| This dissertation analyses the problem of Chekhov's vision of the genre of his four plays which Chekhov himself defined as comedies.; The theory of comedy utilized in the dissertation is based on Aron Katsenelinboigen's conception of indeterminism and esthetic values. As Garry S. Morson{dollar}sp1{dollar} states, this outstanding modern conception gives one the opportunity to find new perspectives in literary analysis. Applying the value system by Aron Katsenelinboigen{dollar}sp2{dollar} to the analysis of a literary genre one can conclude that the tragedy and the drama deal with the protagonists whose unconditional value is significant/important.; In accordance with this view the comic and ridiculous are not one and the same thing. The notion of the comic belongs to the evaluation of the main characters' potential. The ridiculous pertains to the observer's reaction. If the observer alienates himself from the situation he observed, one could speak of an outer reaction. Laughter is a sign of such a reaction.; By the analysis I found that: (1) Chekhov's dramatic-like heroes demonstrates their poor potential. (2) This allows one to consider them to be comic heroes. (3) Chekhov was an innovator of the genre. He created the so called "potential comedy" or "comedy of subtext" that could be understood only by analyzing the predisposition, the potential of his protagonists.; Though Chekhov's views differed from the conventional understanding of the comedy, they remain within the theoretical meaning of the comedy as defined in my dissertation. ftn{dollar}sp1{dollar}In his book Hidden in Plain View (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1987) Gary Saul Morson writes: "I also benefited greatly from a course on the creative process that I co-taught with one of the most creative people I have had the privilege to know, Aron Katsenelinboigen. ... Nevertheless, other fields, outside of literary studies, suggest new and productive lines of thought: general system theory (Russel Ackoff, Aron Katsenelinboigen) ... " pp.viii, 295. {dollar}sp2{dollar}see: A. Katsenelinboigen, Some New Trends in Systems Theory (Seaside, CA.: Intersystems Publications, 1984) pp. 1-269. Selected Topics in Indeterministic Systems, Seaside (CA: Intersystems Publications, 1989) pp.1-336. "Beauty as a Measurement of Performance: An Introduction to the Calculus of Predispositions", Proceeding 5th IEEE International Symposium on Intelligent Control. September 5-7, 1990, Philadelphia, pp. 98-103. |
