Question 2:
I feel like I
appreciated (as much as I could) “The Lady with the Pet Dog” the way it was. I
never found myself wishing that Chekhov should have judged his characters or
had them suffering in any way over their actions. I feel this way because it
allowed me to come up with their own sort of story as they went along, making
the read more fun. For instance, at the end of this romance story we are left
to wonder what came of the affair. Did they eventually get caught in their
infidelity? Or do they live happily ever after, so to speak. Setting up
opportunities for the reader to create their own stories for characters within
fiction is what makes the story engaging; at least to me. Having the chance to
formulate my own opinions of the characters as the story went along kept my
mind busy during its dry parts, preventing me from just stopping the reading
all together. Also, it gabe me the ability to formulate my own ultimate ending
for the fate of Gurov and the Ladys’ relationship; this is the type of fiction
that keeps me engaged to the end, I do not like being told how I should think
of a character, that just gets boring.
Question 5:
I prefer the
Checkhov version of the story because I feel it is more powerful. It is the
portrayal of the male point of view that makes it this way for me. The reason for
this is because the male character in this version experiences a redirection of
character so to speak, whereas in the Oates version the female point of view
does not know what it wants until the very end. In the Checkhov version the
male knows what it wants from the very beginning, it wants the affair for no
more than just pleasure; near the end though an almost 180 degree turn around
is seen. No longer does the male (Gurov) want the affair just to get some,
rather he realizes that it is truly love that keeps drawing him back. That is
what makes this version powerful, it turns the association of an affair with
lust to that of a search for true love. It is usually hard to see an affair as
anything but immorality, but this version has a way of making the term seem
something different; this is what made it impactful for me. I still think
affairs are wrong though.
I agree that the ending of Chekhov's version allows for the audience to develop our own ending to the story, when Chekhov says "in a little while the solution would be found". We don't know what the solution is, and that builds our curiosity. I also preferred Chekhov's version because of the "almost 180 degree turn" in Gurov. It's almost as if he needed this affair to realize something about himself: the ability to fall in love.
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with you on liking to make your own conclusions about a character rather than have a character biography rammed into your eye sockets in every story you read, though I think sometimes the sheer amount of possibly outcomes gets overwhelming for me, which is why I prefer more detailed plot set up I guess. And I agree wholeheartedly with you on the Chekhov version being better, the Oates version just made me depressed.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that you referred to the "male version" as more powerful. I preferred the male version based upon it chronological order and the fact that is was less dramatic and suicidal. However, stating that it was "powerful" never crossed my mind until now. I agree that finding out what you truly desire in life and taking the initiative to do so is powerful.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the first question. I like to have my own opinions of a story and the characters. I'm glad that Chekhov did not give us a sense of judgement for these characters. I do believe that it was wrong of them to cheat. I also like to make up my own ending for a story. Like you said, it makes it much more fun and enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteYes it was fun to have our own opinion about the characters but I also think it would have been very interesting to have Gurov and Anna caught by their spouses, with the kind of point of views that Chekhov and Oates provided I think it would have been really interesting to be able to see if you still thought whether the lovers were innocent or guilty or if the situation would make you change your mind.
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