The Schoolmistress

“The Schoolmistress” is a short story by Anton Chekhov that revolves around Marya Vassilyevna, a schoolteacher in a small Russian village. After collecting her pay in town, Marya rides back to the village, gossiping about her dull and lonely life. She ignores the attempts of Semyon, the cart driver, to make conversation.

Along the way, she encounters Hanov, a rich landowner, who briefly rides alongside them. Marya imagines marrying him but soon returns to her hopeless thoughts. The story beautifully captures Marya’s inner struggles and the stark contrast between her past life in Moscow and her current existence in the countryside.