The Sakhalin Island Odyssey: “Gusev,” and “Ward No. 6”

Chekhov: Late Short Stories

In this course, Professor Carol Apollonio (Duke University) explores Anton Chekhov’s late short stories. In the first lecture, we introduce the late stories following from Chekhov’s journey to the Sakhalin Island. After that, in the second lecture, we look at antisemitism and biblical subtexts through a close analysis of “Rothschild’s Violin” and “The Student”. In the third lecture, we examine the question: Who is to blame?, through Chekhov’s famous story “Peasants”, before turning to his “Little Trilogy” from 1898 in the fourth lecture. In the fifth lecture, we consider theatrical poetics in “The Lady with the Dog”. In the sixth and final lecture, we reflect upon Chekhov’s last stories, written shortly before his death.

The Sakhalin Island Odyssey: “Gusev,” and “Ward No. 6”

In this module, we introduce the late stories following from Chekhov’s journey to the Sakhalin Island, focusing in particular on: (i) Chekhov's journey to Sakhalin Island (1890) (ii) the literary impact of Sakhalin on Chekhov (iii) Ward Number Six (1892) (iv) themes of Ward Number Six (v) Chekhov’s medical and social concerns from the inhabitants of Sakhalin.