Nguyễn Thúy Quỳnh – 1690588

Assignment 5 (ENG-2206). 19th-Century Realism across the Globe

I. Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)’s Notes from Underground

1. How old is the narrator at the time he narrates his story? What city does he live
in?
- The narrator was 40 at the time he narrated his story.
- He lived in St.Petersburg.
2. In what sentence does the narrator talk about his symptom of sadism? How does
this detail conflict with what he narrates later? How does this conflict afflict him?
- The narrator talks about his symptom of sadism in the sentence: “I was rude and
took pleasure in it”
-He later felt guilty about his actions, which is paradoxical: "Why, the whole point,
the most disgusting thing, was the fact that I was shamefully aware at every
moment, even at the moment of my greatest bitterness, that not only was I not a
spiteful man, but that I was not even an embittered one, and that I was merely
scaring sparrows to no effect and consoling myself by doing so." - Affliction: He
suffers by his inability to reconcile these opposing desires, which leads to a life of
pain and loneliness.
3. According to the narrator, what status of a man’s mental life could be a kind of
disease? What is his revision of this idea afterward?
- According to the narrator, being overly consciousness is a disease, a genuine,
fullfledged disease.
- He later revised his belief that the pleasure stemmed from an overly keen
awareness of one's own shame, which may be altered and accepted.
4. In what moments (write particular sentences and pages) does the narrator talk
about his symptom of masochism?
- “ When someone slapped my face, I might even have been grateful for it” - page
582
5. How does the narrator compare a man with a mouse?
- When a man gives up fully in the face of his antithesis, he considers himself a
mouse, even if no one asks him to.
- He illustrates how both mice and humans are closely connected by their status,
circumstances, and the world around them.
II. Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893): “In the Moonlight”
1. Who are the two main characters and how are they described in “In the
Moonlight”?
- Well-merited: a tall, thin priest, fanatical to a degree, but just, and of an exalted
soul.
- The priest’s niece: pretty, harebrained, and a great tease.
2. How does the Abbé think of the world, of the society, and of women?
- He believes that everything is always in harmony and that the world was made
with perfect and admirable logic. On the contrary, all living creatures have adapted
to the harsh circumstances of many eras, climates, and materials.- He hates
woman, woman is feeble, dangerous, and mysteriously troublous. He often feels
woman’s tenderness attack him.
3. How does he think of his niece and what does he want her to become to? How
does she react to that?
- His niece is attractive, naive, and a terrific tease, in his opinion. He want that she
become a charitable sister. However, his niece didn't want to be that way; instead
of listening to him, she frequently gazed at the flowers, grass, and sky with a joy of
life that was evident in her eyes.
4. How does he react when learning about a secret about his niece? What does he
do after that? How does he change ultimately?
- He has experienced a dreadful emotion, remained silent swollen with anger and
rage all day long.
- He decided to go out to verify the truth about his niece.
- He was mesmerized by the natural beauty and moved by the brilliant moonlight
when he stepped out onto the porch. He was horrified, stunned, and guilty to have
the desire to put an end to that lovely love when he saw the silhouette of his niece
and her lover on the riverbank. And then gave up.
III. Anton Chekhov (1860-1904): “The Lady with the Dog”
1. What is the color of the lady’s dog?
- The color of the lady’s dog is white.
2. How does Gurov’s wife think of herself? How is this differ from his thinking of
her?
- She thinks she is a thinker.
- The distinction is that he believes his wife is dowdy, shallow, and narrow-minded.
The "thinker," on the other hand, is extremely intelligent or learned.
3. What is Gurov’s plan to the “lady with the dog”? How does he proceed with
that plan?
- He is plan of a brisk transitory liaison, an affair with the “lady with the dog”
4. In what city the story takes place? Where is the lady from? What is her name?
What is the color of her eyes? What is the name of the lady’s husband? Where is
Gurov from?
- The story takes place in Yalta.
- She had grown up in Petersburg but moved to the town of S when she married.
- Her name is Anna Sergeyevna.
- Her eyes are gray.
- Her husband’s name is Von Diederitz.
- He is from Moscow.
5. Why does the lady have to leave the city where she meets and have an affair
with Gurov?
- Her husband wrote to let her know that he needed her to return home right away
since he had an eye condition.
6. What are Gurov’s feelings when he comes back to live in Moscow? What does he
decide to do afterward?
- He lost himself in the chaos of drinking and revelry as he threw himself into
Moscow life. He believed that Anna Sergeyevna was always by his side, and he
saw her memories as a dream or a persistent memory.
- He decided to go to Petersburg to find Anna.
7. In what situation does Gurov meet up again with the lady? How does she
respond to him? What will they do after that meeting?
- When Anna's husband is out smoking and she is left alone in her seat, he runs into
the woman in the Geisha theater.
- She was surprised and startled when she saw him.
- They proceeded to the closest exit, traveled through the corridors and steps, and
arrived to a small stairway marked "To the upper circle" for conversation.
IV. Writing
Collect 3 journal articles about Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Dog,”
then summarize them in one paragraph (about 70-100 words) in form of a
literature review.
Numerous scholars have examined Chekhov's "The Lady with the Dog"
from a number of angles, focusing on its themes and storytelling devices.
According to Mark Axelrod, the story's quest motif demonstrates how Chekhov
presents a more introspective path of self-discovery for the main character, Gurov,
by subverting conventional love and adventure themes. Another tenable argument,
according to Pierce Butler and Ross Chambers, is Chekhov's use of rhetorical
devices and digression, which they claim add to the characters' realism and
complexity, especially in their emotional and psychological complexity. Through
quest motifs, digression, and psychoanalysis, critics examine Chekhov's narrative,
emphasizing the emotional depth and complexity of the characters.