Question 1:
I agree with Chekhov's assertion that "combining art with moralizing makes for bad art". I think that it's the audience's duty to decide what they take from art, what they believe it means, and what they think that the art teaches them, rather than having the moral spelled out to them. Therefore, I think that moralizing does spoil artistic value and enjoyment. If an audience is forced to make their own decisions about a piece, then it makes them value the piece more. Even if a piece has a specific idea that is supposed to be portrayed, it gives more perspective for the audience if they have a different point of view, and also allows for moral growth. Of course, this is usually more affective for adult audiences, as children would need more of an obvious approach. I recently watched a film called Little Children, in which an affair was also shown, like that of "The Lady with the Pet Dog", and had no real resolution to the affair. I easily appreciated the film in that respect because I could draw my own conclusions, rather than have them made for me by the director.
Question 2:
I think I would have appreciated "The Lady with the Pet Dog" less if Chekhov judged his characters or showed them either being penitent for their "sins", caught by their significant other, or suffering the consequences of their actions. I personally liked the ending of the story, with no real resolution to the affair. If any of the above situations happened, Gurov would not have come to a place of realization. Gurov had plenty of affairs before, but this is the only affair that caused him to feel compassion, when he would only have been logical in the preceding affairs. I also think that Anna Sergeyevna would be even more unhappy in her life if any of the above situations occurred. And yes, I appreciate it more in the sense that the moralizing is left to me as the author simply develops his characters rather than judging them. This affair was necessary for both characters to grow psychologically, or else they wouldn't experience anything that would challenge their judgement.
Your mentioning of Anna possibly being more unhappy if the affair was found out is interesting. Her reaction, and Gurov's for that matter, never really occurred to me because I was focused on what their spouses would be thinking and doing.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Anna would have been happier if the affair were found out because her and Gurov would finally be able to be together and there would be no more secrets or sneaking around.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gina that maybe Anna would be happier if their spouses found out. The guilt is eating inside her yet she continues to have the affair and can't stop, so why not tell the significant other? They obviously know they love each other and want to be together so why not just end the unhappy marriages and be together?
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