The Symbolism of the Cherry Orchard: Between a Commercial Project, a Manor and a Dacha

Abstract

The widespread of cherry orchards in different regions of Russia and vaious locations (landowners’ estates, peasants’ plots, inns, cemeteries, Soviet-era dachas, etc.) was reflected in the works of fiction by Russian writers, as well as in their diary entries and epistolary heritage. The article considers the works of Alexei K. Tolstoy, Lev Mey, Anton Chekhov, Ivan Bunin, Boris Zaitsev, Sergey Esenin, Marina Tsvetaeva, and other authors who formed the symbolism of the cherry orchard. Since the cultivation of seedlings and adult trees with skillful but not very burdensome care was commercially effective, the cherry orchard symbolized prosperity and prosperity. The cherry harvest allowed the owners to show their hospitality: they treated their guests to various culinary products made of berries and liqueurs. Thanks to Chekhov, the cherry orchard became one of the symbols of the traditional Russian estate, and its death symbolized the destruction of the conservative world order. Cherry orchards testified to the domestication of the landscape.

Keywords

• garden
• cherry tree
• chekhov
• tradition
• manor
• dacha
• russian literature
• poetry
• drama.