Anna Karenina : Vols. 12

Anna Karenina, this great novel, which pushes to redefine epic tragedy in new time-space contexts, presents the moral question of guilt or sin within a profound historical-social context, placing each individuals responsibility towards society and their own lives at the center of reflection. At the same time, it also depicts all the fundamental and central contradictions of contemporary Russian life. Along with addressing the problems of social life, art, and philosophy, Tolstoy also addresses the womens question with deep philosophical concern, focusing on the problems of family and moral life. It is noteworthy that after the publication of this novel, Tolstoy underwent a profound ideological crisis, culminating in his rejection of all the foundations of the existing system and his ruthless and unflinching critique of the social structure, despite propounding the principle of non-resistance to evil through force. Although the scope of Anna Karenina is narrower than that of War and Peace, the characters in this novel are more complex. They appear more sensitive, and their inner tensions and anxieties reflect the uncertainty and instability of life as a whole. Anna Karenina is also, to a certain extent, an autobiographical novel. While writing it, Tolstoy was undergoing a process of self-clarification about his time and his own life. Tolstoys concern with the problems raised and addressed in the novel led him into a new ideological crisis in the late 1870s, and his support for the patriarchal peasant perspective also became endangered.