W.E.A. LITERATURE CLASS

Evening Star, Issue 23881, 10 May 1941, Page 17

W.E.A. LITERATURE CLASS

SHORT STORIES OF GHEKOV AND GORKI In opening his lectures on ‘ The Art of tli o Modern Short Story,’ Mr J. F. M’Dougall made clear that the short story was not a novel in little; it had more poetic feeling and imaginativeness and a single predominant incident. Tho treatment was organised and every phrase subordinated to a single idea. By both the tests of content and form the short story must maintain its singleness of aim. Mr M;Dougall suggested that the short story might well be the best contribution of our present age to' literature. One critic had suggested that the short story should “ box your ears,” so that you would never forget it. Mr M’Dougall devoted the greater part of his lecture to the study of Chekov, relating him to his period, the end of the nineteenth century, a period of peace and stagnation. It was a grey age, a period without strong feelings. Chekov, being a realist, chose his age for his subject and gave it permanence in his art. Chekov was “ true to life ” because he dealt with every side of life and gave it permanence in his art. Life for him was melancholy, a succession of disappointments. “There is no happiness,” he said; “we only long for it.” Chekov was not politically conscious and as he had no axe to grind his was purely an art for art’s sake. _ Ho was cssi/ntially realistic, and took all his plots from real life. “ You can invent anything,” said Chekov, “ but not psychology.” In conclusion, Mr M’Dougall dealt with Maxim Gorki. To him there was no grey world of half-truths, he was the prophet of a new life. His vigorous- realism, his zeal for the underdog was comparable to that of John Steinbeck among our contemporaries. He was the most prominent figure in Russian literature in the last 40 years. Mr M'Dougall suggested that ho was more an objector than an artist and that Chekov was the greater writer. The literature class will meet in future in the children’s library, Moray Place. On Thursday, May 15, I)r F. Grayeff will lecture on ‘ Faust.’