The Duel

The Duel is one of Chekhov s longest works, skirting the edge between novel and novella. Like many of Chekhov s works, it was first published as a serial.
Laevsky is a womanizing drunkard, a slave to life s vices. His wantonness clashes with the moralistic zoologist Von Koren, who grows to despise Laevsky. Their mutual enmity culminates in a duel though neither they, nor their friends, really want it to happen.