant to the family genre.
Literature — Written by Anton Checkov, a renowned literature author, this book falls under the literature genre.
Classics — Due to the timeframe it was written and its revered author, the book is considered a classic.