Chekhov Anton Pavlovich - The Cambridge Introduction to Chekhov

Chekhov is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential literary figures of modern times. Russias preeminent playwright, he played a significant role in revolutionizing the modern theatre. His impact on prose fiction writing is incalculable: he helped define the modern short story. Beginning with an engaging account of Chekhovs life and cultural context in nineteenth-century Russia, this book introduces the reader to this fascinating and complex personality. Unlike much criticism of Chekhov, it includes detailed discussions of both his fiction and his plays. The Introduction traces his concise, impressionistic prose style from early comic sketches to mature works such as Ward No. 6 and In the Ravine. Examining Chekhovs development as a dramatist, the book considers his one-act vaudevilles and early works, while providing a detailed, act-by-act analysis of the masterpieces on which his reputation rests: The Seagull , Uncle Vanya , Three Sisters , and The Cherry Orchard .

JAMES N. LOEHLIN is Shakespeare at Winedale Regents Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Chekhov: The Cherry Orchard in the Cambridge Plays in Production series, and the editor of Romeo and Juliet in the Cambridge Shakespeare in Production series. He has also written books on Shakespeares Henry V and Henry IV, Parts I and II . He has directed, acted in, or supervised productions of all Chekhovs major plays, as well as twenty-five of Shakespeares plays.

Cambridge Introductions to...

Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York

James N. Loehlin 2010

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First published 2010

Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge

A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data

Loehlin, James N.

The Cambridge introduction to Chekhov / James N. Loehlin.

p. cm. (Cambridge introductions to literature)

ISBN 978-0-521-88077-0 (hardback)

1. Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 18601904 Criticism and interpretation. I. Title.

II. Series.

PG3458.Z8L64 2010

891.723dc22

2010022722

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