1.

Record Nr.

UNISA996217044303316

Autore

Borny Geoffrey <1942->

Titolo

Interpreting Chekhov / / Geoffrey Borny

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Canberra, Australia : , : ANU E Press, , 2006

©2006

ISBN

1920942688 (ebook)

192094267X (paperback)

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (324 pages) : illustrations; digital, PDF file(s)

Disciplina

891.723

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Sommario/riassunto

The author's contention is that Chekhov's plays have often been misinterpreted by scholars and directors, particularly through their failure to adequately balance the comic and tragic elements inherent in these works. Through a close examination of the form and content of Chekhov's dramas, the author shows how deeply pessimistic or overly optimistic interpretations fail to sufficiently account for the rich complexity and ambiguity of these plays. The author suggests that, by accepting that Chekhov's plays are synthetic tragi-comedies which juxtapose potentially tragic sub-texts with essentially comic texts, critics and directors are more likely to produce richer and more deeply satisfying interpretations of these works. Besides being of general interest to any reader interested in understanding Chekhov's work, the book is intended to be of particular interest to students of Drama and Theatre Studies and to potential directors of these subtle plays.