August Strindberg's Miss Julie (1888) and its "Foreword," in which the dramatist reveals the Darwinian influence on his art, is worth contrasting with Chekhov's themes and technique in The Seagull.

Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler (1890) is also worth comparing with The Seagull for its themes and technique. One early complaint with Chekhov's play was that it evidenced too strong an influence of Ibsen.

Maxim Gorky's play, The Lower Depths (1902), a more naturalistic play than any by Chekhov, focuses on lower-class Russians struggling for survival. Like Chekhov, Gorky came to prominence through productions at the Moscow Art Theatre.

Anna Karenina (1875-1877), by Leo Tolstoy, is one of the greatest of all Russian novels. Tolstoy, though he wrote plays, is really only remembered for his fiction. He had a tremendous influence on Chekhov.

Heartbreak House (1916), by George Bernard Shaw, has some interesting parallels to...