The Cherry Orchard
Document Type
Website
Course Date
Fall 2021
Course Number
HU 300
Course Title
World Literature: Russian
Abstract
The Cherry Orchard revolves around an aristocratic Russian landowner who returns to her family estate (which includes a large and well-known cherry orchard) just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. Unresponsive to offers to save the estate, she allows its sale to the son of a former serf; the family leaves to the sound of the cherry orchard being cut down. The story presents themes of cultural futility – both the futile attempts of the aristocracy to maintain its status and of the bourgeoisie to find meaning in its newfound materialism. It dramatizes the socio-economic forces in Russia at the turn of the 20th century, including the rise of the middle class after the abolition of serfdom in the mid-19th century and the decline of the power of the aristocracy.
Recommended Citation
Chekhov, Anton. "The Cherry Orchard." 2021. Retrieved from https://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/ac/chorch.htm.
