The Kiss (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Anton Chekhov
- First Published: 1887
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The 1880's
- Setting: The village of Mestechki and various small towns in Russia
- Principal Characters: Lieutenant Ryabovich, Lieutenant Lobytko, Lieutenant Merzlyakov, Lieutenant General von Rabbeck
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Communication, Emotions, Fantasy, Imagination, Idealism, Comedy, Errors
- Locales: Russia
The Story
The setting of “The Kiss” is a Russian village on a May evening. The officers of an artillery brigade encamped nearby are invited by a retired lieutenant general, von Rabbeck, who is the leading landowner in the village, to spend an evening dining and dancing in his residence. After describing a panoramic scene of aristocratic society, Anton Chekhov focuses on one of the officers, Ryabovich, who characterizes himself with the diagnosis: “I am the shyest, most modest, and most undistinguished officer in the whole brigade!” He is an inarticulate...
[The entire page is 1041 words long]
