Life does not agree with philosophy: there is no happiness that is not idleness, and only what is useless is pleasurable.
— Anton Chekhov
The demand that I make of my reader is that he should devote his whole life to reading my works.
— James Joyce
Unit Goals
After learning the unit, students are expected to be able
·to know Anton Chekhov as a master of modern short stories,
·to discuss the meaning and purpose of life,
·to identify the special structure of this story,
·to enlarge English vocabulary and reinforce grammatical knowledge, and
·to improve language proficiency and critical thinking through the content of this unit.
Before You Read
1.What do you know about Chekhov? What other stories by Chekhov have you read? Talk about your impression of Chekhov and his stories?
2.Study the social and literary context of the story in Text A.What social problems did Chekhov expose in Russia?
Start to Read