How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line)
Quote #7
Konstantin: You want me to treat him like a genius…well, excuse me, I can't lie. His writing makes me sick. (3.71)
Konstantin doesn't consider Trigorin an artist, but rather a craftsman skilled at giving the reading public what they want. We believe the term is "sell-out."
Quote #8
Paulina: I never thought you'd ever become a real writer, Kostya. None of us did, really. And now you even get paid for what you write! Thank God! (Runs her hand through Konstantin's hair) And you've gotten so good-looking… Kostya dear… can't you be a little nicer to my Masha? (4.24)
Success in writing gives Konstantin a new, higher status. In Act 1, Paulina would never have wanted Masha to hook up with him.
Quote #9
Trigorin: I bring you congratulations from your many admirers. There's a great deal of curiosity about you in Moscow and Petersburg; people are always asking me about you. (4.96)
While Konstantin's somewhat of a hermit, Trigorin is established in the jet setting—well, train traveling—world of professional artists keeping up with each other's careers. "Hype" is certainly not just a twenty-first century invention.