After The Theatre by Anton Chekhov, 1892
The magic trick:
Using a free indirect style to perfectly capture the effect art can have on a young person
Yet another brilliant story from Anton Chekhov for you today.
It all seems so easy for him.
Here, we are put inside the thoughts of a 16-year-old girl who has just returned from the opera. She is so taken by the performance that she revels in the chance to manufacture any kind of operatic romance in her own life, imagining herself at the center of her own life’s drama.
The free indirect style is just about perfect, completely embodying the young protagonist coming into her own powers.
And that’s quite a trick on Chekhov’s part.
The selection:
My God! how interesting, how fascinating men were! Nadya recalled the fine expression, ingratiating, guilty, and soft, which came into the officer’s face when one argued about music with him, and the effort he made to prevent his voice from betraying his passion. In a society where cold haughtiness and indifference are regarded as signs of good breeding and gentlemanly bearing, one must conceal one’s passions. And he did try to conceal them, but he did not succeed, and everyone knew very well that he had a passionate love of music. The endless discussions about music and the bold criticisms of people who knew nothing about it kept him always on the strain; he was frightened, timid, and silent. He played the piano magnificently, like a professional pianist, and if he had not been in the army he would certainly have been a famous musician.
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