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An Enigmatic Nature
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“Unhappily I have an intense nature. I looked for happiness — and what happiness! I longed to set my soul free. Yes. In that I saw my happiness!”
“Unhappily I have an intense nature. I looked for happiness — and what happiness! I longed to set my soul free. Yes. In that I saw my happiness!”
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
First published January 1, 1883
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About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,952 books9,855 followers
Antón Chéjov
(Spanish)
Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu
Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 16, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up
An opening scene introduces us to two characters.
On the red velvet seat of a first-class railway carriage a pretty lady sits half reclining. An expensive fluffy fan trembles in her tightly closed fingers, a pince-nez keeps dropping off her pretty little nose, the brooch heaves and falls on her bosom, like a boat on the ocean. She is greatly agitated.
On the seat opposite sits the Provincial Secretary of Special Commissions, a budding young author, who from time to time publishes long stories of high life, or "Novelli" as he calls them, in the leading paper of the province. He is gazing into her face, gazing intently, with the eyes of a connoisseur. He is watching, studying, catching every shade of this exceptional, enigmatic nature.
The lady starts reflecting on her past.
It is astonishing how honest the protagonist is with a stranger whom she has just met. But such behavior looks plausible from a certain standpoint. Sometimes, it may be easier to share our innermost thoughts with a stranger. She does not expect to meet the man with piercing eyes again. She allows emotions to overwhelm her.
Her husband - an old general - dies leaving the woman a well-off widow. Now she is free to choose the life she has always craved.
Despite freedom of choice, the protagonist repeats what she seems to fear most.
The denouement may point to two possible explanations.
Deep in her heart, the woman chooses what she wants even if she declares otherwise.
Another possibility is that she has become trapped in a vicious circle. Certain patterns in our life prove themselves resistant to our goodwill and our attempts to rectify them.
The second alternative looks more plausible, but the enigma remains.
All in all, An Enigmatic Nature is a nice tragicomic story.
It can be read here.
An opening scene introduces us to two characters.
On the red velvet seat of a first-class railway carriage a pretty lady sits half reclining. An expensive fluffy fan trembles in her tightly closed fingers, a pince-nez keeps dropping off her pretty little nose, the brooch heaves and falls on her bosom, like a boat on the ocean. She is greatly agitated.
On the seat opposite sits the Provincial Secretary of Special Commissions, a budding young author, who from time to time publishes long stories of high life, or "Novelli" as he calls them, in the leading paper of the province. He is gazing into her face, gazing intently, with the eyes of a connoisseur. He is watching, studying, catching every shade of this exceptional, enigmatic nature.
The lady starts reflecting on her past.
It is astonishing how honest the protagonist is with a stranger whom she has just met. But such behavior looks plausible from a certain standpoint. Sometimes, it may be easier to share our innermost thoughts with a stranger. She does not expect to meet the man with piercing eyes again. She allows emotions to overwhelm her.
Her husband - an old general - dies leaving the woman a well-off widow. Now she is free to choose the life she has always craved.
Despite freedom of choice, the protagonist repeats what she seems to fear most.
The denouement may point to two possible explanations.
Deep in her heart, the woman chooses what she wants even if she declares otherwise.
Another possibility is that she has become trapped in a vicious circle. Certain patterns in our life prove themselves resistant to our goodwill and our attempts to rectify them.
The second alternative looks more plausible, but the enigma remains.
All in all, An Enigmatic Nature is a nice tragicomic story.
It can be read here.
October 5, 2021
The interesting story here is told to the narrator by an agitated young lady he meets on a train. She has married for fortune and lost her hopes of love and money in the drama she created.
March 26, 2024
"Can u stop with this psychology stuff and come give me a hand?"
September 8, 2024
Anton Chekhov’s short story... An Enigmatic Nature is a sharp, witty examination of human vanity and self-importance. Through a brief encounter between a writer and a woman eager to share her "deep secret", He masterfully exposes the contrast between how people perceive their lives and the often trivial reality. The story's humor lies in the woman’s inflated sense of drama, which ultimately unravels into a banal romantic tale, disappointing the writer's expectations of a profound revelation. With characteristic irony and subtlety, Chekhov critiques human nature, capturing the absurdity of self-delusion in a concise and insightful way.
In An Enigmatic Nature, the hindrance in the woman's relationship is rather trivial, despite her dramatic presentation of it. She initially builds up her story as if it involves some profound mystery or tragic circumstance. However, it turns out that her issue is that she fell in love with a man who is already married. She describes this situation with an air of great importance, but it's essentially an affair complicated by social and moral norms, a common romantic entanglement that lacks the depth she seems to attribute to it.
The anticlimactic nature of her "mystery" reveals that the real obstacle in her relationship is not some grand, existential crisis but simply her exaggerated view of her own importance and her desire to be seen as tragic and complex.
In An Enigmatic Nature, the hindrance in the woman's relationship is rather trivial, despite her dramatic presentation of it. She initially builds up her story as if it involves some profound mystery or tragic circumstance. However, it turns out that her issue is that she fell in love with a man who is already married. She describes this situation with an air of great importance, but it's essentially an affair complicated by social and moral norms, a common romantic entanglement that lacks the depth she seems to attribute to it.
The anticlimactic nature of her "mystery" reveals that the real obstacle in her relationship is not some grand, existential crisis but simply her exaggerated view of her own importance and her desire to be seen as tragic and complex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2015
Извините, не не могу удержатся и не процитировать избитое утверждение: "У каждой жрицы любви есть своя легенда".
Как вы понимаете, мне пришлось отредактировать немного эту цитату. Ну уж простите вы меня, иначе сказать я не смог бы...
Как вы понимаете, мне пришлось отредактировать немного эту цитату. Ну уж простите вы меня, иначе сказать я не смог бы...
December 14, 2020
Could it be that pursuing wealth is actually addictive? I know spending money can be such but understanding that the actual pursuit of wealth itself can be additive, even at the cost of misery, explains a lot.
August 10, 2021
This story was humorous, but I am spoiled in having just read At The Barber’s which was an exceedingly funny story when contrasted.
June 11, 2024
Very brief but provides insight into the nature of human greed
October 7, 2022
"My life has been so full, so varied, so chequered. Above all, I am unhappy. I am a suffering soul in some page of Dostoevsky. Reveal my soul to the world, Voldemar. Reveal that hapless soul. You are a psychologist. We have not been in the train an hour together, and you have already fathomed my heart".
December 18, 2020
Interesting.
May 6, 2025
ஒரு புதிரான இயல்பு...
June 26, 2021
Like a hyena.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews