A Franzia Box Introduced in Act 1 Will Be Important in Act 3

Fittingly, on the night of the year's first valley snow, a night marked with cold and clouds, we gathered to ruminate on a true Russian master, Anton Pavlovich Chekov, and his shorter works.

With a set number of stories, but only one set story ("The Lady With a Dog"), our survey of Chekov was both diverse, and yet congruent. From the longer novella Ward Number Six to the remarkably short "The Death of a Government Clerk", we covered it all, and in that covering, found Chekov's commonalities, themes, and concerns. As any foray into Russian Literature must, bleakness, sadness, and depression took center stage, but the beauty and remarkable modernity of his prose remained tantamount. But is a happy ending so much to ask (note: none read Chekov's "A Happy Ending")? Chekov's use of challenging, abrupt, enigmatic endings were discussed, with the varying effects. Some responded well to the different readings possible, others desired some set closure. What becomes of the couple in "The Lady With a Dog"? Is it sufficient to say perhaps they ended their affair, or that they realized the work of an actual relationship? Or does it become exhausting?


As it is wont to do, matters of gender arose. Narrators seem to abandon courting strong-willed older sisters in favor of younger, more tremulous brides-to-be. Chekov ascribes his wife's nickname to the younger. Do we take his assurance she's a genius at face value? Infidelity and stultifying relationships are a prominent theme of his work. How does this reflect on his character and marriage, if at all? Daughters abandon alcoholic fathers after becoming social mavens. Is it legitimate to view this as a good thing? And from where does the fear wives feel from their husbands originate--is the threat of violence real, or implied by the rest of society?

But some of our finest appreciations were saved for Chekov's black humor. The coffin maker in a town of old people bemoans the fact that they won't die. A man dreams of a farm of gooseberries his whole life, only to learn at the end he doesn't like their taste. An asylum doctor learns he has become an asylum patient when they show him his bed. A clerk finally apologizes for a sneeze, and promptly dies. Such a dark wit would have felt at home gathered around the wine box.

And we discussed the best way to hunt Girl Scouts when they're in season. Can't forget that.