“If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.”
About The Author
Leo Tolstoy (9 September 1828-20 November 1970) was a Russian writer. He received multiple nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Nobel Peace Prize. His best-known novels are “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina.” He first received literary acclaim in his twenties. He also served as an artillery officer during the Crimean War.
About The Novel
This story is about a girl named Anna Karenina, wife of Karenin, who is St. Petersburg government official. When she moves Oblonsky to meditate, she met with a military man named Alexei Vronsky. They both fell in love with each other. Later, Anna told her husband about her extramarital affair, which made him stunned. After that, so many dramatic incidents happened. In the end, Anna committed suicide.
Genre: Literary Realism, Psychological, Tragedy
Tone: Sympathetic, Observant, and Moralistic
Type: Novel
Year of Publication: 1877
Main Characters
- Anna Karenina: The protagonist of the novel
- Alexie Karenin: Anna’s husband
- Alexei Vronsky: Anna’s lover
- Konstantin Levin: Co-protagonist of the novel
- Kitty: Levin’s wife
- Stiva: Anna’s brother
- Dolly: Stiva’s wife
- Seryozha: Anna’s son
Themes
- Love- Love is the central theme in the novel. It is both destructive and productive theme.
- Society-Society is an evil theme in the novel when Karenin realizes his wife is cheating on him; he thought that society is laughing at him.
- Forgiveness-Forgiveness is also an essential theme in the novel. In the story, Dolly and Karenin forgive their spouses for cheating.
- Family-The whole story revolves around family love and affection.
Famous Works of Leo Tolstoy
- War and Peace: The novel has accounts of Napoleon’s wars combined with fictional characters
- The Kreutzer Sonata: A musical novel with some paranormal experiences
- The Death of Ivan Ilyich: A story based on the exploration of philosophy and redeeming of Christianity
- Sevastopol Sketches: The book has three short stories based on his own life experiences
- Resurrection: The story shows a complicated relationship between the protagonist and his desperate attempts of forgiveness and redemption
- The Cossacks: The story shows the later stages of the Caucasian War in a fictional rate
- A Confession: A confession is an autobiography of Leo Tolstoy which has honest accounts of his troubling times.
