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The Looking Glass
*Illustrated
*Includes Table of Contents
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) may have suffered an untimely death, but he squeezed the most out of his 44 years of life. Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be one of the greatest writers in history, particularly in the genre of short stories.
Chekhov’s major innovation near the end of the 19th century was in what became known as “stream-of-consciousness” writing, in which he eschewed common traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Renowned writers like James Joyce and William Faulkner would eventually run with this theme, producing classics in the same vein. Chekhov was one of Russia’s most famous and popular writers in his time, producing well-received works like The Lady with the Dog and The Bishop.
This edition of Chekhov’s short story, The Looking-Glass, is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with over a dozen pictures of Chekhov.
*Includes Table of Contents
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) may have suffered an untimely death, but he squeezed the most out of his 44 years of life. Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be one of the greatest writers in history, particularly in the genre of short stories.
Chekhov’s major innovation near the end of the 19th century was in what became known as “stream-of-consciousness” writing, in which he eschewed common traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Renowned writers like James Joyce and William Faulkner would eventually run with this theme, producing classics in the same vein. Chekhov was one of Russia’s most famous and popular writers in his time, producing well-received works like The Lady with the Dog and The Bishop.
This edition of Chekhov’s short story, The Looking-Glass, is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with over a dozen pictures of Chekhov.
5 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 30, 1885
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About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,812 books9,962 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 - 30 of 76 reviews
January 14, 2022
One day, on New Year's eve, a young girl is idly staring into the looking glass... Out of the blue, she starts seeing weird visions in it.
The story of her future life with its ups and downs, mostly the latter, slowly unfolds.
The narration resembles a disturbing dream. Pictures that the protagonist sees may reflect her inner anxiety and her fears. There is even a slight kafkaesque touch to this story. These visions could soon be forgotten as a silly nightmare or, on the contrary, they may greatly affect her future decisions.
Does she see the reflections of her own deeper thoughts? Are they just random figments of her imagination? None of these assumptions, however, promises ultimate answers.
This miniature story may seem quite odd, but it has one quality that makes me appreciate Chekhov. Nothing is certain. The narration ends on a more or less positive note but is open to different interpretations. The reader can only guess what turns the protagonist's life might take.
The Looking Glass can be read here.
Picture followed picture against the grey background. Now Nellie saw herself one winter night knocking at the door of Stepan Lukitch, the district doctor. The old dog hoarsely and lazily barked behind the gate. The doctor's windows were in darkness. All was silence.
The story of her future life with its ups and downs, mostly the latter, slowly unfolds.
The narration resembles a disturbing dream. Pictures that the protagonist sees may reflect her inner anxiety and her fears. There is even a slight kafkaesque touch to this story. These visions could soon be forgotten as a silly nightmare or, on the contrary, they may greatly affect her future decisions.
Does she see the reflections of her own deeper thoughts? Are they just random figments of her imagination? None of these assumptions, however, promises ultimate answers.
This miniature story may seem quite odd, but it has one quality that makes me appreciate Chekhov. Nothing is certain. The narration ends on a more or less positive note but is open to different interpretations. The reader can only guess what turns the protagonist's life might take.
The Looking Glass can be read here.
December 28, 2016
One particular attribute that I look for in classic novels/stories is a sense of timelessness, an ability to transcend generations and still remain poignant and relevant. The Looking Glass has that, but admittedly, it took me a while to figure out why and how.
Actually, my first impression was that the storyline was outmoded and thereby rendered the main character and her woes unrelatable to me. Perhaps I just read this way too fast, and that was all that I absorbed initially. You see, on the surface, I considered the year this was written, 1855, and understood the compulsion and importance of a woman seeking/desiring/obsessing over marriage. I'm also keenly aware that the burdens and challenges of raising a family during that era were vastly different and formidable in comparison to now. But being cognizant of those things had no effect on how I identified with the character, or sympathize with her concerns, and it wasn't until I really forced myself to think analytically about the significance and underlying meaning of Nellie's vision that her story was able to really reach me.
What then struck me is how Nellie's daydreams mirrored her subconscious anxiousness and fear of the future and unknown. That uncertainty of what lies in store for her and what obstacles and challenges she may come to face created such a bleak state of hopelessness and helplessness that darkened her expectations and joy of being married. Her visions of marital bliss quickly transformed into something grim and unpropitious, and I could feel her apprehension and concern start to consume and eat away at her. But here's the thing, Nellie is worrying about events that have not yet happened and may not even come to pass at all. She's fantasizing about a future that isn't set in stone and thinking of all the things that can possibly go wrong with it.
And how can anyone not relate to that?
I think it's safe to assume that we've all been there before, and will likely be there again... soon. That fear of uncertainty and the unknown is human nature, it's hardwired into our psyche, and sometimes we can let that trepidation get to us and allow it to cripple us from enjoying the magnificence and splendor of the present moment. We permit it to guide our footsteps onto safer and more prudent paths, and completely miss out on opportunities that involve bigger and objectionable risks.
But we forget: There are no guarantees in this life!
Every day, of every second, of every moment is a risk. Our lives are founded on them, and despite what some people may believe, I'm convinced we only have one. This one wild and precious life. So don't allow that fear to overshadow how beautiful risk taking can be. You do it every day after all. You take risks when you go for a walk, or when you go on that blind date that you adamantly told your friend not to set up. Or maybe it's when you quit your job and decide you're finally going to start that company you've always been dreaming of building. Getting married = risk. Having kids =bigger risk. Obviously, some risks are weightier than others (disclaimer: please don't quit your day job because of this review), but sometimes so can the outcomes of taking those risks. Occasionally they're more than worth it, even when things don't pan out exactly as you plan.
It brings to mind one of my favorite quotes: "What you spend years building, someone might destroy overnight. Build it anyway." And this rings true for so many other applications as well. In the case of Nellie's story: You can love someone, only to lose them. Love them anyway.
This short story spoke to me in an oblique and unexpected way. Despite Nellie's story ending on such a downcast and dreary note, I'm reminded that her vision only depicts the ugly and unappealing events that may *keyword* lie ahead in her distant future, but it forgets to illustrate the resplendent beauty and felicity that also might be in store for her as well.
I guess what I'm trying to convey on what I got from this short story is this: Don't let your fears dictate your future, live wild and free and fully, and always take the risks that are worth it.
P.S. If it's important to you, it's worth it.
P.P.S. Seriously, don't quit your day job because of this review. I don't want to be the cause of anyone's financial woes and/or homelessness.
Actually, my first impression was that the storyline was outmoded and thereby rendered the main character and her woes unrelatable to me. Perhaps I just read this way too fast, and that was all that I absorbed initially. You see, on the surface, I considered the year this was written, 1855, and understood the compulsion and importance of a woman seeking/desiring/obsessing over marriage. I'm also keenly aware that the burdens and challenges of raising a family during that era were vastly different and formidable in comparison to now. But being cognizant of those things had no effect on how I identified with the character, or sympathize with her concerns, and it wasn't until I really forced myself to think analytically about the significance and underlying meaning of Nellie's vision that her story was able to really reach me.
What then struck me is how Nellie's daydreams mirrored her subconscious anxiousness and fear of the future and unknown. That uncertainty of what lies in store for her and what obstacles and challenges she may come to face created such a bleak state of hopelessness and helplessness that darkened her expectations and joy of being married. Her visions of marital bliss quickly transformed into something grim and unpropitious, and I could feel her apprehension and concern start to consume and eat away at her. But here's the thing, Nellie is worrying about events that have not yet happened and may not even come to pass at all. She's fantasizing about a future that isn't set in stone and thinking of all the things that can possibly go wrong with it.
And how can anyone not relate to that?
I think it's safe to assume that we've all been there before, and will likely be there again... soon. That fear of uncertainty and the unknown is human nature, it's hardwired into our psyche, and sometimes we can let that trepidation get to us and allow it to cripple us from enjoying the magnificence and splendor of the present moment. We permit it to guide our footsteps onto safer and more prudent paths, and completely miss out on opportunities that involve bigger and objectionable risks.
But we forget: There are no guarantees in this life!
Every day, of every second, of every moment is a risk. Our lives are founded on them, and despite what some people may believe, I'm convinced we only have one. This one wild and precious life. So don't allow that fear to overshadow how beautiful risk taking can be. You do it every day after all. You take risks when you go for a walk, or when you go on that blind date that you adamantly told your friend not to set up. Or maybe it's when you quit your job and decide you're finally going to start that company you've always been dreaming of building. Getting married = risk. Having kids =
It brings to mind one of my favorite quotes: "What you spend years building, someone might destroy overnight. Build it anyway." And this rings true for so many other applications as well. In the case of Nellie's story: You can love someone, only to lose them. Love them anyway.
This short story spoke to me in an oblique and unexpected way. Despite Nellie's story ending on such a downcast and dreary note, I'm reminded that her vision only depicts the ugly and unappealing events that may *keyword* lie ahead in her distant future, but it forgets to illustrate the resplendent beauty and felicity that also might be in store for her as well.
I guess what I'm trying to convey on what I got from this short story is this: Don't let your fears dictate your future, live wild and free and fully, and always take the risks that are worth it.
P.S. If it's important to you, it's worth it.
P.P.S. Seriously, don't quit your day job because of this review. I don't want to be the cause of anyone's financial woes and/or homelessness.
December 31, 2024
Nellie is dreamily considering her future as she stares into the looking glass on New Year's Eve. She's filled with anxiety because she's thinking only of the possible negative things that might happen during her life, and ignoring the possible things that could bring her great happiness.
August 7, 2017
I have arranged my thoughts on this short story into a haiku:
"Such a somber mind,
Spoiling the future's romance
By looking too far."
"Such a somber mind,
Spoiling the future's romance
By looking too far."
October 8, 2022
“It was he, the destined one, the object of long dreams and hopes. The destined one was for Nellie everything, the significance of life, personal happiness, career, fate.”
January 17, 2022
An intriguing little short story about the shortness of life.
March 18, 2014
A girl looking through a looking glass. Her adolescent mind and it's stupid thoughts. Her heart is full of dreams and hopes for future. She thinks about it so much that she feels like she is living in the future. She faces the agonies of life and finally feels exhausted. That's when she notices that she was looking at that glass and is greatly relieved. May be it means that one wouldn't want to grow up if one already knew the agonies they are going to face. I liked this story so much. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
January 23, 2019
Зеркало || the looking glass || المرآة
نيلّي
في ليلة رأس السنة أمام المرآة تحلم بمستقبل يملؤه المرض والموت بدلاً من ان تحلم بحياة هانئة؛
ربما بسبب الخواء والوحدة والفراغ التي تعيشها برغم من انها من عائلة ميسورة — فهنا تشيخوف يخبرنا بأن الغِنى الظاهري لا يعني بالضرورة السلام والرضا الداخليين
أو ربما يريد تشيخوف ان يخبرنا بأن نركز في الحاضر ونترك أحلام المستقبل خصوصا ان كنا سنتنفس الصعداء لكون المستقبل الذي رسمناه حلم وليس حقيقة
أو ربما هذا الحلم انعكاس لمخاوف فتاة لم تتزوج بعد— في الماضي كان مستقبل وسعادة الفتاة مرتبطة بزواجها.
—لكننا لم نعرف الكثير عن نيلّي سوى من خلال تساؤلاتها عن الحياة أمام المرآة وحلمها
قصة جيدة أحببتها، تعلمت كلمات جديدة :)
نيلّي
في ليلة رأس السنة أمام المرآة تحلم بمستقبل يملؤه المرض والموت بدلاً من ان تحلم بحياة هانئة؛
ربما بسبب الخواء والوحدة والفراغ التي تعيشها برغم من انها من عائلة ميسورة — فهنا تشيخوف يخبرنا بأن الغِنى الظاهري لا يعني بالضرورة السلام والرضا الداخليين
أو ربما يريد تشيخوف ان يخبرنا بأن نركز في الحاضر ونترك أحلام المستقبل خصوصا ان كنا سنتنفس الصعداء لكون المستقبل الذي رسمناه حلم وليس حقيقة
أو ربما هذا الحلم انعكاس لمخاوف فتاة لم تتزوج بعد— في الماضي كان مستقبل وسعادة الفتاة مرتبطة بزواجها.
—لكننا لم نعرف الكثير عن نيلّي سوى من خلال تساؤلاتها عن الحياة أمام المرآة وحلمها
قصة جيدة أحببتها، تعلمت كلمات جديدة :)
January 7, 2016
The Looking Glass juxtaposes the dreams of a young naive girl with the harsh realities of life. The story is set on new year's eve, a time when you look both forwards and backwards, at beginnings and endings. The girl, Nellie, is the sheltered daughter of a landlord and general, and therefore, oblivious to the harsh realities of life, she dreams "day and night" of marriage as if that were everything, kind of like young adolescent girls these days dream day and night of getting a handsome boyfriend: "It was he, the destined one, the object of long dreams and hopes. The destined one was for Nellie everything, the significance of life, personal happiness, career, fate."
She falls into a trance like state then, while staring into a looking-glass, and dreams of her future, the difficulties and suffering that may lie ahead of her. In the end she wakes up and says "I must have fallen asleep," relieved and ignorant of the dream's warning. I feel that Chekhov means to say that life doesn't always turn out the way we expected. Living in the now and dreaming and fantasizing about the future is what we usually do, but we must also realistically consider our future, look ahead and try to prepare or brace ourselves for the ups and downs that lie may in the coming years.
Read this short story here.
She falls into a trance like state then, while staring into a looking-glass, and dreams of her future, the difficulties and suffering that may lie ahead of her. In the end she wakes up and says "I must have fallen asleep," relieved and ignorant of the dream's warning. I feel that Chekhov means to say that life doesn't always turn out the way we expected. Living in the now and dreaming and fantasizing about the future is what we usually do, but we must also realistically consider our future, look ahead and try to prepare or brace ourselves for the ups and downs that lie may in the coming years.
Read this short story here.
August 11, 2021
Great message from this short one
June 8, 2014
Just another reason why you should not get hitched...or fall asleep in front of the mirror.
March 27, 2014
1.5 Stars out of 5 Stars
Not that I disliked it, I just didn't enjoy it.
Not that I disliked it, I just didn't enjoy it.
April 8, 2026
I listened to a 10-minute Spotify reading of this on my walk and loved it. I can never focus on an audiobook long enough to process it, but turns out a short story is doable. I'm definitely going to do this again to ease into Russian Lit again. Sidenote: I loved how different this is from the Cherry Orchard (unforch my only other Chekhov credit...embarassing.)
January 1, 2024
Takes place on New Years Eve! Perfect for today and perfect end to my reading challenge. ⭐️🫶🏼
September 28, 2018
Вот и вся жизнь пролетела...
June 24, 2021
Brilliant!
June 20, 2022
Checkhov one of my favorite writers using one of my least favorite writing techniques; an event that didn't actually happen, but was a dream. Three stars for the beautiful writing.
December 16, 2021
It didn't shock me as others did! I thought it was going to be a bit different..as his other stories but it just didn't shine for me
November 17, 2017
Personal Response: I liked The Looking Glass because it showed how in the 1800’s, kids and some adults had a hard time keeping up with common illnesses. The story also showed how hard it would be to lose everything one would worked so hard for.
Plot Summary: The story was told in third person, omniscient narrative, and the whole story was based on the form of a dream. Nellie and the doctor appeared selfish-hardly caring about anyone but themselves. Nellie was not worried about her husband as much as she was worried about what her life would be without him. She kept nudging the doctor on about her husband and kids, how sick they all were. The doctor told Nellie that he had become ill from helping other people. Nellie finally was able to convince the doctor to come to her farm where the doctor could treat her family. The doctor fell ill, and all of her family members, including the doctor, were unable to overcome the illness. When everything went sour, Nellie picked up a looking glass and peered through it. She awoke as if everything was a dream and everything was back to normal. This taught Nellie to be more caring for her family and to not make things worse.
Character Analysis: Nellie in the beginning of the story, was so worried about how bad her life would be without her family, but at the end, it was all a relief. The whole thing was an illusion.
The Doctor was very stubborn about helping more patients because he grew ill himself. He
overcame his fear and helped anyway, putting his life on the line for others.
Setting: The story was published in 1885 and the writing persuaded that it took place during that time. It mostly takes place on a farm where the main character lives. This is important to the plot because there was no cure for common illnesses.
Recommendation: The story is an appearance versus reality theme and takes place in the late 1800’s. Knowing more about the 1800’s will give the reader a better understanding. The book is about a 7th grade reading level, but has a learning curve for 8th graders or older. Because of the easier reading level and strong statue for history, I would recommend this to a 10th grader.
Plot Summary: The story was told in third person, omniscient narrative, and the whole story was based on the form of a dream. Nellie and the doctor appeared selfish-hardly caring about anyone but themselves. Nellie was not worried about her husband as much as she was worried about what her life would be without him. She kept nudging the doctor on about her husband and kids, how sick they all were. The doctor told Nellie that he had become ill from helping other people. Nellie finally was able to convince the doctor to come to her farm where the doctor could treat her family. The doctor fell ill, and all of her family members, including the doctor, were unable to overcome the illness. When everything went sour, Nellie picked up a looking glass and peered through it. She awoke as if everything was a dream and everything was back to normal. This taught Nellie to be more caring for her family and to not make things worse.
Character Analysis: Nellie in the beginning of the story, was so worried about how bad her life would be without her family, but at the end, it was all a relief. The whole thing was an illusion.
The Doctor was very stubborn about helping more patients because he grew ill himself. He
overcame his fear and helped anyway, putting his life on the line for others.
Setting: The story was published in 1885 and the writing persuaded that it took place during that time. It mostly takes place on a farm where the main character lives. This is important to the plot because there was no cure for common illnesses.
Recommendation: The story is an appearance versus reality theme and takes place in the late 1800’s. Knowing more about the 1800’s will give the reader a better understanding. The book is about a 7th grade reading level, but has a learning curve for 8th graders or older. Because of the easier reading level and strong statue for history, I would recommend this to a 10th grader.
June 30, 2015
The story regards the ever-present threat of mortality, the inevitable end to what is often taken for granted, with themes for a struggle of survival. The protagonist implores her doctor for help, whom has also succumbed to disease, rendered incapable. The sense of urgency and survival remains yet elegant and clean. It had a strong sense of realism, something entirely believable to have occurred in the period of writing. It feels more as if you’re being told the genuine story of a friend who lost their partner, than anything purely fictional. The use of proper English when conversational makes adds an allusion to a time and a place; with characters of a particular social class. There are quality coherent descriptions of details to a bigger picture making the understanding of the narrative quite comprehendible.
“And all the previous life with her husband seemed to her a stupid prelude to this.”
Themes are frequently about "smelling the roses" along the path, and how endings are inevitable and can often draw more attention and even mask the remainder of the narrative's journey.
“And all the previous life with her husband seemed to her a stupid prelude to this.”
Themes are frequently about "smelling the roses" along the path, and how endings are inevitable and can often draw more attention and even mask the remainder of the narrative's journey.
August 6, 2016
I'm not quite sure that I understood "The Looking Glass," or at least why it would be worth writing about, but Anton Chekov's story was entertaining at the very least. It's the story of a "young and pretty girl, dreaming day and night of being married," who looks into her mirror and imagines her life as a wife. She sees her husband ill with typhus and runs to the doctor, himself sick and delirius with the disease, and begs him to come treat her husband. He can't, and she bemoans her fate with both her doctor and husband ill.
But we know the whole time she has to wake up, and wake up she does, realizing she's been dozing off again, daydreaming about her future. She only expresses herself with "a sigh of relief," and the whole thing is forgotten. It seems a bit strange to leave the story there, without irony or a twist of fate or anything, but the story itself was kind of entertaining. And it also shows that our brains can fantasize or daydream about the weirdest things sometimes.
But we know the whole time she has to wake up, and wake up she does, realizing she's been dozing off again, daydreaming about her future. She only expresses herself with "a sigh of relief," and the whole thing is forgotten. It seems a bit strange to leave the story there, without irony or a twist of fate or anything, but the story itself was kind of entertaining. And it also shows that our brains can fantasize or daydream about the weirdest things sometimes.
November 16, 2017
Utterly interesting tale of future foreseeing in a dream like state. The begging of the tale sounded very close to the start of a horror story and that was incredibly alluring, however it involves to the tale of a single moment in a woman's future, a moment that despite very dark could have had more to it, still it proves the resilience of a woman facing the dreadful fear of illness and possibly dead that lays upon her future husband.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2017
A girl, who dreams about marriage day and night, has a vision of her future through the looking glass.
The story read like a disillusionment. The trials to come in a marriage and in a life. No mention of happiness or contentment after the first couple of lines.
Months and years flew by against the grey background.
The grey background. That's what this one is about.
The story read like a disillusionment. The trials to come in a marriage and in a life. No mention of happiness or contentment after the first couple of lines.
Months and years flew by against the grey background.
The grey background. That's what this one is about.
February 11, 2017
everything I look for in a book! kept me captivated by the events and the narration. the moral behind is worthy of the 5 stars! I don't know why people didn't enjoy it. I loved it and recommended it to my book club friends.
January 15, 2014
It was cute. A good insight into the melodramatic, romantic mind of a young girl. :)
August 22, 2014
I have a low tolerance for this type of ending.
June 21, 2014
Nice. First work read of Chekhov. Good one.
June 23, 2014
very dramatic, but what was the point as a whole?
February 14, 2016
This was an interesting short story
February 12, 2015
I'm not sure what this story was supposed to make me feel, but I felt swept up in one of my terrifying nightmares.
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