Write a note on Anton Chekhov's writing style.

Write a note on Anton Chekhov’s writing style.

Ans.

When one thinks of Russian writing, the worlds ‘utterly depressing’, ‘dark’, ‘so. so, so said, ‘feelings of hopelessness’, etc. come to mind, but one word that is always paired up with Russians works is ‘beautiful’. Anton Chekhov’s work is no different. Although at times, his blunt and to the point writing can be deeply distressing, it is always a work of art well worth the time of the reader. From stories like Ivanov, to Drunk Chekhov’s unique style has rightly earned him the title of ‘Father of the Modern Short Story’ (‘Anton Chekhov – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia’). Despite his often bleak works, Anton’s impressionist style, concise messages and beautiful descriptions will always make his stories stand out from the rest (Anton Chekhov Biography-Brandeis’).

Impressionism can be loosely described as when the author of the story, or even the painter of the piece of art, depicts the subject from how they appear, but not necessarily of how they actually are. (‘Impressionism – Definition from Answers.com’) This makes the material very relatable and easy to be caught up in. For example, in Drunk, Frolov is acting very strangely but no insight is given into his brain. The audience is completely dependent on outward appearances and actions of Frolov. Later he will go on to talk about how he hates his wife, but until then, nothing is known about the character. To find out about him, the readers must wait until he speaks, just like in daily life. (‘Anton Chekhov The Literature Network”) Another example of Chekhov’s impressionism is in overdoing it, where the Way Glyeb Gavrilovich Smirnov is thinking how the story is told. The entire short story is told through his thoughts and actions. Because of this, it can be confusing at times, but that is because the character is confused. Because of the way the story is being told, the readers can be just as over-whelmed and caught up in the plot as if it were happening to them right then and there. Finally, in Ivanov, Chekhov focuses a great deal on what each character’s perception of Ivanov is. (‘Ivanov – theatre notes’) Not many absolute facts are given in the play. Most of it is just speculative information from the point of view of one character’s gossip or another’s. Because of this writing style that he uses, his works stand out from other writers and makes his stories even more memorable and realistic.

A wonderful talent of Chekhov is his short, to the point stories. That’s not to say that he lacks description or anything for that matter. An example of his concise way of story telling is with overdoing it, the story is in constant motion, and it’s actually going so quickly one feels like they’re caught up in it. (Anton Chekhov The Literature Network) Unlike much longer stories, it’s possible to get the enter point without having to painstakingly wade through line after line of exposition. It’s similar in Drunk, too. In Drunk, the story moves quickly and all the crucial back story information is given almost immediately, and what is learned later flows with the story. It was not pertinent that those things be known then, so it all works. Having a story like this gives the readers the freedom and power of imagination to dream about the rest of the character’s life, both future and past, without restrictions. Ivanov works the same way. All the important background information is laid out on the table first, then the story gets rolling and is very rarely bogged down with unhelpful or frivolous fluff. Reading stories this way is a refreshing way to go about a story. (“Chekhov, A. The Major Plays’)

Lastly, Chekhov’s writing style can be best described by the phrase, ‘short and sweet’. His works may be short in length, but they make up for it in content. Ivanov is not too long of a play, but it packs a punch. (Anton Chekhov Biography – Brandeis’) There is much going on in the play, but it describes each character in such a way that the audience gets to know them as if they knew them. Overdoing it gives readers a beautiful insight on the paranoid surveyor’s mind. While reading it, readers actually start reading the words faster the more paranoid he gets, just as if they were there in the carriage with him. In Drunk, a similar thing happens. The description of the sad Frolov and how lonely his world really is gets to the reader and they think of times they’ve felt used. Chekhov’s writing does that. It makes a statement that readers are at le to connect with, but it does it in a way that is beautiful in a way that a sunset it; very simple. (Ivanov – Theatre notes”)

Although reading Russian works can be saddening, bleak, dark and depressing, it still rings true that they are beautiful, especially Anton Chekhov’s plays and short stories. His works will continuously be referenced as examples to the original short story. His simple, to the point way of grabbing the reader’s attention has become classic. His different way of portraying the story allows the story to stick in the brain and the wonderfully simple way he does it makes it all so easy. Anton Chekhov is rightfully a classic writer whose works will be read time and time again. The ‘Father of the Short Story’, (‘Anton Chekhov – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”) gave the world some really superb stories that broaden and open minds.