There are many similarities and differences between Anton Chekhov's "The Lady with the Pet Dog" set in Russia in the early part of the century and Joyce Carol Oates" "The Lady with the Pet Dog" told from Anna's point of view in the 1970's in Nantucket. Matthew Brennan, a literary critic, distinguishes between Chekhov's conventional, sequential plot and Oates" circular plot, and identifies the third person point of view that's used in both versions. These different literary techniques demonstrate the change from the male protagonist (Chekhov) to the female protagonist (Oates) and affect the development of the conflict in the two stories. The contrasting male and female points of view, as told by the male and female authors respectively, determine the emotion of the story and the constructiBoth versions of the "The Lady with the Pet Dog" are written in the third-person. Chekhov reveals the conflicts of Dmitri directly, objectively, usually through narration in sentences like, "Already he was tormented by a strong desire to share his memories with .
someone" (Chekhov 176). Because Chekhov writes through Gurov the feminine outlook of Anna in this masculine story is lacking. Unlike Chekhov who focuses on the male lover Gurov, Oates makes Anna, the female lover, the center of consciousness .Oates is more likely to demonstrate Anna's inner conflicts imagistically, "For years they had not been comfortable together, in their intimacy and at a distance, and now the struggled gently as if the paces of this dance were too rigorous for then." (Oates 183). Anna is confused, doubtful, and struggles to find an identity. Yet Anna is making choices in this story, "Anna tied her hair back with a yellow scarf and went down to the beach" (Oates 188). Anna's decision to walk down to the beach resulted in a continuous relationship. Anna sets the stage which results in the story being told from her point of view.
