The Sea-Gull
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860-1904Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019
Rating 4.7- Word count
- 102K words
- Chapters
- 11
Tags
English Originals Dramatic Literature Russian SocietyNatural ImageryStage ClassicPortrait GalleryLove EntanglementsLakeside TragedyArt and LovePsychological InsightLost IdealsYouthful VibeSummary
Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Sea-Gull by Anton Pavlovich ChekhovAuthor: Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860-1904,Language: English, Class: PG: Language and Literatures: Slavic (including Russian), Languages and Literature, Release Date: Feb 22, 2006Editor's review
The Sea-Gull is the landmark work in which Chekhov's playwriting came of age. Set on a country estate, it interweaves artistic ambition, misplaced love and the weariness of daily life. The characters each harbor longings for love, fame or a new life, yet repeatedly collide with reality; the delicate balance between tragedy and comedy is Chekhov's distinctive charm. The play is driven not by strong conflict but by pauses in dialogue, subtext and scene changes, and it asks a certain patience and sensitivity of the reader. This is a Project Gutenberg English electronic edition, suitable as an entry text for encountering Chekhov's drama in its original form and for theater lovers to use for reading aloud and scene-study. While reading, note the play-within-a-play structure and how the span of time affects the characters' fates; these techniques are helpful for understanding modern dramatic narrative.Who it's for
A good fit for
- Literary readers with basic English reading ability who want to understand Chekhov's dramatic style
- Drama students and amateur theater members who need a script for study or staging
- Readers interested in late nineteenth-century Russian society and the intelligentsia's mindset
- University general-education students who want to broaden their reading of foreign drama
Not a good fit for
- Readers with no English reading ability who only want a Chinese translation
- Readers of genre fiction who prefer strong plot and fast pacing
- Researchers expecting systematic scholarly annotation and detailed background introduction
Reading tips
- Read the whole play first to grasp the relationships, then return to key monologues and pauses in dialogue.
- Read alongside a Chinese translation to understand the feel and wording of the English original.
- Try reading roles aloud to feel the plainness on the surface of Chekhov's lines and the tension within.
- After reading, sort out each character's wishes and outcomes, and think about the meaning of the title's image.
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
FAQ
Is this edition in Chinese or English?
This is the English electronic edition provided by Project Gutenberg; the text is in English. For Chinese reading, find a Chinese translation to compare, or read the original directly once your English is sufficient.Can I understand it without experience reading drama?
Yes, but adjust your expectations. The Sea-Gull moves slowly, and the focus is on characters' emotions and subtext. It is best to learn the main relationships first; slow down at long monologues and do not expect to grasp everything in one reading.Is this play suitable for direct staging?
It is suitable for textual study and scene practice, but formal staging requires attention to version rights and full stage directions. The Gutenberg edition is a public-domain electronic text, convenient for classroom teaching or non-commercial readings.Do I need to know Chekhov's other works before reading?
No. The play can be read on its own. If you want a fuller understanding of Chekhov's dramatic technique, you can read his later plays afterward and compare changes in characterization and structure.Related on WeRead
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About the author
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860-1904 AuthorAnton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904) was a renowned Russian short-story writer and playwright. The collection holds forty of his works, including Uncle Vanya, The Sea-Gull, The Schoolmistress, and Other Stories, The Witch, and Other Stories, as well as a compilation of his short stories and his letters. His plays are often set in country life, revealing beneath its quiet surface the characters' inner sorrows and hopes; his short stories are concise and restrained, uncovering human nature and the spirit of the age through ordinary incidents. Though his works here are often classed as inspirational growth, they are better seen as profound observations of life's predicaments. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted.