by Leo Tolstoy
Introduction. Anna Karenina was written by classical Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy from 1875 to 1877, and was published in The Russian Messenger in 1878. The novel is set in several locations, including Saint Petersburg, Moscow, the Russian countryside, and some portions in Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria. The (originally) 864-page realist novel is about the climate of topics such as love, romance, philosophy, and culture in Russian society around the end of the 19th Century, as depicted via several relationships.
Analysis. Widely regarded as one of Tolstoy’s greatest works, Anna Karenina was written by a more seasoned hand, following the completion of War and Peace, Tolstoy’s first masterpiece. In Anna Karenina, Tolstoy artistically depicts the characters in his quintessential form, capturing the beauty and charm associated with the positive attributes of character personalities, while also surveying their gritty, raw elements of personal ambition and desire. The major theme of the novel clearly relays the importance of being happy with what one has, rather than falling into the old cliché: “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”
Evaluation. This novel is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is without a doubt one of the best novels written during the Golden Age of Russian literature; by one of the most highly regarded authors of the era, no less. Anna Karenina wields many layers of meaning, ranging from optimistic prospects of social change in Russian society to the dismal depression of Nihilism encircling questions about the meaning/purpose of life. Tolstoy clearly praises simple Russian peasants (advocating for the value of their liberation), and depicts a non-religiously sanctioned divorce, which was extremely progressive for his time. These concepts, and many others like them, capture a sense of social unrest in Russia, which ended up evolving into the Bolshevik Revolution and Socialism under the Communist Soviet Union.
Conclusion. Although I do not personally endorse Communism, many of the values of the Soviet Union, nor Nihilism; understanding their origins, and the influential texts which ushered in their relevance, can be very informative. Further, from a historical context, it is fascinating to see how the social climate of Russia rapidly evolved around the 19th Century, and most of the progressive ideas of the time are masterfully captured in this novel. Anna Karenina is very long, so I only recommend it to a dedicated reader who can appreciate its historical relevance without adopting the same ideologies which shaped one of America’s historical adversaries.
-Cully