tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13774780.post115517470449946342..comments2024-03-27T02:00:49.152-04:00Comments on Kate's Book Blog: John Cheever on Anton ChekhovKate S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16897618197257393697noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13774780.post-1155233568702355622006-08-10T14:12:00.000-04:002006-08-10T14:12:00.000-04:00I had drinks with Ben Cheever and he bummed cigare...I had drinks with Ben Cheever and he bummed cigarettes off me!<BR/><BR/>StuRazovskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02204691525944577597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13774780.post-1155212388324603042006-08-10T08:19:00.000-04:002006-08-10T08:19:00.000-04:00Michael,Sadly true. Cheever has something to say a...Michael,<BR/><BR/>Sadly true. Cheever has something to say about that as well. He contrasts what he terms Chekhov's "mastered irresolution" with the assumption "that the charming melody of irresolution was an end in itself, that no intelligence, no discipline and no depth of feeling was needed," and blames the latter for "set[ting] loose into the literary situation a host of writers whose misunderstanding of Chekhov's greatness was absolute." He follows up this observation with a very funny parody of just the sort of boring story that you describe. The whole essay is well worth reading.<BR/><BR/>The bit that I posted serves as illumination for those beginning to read Chekhov, not as advice for beginning writers!Kate S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16897618197257393697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13774780.post-1155184023625380722006-08-10T00:27:00.000-04:002006-08-10T00:27:00.000-04:00An awful lot of boring stories have happened as a ...An awful lot of boring stories have happened as a result of thinking like that being absorbed by people who didn't happen to be Anton Chekhov.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13398730540934226860noreply@blogger.com