Anna Karenina Study Guide
There’s an eternal battle over which of the Leo Tolstoy creations is more of a masterpiece: “Anna Karenina” or “War and Peace”. And while the latter will never loose its historic and political interest, “Anna Karenina” in its turn will live forever thanks to the glorifying concepts of female roles and family relationships of the late 1870s.
The book explored the same politics, but not from the war, crime, peace and punishment perspectives. “Anna Karenina” talks about Russian feudal system, religious life, innovative estate management, marriage and family relationships. It’s an encyclopedia of Russian social and moral standing of that time. The best writers of both Russian and world literature, among which Dostoyevsky, Nabokov, Faulkner, and others, have praised the novel’s writing style and realistic fiction genre execution.
The story begins with a great mess in the family caused by the doubtful relationships of Stiva Oblonsky. While trying to fix her brother’s family, Anna finds her own sin. Being a woman and thus an object for stereotypes, when Mrs. Karenina becomes engaged in an affair with Count Vronsky, she experienced much less tolerance and condonation toward herself.
At the same time, Konstantin Levin is counting Anna’s friend, who is madly in love with Anna’s lover. After some time he manages to conquer the girl’s heart and the two learn to function together as a couple.
Anna’s behavior might seem typical and boring at first. You will be surprised how each chapter unfolds. The novel is everything but predictable. There will be moments when you support the heroine and moments when you strongly disagree with her choices. But the author always protects the character’s right to act in a certain way and shows the reason behind it.
Do you still consider the aristocratic life of the late 19th century dull and unimaginative? Then start reading “Anna Karenina” now. It’s exciting, thrilling, fascinating and serious at the same time.
Author: David Sutton
New Essays
The novel Anna Karenina, written by Leo Tolstoy in 1873, explores the debilitating effects societal pressures can have within relationships, confining the freedom of the individual. The storyline follows two main protagonists, both of which strive to find meaning in their relationships despite...
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” — Page 23 — “If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.” — — “I think... if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.” — — “Respect...
Anna Karenina is not the ‘villain’ that other characters describe her to be, but merely a victim of the social and economic circumstances of his time. To what extent would you agree with this statement? Anna Karenina is the tragedy of married aristocrat and socialite Anna Karenina and her affair...
What makes a book a classic? Is it a book that stands the test of time or is it some book that represents the period it was written in. Is it a book that has universal appeal or the one that touches our core and basic our emotions? Is it a book that merges themes under stood by a wide range of...