The Price of Transcendence: Mortality, Madness, and the Inevitability of Death in Chekhov’s “The Black Monk” (1894)
The Price of Transcendence: Mortality, Madness, and the Inevitability of Death in Chekhov’s “The Black Monk” (1894)
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Abstract
This article investigates the interplay between death, madness, and spiritual yearning in Anton Chekhov’s "The Black Monk" (1894) by examining the tragic journey of the protagonist Andrey Kovrin. Employing existential insights from Kierkegaard, the archetypal framework of Jung, Mircea Eliade’s sacred/profane dichotomy, and Foucault’s critique of modern medical practices, the study reveals how Kovrin’s visionary experiences embody a desperate search for transcendent meaning. His descent into madness—culminating in a fatal, serene smile—illustrates the inevitable outcome for a man whose inner mystical life is systematically pathologised by a society steeped in scientific materialism. The article contends that when spiritual ecstasy is dismissed as pathology, genuine transformative encounters with mortality are thwarted, leaving death as the sole recourse for the visionary. In fusing these interdisciplinary perspectives, the research situates "The Black Monk" within broader discussions on modernity’s disenchantment and the existential challenges confronting those whose inner lives defy rational accommodation.
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non–Commercial No Derivatives License which permits noncommercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of the Publisher must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
