The Lady With The Dog

First published in 1899, “The Lady with the Dog” is one of Anton Chekhov’s most well-known stories. The short story examines the conflict between conformity to marital and gender conventions and faithfulness to one’s inner principles. Focusing on an adulterous relationship, the story challenges the patriarchal mindset, criticizes the arbitrariness of prescribed gender roles and marriage conventions, and explores the meaning of genuine relationships. Chekhov’s protagonists expose the crippling effect of societal gender roles on men and women in marriage. His main characters also demonstrate the potential and limits of regaining personal and relational integrity under pressure to conform to prescribed norms of behavior.

Chekhov wrote the story while living in Yalta during the winter of 1898 and 1899. It was published in the magazine Russkaya Mysl (Russian Thought), with the first English translation debuting in 1903. A staple of the Western literary canon, “The Lady with the Dog” has been adapted for film and stage, including theater and ballet.

This guide refers to the version in Later Short Stories: 1888-1903, a collection of Chekhov’s work translated by Constance Garnett.

The story opens with Moscow banker Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov vacationing alone in the Crimean seaside resort of Yalta. A father of three children, he is unhappily married to a woman he both despises and fears.