Fighting the Remix

Remixing , as we know it today, has existed throughout different time periods and continues to be heavily applied especially to the pop culture media. Seldom do we see a new movie with completely original work as Kirby shows on his videos "Everything is a Remix". Although his point holds true for most of the entertainment released today, at some point a source of originality must have existed. Chekhov with The Cherry Orchard is one of those few sources and still, he copied a key element: reality.

The play's structure is revolutionary. In his accurate depiction of life he avoids the established structures and instead, shows glimpses of reality. Even with out the need of a climax, (although you could argue the auction's role as one) this play keeps the readers attention thanks to its characters. These differed from others not only because of their flaws but also, because of their inability to change. Ultimately, Ranevskaya did not accept reality, Anya and Varya continued to suffer because of their mother's decisions and Lopakhin remained a greedy merchant with an inferiority complex. After realizing this I wondered what this play actually was.

In other works like Hamlet, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or even The Canterbury Tales, the author tells us significant tale. In their stories, either someone dies, goes on a voyage or a life changing event happens. This play goes completely against those basic ideas of what a story should be. It tried to find a new kind of creativity in reality, the most ancient inspirational source for art. This attempt to reach realism culminates in these character's whose humanity comes from everyday activities. Finally, this play is not about the events but the people. It is revolutionary because Chekhov refused to remix elements of other plays and tried to create something different that would not even fit into the themes that had classified literature for so long. Today, we need a Chekhov, someone who wants to fight the systematic way Hollywood creates entertainment with something completely original that does not follow the classic genres and stereotypes.