place
S.
also: the town of S., the provincial capital of S.
An unnamed provincial capital, the story's entire setting -- a town whose residents insist it offers real culture (a library, a theater, a club) while its most talented family turns out to be merely the least untalented.
Reading notes
- Ionych §3 the provincial capital of S.
The story's unnamed provincial capital, standing for any sleepy Russian district town of the period; its residents insist it has real culture while the narrative quietly shows otherwise.