This course begins with the quiet revolutions of Anton Chekhov, his plays and stories of stalled lives, missed chances, unspoken longing, and expands outward into the rich and often unsettling world of nineteenth-century Russian literature. Alongside Chekhov, students will read short fiction by writers such as Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Gogol, and Ivan Turgenev, exploring how Russian authors grappled with moral responsibility, social change, spiritual crisis, and the search for meaning in a rapidly shifting world. Through close reading, discussion, and analytical writing, students will examine what makes Russian literature distinct: its psychological depth, moral intensity, dark humor, and profound attention to the inner life. By situating Chekhov within this literary tradition, the course invites students to see Russian literature not simply as a historical movement, but as an ongoing conversation about how to live.

This course utilizes a mixed-level classroom model, offering both Advanced and Standard level options.