DID THE MASTER LIVE UP TO OUR EXPECTATIONS ?
.... The Hussies turned to something a little more serious after all the lighthearted Summer reads.
Love and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov. Sensing Chekhov may be a bit more intense, our hussie chose short stories to give everyone the opportunity to dip in and out and compare stories and characters. After all, the lead up to Christmas is always very busy and there is very little time to concentrate on sophisticated and complicated storylines.
.... The Hussies were not enthused by the master of short stories. They felt his stories quite repetitive often following the same formula - a full and comprehensive description of the countryside, the characters be they gentry or peasants, religious or political. However when he highlights the equalities of Russian Society and questions its values. he does so with very few words. You have to dig deep to identify and understand his interpretations of love, or our interpretations of love. We were probably naively thinking the short stories would be powerful accounts of undying love, crime and passion, brief encounters and such like. Maybe it was a case of wrong age, wrong time. If we were 30+ years younger studying for A level we may have been more passionate about searching out and identifying Chekhov's inner feelings. Feelings which came across as dark, deathly and angry, maybe, reflecting his own short, ill-stricken life which appeared to lack in various aspects of love. Chekhov also married late in life and lived apart from his wife. He did not seem to hold women in good esteem. This, again, is a very prominent factor in his stories.
.... No one read the whole book, but, between us I think most of the stories were covered. The Hussies particularly enjoyed 'The Lady with the Little Dog', a 'timeless' short story leaving you guessing as to what will happen next. Another Hussie enjoyed 'The Bishop', a story written at the peak of his career showing how love between a mother and son, differs according to a mothers perception. 'About Love' was another firm favourite as was the absurdly named 'Fish Love'.
.... Only three Hussies managed to join in the book discussion as Flu bugs caused us to be one Hussie down! A return visit to Il Piccolo was booked and we have to say this restuarant is fastly becoming a firm favourite with the Hussies. This small, friendly Italian Resturant in Corbridge offers exceptionally tasty food at very reasonable prices. The 'House Lasagne' was especially good as were the pizzas, and, half portions are also available for the smaller appetites - nothing was too much trouble!
(friendly atmosphere at Il Piccolo)
.... Staying in the same century we are back to a full book, a GCSE classic by a female writer with a male pseudo name, a sign of the times in the 19th century!
SILAS MARNER by GEORGE ELIOT
.... Join us for a pre-Christmas Lunch to find out what our Christmas read will be .....
20 November 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment