An Enigmatic Nature
| Author | Anton Chekhov |
|---|---|
| Original title | Russian: Загадочная натура |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
| Genre | Short story |
| Publisher | Oskolki |
Publication date | March 19, 1883 |
| Text | An Enigmatic Nature at Wikisource |
An Enigmatic Nature (Russian: Загадочная натура) ― is a short story of the Russian writer Anton Chekhov written in 1883. The story was first published in the humorous magazine "Oskolki" on March 19, 1883 under the pseudonym "Antosha Chekhonte".[1]
Characters
- Voldemar ― an official and a psychologist.
- The lady ― the storyteller.
Plot
The plot takes place in train compartment. A lady lies on a couch and fanns herself with a fan. Opposite the lady sits a governor's official. He studies the girl and simultaneously talks to her. The lady begins to ask Voldemar to tell him what he has learned about her, but the official refuses to answer and asks her to tell about herself. The girl is unhappy, she says she has been a sufferer in Dostoevsky's taste. The girl begins to tell about her life. She had a clever but also an idle father. For some reason she didn't want to talk about her mother. She finished her education in a not very good institute, and in later life she tried her own way. The girl found an old man for herself. The old man was rich and therefore made her life much better. She began to travel, do good for people, but she knew that this life was for her was invariably vulgar. After the death of the old man, a good life for the girl ceased. She thought that she wouldn't ever meet a rich man ever again and she would at last become happy, but another rich old man got on her way. After having listened the girl's storym the official took thought and the train departed.
References
- ↑ "ЗАГАДОЧНАЯ НАТУРА, Чехов А.П. - Dslov.ru". dslov.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-06-03.