anding as a writer of the
first class. This play, a great favorite still, contains many
presentations of old Russian customs. It was the first from which the
author received a regular royalty, ranging from one-twentieth to
two-thirds of the profits.

After many more comedies, all more or less noted, all more or less
objected to by the censor, for various reasons, and hostility and bad
treatment on the part of the theatrical authorities, Ostrovsky attained
the zenith of his literary fame with his masterpiece, "Groza" ("The
Thunderstorm"). It was not until 1856, in his comedy "A Drunken Headache
from Another Man's Banquet" (meaning, "to bear another's trouble"), that
Ostrovsky invented the words which have passed into the language,
_samodur_ and _samodurstvo_ (which mean, literally, "self-fool" and "the
state of being a self-fool"). The original "self-fool" is "Tit Tititch
Bruskoff" (provincially pronounced "Kit Kititch" in the play), but no
better example of the pig-headed, obstinate, self-complacent,
vociferous, intolerable tyrant which constitutes the "self-fool" can be
desired than that offered in "The Thunderstorm" by Marfa Ignatievna
Kabanoff, the rich merchant's widow. She rules her son, Tikhon, and his
wife, Katerina, with a rod of iron. Her daughter, Varvara, gets along
with her by consistent deceitfulness, and meets her lover, Kudryash,
whenever she pleases. Tikhon goes off for a short time on business, and
anxious to enjoy a little freedom, he persistently refuses to take his
wife with him, despite her urgent entreaties. She makes the request
because she feels that she is falling in love with Boris.

After his departure, Varvara takes charge of her fate and persuades her
to indulge her affection and to see Boris. Katerina eventually yields to
Varvara's representations. A half-mad old lady, who wanders about
attended by a couple of lackeys, has previously frightened the sensitive
Katerina (who was reared amid family affection, and cannot understand or
endure the tyranny of her mother-in-law) by vague predictions and
threats of hell; and when a thunderstorm suddenly breaks over the
assembled family, after her husband's return, and the weird old lady
again makes her appearance, Katerina is fairly crazed. She thinks the
terrible punishment for her wayward affections has arrived; she
confesses to her husband and mother-in-law that she loves Boris. Spurned
by the latter--though the husband is not inclined to attach