Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
A Work of Art
- Narrated by: Cathy Dobson
- Length: 10 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
A Work of Art
Buy Now for £1.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), sometimes referred to as the chronicler of the Russian period of depression and pessimism, was the leader of the realistic school of the Russian short story.
His ability to create an atmosphere and build to a climax is unparalleled. He takes a moment in the protagonists' lives and reveals their souls in a handful of phrases. Mediocrity, pettiness, emptiness and meaninglessness are core themes as he strips bare the rot at the core of social structures.
A Work of Art, which lampoons a set of characters bound by social morals, also reveals Chekhov as a wry humorist. A doctor is presented with a fabulous - but unsuitably erotic - work of art.
He is unable to refuse it and decides to give it away as a gift...to a friend who also finds it embarrassingly inappropriate and in turn struggles to pass it on.