Week 6 discussion questions
“Lady with the Pet Dog” Checkov Discussion Questions
1. How did the setting contribute to the circumstances of their meeting and developing relationship in Checkov’s story? Would they have developed such a relationship had the setting been different?
2. What is Gurov’s view of women? What is Anna’s view of men? What does this reveal about each character?
3. Why did Oates write her version of the story? What was her intent and how did she accomplish it?
4. What is the effect of having Gurov as the central consciousness? Of having Anna as the central consciousness?
5. Discuss the two scenes where Anna is suffering – how are they different? What is each character’s action/reaction during these scenes, and what does it tell us about them and the nature of their relationship? How are the scenes related to the structure of the story?
Misery by Anton Chekhov
1. What is the main theme in Anton Chekhov’s “The Lament,” also called “Misery”?
What did the officer say when Iona told him his son died?
Why does the hunchback hit Iona?
Who does Iona end up venting to?
Read Chekhov’s Natural Description and the Center of Gravity Page 151
Discussion Questions “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield
Analyze Miss Brill’s Sundays in the park. Why does she go there, and how does she feel when she is there?
5. How might you describe the mood of the story up until the very end?
6. In what ways are Miss Brill’s thoughts and feelings about those around her ironic?
7. Most of this story lets you know what’s going on in Miss Brill’s mind. During her visit to the park, she speaks to no one, she does nothing. Her mind, however, is active, and she identifies with what is going on all around her. Consider Miss Brill’s imaginations.
a. What do they reveal about her needs and fears?
b. How would you describe Miss Brill’s life? (Rich? Meaningful? Empty? Something else?)
c. How do her reactions to what she sees reveal the emptiness of her life?