THE TEACHER OF LITERATURE

The Teacher of the Literature

This story didn't seem fresh. Felt like I'd read something like it before.  Leftovers from a previous meal.

Nikitin seems too happy. Everything is going too well. Something has to happen and it does.

He realizes that he hasn't worked for his happiness. He is living off his wife and is therefore spoiled. He has to give it all up so he can suffer and then he'll appreciate what the real world is like.

Sorry -- but I just didn't buy it. He loses twelve roubles playing cards and all of a sudden he comes to the realization that he's a spolied brat. Why? What's the problem? He loves his wife. He is respected. He lives well. Why the angst? Didn't seem to me like he was a man looking for angst and more like one who would have been satisfied having a good wife and a nice home.

I guess what I'm saying is I felt like Chekhov manipulated the story -- he wanted Niktin to come to the realization that he had to suffer -- that he was sheltered from the world and outside there is real struggle and he had to awaken to that. While all that is true -- I mean we all live sheltered lives in one form or another -- the characters in the story just weren't developed enough to feel that Niktin's transformation was organic.

In Chekhov's great stories -- the action flows seamlessly and you're not aware of the author manipulating the action -- here I felt Chekhov's heavy hand.

On the positive side -- Chekhov is really a great comic writer. The character of Ippolit Ippolititch is a classic. He is hilarious from his first appearance to his unfortunate death. "The teacher of history and geography, who always says what everyone has heard before . . . "

In all honesty, I found Ippolit Ippolititch the best character in the story. Fresh.