THE5220C - The Plays of Anton Chekhov

Course Description

Seminar-style course focused on the work of Anton Chekhov

In the span of a few short years, Chekhov gifted to the world a body of work that included such timeless classics as The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. But more than that, he gave us a new way of seeing the world that had never existed before on any stage, a rich poeticism able to elevate the ordinariness of life, a new form of bathetic comedy, and a dazzlingly unique dramaturgy that has arguably influenced contemporary writers more than any other playwright, including Shakespeare. Chekhov published over 400 short stories, but he was first and foremost a doctor, deeply socially committed to prison reform and improving health care in Russia, and this humane view of the world runs right through the way his stories are organized and executed. The course is ideal for any student interested in theatre in general, or playwriting and dramatic theory in particular.