Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Book: Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
The greatest stories have a way of approaching life universally to the effect that after hearing them you feel that all of life's questions are answered. While still in the afterglow of reading such a book you might hear someone complain about something trivial and then think to yourself, "If only they read Anna Karenina their perspective would change and they would be content in life." You feel like you were let in on a little secret. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, is considered by many of the most well-respected authors since its writing to be the greatest novel ever written. It is one of those "universal" type of books. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, although improperly titled, is an extensively enjoyable and exhaustive exposition on finding happiness in life.

That's right, I don't like the title. I think its deceptive and misleading. Because the book is named after one of its key characters, a basic synopsis usually tells her story Anna Karenina and it is quite often summed up something like this: "An elegant lady of Russian society falls passionately in love with a young officer and faces the consequences of her affair." This is what I knew about the book before reading it and I was reluctant to pick it up because of that - stories all about affairs don't sound like much fun. Although on second thought maybe "tawdry love affair" was the exact message Tolstoy and his marketer wanted to put out to get people to pick up the book and hopefully discover it was something more. By now, though, the cat's out of the bag and the only people that read it are either assigned to do so or are working their way down a "Best Novels" list. The only reason I did read it is because I had occasion to read some of Tolstoy's shorter works and learned what an amazing storyteller he is.

Originally published in installments over many years in the 1870's, the story is split in eight parts. The early portions of the book do focus slightly more on Anna Karenina, wife of Count Alexei Karenin, and her beginning an affair and then relationship with Count Vronsky, an officer of the cavalry. Very quickly, though, as much attention is focused on Konstantin Levin, a scholarly farm owner and friend of Anna's brother, Stiva, and his reluctant but budding relationship with Stiva's young sister-in-law, Kitty. Like Anna, Levin undergoes a personal journey throughout the years covered in the book, but with a far different end. Levin is the purest manifestation of Tolstoy's own personal development on every subject discussed including marriage, politics, farming, and faith. By the last fifth of the book Tolstoy focuses almost completely on Levin, allowing the reader to see as he settles into his new life, now married with a child, and reflects on the changes that have happened to him throughout the story.

And so I think this book's title is the greatest misnomer of literary history. Rather than a serial of a passionate love affair, Anna Karenina is Tolstoy's epic treatise on romance, love, marriage, politics, sociology, and God. While much can be learned from Anna's story--and it is told with great skill and precision--her story line could be summed up as a cautionary tale by the end of the book. One of the most chilling passages comes when Anna acknowledges that her choices, and her unwillingness to change, are keeping her from the best part of herself:
"Only Anna was sad. She knew that now, from Dolly’s departure, no one again would stir up within her soul the feelings that had been roused by their conversation. It hurt her to stir up these feelings, but yet she knew that that was the best part of her soul, and that that part of her soul would quickly be smothered in the life she was leading." 
(Location 10405, Garnett translation, Kindle version)
I'm told he originally thought of the title Two Marriages but the plot changed so that wouldn't work. Either way, Levin is just as important of a character as he narrates us through the Tolstoy's main purposes. While at first he seems an anti-social party pooper, he later becomes more likable as he shows us the benefits of more conservative and contemplative decision-making. And by the end, we see the even greater affect of love as he learns the joy of living with trust, and ultimately faith.

The catalyst for the change we see in Levin is his relationship with the much younger Kitty. Though the age difference between the two is socially acceptable for the time period - the importance in emphasizing the gap comes into play as Levin falls in love and is stunned by what he can learn from a young, strong-hearted girl. He starts to reexamine aspects of his life he had written off as he begins to open up to her. Their relationship serves as a distinct counterpoint to that of Anna and Vronsky, not only in propriety but also in selflessness and charity. Near the end of the book, Levin--always engaging his thought in extensive lines of logic to arrive at and justify his frame of mind--begins to see that he intuitively knows the new lessons he's learned about life without having to build up an argument in his mind:
"He did not, as he had done at other times, recall the whole train of thought--that he did not need. He fell back at once into the feeling which had guided him, which was connected with those thoughts, and he found that feeling in his soul even stronger and more definite than before." (Location 13117, Garnett translation, Kindle version)
This final epiphany allows his internal nature to change his perspective on his external reality. He stopped resisting things that before seemed illogical to him but which he felt were true. He can continue to go on in life as before, doing what he did everyday, but with a satisfaction and purpose of goodness filling his soul rather than an uncertain reluctance. What he thinks and does every day, what subjects he contemplates, how he and Kitty express their love for one another and build trust, and how it differs from Anna and Vronsky, covers many aspects of life as you read the book. And the author gives nugget after nugget of wisdom as you do.

Tolstoy's style feels natural and flows through pages of inner-monologue much more easily than you would expect. Although the action and dialogue of the book is enjoyable, most of the defining wisdom of the book is explored and shared through the internal narrative. The application potential is so dense in this book that there'll be no shortage of moments where you'll want to highlight a passage to come back to later. Now all you have to do is resolve not to be frustrated that you can't pronounce any of the Russian names correctly and you'll be ready to go. Oh and make sure you set aside some time... about six months or so.

2 comments:

  1. I just watched the whole PBS miniseries of this while on the treadmill - over several days.( Unfortunately, I can't walk/run on the treadmill for several hours. )I loved the story, but since I just watched this all, wasn't certain I wanted to read/listen to the book, especially since it deals with so much sadness and angst, but after reading your appraisal I think I do. I really loved how the story shows the consequences of our behavior and value of clear thinking and deliberative action in Levin, and the constant unhappiness of Anna as she deals with the consequences of her choices. How about you do a review of Bleak House. I really love that book.

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    1. Yeah, as I mentioned I was reluctant to start it as well, and for some people the way Tolstoy describes how Anna and Vronsky are making decisions is tough to read, but that aspect is a testament to his writing - and overall it is worth it. I'm currently tackling the unabridged Count of Monte Cristo so I don't think I'll be ready for a book as long as Bleak House for a while but I'll get there. Thanks!

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