1878 · Leo Tolstoy · Russia

Anna Karenina

NovelEpicTragedy Essential Romanticism & Victorian

Two parallel narratives follow Anna Karenina's passionate adultery and moral destruction, and Konstantin Levin's search for meaning through family and faith. Tolstoy weaves together intimate domestic life with philosophical speculation.

Literary Significance

Anna Karenina is often cited as the greatest novel ever written, combining sweeping social observation with profound psychological insight and philosophical depth. It remains the supreme realist achievement.

Historical Context

Written during rapid Russian modernization and social change, Anna Karenina explores the collision between traditional values and new desires, individual passion and social obligation.

Narrative Forces

Industrial Revolution · 1760

Mass production and urbanization gave rise to the modern novel and the exploration of social inequality.