Topic: Human nature and relationships between people –focusing on the idea of love in literary works: “Lady with the Pet Dog”, Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice. Love has always been a controversial issue throughout centuries. However, it was, and is, still one of the most popular topics in literature. One cannot help but be reminded of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet when that particular topic is brought up, which is one of the finest examples on this topic. Despite all the literary works written about love, love itself remains unexplained. The questions “why” and “when” is often asked –it can usually be answered vaguely or deeply, but sometimes it remains unanswered. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen makes Mr Darcy, who has captured young girls’ hearts for decades, say “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” which is both very informative and a vague answer, when asked by the love of his life. It is vague, because it doesn’t exactly answer the question “when”. On the other hand, it is a perfect answer to describe the mysterious nature of love. It proves that in order to be in love, some time for each part to contemplate on the nature of the emotion must pass after two people meet. In other words, if it is described as that romantic “love at first sight” it’s not the love that brings a happily ever after, but merely a form of cursed obsession that leads to disappointing endings. This work will particularly focus on the adulterous love in Checkov’s “The Lady with the Pet Dog”, and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina by taking Pride and Prejudice’s love story as a model. The theory that love at first sight is ... ... middle of paper ... .... Print. Chekhov’s Lady With the Pet Dog. 16 November 2010. Web. 17 November 2013. < http://may-on-the-short-story.blogspot.com/2010/11/chekhovs-lady-with-pet-dog.html/ >. Creasman, Boyd. "Gurov's Flights Of Emotion In Chekov's `The Lady With The.." Studies In Short Fiction 27.2 (1990): 257. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. Fulford, Robert.“Surprised by love: Chekhov and ‘The Lady with the Dog’.” Queen’s Quarterly. n.d. Web. 17 November 2013. Greenberg, Yael. "The Presentation Of The Unconscious In Chekhov's Lady With Lapdog." Modern Language Review 86.1 (1991): 126-130. Humanities International Complete. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. Morson, Gary. "Marriage, Love, And Time In Tolstoy's Anna Karenina." Journal Of Family Theory & Review 2.4 (2010): 353-369. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina. Moscow, 1877. E-book.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a Renaissance poet and playwright who wrote and published the original versions of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, and often called England’s national poet. Several of his works became extremely well known, thoroughly studied, and enjoyed all over the world. One of Shakespeare’s most prominent plays is titled The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In this tragedy, the concept that is discussed and portrayed through the characters is love, as they are recognized as being “in love”. The general umbrella of love encompasses various kinds of love such as romantic love, the love of a parent for a child, love of one’s country, and several others. What is common to all love is this: Your own well-being is tied up with that of someone (or something) you love… When love is not present, changes in other people’s well being do not, in general, change your own… Being ‘in love’ infatuation is an intense state that displays similar features: … and finding everyone charming and nice, and thinking they all must sense one’s happiness. At first glance it seems as though Shakespeare advocates the hasty, hormone-driven passion portrayed by the protagonists, Romeo and Juliet; however, when viewed from a more modern, North-American perspective, it seems as though Shakespeare was not in fact endorsing it, but mocking the public’s superficial perception of love. Shakespeare’s criticism of the teens’ young and hasty love is portrayed in various instances of the play, including Romeo’s shallow, flip-flop love for Rosaline then Juliet, and his fights with Juliet’s family. Also, the conseque...
Between both William Shakespeare’s 1610 play, “The Tempest” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 short novel “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the portrayal of love is a present theme in both genre’s that through the distinctive forms, is expressed in differing ways. Between the relationship of Miranda and Ferdinand in “The Tempest” and the narrator and husband John in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” love is presented uniquely and exposes the creative development of literature within differing genres throughout history. Throughout this paper I will be looking at the both of the mentioned literary genre’s, combined with the presentation of character, language and form, in an effort to evaluate ways all of these attributes contribute to the writer’s distinctive depictions of love and relationships.
Anton Chekhov’s short story “The Bishop” was written in 1902 and published in 1979 in “Anton Chekhov’s Short Stories” along with many of his other works, such as “The Betrothed” and “The Lady with the Dog”. While “The Bishop” is not a direct reflection of Chekhov’s life, the story does reflect elements of his life. His religious upbringing is most prevalent in this story, but being ill with Tuberculosis of the lungs during the time this story was written is shown as well through Bishop Pyotr’s sickness.
Love is often seen as a beautiful emotion that brings happiness and joy. However love can be merciless. In the famous play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, love causes misery and heartache for the protagonists. A famous poem “For That He Looked Not upon Her” by George Gascoigne, the speaker interprets love as painful.The English Renaissance poets, George Gascoigne and William Shakespeare, portray love as cruel by using metaphors and allusions in their works.
Pride and Prejudice is a book which has been around for centuries for its relatable characters and love story. There is more to it than just a love story, however. The characters in Pride and Prejudice go through many changes during the story as a result of their interactions with each other. Jane Austen has created characters who learn lessons that are applicable to any time in history and who are easy to relate to as a reader. Not only does their changing create a more engaging story, but it serves as a way for her to get across some important messages to the reader for them to consider after they finish reading.
Chekhov reminds the readers that Anna is young compared to Gurov. Chekhov’s novel states, “As he went to bed he reminded himself that only a short time ago she had been a schoolgirl, like his own daughter” (3). The images of Anna being a schoolgirl not too long ago, when Gurov has a daughter of similar age, brings the sense of abnormality between the relationship of Gurov and Anna. It’s hard to imagine such a huge difference in lovers especially in the strict culture of Russia in the late 19th century where these occasions were unthought-of. The uncomforting thought of the difference in age goes back to differ the meanings of love and romance in the novel because against all odds and differences, Anna and Gurov hide away from these obvious facts. The thought of love in this culture is between a man and woman of similar age. According to Chekhov’s novel, “He was sick of his children, sick of the bank, felt not the slightest desire to go anywhere or talk about anything” (9). Chekhov’s description of sickness reveals that Gurov has a huge moment of denial, denial of family and denial of age. This denial of age, helps Gurov cope with the oddities of their relationship, the oddities of the love they had with the characteristics of a romance. Gurov was trying to change the definition of their relationship on his own mental terms. While Gurov was trying to bring out a spontaneous, younger
Anton Chekhov and Ernest Hemingway both convey their ideas of love in their respective stories The Lady with the Pet Dog and Hills like White Elephants in different ways. However, their ideas are quite varying, and may be interpreted differently by each individual reader. In their own, unique way, both Chekhov and Hemingway evince what is; and what is not love. Upon proper contemplation, one may observe that Hemingway, although not stating explicitly what love is; the genius found in his story is that he gives a very robust example of what may be mistaken as love, although not being true love. On the other hand, Chekhov exposes love as a frame of mind that may only be achieved upon making the acquaintance of the “right person,” and not as an ideal that one may palpate at one instance, and at the another instance one may cease to feel; upon simple and conscious command of the brain. I agree with Hemingway’s view on love because it goes straight to the point of revealing some misconceptions of love.
Some may say love is just an emotion while others may say it is a living and breathing creature. Songs and poems have been written about love for hundreds and thousands of years. Love has been around since the beginning of time, whether someone believes in the Big Bang or Adam and Eve. Without love, there wouldn’t be a world like it is known today. But with love, comes pain with it. Both William Shakespeare and Max Martin know and knew this. Both ingenious poets wrote love songs of pain and suffering as well as blossoming, newfound love. The eccentric ideal is both writers were born centuries apart. How could both know that love and pain work hand in hand when they were born 407 years apart? Love must never change then. Love survives and stays its original self through the hundreds and thousands of years it has been thriving. Though centuries apart, William Shakespeare and Max Martin share the same view on love whether i...
Marriage is a powerful union between two people who vow under oath to love each other for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. This sacred bond is a complicated union; one that can culminate in absolute joy or in utter disarray. One factor that can differentiate between a journey of harmony or calamity is one’s motives. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners, where Elizabeth Bennet and her aristocratic suitor Mr. Darcy’s love unfolds as her prejudice and his pride abate. Anton Chekhov’s “Anna on the Neck” explores class distinction, as an impecunious young woman marries a wealthy man. Both Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Anton Chekhov’s “Anna on the Neck” utilize
Larisa Guzeyeva’s portrayal of Larisa Ogudalov in A Cruel Romance is concordant with Ostrovsky’s own conception of the character in his original nineteenth century play. In order to enhance the audience’s percep...
Chekov, Anton. "Vanka." Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Clanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hill, 1979. 46-49
The definition of love is not entirely universal. Acclaimed author Jane Austen explores two different types of love through the characters that lead the plot in her novel, Pride and Prejudice. The story surrounds two couples, Bingley and Jane, and Darcy and Elizabeth, who share in their own unique and individual versions of happiness. This essay will aim to explore the effects of the two different types of love, why it matters and how Austen provides commentary on love in general through the actions, decisions and effects of each of her characters.
Anton Chekhov?s classic play the bear revolves around two protagonists, Mrs. Popov and Grigory Stepanovich Smirnov. Mrs. Popov is a landowner and widow, who after seven months ago is still mourning her husband?s death and decided to isolate herself from the out side world and mourn until the day she dies. Grigory Sepanovich Smirnov is also a landowner, who lends money to Mr. Nikolai Popov before he died and he demands the debts be paid at once because his creditors after him. Smirnov insists, makes light of Popov?s mourning, and refuses to leave her house. Popov and Smirnov angrily fight with one another. Then Smirnov challenges Popov to a gunfight for insulting him and Popov brings out her husand?s pistols. At this point Smirnov realizes that he has fallen in love with Popov. At the end of the play, they end up in love and kiss each other.
The story “The Darling” by Anton Chekhov, illustrates a woman that is lonely, insecure, and lacking wholeness of oneself without a man in her life. This woman, Olenka, nicknamed “Darling” is compassionate, gentle and sentimental. Olenka is portrayed for being conventional, a woman who is reliant, diligent, and idea less. Although, this story portrays that this woman, known as the Darling needs some sort of male to be emotionally dependant upon, it is as if she is a black widow, she is able to win affection, but without respect. Only able to find happiness through the refection of the beliefs of her lovers, she never evolves within the story.
Matlaw, Ralph E. Anton Chekhov¡¦s Short Stories: Texts of the Stories Bachgrounds Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1979.