The importance of the Russianess of the play Uncle Vanya

The play Uncle Vanya is placed into a geographical setting of vastness. In many ways it can be said that the sheer size makes Russia’s country life unique; different from the life experienced in any other rural areas. Throughout the play, small comments reveal the vastness of the country, as for instance on page 193 where the doctor Astrov criticises: ‘I’ve galloped twenty miles at breakneck speed to get here’ or, when he proudly talks of his orchard on page 196: ‘such, you won’t find for hundreds of miles around’. Naturally, a country characterises its inhabi

As in this speech, Chekhov clearly uses Astrov as a neutral observer, able to criticise the everyday provincial Russian life. He describes typical Russian features:

Astrov, the doctor, speaking to Sonia tells her about his feelings in their house. In fact, it seams as if he were summarising the affects that the Russian country takes on human nature.

‘Perhaps you’d like a drop of vodka?’ asks the children’s nurse Marina, the doctor Astrov, at about three o’clock in the afternoon and hereby mentions a more obvious and well known Russianess, that of strong alcoholism. As the reader notices later one, this is actually accepted by Russian society. Yeliena, when speaking of the Doctor explains: ‘He drinks, sometimes he seems a little coarse – but what does it matter? A talented man can’t stay free from blemishes in Russia.’ (Page 178) Chekhov deliberately uses a very distinct Rusianess like Alcoholism to start off his play, as the reader is immediately projected into the typical, peasantry like countryside atmosphere of Russia, which is, in fact accepted by

Pamphlets are mentioned in the play more than once and undeniably they are a characteristic feature of Russian history. Yeliena speaks of Voinitskai as hating everything except her pamphlets. Chekhov uses them quite significantly as often, the common association with pamphlets is that of a low style, propagandistic text, to which the masses and less educated people are likely to appeal. Indirectly the restricted thinking thinking of the countryside and its fascination of anything from the city, like politics is represented.

‘After devoting all my life to learning, to esteemed colleagues – to find myself suddenly, for no reason at all, in this crypt, to have to meet stupid people every day, to have to listen to their trivial conversation.’(Page 203)

Some topics in this essay:
Uncle Vanya, Ilyich’ Page, Similarily Serebriakov, God He’s, Chekhov Astrov, Inevitably Chekhov, Russia Russian, Dostoyevsky Chekhov, Rusianess Alcoholism, Uncle Vanya’s, country life, russian country, vastness country, typical russian, uncle vanya, russian country life, page 194, doctor astrov, chekhov’s characters, throughout play,