Checkov and Oates' Lady with a Pet Dog Romanticism vs. Modernism

A detailed Summary of Checkov and Oates' Lady with a Pet Dog Romanticism vs. Modernism

Checkov and Oates' "The Lady with a Pet Dog": Modernism vs. Romanticism

There are many debatable similarities and differences between Checkov's "Lady with a Pet Dog" set in Russia in the early part of the century and Joyce Carol Oates' "Lady with a Pet Dog" told from Anna's point of view in the 1970's in Nantucket. However, Oates' modernization makes the story 'lose a lot in translation'. The modernized version lacks the romance and appeal that Checkov's version possesses and doesn't have the same flair due to the modern setting, Anna's madness, and lack of depth in the support characters and Oates' over all writing style.

First off the settings play a large role in how the story is perceived. Checkov's tale takes it's setting in the ends of Imperial Russia. Russia is still very much an elegant and envied world power. The splendor of the circle in which his Anna and Dmitry live is obvious by their taking vacations to the coast and by the way their families are described. His story hails from the same time period as the legendary Anna Karienna. They share the same themes of love and loyalty. In Anna Karienna the theme is also about adultry by a woman who is devoted to her family but finds passion in the arms of another m

In Checkov's story, his Anna seems to grow and progress in the story, perhaps learning lessons from Dmitry but in the end, nevertheless she feels strong enough to deal with the world around her and with the struggles that may arise from being Dmitry's lover. The reader has gone through a change with the character, with both characters, and having been rooting them on the reader feels a since of pride and joy in the end. The progression of the story almost has a fairytale ending and though Checkov does not share his final thoughts most assume that Dmitry and Anna will have a fairly happy existence together in the future.

Another notable difference in the two works is Oates' elimination of depth in her support characters. She does very little to describe their lives, thoughts or feelings and they seem to be only shadows in the background. Oates' goes so far with her non-characterization that she fails to even give her support characters names! Instead they are known to the reader only as 'the blind man' and 'his son'. Most readers are left wanting more from these characters. (What does the man think of this situation? Does he love this Anna? What does he want from her? What does this man feel about his own family?) A love story traditionally has two sides to it. True love is love from both parties and it's questionable in this work if even one party is in love. This all seemed too much like an over-dramatized, made for TV movie that had some how been misplaced and wound up in the bindings of a collection of literary works.

Oates' story lacks these characteristics. It's modern settings-on a beach, in a bathroom, in a hotel room, coupled with the moderness of the character's thoughts and feelings leave the reader depressed and anxious. There is very little about the writing of this story that gives the reader any sense of hope or uplifting. Perhaps the description of the man and his son on the beach a

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Approximate Word count = 1299
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous