Who Was Chekhov?

Chekhov: Early Short Stories

In this course, Professor Carol Apollonio (Duke University) explores Anton Chekhov’s early short stories. In the first lecture, we think about the figure of Anton Chekhov himself, and the background to his writing career and early works. After that, in the second lecture, we look at some of Chekhov’s early satirical and comic stories. In the third lecture, we examine his transition into serious stories, with special reference to ‘The Huntsman’ and ‘The Chorus Girl’. In the fourth module, we explore some of Chekhov’s Pushkin Prize winning and classic pieces, before considering three more later masterpieces in the fifth lecture. In the sixth and final lecture, we analyse Chekhov’s long prose piece ‘The Steppe’ (1889). Anton Chekhov, Harvey Pitcher/Miles Patrick trans., Chekhov: The Early Stories, 1883-88 (1982) Anton Chekhov,, Constance Garnett trans., The Greatest Short Stories of Anton Chekhov (2019) Anton Chekhov,, Ronald Wilks trans., The Steppe and Other Stories, 1887-91 (2001)

Who Was Chekhov?

In this module, we introduce the figure of Anton Chekhov himself, and his early life, focusing in particular on: (i) Chekhov’s background (ii) Chekhov’s early writing career (iii) Chekhov’s challenges and growth (iv) Chekhov’s transition into literature.