Special Offers see all

More at Powell's

Interviews | Q&As | Essays

Powell’s Q&A: Michael Marder

0 comments By Michael Marder

Describe your latest work. When I started working on Plant-Thinking in 2008, I had no idea that the project would turn out to be as broad as it did.... Continue »

$26.95 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

Plant-Thinking: A Philosophy of Vegetal Life
Michael MarderMichael Marder 9780231161251

$10.95

New Trade Paper

Ships in 1 to 3 days

Qty	Store	Section
25	Local Warehouse	Literature- A to Z
14	Remote Warehouse	Literature- A to Z

More copies of this ISBN

Used, Trade Paper, $7.00

This title in other editions

Other titles in the Modern Library Classics series:

Anna Karenina (Modern Library Classics)

by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy

ISBN13: 9780679783305
ISBN10: 067978330x
All Product Details

Reading Group Guide

1. When Anna Karenina was published, critics accused Tolstoy of writing a novel with too many characters, too complex a story line, and too many details. Henry James called Tolstoy's works "baggy monsters." In response, Tolstoy wrote of Anna Karenina "I am very proud of its architecture-its vaults are joined so that one cannot even notice where the keystone is." What do you make of Tolstoy's use of detail? Does it make for a more "realistic" novel?

2. The first line of Anna Karenina, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," can be interpreted a number of ways. What do you think Tolstoy means by this?

3. In your opinion, how well does Tolstoy, as a male writer, capture the perspectives of his female characters? Do you think Anna Karenina is the most appropriate title for the book? Is Tolstoy more critical of Anna for her adultery than he is of Oblonsky or of Vronsky?

4. What role does religion play in the novel? Compare Levin's spiritual state of mind at the beginning and the end of the novel. What parallels can you draw between Levin's search for happiness and Anna's descent into despair?

5. Why is it significant that Karenina lives in St. Petersburg, Oblonsky in Moscow, and Levin in the country? How are Moscow and St. Petersburg described by Tolstoy? What conclusions can you draw about the value assigned to place in the novel?

6. What are the different kinds of love that Anna, Vronsky, Levin, Kitty, Stiva, and Dolly seek? How do their desires change throughout the novel?

7. How do the ideals of love and marriage come into conflict in Anna Karenina? Using examples from the novel, what qualities do you think seem to make for a successful marriage? According to Tolstoy, is it more important to find love at all costs or to uphold the sanctity of marriage, even if it is a loveless one?

8. Ultimately, do you think Anna Karenina is a tragic novel or a hopeful one?

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!

Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

: reaganjt, August 4, 2012 (view all comments by reaganjt)
The raw emotions are unexpected in this classic read. Pick up this book, you won't want to put it down.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No

report this comment

: reaganjt, August 4, 2012 (view all comments by reaganjt)
The raw emotions are unexpected in this classic read. Pick up this book, you won't want to put it down.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No

report this comment

View all 2 comments

Product Details

ISBN:: 9780679783305
Introduction:: Simpson, Mona
Other:: Kent, Leonard J.
Introduction by:: Simpson, Mona
Introduction:: Simpson, Mona
Author:: Kent, Leonard J.
Author:: Tolstoy, Leo Nikolayevich
Author:: Garnett, Constance
Author:: Simpson, Mona
Author:: Berberova, Nina
Author:: Tolstoy, Leo
Author:: Garnett, Constance Black
Publisher:: Modern Library
Location:: New York
Subject:: Fiction
Subject:: Classics
Subject:: Russian & Former Soviet Union
Subject:: Adultery
Subject:: Married women
Subject:: Russia
Subject:: Love stories
Subject:: Allegories
Subject:: Didactic fiction
Subject:: Literature-A to Z
Edition Number:: 1st ed.
Edition Description:: Trade paper
Series:: Modern Library Classics
Series Volume:: IMS-14
Publication Date:: 20001031
Binding:: TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:: General/trade
Language:: English
Pages:: 976
Dimensions:: 8.03x5.22x1.43 in. 1.54 lbs.

Other books you might like

Madame Bovary (Vintage Classics) Gustave Flaubert

Used Trade Paper $5.95
Crime and Punishment: A Novel in Six... Fyodor Dostoevsky

Used Trade Paper $8.95
The Pilgrim's Progress (Penguin... John Bunyan Used Mass Market $2.50
Don Quixote (Penguin Classics) Miguel De Cervantes Used Trade Paper $7.00
Moby-Dick: Or, the Whale (Penguin... Herman Melville

Used Trade Paper $7.95
Enduring Love Ian McEwan

Used Trade Paper $1.98

Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Romance » Historical

Follow us on...

RSS 2.0
Log Off

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.