A story of lost and born again love: both Anton Chekhov's 1899 original as well as Joyce Carol Oates' version of "The Lady with the Pet Dog" deal with the love lives and the unhappiness of two individuals. Anton Chekhov tells the story of Gurov – a well-to- do man from Moscow who is disillusioned by his unfulfilling marriage. During a vacation in Yalta, Gurov is acquainted with Anna, a young, upper-class lady who, as it turns out, is similarly disappointed with her love-life and husband. What starts out as a simple affair between Gurov and the Anna turns into a relationship which neither want to give up. Both eventually arrange to see each other regularly and discover, that they want to continue their affair despite being aware that this is not accepted by the society within which they live. Staying together is the only thing that gives them the feeling of being safe and happy.
             Joyce Carol Oates borrows this original plot and creates a new story which describes a similar issue from the viewpoint of the woman. In addition, she transposes the entire setting to fit in with the 1970's atmosphere and societal circumstances. Here, the main character, Anna, becomes acquainted with a man, identified only as "the stranger", during a vacation trip to Nantucket, Massachusetts. As in Chekhov's version, both characters fall in love with each other and thus finally find new hope and love in their lives. Chekhov's Gurov character can be defined as a man who lost faith in his wife and marriage because he feels that he cannot relate to her any longer. He recognizes that she
             is "of limited intelligence, narrow-minded and dowdy" – in no way as "worldly" and educated as he would like her to be. Thus, Gurov has turned towards short-lived love affairs to combat his loneliness.
             Despite always ending badly, Gurov cannot resist new attempts in hopes that he may find someone who can break his solitude forever. His search for iden...