No, it’s extremely interesting. Mikhail Lvovich plants new forests every year, and he’s already received a bronze medal and a diploma. He works to keep the old forests from being destroyed. If you hear him out, you’ll agree with him completely. He says that forests adorn the earth, that they teach man to understand beauty and inspire a lofty feeling in him. Forests make a harsh climate milder. In countries with a mild climate less effort is spent in the struggle with nature, and therefore human beings are more mild and gentle there; people there are beautiful, supple, responsive; their speech is refined, their movements are graceful. With them learning and the arts flourish, their philosophy is not gloomy, their relations with women are refined and noble …She is drawn to Dr. Astrov (Lvovich) for his practical idealism. Sadly he doesn’t notice her or it may be fortunate when one considers her counterpart Elena who married a great mind whom Vanya traduces as :
He’d do better to write his autobiography. There’s a superlative subject! A retired professor, you see, an old crust, an educated codfish … Gout, rheumatism, migraine, liver bloated with jealousy and envy … This dried codfish lives on his first wife’s estate, is forced to live here, because he can’t afford to live in town. He complains eternally about his bad luck, though in fact he’s been incredibly lucky.
Astrov likewise could become a bitter drunk, even is one, or is he in need of the love of a good woman? He aspires to an adventure with Elena as does Vanya.
Two versions of this drama are on youtube one by the BBC and the other a Mosfilm production. In neither is Sonya plain. The English declaim more; this is a classic and this is how we do the classic. Russians know the boredom of despair, its unremittent diuternality and we may as well get on with it. Have you a better idea?
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