Skip to Main Content

Language and Text
2017. Vol. 4, no. 3, 3–11
https://doi.org/10.17759/langt.2017040301
ISSN: 2312-2757 (online)

The Meaning and Function of the Pause in Chekhov's “The Seagull”

 
Audio is AI-generated
806

PDF (RUS)
Online translation in english
GS
Information
in Google Scholar
Metrics

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of the pause in A. P. Chekhov’s play “The Seagull.” What does the instruction “pause” mean, and why did Chekhov think it was so important that he wrote the word into the text of the play? In exploration of these questions, this article analyzes the text of “The Seagull,” as well as three stage productions. Such analysis reveals three functions of the pause: 1. Dramatic Function. The pause highlights the characters’ words or attracts the attention of the audience. In other words, the pause gives the characters’ speech additional dramatic significance. 2. Musical Function. The pause controls the dynamic unfolding of the play, thereby controlling the audience’s reaction and, ultimately, the success of the play. 3. Negative Function. The pause acts in a fashion similar to Iuriy Lotman’s “minus-device.” That is, by making a lacuna in the scene the pause adds some meaning that cannot be expressed in words. In this way, the pause serves to highlight the limits of communication, and draw attention to those moments which cannot be captured by language.

General Information

Keywords: A. P. Chekhov, “The Seagull,” pause, play, drama, lacuna, dramatic function, musical function, monologue, communication, information.

Journal rubric: General and Comparative Historical Linguistics

OpenAlex citations: 0

OpenAlex trends: Russian Literature and Bakhtin Studies, Translation Studies and Practices, Language, Metaphor, and Cognition

Information about the work in OpenAlex

Number of citations: 0

Topics

Russian Literature and Bakhtin Studies

This cluster of papers explores the intersection of Bakhtinian and Vygotskian theories in education, emphasizing the role of dialogue, pedagogy, and agency. It delves into the cultural and ethical dimensions of literature, identity, and the individual within social contexts.

Number of works: 23615  |  Total number of citations: 91462

Topic detailsв OpenAlex

Translation Studies and Practices

This cluster of papers focuses on the theory and practice of translation studies, covering topics such as translator competence, corpus linguistics, globalization's impact on translation, cultural and literary translation, sociology of translation, machine translation, cross-cultural communication, and audiovisual translation.

Number of works: 192878  |  Total number of citations: 561203

Topic detailsв OpenAlex

Language, Metaphor, and Cognition

This cluster of papers explores the metaphorical representation of time in language and cognition, investigating the influence of language on conceptualizations of time, the role of embodiment and spatial metaphors in understanding time, and the neural basis of understanding metaphoric expressions related to time. It also delves into cross-cultural differences in mental representations of time and the impact of metaphor on reasoning and communication.

Number of works: 142455  |  Total number of citations: 1609852

Topic detailsв OpenAlex

Work details in OpenAlex

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/langt.2017040301

Published

For citation: Costello, J.B. (2017). The Meaning and Function of the Pause in Chekhov's “The Seagull”. Language and Text, 4(3), 3–11. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/langt.2017040301

© Costello J.B., 2017

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

References

  1. Dragunov, V. N. Chajka [Jelektronnyj resurs]. Moskva: Malyj Teatr, 1999. Telekanal Kul'tura. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10VElIofIw4. (data obrashhenija: 17.03.2017).
  2. Efremov, O. N. Chajka [Jelektronnyj resurs].  Moskva: MHAT imeni A. P. Chehova, 2001. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO8pv2yJRrc. (data obrashhenija: 17.03.2017).
  3. Zaharov, M. A. Chajka [Jelektronnyj resurs].  Moskovskij teatr Lenkom, 2005. Telekanal Kul'tura. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= FL9ubOhnnFM. (data obrashhenija: 17.03.2017).
  4. Ishakova Z.Z. Jemotivnyj dejksis i ego dekodirovanie v semiosfere. // Avtoreferat diss… doktora filologicheskih nauk. Ufa, 2012.
  5. Lotman, Ju. M. Struktura Hudozhestvennogo Teksta // Moskva: Iskusstvo, 1970.
  6. Chehov, A. P. Chajka // Polnoe sobranie sochinenij i pisem: v 30 t. T. 13. Moskva: Nauka, 1986. S. 3–60, 257–72.
  7. Allen, David. Performing Chekhov // New York: Routledge, 2001.
  8. Chekhov, A. P. and Simon Karlinsky. Anton Chekhov’s Life and Thought // Selected Letters and Commentary / pod. red. Simon Karlinsky. perevel Michael Henry Heim. Evanston, IL: Northwestern UP, 1973.
  9. Kahn, Douglas. Noise, Water, Meat // A History of Sound in the Arts / Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999.
  10. Kane, Leslie. The Language of Silence // Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses, 1984.
  11. Stelleman, Jenny. Aspects of Dramatic Communication // Action, Non-Action, Interaction: A. P. Cechov, A. Blok, D. Charms / Studies in Slavic Literature and Poetics, v. 16. Atlanta, GA: Rodopi, 1992.
  12. Terras, Victor. A History of Russian Literature // New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991.

Information About the Authors

J. B. Costello, Stanford, United States of America

Metrics

 Web Views

Whole time: 3962
Previous month: 29
Current month: 22

 PDF Downloads

Whole time: 806
Previous month: 5
Current month: 9

 Total

Whole time: 4768
Previous month: 34
Current month: 31