In this seminar, we will read and discuss the major literary works – short stories, novellas, and plays – of Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), one of the central figures of modern Russian literature and an architect of the modern short story and play. While his influence on world literature has been enormous, Chekhov was a product of Russian culture of the 19th century. Over the course of the semester, we will study the language, narrative structures, themes, situations, and sensibility that make a work "Chekhovian,” while also paying attention to the philosophical, sociological, and political aspects of his works that spoke directly to his contemporaries.