The Queer Duck (A New England Fable) (original) (raw)

Two of a Kind: The Wild Duck and the Seagull

World-famous playwrights Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov, dramatists of the same naturalistic school, transformed European theatre and gave rise to modern drama. They have a very complex relationship and ideology considering one another's personalities and plays. Chekhov holds Ibsen's personality and dramatic methods in high regard, but is famous for his denunciation of Ibsen's drama. Chekhov believes Ibsen's drama, significantly the symbolist play, The Wild Duck (1884), is sluggish, uninteresting and weak. Even so, critics suggest that Chekhov's drama is very much the result of Ibsen's influence. The similarity between writing styles, themes, and meanings of the two modern tragedies cannot go unseen by the audience. The Wild Duck and The Seagull (1895) are two of the plays of Ibsen and Chekhov with the greatest similitude. Dominant critics assert that The Seagull's symbol of a seabird not living in its natural habitat that could be attached to the female character of Chekhov's tragicomedy is obviously borrowed from Ibsen's play with exactly the same symbolism. In this research, I intend to investigate the extent to which the two playwrights influenced each other's works and how similar the two celebrated modern tragedies are.

The Migration of the Flightless Bird: Janet Frame's Towards Another Summer

Journal of Post-Colonial Cultures and Societies, 2010

The Ugly Duckling who became a swan was not really the loneliest among ducklings. The loneliest was the true duckling who felt himself to be a stranger in his own family. His story has not been written in the fairy tale. Few suspected his condition—for after all he was ...

The North American Ruddy Duck

AFA Watchbird, 1992

The North American Ruddy Duck afa WATCHBIRD 55 true that birds do not excite much interest or hold visitors' attention for very 10ng...A bird is simply a bird" (Mullan & Marvin, 1987). Of course everyone knows "ducks"-but that is usually as far as it goes. Fort Worth Zoo's collection of 45 species and subspecies of ducks, geese and swans is perceived by most visitors as "ducks". There are exceptions. Swans are generally recognized as such. Wood Ducks and Mandarins always draw attention. And, for those who actually spend some time and look at our waterfowl, the male North American Ruddy Duck, with his sky blue beak, his black cap, white cheeks, and bright chestnut