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B. P. Rinehart's Reviews > Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
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"Astrov [shouts angrily]: Stop it! [Softening tone] Those who will come after us, in two or three hundred years, and who will despise us for having lived our lives so stupidly and insipidly--perhaps they will find a means of happiness...In the whole district there were only two decent, cultured men: you and I. But after ten years of this contemptible, barbarian existence we have been encompassed by it--it has poisoned our blood with its putrid fumes and we have become just such vulgarians as all the rest." - Act IV
You have to be careful...Chekhov will have you in the midnight-hour casting your eyes towards the dark void of heaven... if you're not careful. This play (translated by Ann Dunnigan) about a family living at a country estate is hauntingly brilliant, mundane, sad, manic, and beautiful. It masterfully shows that loneliness can affect people even when they are not alone. The character of Dr. Astrov gave me the same feeling as The Seagull's Masha. Chekhov's love of people is on full display here as it is in his other plays and short stories. While Leo Tolstoy loved God and Fyodor Dostoyevsky thought man was hateful and pathetic, Chekhov truly and sincerely loved people in a way that only brings to mind the person of James Baldwin. Even though I feel that The Seagull is a better play, this one is still a worthwhile work despite not being "happy" as some critics complain. Chekhov is not interested in exploring a problem or conflict directly, he just wants to see a day in the life of the Russian middle-class at the turn of the century. This play encourages you to believe that even the most boring, routine life is worth living; Chekhov can truly be considered one of the last great Russian realist of that era. One notable fact is the titular character Uncle Vanya is almost a supporting character in this plot.
I tried to figure out what work this story brought to mind when I was reading it and I figured out it was The Death of Ivan Ilyich. This play like, like the Tolstoy novella, is about people watching their lives run their course and the existential anguish they feel. The difference is that Tolstoy's bureaucrat is speeding towards his end and is given a spiritual reprieve. Chekhov's characters march towards it slowly and while the spiritual reprieve is mentioned (as the quote that ends this review shows) we end with are characters in a much more desperate and hopeless place.
"Vanya [to Sonya]: My child, how heavy my heart is! Oh if you only knew how heavy my heart is!
Sonya: What's to be done, we must go on living! We shall go on living, Uncle Vanya. We shall live through a long, long chain of days and endless evenings; we shall patiently bear the trials fate sends us; we’ll work for others, now and in our old age, without ever knowing rest, and when our time comes, we shall die submissively; and there, beyond the grave, we shall say that we have suffered, that we have wept, and have known bitterness, and God will have pity on us; and you and I, Uncle, dear Uncle, shall behold a life that is bright, beautiful, and fine. We shall rejoice and look back on our present troubles with tenderness, with a smile—and we shall rest. I have faith, Uncle, I have fervent, passionate faith....We shall rest!
We shall rest! We shall hear the angels, and see the heavens all sparkling like jewels; we shall see all earthly evil, all our sufferings , drowned in a mercy that will fill the whole world, and our life will grow peaceful, gentle, sweet as a caress. I have faith....Poor, poor Uncle Vanya, you're crying....You have had no joy in your life, but wait, Uncle Vanya, wait....We shall rest....We shall rest....We shall rest!" - Last paragraphs of the play.
(Read this play as a part of The Major Plays)
You have to be careful...Chekhov will have you in the midnight-hour casting your eyes towards the dark void of heaven... if you're not careful. This play (translated by Ann Dunnigan) about a family living at a country estate is hauntingly brilliant, mundane, sad, manic, and beautiful. It masterfully shows that loneliness can affect people even when they are not alone. The character of Dr. Astrov gave me the same feeling as The Seagull's Masha. Chekhov's love of people is on full display here as it is in his other plays and short stories. While Leo Tolstoy loved God and Fyodor Dostoyevsky thought man was hateful and pathetic, Chekhov truly and sincerely loved people in a way that only brings to mind the person of James Baldwin. Even though I feel that The Seagull is a better play, this one is still a worthwhile work despite not being "happy" as some critics complain. Chekhov is not interested in exploring a problem or conflict directly, he just wants to see a day in the life of the Russian middle-class at the turn of the century. This play encourages you to believe that even the most boring, routine life is worth living; Chekhov can truly be considered one of the last great Russian realist of that era. One notable fact is the titular character Uncle Vanya is almost a supporting character in this plot.
I tried to figure out what work this story brought to mind when I was reading it and I figured out it was The Death of Ivan Ilyich. This play like, like the Tolstoy novella, is about people watching their lives run their course and the existential anguish they feel. The difference is that Tolstoy's bureaucrat is speeding towards his end and is given a spiritual reprieve. Chekhov's characters march towards it slowly and while the spiritual reprieve is mentioned (as the quote that ends this review shows) we end with are characters in a much more desperate and hopeless place.
"Vanya [to Sonya]: My child, how heavy my heart is! Oh if you only knew how heavy my heart is!
Sonya: What's to be done, we must go on living! We shall go on living, Uncle Vanya. We shall live through a long, long chain of days and endless evenings; we shall patiently bear the trials fate sends us; we’ll work for others, now and in our old age, without ever knowing rest, and when our time comes, we shall die submissively; and there, beyond the grave, we shall say that we have suffered, that we have wept, and have known bitterness, and God will have pity on us; and you and I, Uncle, dear Uncle, shall behold a life that is bright, beautiful, and fine. We shall rejoice and look back on our present troubles with tenderness, with a smile—and we shall rest. I have faith, Uncle, I have fervent, passionate faith....We shall rest!
We shall rest! We shall hear the angels, and see the heavens all sparkling like jewels; we shall see all earthly evil, all our sufferings , drowned in a mercy that will fill the whole world, and our life will grow peaceful, gentle, sweet as a caress. I have faith....Poor, poor Uncle Vanya, you're crying....You have had no joy in your life, but wait, Uncle Vanya, wait....We shall rest....We shall rest....We shall rest!" - Last paragraphs of the play.
(Read this play as a part of The Major Plays)
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Quotes B. P. Liked
“SONIA: What can we do? We must live our lives. [A pause] Yes, we shall live, Uncle Vanya. We shall live through the long procession of days before us, and through the long evenings; we shall patiently bear the trials that fate imposes on us; we shall work for others without rest, both now and when we are old; and when our last hour comes we shall meet it humbly, and there, beyond the grave, we shall say that we have suffered and wept, that our life was bitter, and God will have pity on us. Ah, then dear, dear Uncle, we shall see that bright and beautiful life; we shall rejoice and look back upon our sorrow here; a tender smile—and—we shall rest. I have faith, Uncle, fervent, passionate faith. [SONIA kneels down before her uncle and lays her head on his hands. She speaks in a weary voice] We shall rest. [TELEGIN plays softly on the guitar] We shall rest. We shall hear the angels. We shall see heaven shining like a jewel. We shall see all evil and all our pain sink away in the great compassion that shall enfold the world. Our life will be as peaceful and tender and sweet as a caress. I have faith; I have faith. [She wipes away her tears] My poor, poor Uncle Vanya, you are crying! [Weeping] You have never known what happiness was, but wait, Uncle Vanya, wait! We shall rest. [She embraces him] We shall rest. [The WATCHMAN’S rattle is heard in the garden; TELEGIN plays softly; MME. VOITSKAYA writes something on the margin of her pamphlet; MARINA knits her stocking] We shall rest.”
― Uncle Vanya
― Uncle Vanya
Reading Progress
January 1, 2016
– Shelved
January 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
plays
January 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
russian-stuff
January 4, 2016
– Shelved as:
to-read
Started Reading
September 9, 2016
–
Finished Reading
September 12, 2016
– Shelved as:
realism-stuff
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I also think that The Seagull is a better play, but UV has good merits even if it is not as captivating at first glance. I think Tolstoy was correct in stating that Chekhov's plays weren't normal dramas, but "mood pieces" that wanted to just zero-in on an episode in time and see what the mood is. Just turn of the (twentieth) century slice-of-life, no plot or real conflict to motivate. The translation and acting of Chekhov and Russian work from this time in-general is another issue as Russia used a different stage acting style from that time than anglo-influenced one we are used to (and Chekhov's staging of plays were experimental even by Russian standards). In the United States, they had to invent method-acting simply to stage Chekhov correctly (I believe Stella Adler (Marlon Brando's teacher) was taught by one of Chekhov's students). I would like a nice little print of his photo of him and Tolstoy together.
Chekhov was in an exhibition on Russia at the National Portrait Gallery when I was there in London last Easter. There was such a brilliant photo of Chekhov sitting in his chair that I immediately ordered a print and it is now hanging in my lounge. I love it!