Peter Hoppock will lead a discussion of Anton Chekhov’s short story, The Lady with the Dog. First published in 1899, it describes an adulterous affair between an unhappily married Moscow banker and a young married woman. One of Chekhov's most famous pieces of short fiction, which Vladimir Nabokov considered one of the greatest short stories ever written, the story was made into a film in 1987, Dark Eyes, which earned Marcello Mastroianni the best actor award at Cannes that year.
As Peter explains, this work has resonated with audiences for more than a century. With its blend of character development, plot, handling of conflict, balance of summary and scene, economy of language and revealing of backstory, the simplicity of its overall structure yet its willingness to break story telling "rules," there is certainly plenty to chew on. Keep in mind that our summer sessions are not about critiquing stories, but about gathering to help each other find ways to learn from them.
OCWW Board Member Peter Hoppock has published numerous short stories and two novellas in a variety of literary online and print journals. His novella Mr. Pegg to You was a finalist in the Press 53 Novella Competition. With Renee James, he co-edited the 2021 OCWW anthology Turning Points, and has assumed the same role for the upcoming anthology. He has also published articles on teaching and coaching in preeminent professional journals for both skiing and soccer, sports in which he has held advanced national educational credentials for over 40 years.
