"A Woman without Prejudice" by Anton Chekhov — Review

Chekhov’s “A Woman without Prejudice” is a masterfully ironic study of social anxiety and the absurdity of self-imposed shame. The story follows the hulking, seemingly invincible Maxim Salyutov, a man of extraordinary physical strength who is utterly crippled by the fear that his modest, non-noble past—specifically, having worked as a circus performer—will disgust his beloved Elena (Lelya) and ruin his marriage prospects. 

The central comedy and pathos arise from the drastic disconnect between Salyutov’s towering physique and his shriveled sense of self-worth, a contradiction Chekhov highlights with surgical precision. Salyutov’s torment, fueled by a blackmailing “friend,” portrays the psychological tyranny of imagined social judgment, revealing how internalized class prejudices can be more destructive than any external rejection.

Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://www.prosperosisle.org/spip.php?article1157#Woman