Rothschild’s Fiddle (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Anton Chekhov
- First Published: 1894
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The 1890's
- Setting: Western Russia
- Principal Characters: Yakov Ivanov, Martha, Rothschild, Maxim Nikolaich
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Music or musicians, Poverty or poor people, Anti-Semitism, Death or dying, Russia or Russian people, Isolation, Coffins, Profit
- Locales: Russia
The Story
The setting of “Rothschild's Fiddle” is a squalid little village where Yakov Ivanov, a Russian coffin maker, and Rothschild, an equally poor Jewish musician, both live. Yakov lives in a one-room hut, which contains his gloomy wares as well as his humble domestic possessions. Childless, the dour Yakov barely notices Martha, his downtrodden wife of fifty years. Yakov has an unexpected side to his character, for he is a gifted, if rude, violinist who is sometimes invited to join the local Jewish orchestra to play for weddings. Although the coffin maker needs the...
[The entire page is 1491 words long]
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