
Resurrection, the last full-length novel written by Leo Tolstoy, was published in 1899 after ten years in the making. A humanitarian cause—the pacifist Doukhobor sect, persecuted by the Russian government, needed funds to emigrate to Canada—prompted Tolstoy to finish the novel and dedicate its ensuing revenues to alleviate their plight. Ultimately, Tolstoy’s actions were credited with helping hundreds of Doukhobors emigrate to Canada. The novel centers on the relationship between Nekhlúdoff, a Russian landlord, and Máslova, a prostitute whose life took a turn for the worse after Nekhlúdoff wronged her ten years prior to the novel’s events. After Nekhlúdoff happens to sit in the jury for a trial in which Máslova is accused of poisoning a merchant, Nekhlúdoff begins to understand the harm he has inflicted upon Máslova—and the harm that the Russian state and society inflicts upon the poor and marginalized—as he embarks on a quest to alleviate Máslova’s suffering. Nekhlúdoff’s process of spiritual awakening in Resurrection serves as a framing for many of the novel’s religious and political themes, such as the hypocrisy of State Christianity and the injustice of the penal system, which were also the subject of Tolstoy’s nonfiction treatise on Christian anarchism, The Kingdom of God Is Within You. The novel also explores the “single tax” economic theory propounded by the American economist Henry George, which drives a major subplot in the novel concerning the management of Nekhlúdoff’s estates.
A nobleman’s service on a jury forces him to confront the woman he once seduced and abandoned, triggering a profound moral crisis. Prince Dmitri Nekhlúdoff encounters Kátya Máslova, a woman he once exploited, now standing trial for murder. Recognizing his own culpability in her descent into poverty and prostitution, he attempts to secure her acquittal and eventual freedom. His efforts are hindered by the rigid, corrupt bureaucracy of the Russian legal system and his own internal struggle to reconcile his aristocratic privilege with his newfound Christian conscience. The narrative follows his transformation as he attempts to rectify his past actions while navigating a society he now views as fundamentally unjust.
Readers and critics often identify this work as a culmination of the author’s later moral and political philosophy. Discussion frequently centers on the stark contrast between the protagonist’s internal spiritual growth and the external stagnation of the Russian state. Many observers highlight the novel’s uncompromising critique of institutional hypocrisy, noting that the narrative functions as much as a social manifesto as a work of fiction. While some readers find the didactic elements heavy-handed, others appreciate the depth of the character development and the author’s unflinching look at human suffering. The text remains a significant point of reference for those interested in the intersection of literature and social reform.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1994-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191593664
ISBN-13:
9780191593666
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