Questions tagged [leo-tolstoy]
For questions about the works of Leo Tolstoy and his life as a writer. Use this tag with the tag [russian-literature].
3
votes
1answer
119 views
What is “the light by which she had read the book” in “Anna Karenina”?
What does the following sentence from Anna Karenina mean?
And the light by which she had read the book filled with troubles, falsehoods, sorrow, and evil, flared up more brightly than ever before, ...
2
votes
1answer
48 views
What is the meaning of a complex sentence from “The Hedgehog and the Fox”?
I'm new in English and I want to understand this sentence from Isaiah Berlin's The Hedgehog and the Fox:
"Rousseau must have strengthened, if he did not actually originate, his growing tendency to ...
2
votes
2answers
75 views
What led Tolstoy to depict that a person would have a change of heart after throwing themselves under a train?
After having read a few different works by Tolstoy, I have come to the conclusion that his main goal is to accurately depict what goes through a person's mind in various situations.
One of the most ...
4
votes
1answer
382 views
Which of Leo Tolstoy's stories are appropriate for children?
I am aware that Tolstoy wrote stories specifically for children. However, I would also like to know which of his other stories of his vast bibliography are suitable (i. e. age appropriate) for ...
4
votes
1answer
152 views
Could Levin have a friend like Oblonsky in real life?
Levin was deep-thinking; Stiva was shallow. It is hard to believe there was long lasting friendship between these two. Exactly What qualities in Oblonsky kept this friendship alive?
Levin constantly ...
10
votes
1answer
328 views
Is Frou-Frou's death a foreshadowing of Anna's in Anna Karenina?
The only thing Vronsky loves more than Anna is Frou-Frou his horse.
In the race he rides her too hard, she falls, and her back breaks. He kicks her in a rage trying to get her up and then shoots her ...
7
votes
1answer
125 views
What is the relevance of the essays in Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'?
War and Peace is regularly interspersed with essays -- something that I have not seen anywhere else in literature. How significant are these essays? They obviously help in exploring the themes and ...
11
votes
1answer
174 views
Why did the doctor give Count Bezukhov cream of tartar?
In War and Peace, Count Bezukhov's doctors gave him Cream of Tartar after his stroke. What purpose did that serve? I haven't been able to find anything about medical benefits of cream of tartar that ...
9
votes
1answer
247 views
What concept of love does Tolstoy suggest in Anna Karenina?
I know one of the characteristics of realistic works is they are mostly formulated as some independent studies of the life of society but, at the same time, I realise that the dominant approach to art ...
12
votes
1answer
236 views
Is there symbolism in Vronsky going bald in Anna Karenina?
As I am reading Anna Karinina I notice how as the story continues Vronsky is going bald.
As characters meet him it is noted how he tries to hid his increasing baldness. For instance when Dolly goes ...
