Jazzman
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Hi everyone, just finished Anna Karenina this afternoon. Phew -- what an enormous read it turned out to be. Took me somewhere between 1.5-2 months to read it.
I also read the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translated version and thought that they did a fantastic job. In case anyone is trying to find this version, it is the one sponsored by Oprah’s Book Club. The footnotes and comments were all top notch and the language was smooth and very readable. I will definitely go and buy their version of Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov just because of this novel.
Now for my opinion on the novel.
This being my first time reading Anna Karenina, I undoubtedly missed tons of the more important innuendos and specific connotations but please forgive me. I wholeheartedly agree with the previous post about Tolstoy's supreme gift at making characters believable and realistic. Levin, with his introductory nervous attitude or Stepan, who is the friend everyone has -- always there to make you laugh and give you a good time. Also, it was quite evident to me that Tolstoy enjoys poking fun at the milieu socialites of his era and how they elaborate on things as if they were of extreme importance when in fact they are very insignificant and pointless. Look at the whole election scene in the novel, for example. Funny how little some things change over time.
Also described in enormity is Russia's change from a serfdom style to a peasantry style culture where all the wealthy landowners and aristocrats have to change the way things are run and the muzhiks (peasants) are given a chance to have responsibility as to how the country is managed (if only minimally at first). These scenes and themes, which mostly involved the character of Levin (who was easily my most favorite character in this novel and is eerily similar to myself in real life by way of acting and thinking), were priceless in helping to somewhat grasp how life and time was spent in 19th century Russia. Also mentioned in a previous post was the scene when Levin has just helped mow the field with a bunch of muzhiks and afterwards spends time thinking atop a bushel of hay contemplating life and such. This description in the novel is perhaps one of the most lovely pieces of writing I have ever come across in my life and advise everyone to read the novel if just for this one chapter.
I found it extremely curious to read how the culturally, socially and religiously taboo occurrence of divorce and separation is dealt with and opinionated throughout the novel. Can you slightly see how the way Vronsky and Anna act and their disregard towards other peoples opinions at times could eventually lead to the way modern aristocrats act and parade around in foolish ways? Contrastly, the lack of disregard towards other peoples opinions and its affects lead to such drastic psychological issues with Anna later on. Even Anna's husband Alexei Alexandrovich has serious self-imposed stress issues throughout the middle of the novel as to how, in his politically saturated world, it would be terrible and career halting for something such as a divorce to happen.
Spoiler (read at own risk) - As an aside, I found it priceless and extremely creepy to note the irony behind the fact that Vronsky and Anna met at a train station where someone is killed while Anna on her way to see Vronsky for the last time forces herself under a passing train at a train station. I still cannot believe that.
Anyway, those are just some thoughts in a brief sketch but I would love to delve into a specific topic with someone.
I also read the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translated version and thought that they did a fantastic job. In case anyone is trying to find this version, it is the one sponsored by Oprah’s Book Club. The footnotes and comments were all top notch and the language was smooth and very readable. I will definitely go and buy their version of Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov just because of this novel.
Now for my opinion on the novel.
This being my first time reading Anna Karenina, I undoubtedly missed tons of the more important innuendos and specific connotations but please forgive me. I wholeheartedly agree with the previous post about Tolstoy's supreme gift at making characters believable and realistic. Levin, with his introductory nervous attitude or Stepan, who is the friend everyone has -- always there to make you laugh and give you a good time. Also, it was quite evident to me that Tolstoy enjoys poking fun at the milieu socialites of his era and how they elaborate on things as if they were of extreme importance when in fact they are very insignificant and pointless. Look at the whole election scene in the novel, for example. Funny how little some things change over time.
Also described in enormity is Russia's change from a serfdom style to a peasantry style culture where all the wealthy landowners and aristocrats have to change the way things are run and the muzhiks (peasants) are given a chance to have responsibility as to how the country is managed (if only minimally at first). These scenes and themes, which mostly involved the character of Levin (who was easily my most favorite character in this novel and is eerily similar to myself in real life by way of acting and thinking), were priceless in helping to somewhat grasp how life and time was spent in 19th century Russia. Also mentioned in a previous post was the scene when Levin has just helped mow the field with a bunch of muzhiks and afterwards spends time thinking atop a bushel of hay contemplating life and such. This description in the novel is perhaps one of the most lovely pieces of writing I have ever come across in my life and advise everyone to read the novel if just for this one chapter.
I found it extremely curious to read how the culturally, socially and religiously taboo occurrence of divorce and separation is dealt with and opinionated throughout the novel. Can you slightly see how the way Vronsky and Anna act and their disregard towards other peoples opinions at times could eventually lead to the way modern aristocrats act and parade around in foolish ways? Contrastly, the lack of disregard towards other peoples opinions and its affects lead to such drastic psychological issues with Anna later on. Even Anna's husband Alexei Alexandrovich has serious self-imposed stress issues throughout the middle of the novel as to how, in his politically saturated world, it would be terrible and career halting for something such as a divorce to happen.
Spoiler (read at own risk) - As an aside, I found it priceless and extremely creepy to note the irony behind the fact that Vronsky and Anna met at a train station where someone is killed while Anna on her way to see Vronsky for the last time forces herself under a passing train at a train station. I still cannot believe that.
Anyway, those are just some thoughts in a brief sketch but I would love to delve into a specific topic with someone.
