Interpreting Chekhov’s Prose

Book excerpt: The essays collected in this book constitute a new contribution to our understanding of the originality and significance of Chekhov’s prose. A close textual analysis of his work is provided, and especially of previously neglected works—some long overdue for in-depth investigation—that Chekhov himself rightfully considered to be masterpieces. Analysis of both these and other previously analyzed works offers a new interpretation which contrasts with those offered by previous Chekhov scholars. Works examined include those dealing with Chekhov’s astonishingly accurate and artistic portrayal of a wide variety of illnesses—without the use of any medical terms. These works are shown to be not mere “clinical studies,” but genuine, impressive works of art. The author, who suffered half of his life from tuberculosis, effectively portrayed many characters afflicted with this disease which was incurable at the time. Many of these works reveal an indisputable symbiosis of the doctor and the artist. Chekhov maintained that “in Goethe the poet lived amicably side by side with the scientist”—a fitting description of him as well. Doctors, the most frequently portrayed characters in Chekhov’s oeuvre are appropriately subjected to extensive analysis, as are the themes of fate and death and dying that figure so prominently in Chekhov’s work. Attention is accorded to imaginative fictional works dealing with philosophy and the theme of crime and punishment, as well as The Island of Sakhalin, a narrative of non-fictional sociological content.