Gusev (Reader Response 13)

Of the stories I have read for this class, Gusev, though interesting, would not be amongst any of my favorites.  Perhaps it was just because it didn't capture me the way other stories have.  Perhaps it was the vagueness of the ending and that I had to read it twice to realize what had happened on a surface level.  Perhaps I was just irritated that Pavel Ivanitch's name was always fully stated, never shortened, and he was never referred to by first or last name alone.  Whatever it was that bothered me, it was of no fault of Mr. Chekhov.
Chekhov's prose was beautiful.  Particular sections left me wanting to write about sailors on the high seas and capture a spirit of living a life among the waves.  I did once before, about a daughter whose father, though long dead, left her itching to follow waves as he once had, just to understand what he loved about it.  But, perhaps, it might be worthwhile to do something with his character.  But that's a project for another day, I suppose.  I already have a long list of stories I want to write and character I haven't gotten around to exploring yet, and I feel I owe them something.
I think, maybe if I wasn't so tired for the past couple weeks and I took my time with the story (significantly more than necessary, I mean), if I focused on minute details and did a close reading, I could find a lot about the story I loved.  The dialogue was well put together, and I did enjoy that, but those little details that kept bothering me were the things I fixated on in my reading, and they inhibited my full enjoyment.  Maybe I can read it again in the next couple weeks... revisit the story.  Get to know the characters better.  I think I'd feel a lot more for them than I do right now.