Name: Anna Karenina
Author: Leo Tolstoy
ISBN: 9780192815101

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy

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Author Description

Described by William Faulkner as the best novel ever written and by Fyodor Dostoevsky as “flawless,” Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and thereby exposes herself to the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness.

Menrva's Summary

THE PULSE

The illicit affair between Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky triggers a catastrophic collision between individual desire and the rigid moral expectations of nineteenth-century Russian aristocracy. Anna, trapped in a loveless marriage with the cold bureaucrat Alexei Karenin, seeks liberation through her attraction to the charismatic Vronsky. Her pursuit of personal fulfillment forces her to navigate the suffocating social codes of St. Petersburg and Moscow, where her choices lead to isolation and psychological decline. The narrative employs a third-person omniscient perspective to weave together the lives of multiple characters, contrasting Anna's descent with the spiritual and domestic search for meaning undertaken by Konstantin Levin.

INSIDE THE PAGES

Multi-perspective narrative structure focusing on parallel character arcs
Detailed exploration of the Russian agrarian reform and rural life
Extensive social commentary on the hypocrisy of the upper class
Philosophical inquiries into the nature of faith, family, and duty
Contrast between urban decadence and rural simplicity
Psychological realism in character development
Symbolism involving trains and the changing seasons
Episodic progression reflecting the slow decay of social standing

THE COLLECTIVE ECHO

Readers and critics frequently highlight the novel's immense scope and the precision with which Tolstoy captures the complexities of human motivation. Discussion often centers on the stark contrast between the tragic trajectory of Anna and the philosophical growth of Levin, which provides a balanced view of the human condition. The atmosphere is noted for its immersive quality, effectively transporting the reader into the social and political climate of nineteenth-century Russia. Many observers emphasize that the pacing is deliberate, allowing for deep character introspection that remains relevant across generations. The work is widely regarded for its ability to examine the intersection of personal morality and societal pressure without resorting to simplistic moralizing.

Page Count:
840

Publication Date:
1980-05-15

Publisher:
Oxford University Press

ISBN-10:
0192815105

ISBN-13:
9780192815101

Romance

Historical

Russian

Subjects

classic

Realism

Tragedy