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Juxtapositions Between Russian, Brazilian, and American Literature…

- - - - Term: Restrained
        Definition: To restrict, limit, confine. (OED.com)
        Connection to Text: “Apparently, the two lovers are in fine harmony on their single night together, not restrained as they might have been in a story by Chekhov” (Porter 55).
        Other Notes: In Russian culture, divorce is not an option, so the feeling of restrainment within a loveless marriage is a recurring theme within Chekhov's stories. This concept juxtaposes the story by Oates because divorce in American culture is more widely accepted.
      - Term: Passion
        Definition: Senses relating to physical suffering and pain. (OED.com)
        Connection to Text: “He embraced her. She was wild with that old, familiar passion for him, her body clinging to his, her arms not strong enough to hold him. Ah, what despair!-what bitter hatred she felt!-she needed this man for her salvation, he was all she had to live for, and yet she could not believe in him. He embraced her thighs, her hips, kissing her, pressing his warm face against her, and yet she could not believe in him, not really. She needed him in order to live, but he was not worth her love, he was not worth her dying .... She promised herself this: when she got back home, when she was alone, she would draw the razor more deeply across her arm” (Oates 5).
        Other Notes: Previously to reading this passage and seeing the definition of passion, I would have definitely corresponded that word with positivity, but it is interesting to see how the passion of love brings positive emotions to the surface, but can result in some of the deepest pains. This is clearly seen within the quote. We see a differentiation between a loving passion with the two holding each other and embracing, but conclude with a thought of violence. Why is this? What makes a connection between the passion of love and hate so strong?
      - Term: Sunstroke
        Definition: Acute illness caused by or attributed to exposure to the sun; heat-induced illness of varying severity; an instance of this. (OED.com)
        Connection to Text: “What the devil!” he thought. Again, he took to pacing the room, trying not to look at the bed behind the folding-screen. “What is it with me? And what’s so special about her? And what actually happened? It really is some kind of sunstroke! And most importantly, how will I spend an entire day in this hole without her?”
        Other Notes: Often considered a feeling related to lightning, and suffering, sunstroke is not a positive feeling. In the story, it represents the symbolism of overwhelming power of passion. Passion is in the gut of each of these characters, but unfortunately, like in reality, this passion is both negative and positive. With too much passion or sunstroke, the sensation turns painful and bad. Is the beautiful despite the pain it causes? Is love with this?
      - Term: Vivacious
        Definition: Full of, characterized by, or exhibiting vivacity or liveliness; animated, brisk, lively, sprightly. Of persons, the mind, disposition, etc. (OED.com)
        Connection to Text: “Although we read only a few lines of what the woman had to say, she appears vivacious enough” (Porter 55).
        Other Notes: The woman in this story appears to be interested to have an affair with the man, so we can imply that there are feelings involved. We are unaware at first if these feelings are feelings of love or just a sexual attraction, but there is a connection between the woman and man. Because of these clear emotions being exchanged, we do not question or think much of the relationship. We do not think of it as being negative.
- - - - Term: Love (more specifically, extremity of love)
        Definition: A feeling or disposition of deep affection or fondness for someone, typically arising from a recognition of attractive qualities, from natural affinity, or from sympathy and manifesting itself in concern for the other's welfare and pleasure in his or her presence (distinguished from sexual love at sense 4a); great liking, strong emotional attachment; (similarly) a feeling or disposition of benevolent attachment experienced towards a group or category of people, and (by extension) towards one's country or another impersonal object of affection. With of, for, to, towards.(OED.com)
        Connection to Text: Nothing else, besides death, elicits such strong emotions as love; and love is a more versatile subject than death since one can also deal with the aftermath of love.
        Other Notes: Love leads us todo things that we would not typically do. It even results in action such as affairs that are congruent with the typical vibe of what is accepted by a society such as Russia, whereas in America, we are not allowed to explore this love in a more accepted way. Love in America is clearly different than what love is in Russia. Here, we are allowed to separate after marriage, so experimenting with love is less common when still with a partner. Affairs are frowned upon and bad. In Chekhov's work, we see that on the other hand, in Russia is is not okay to leave a marriage so when love is no longer felt by both partners, they have an affair.
- - - - Term: Characterization
        Definition: The quality or character imparted to something; (b) the imparting of a distinct character or identity to something. Obsolete.
        Connection to Text: “Nabokov also admires the economy and conciseness of Chekhov's descriptions and characterizations, which are “attained by a careful selection and careful distribution of minute but striking features, with perfect contempt for the sustained description, repetition, and strong emphasis of ordinary authors. In this or that description one detail is chosen to illumine the whole setting.” This not only permits Chekhov to say more with less, but it also keeps the focus on the world within the story rather than on the pyrotechnics of the writer. By not overwhelming the reader with elaborate descriptions or philosophizing, Chekhov makes his art appear casual” (Huber 1).
        Other Notes: This is another skill that sets Chekhov apart in his writing. Simple and real. He does not waste any time with unnecessary detail. Is this style a trend with other Russian writers? Or just him?