Lady with the Dog, The by Anton Chechov ~ Short Stories

[JoanP]

The Book Club Online is  the oldest  book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone.  We offer cordial discussions of one book a month,  24/7 and  enjoy the company of readers from all over the world.  Everyone is welcome.

Short Story Event - JUNE/JULY Book Club Online

It is said that a good short story should include: * a strong theme, * a fascinating plot, * a fitting structure, * unforgettable characters, * a well-chosen setting, * an appealing style.  Let's consider these elements as we discuss the following stories.  Is it necessary to include them all in a successful story? 
 

Notice that the titles are all links to the stories.

Discussion Schedule:
June 1 -June 9: *The Book of The Funny Smells--and Everything (1872) by Eleanor H Abbott *The Necklace or The Diamond Necklace (1880) -  by Guy de Maupassant
  *A Pair of Silk Stockings (1896) by Kate Chopin
June 10- 14: *Babylon Revisited (1931) by F.Scott Fitzgerald
June 15- 17: *First Confession (1939) by Frank O'Connor
June 18-20: *A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1953) by Flannery O'Connor 
June 21-24: *The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (1973) by Ursula LeGuin
June 25-28: *The Half-skinned Steer (1997) by Annie Proulx
June 29-July 2 *The Bear Came Over the Mountain(1999) by Alice Munro
July 5 - July 8:  *The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chechov 1899
July 9 - July 13?:  *The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1899

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The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chechov

Anton Chechov was a late 19th century Russian writer famous for his short stories and plays. "The Lady with the Dog," a tale of two lovers who carry on an affair while both married to other people, is one of his most famous  and best loved short stories.   It  is in many ways a typical Chechov tale, reflecting the style  of the author who breaks many of the rules of storytelling, particularly when it comes to plot and conclusion, never says more than he needs. He conveys emotional complexity in just a few words, thus preserving the intensity of his characters' feelings. Chechov wrote the "The Lady with the Dog" in 1899, five years before his death, while he was an invalid suffering from tuberculosis. He was laid up in the seaside town of Yalta, on the coast of the Black Sea, a setting that serves as the backdrop for the lovers' initial meeting in the story. Setting isn't the only  similarity to find its way from Chechov's life; many scholars argue that the relationship at the center of this story is a reflection of the author's own romance with the actress he would eventually marry in 1901. (Information gleaned from Wikipedia and various sources)

Topics for Consideration

July 5 - July 8

1. Can you understand men like Dmitri Gurov, a man who refers to women as "the lower race" and yet insists he can not get on two days together without their company? 2 What is it about women's company that draws him?  Why on earth are women drawn to men like this? 3. "Stories of immorality in Yalta are untrue."  What stories?   Why is Dmitri here? 4. Do you sympathize with the young woman, travelling alone with her little dog? What brings her to Yalta? Can you tell what  Gurov finds pathetic about her? 5. "Will you still love me tomorrow?"  How does Chechov answer this age-old question in the story? 6. Do you think that Anna and Dmitri regard one another as escape from their humdrum existence?  Will this change when they begin to actually see one another?  Or do you see theirs as true, lasting love?

DL Contact: JoanP

[BarbStAubrey]

quick thought I cannot help imagine the readership was mostly men - women were discouraged from reading at all much less reading novels - it was supposed to addle their brains. Needlework was their acceptable outlet and younger women in America had jobs - not sure if this was true in Russia where I think there were few in the middle class as it appears Anna would have been with the description of her husband. That would be an interesting followup to learn with the long winters what middle class women did in Russia. My knowledge of needlework from Russia is work done by country people with various ethnic designs and dyes. I wonder how girls were educated - we know the country estates had tutors and the serfs had no education - hmm.

[BarbStAubrey]

The social movement made the state increase the educational institutions for girls and the opportunities to get the education in common schools. By the middle of the 60th Russia was ranked the 1st in Europe that invested in development of female education. However it still was a privilege of girls form well-off families.

The second part of the 19th century was characterized by a closer attention to the education of girls of all social classes. Free sabbath school were available for both boys girls, however the number of girls was still insignificant.

Hundreds of women appeared in Kiev and Kharkov Universities as well. A wide-spread form of getting education for women became so called "fleeting schools" when known professors conducted free classes for women.

Nadezhda Suslova However in 1864 women were officially banned from universities. The first Russian women who got university diplomas and degrees went to study abroad. In 1867 Nadezhda Suslova moved to Switzerland and graduated from the University of Zurich.

 After the revolution of 1905-07 the number of girls getting secondary and professional education increased, however the majority of women stayed illiterate.

The Russian revolution of the 1917 not only became the milestone in the liberalization and emancipation of women, but was a significant step towards mass education of women.

[JoanP]

After the revolution of 1905-07 the number of girls getting secondary and professional education increased, however the majority of women stayed illiterate

Well, no wonder Chechov didn't spend time portraying on Anna's situration!  

Here's another of Chechov's short stories you might find interesting - he portrays with sensitivity -  a young working woman, a governess in An Upheaval   This is very short, but I'd love to hear what you think of his purpose in protecting the marriage of the lady of the house - who would divorce him if she learned what he had done...

[PatH]

I'm behind schedule on my thanks.  JoanP, you added insights I hadn't thought of to this story.  Thanks for a good discussion.