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Originally Posted by
Quark
Does that not happen often? Yes, I'm here. When did I leave?
Not too often...sorry....just kidding with you....don't be so 'touchy'. What type of herb tea did you bring for tonight's teaparty?
Well it seemed to be fading and nearly ended up on page two of my search. I keep rescuing it. ;) It heads down the page and I think it will be setting like the sun.
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I'm glad you like it, but it's less than a page long. I'm not sure what we would say about it. Our posts would be longer than the story itself. I am looking for a briefer story than the trilogy we just did; but, at the same time, I think we need to keep it at a length that allows for multiple comments.
Get out, is it really that short? I only listened to it on the CD. I think it is a few more pages than one. I will look it up, just for the record.
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We are agreed, however, that the next story should have a more hopeful attitude. "About Love", while being clever and moving, is also somewhat depressing, and a brighter story should be welcome after that. Chekhov did write many stories that were warm and fuzzy or goofy and humorous. Finding ones in these categories that are good for discussion is difficult, though, and I've often shied away from picking them. These stories are frequently too short and too simple to sustain much conversation, even though they do make a good break from the poignant stories like "About Love." "Whitebrow" for example is quite warm and fuzzy--almost intolerably so. It tells the story of a cute puppy that finds it's way into a pack of wolves who decide they love it too much to eat it. While, yes, it's in no way depressing, I struggle to find any point of discussion. All we could say is "Isn't the little puppy adorable?" Some of the humorous tales are good for a laugh, but also fail to make a great discussion topic. From this category "On the Road" would make the best discussion, but unfortunately it's too long for this time around.
Ok, now you see the problems, that arise in picking a good story for the thread. I suffered last week over the L decision and today, at first glance in the thread, I thought they were going to hurl rotten tomatoes at me. Just kidding now; it is quite civil in there and everyone agrees that this story is interesting and will make for a good lively discussion.
So, knowing what you are going through, GOOD LUCK, Quark, picking a story.;)
That is sweet - a story about a puppy and wolves. I must try and read that one.
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Besides the warm, fuzzy stories and the goofy, funny stories, there is a third group of Chekhov writings that I think would work best. Those are the stories that explore Chekhov's sympathy with his characters and audience. Two good stories from this group are "The Student" and "At Home." "The Student" considers the value of story-telling when a theology student compares his surroundings with a story from the Bible and then realizes that the story has a power he didn't expect. The ending of the story is very optimistic and poetic, but the middle of the story is once more about anguish and suffering. Does that rule that story out? "At Home", on the other hand, doesn't have any people dying, suffering under miserable conditions, or lovers being separated, so it's not depressing at any point. This one is about education, law, children, and family. I would hope one of the themes would get people talking. I think it's something like seven pages--not too long. I'm going to consider other stories, but these are the two that I'm leaning toward.
Thanks for breaking that down for us. How about the story "Children" - I loved that one:), or is it also one page long? It is on my CD set. It is warm and fuzzy, but seems to have some substance and point, as well. Maybe that is really "At Home" with a different title?
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Well, that's enough writing for now. I have stories to read. I'll post more tomorrow.
Ok, then enjoy your stories and I want to watch a movie before it gets too late.
