Life Is… Above Love, or Sexism?

Most world literature classes tend to include some of Anton Chekhov’s short stories, agreeing with this publisher’s believe they are the “greatest ever”. “They offer unforgettable character, crystalline expression, and deep, powerful mystery.” I will explore these claims in this review. “Collected here are five of his very best tales, ‘The Lady with the Little Dog’, ‘The House with the Mezzanine’, and the trilogy of stories, ‘The Man in the Case’, ‘Gooseberries’ and ‘About Love’.” I did read all these stories in my Russian literature classes. It is unlikely that they would be assigned so often if they were not outstanding.
“The Lady with the Little Dog” stands out as uniquely memorable, perhaps because it’s a simple painting of a beautiful woman with an adorable dog who is seduced into an affair, after flaunting these gifts at a boardwalk. From this, it is apparent that this is an “unforgettable character”. The seducer’s wife is described as his age, but seeming to be twice older (since she is a woman). “She was a tall, black-browed woman, plain-spoken, pretentious, respectable and—as she was fond of claiming—’a thinking woman’.” The seducer dislikes her because of this thinking quality, and deceives her by cheating as a sort of vengeance. The idea that women should not be “thinking” still echoes in modern pop, and perhaps this story had a significant impact on this seemingly endless trend. Though guys had been describing the beauty in brainless women since the first male-authored books. Regardless for the immorality of what is being said, Chekhov succeeds in briefly painting these characters, as he might in directions to a play. Readers might know the type of person being described without needing further details.
What about “crystalline” or clear expression? Yes, the previous description was clear, concise and delivered in a digestible manner. But is Chekhov always clear? I turned to a random page in “The Black Monk”. “Here I am writing articles and exhibiting at shows and winning medals… They say Pesotsky has ‘apples as big as your head’ and that he made his fortune with his orchard. Pesotsky is monarch of all he surveys…” He then turns from this self-puffery to questioning what will happen to his “garden when I die?” (86-7). Chekhov seems to be coming through to ask for immortality as an author beyond his own death. Though he then says: “The whole secret is love, and by that I mean the keen eye and head of the master looking after his own place…” Then, he contemplates that his daughter might marry and “have children and then she’ll have no time to think about the garden…” He worries that the guy she marries might “rent the garden out to some market-woman” who will ruin it “within a year!” An insult against all “business women” being “like the plague!” follows (88). I don’t think in retrospect these are particularly good stories… I mean they are clear. But they clearly express sexism without giving these women enough dimensions to defend who they are, and why they have value. I’m going to leave Chekhov now: it’s pretty depressing thinking about misogyny.
—Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fall 2024: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-fall-2024

I loved About Love by Anton Chekhov! It’s such a simple yet powerful story that really gets you thinking about love and all its complexities. Chekhov has this way of making every word count, and the emotions in the story feel so real. It’s the kind of read that sticks with you and makes you reflect. Definitely worth checking out!

I mean, it's Chekhov, so it was always going to be five stars for me. I did really think this collection was the perfect length and with a great flow between the stories — my favorite in here right now is probably The House with the Mezzanine, but they're all amazing! No one does short tales quite like Chekhov. Thank you Penguin Classics for putting together this lovely little collection!

This collection includes five of Chekhov's most celebrated stories: "The Lady with the Little Dog," "The House with the Mezzanine," "The Man in the Case," "Gooseberries," and "About Love." Each story showcases Chekhov's extraordinary ability to capture the subtleties and intricacies of human relationships and societal norms. This beautifully designed edition, with its colorful, tactile cloth cover and foil stamping, makes for a perfect addition to any literary collection.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I mean what can I really say? There's a reason that Chekhov is considered one of the greats. This collection was well curated, flowed excellently, and really made me appreciate Chekhov in a new format. I'm so glad that this will be out in a clothbound edition!