This Course is Cross-Listed with Theater 166, Section 2

The course is devoted to Chekhov’s narrative fiction and dramatic art, and the inner connections between his two major modes of writing.  We will read closely his short stories and plays, and situate Chekhov’s work both in its contemporary cultural context and in a larger historical continuum.  We will discuss Chekhov’s collaboration with the Moscow Art Theater, Konstantin Stanislavsky, and other leading artists of the day.  In a larger perspective, we will follow the evolution of the concept and cultural myth of the ‘Chekhovian,’ and discuss the lasting impact of Chekhov’s art and artistic persona on modern imagination.

The course will include classroom screenings and discussions.  There will be several quizzes checking your textual knowledge, a mid-term examination, and a course paper.

Texts:
The Portable Chekhov. Viking Portable Library.  Ed. by Avrahm Yarmolinsky.
Anton Chekhov’s Short Stories. Selected and edited by Ralph Matlaw. A Norton Critical Edition.
Anton Chekhov. Four Plays and Three Jokes. Transl. by Sharon Carnicke. Hackett Publishing.
A Course Reader.

Prerequisites:  None.  Readings in English.