Review by Choice Review
This collection of well-chosen essays fills a critical niche in Chekhov studies. Why reprint previously published essays? Presented in order of their original publication, from Virginia Woolf's 1920 review of a performance of The Cherry Orchard, to three articles from Reading Chekhov's Text, ed. by Robert Louis Jackson (1993), this selection reveals a variety of critical stances and reverberating themes. Bloom's introduction surveys Chekhov's four main plays with particular reference to Hamlet and prepares the way for several essays treating Chekhov's interest in Shakespeare and his characters' obsessive literary allusions. Woolf reacts more as theatergoer and reader than as writer; the reader identifies with Woolf as reader and spectator and reconsiders the question of Chekhov performance. Maxim Gorky's "Fragments of Recollections"--which recalls Chekhov's hatred of banality and false philosophies in favor of "everything simple, genuine, sincere"-- resounds in several subsequent essays, notably Gary Saul Morson's "'Uncle Vanya' as Prosaic Metadrama." Lev Shestov's penetration of the spiritual desolation of Chekhov's characters reflects his religious philosophical concern. Discussions on Chekhov's legacy by Rufus W. Mathewson, Martin Esslin, and Charles E. May will guide students to project the insights gained into Chekhov's oeuvre onto the work of others. A comprehensive presentation. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above. N. Tittler; SUNY at Binghamton
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 UpLiterary scholars, teachers, librarians, and students have come to rely on this series as first-rate collections of literary criticism. This latest entry is no exception. An important strength of the book is its balance. Chekhov's plays and short stories are carefully examined and discussions of his contributions to both genres are included. These selections are nicely complemented by pieces focusing on Chekhov, the person and the writer, one of which is a collection of reminiscences by Maxim Gorky.Marilyn Heath, Greenwood High School, SC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by School Library Journal Review
