![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Think of it as a reverse matryoshka doll: every layer of Anna Karenina reveals a bigger story than the last. To state what this Russia-sized Russian novel is "all about" is as ridiculous as saying what love, or politics, or society is "all about." It's way bigger than that. And the story of unstable national identity. And the story of being a political figure. And the story of gaining religious faith. And the story of Russian labor after the serfs were freed. It's also, however, the story of the claustrophobic nightmarescape of 19th Century Russian society. It's the story of a high-profile affair, complete with sex, pregnancy, heartbreak, and (#spoilernotspoiler) suicide-by-train. ![]() er, bad girl.īecause while other Russian novels grapple with massive themes like war, peace, crime, and punishment, Anna Karenina serves up all the Big Issues with a side order of tasty, titillating and tantalizing gossip. Is Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina a great Russian novel or the greatest Russian novel? It's hard to say (because there are a bunch of contenders for that title), but even if you've never read a word of any Russian novel, chances are that you've heard of this bad boy. ![]()
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