Anton Chekhov is one of the best known and most influential writers in Russian of the modern period. In this SDG we will read his five most often produced plays - Ivanov, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. We will begin by reading several of his best known short stories: "The Huntsman," "The Lady with a Little Dog," "At Sea," "Breakdown [An Attack of Nerves]," "The Student," "In the Cart," "The Darling," "Gooseberries" and "Ward No. 6." These works draw on Chekhov's medical background to create tales of searing insight and compassion.
1. Chekhov's Life / Elements Most Often Found in Novels, Short Stories, Etc.; An Incident at Law; At Sea (A Sailor's Tale)
2. The Huntsman; The Kiss; The Name-Day Party
3. Breakdown [An Attack of Nerves]; The Student
4. Ward No. 6
5. Anna on the Neck; In the Cart
6. Gooseberries; Sweetheart [The Darling]; The Lady with the Little Dog
7. Ivanov
8. The Seagull
9. Uncle Vanya
10. Three Sisters
11. The Cherry Orchard
Core Books:
Anton Chekhov's Selected Plays, Norton Critical Edition, ed. Laurence Senelick
Anton Chekhov's Selected Stories, Norton Critical Edition, ed. Cathy Popkin
Bibliography
George Saunders, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain (2021) - contains excellent close readings of three Chekhov stories: "In the Cart," "The Darling," and "Gooseberries"