Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy’s lightly fictionalized account of his own early experience ranks with Turgenev’s Sportsman’s Notebook as a masterpiece of nineteenth-century Russian pastoral life. Peasants and soldiers, servants and aristocrats: the whole world of Tolstoy’s later fiction appears before us here in glowing colours, painted with that vivid freshness and sharp observation which were to become the mature writer’s hallmarks.

Describing Tolstoy's crisis of depression and estrangement from the world, A Confession (1879) is an autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty. By the time he was fifty, Tolstoy had already written the novels that would assure him of literary immortality; he had a wife, a large estate and numerous children; he was 'a happy man' and in good health - yet life had lost its meaning. In this poignant confessional fragment, he records a period of his life when he began to turn away from fiction and aesthetics, and to search instead for 'a practical religion not promising future bliss, but giving bliss on earth'.

Out of the initial act of counterfeiting a ruble note grows a series of evil deeds, in this, Tolstoy’s last short novel. His theme is the consequences of every human action, for both good and ill: our responsibilities run deep. The escalation of evil can be stopped only by one who humbly absorbs it, without passing it on.

First published in Germany in 1894, after being banned in Russia, The Kingdom of God Is within You reveals Tolstoy's world outlook after his conversion to Christianity. He argues that the kingdom of God is within reach of all. The core of the book deals with his nonresistance to evil, a principle Tolstoy passionately advocated. Gandhi was won over by the book. Tolstoy clearly describes the hazards that bullying governments and false beliefs produced. "The situation of the Christian part of humanity—with its prisons, forced labor, gallows, saloons, brothels, constantly increasing armaments, and millions of confused people ready like trained hounds to attack anyone against whom their masters set them—this situation would be terrible if it were the product of coercion, but it is above all the product of public opinion."Abhorring the violence of revolution, Tolstoy calls on Christians to remember that the only guide for their actions is to be found in the divine principle dwelling within them, which in no sense can be checked or governed by anyone or anything else.

Combining detailed physical description with perceptive psychological insight, Leo Tolstoy realistically sweeps aside the sham of surface appearances to lay bare man's intimate gestures, acts, and thoughts. Murder and sacrifice...greed and devotion...lust and affection...vanity and love - one by one, in this volume of great stories, Tolstoy dissects the basic drives, emotions and motives of average people searching for self-knowledge and spiritual perfection. Chekhov said, "Of coauthors my favorite is Tolstoy." And Turgenev "marveled the strength of his huge talent...It sends a cold shudder even down my back, though you know my back has become thick and course. He is a master, a master."

Leo Tolstoy, 1906: "I remember the astonishment I felt when I first read Shakespeare. I expected to receive a powerful aesthetic pleasure, but having read, one after the other, works regarded as his best: "King Lear," "Romeo and Juliet," "Hamlet" and "Macbeth," not only did I feel no delight, but I felt an irresistible repulsion and tedium... Several times I read the dramas and the comedies and historical plays, and I invariably underwent the same feelings: repulsion, weariness, and bewilderment. At the present time, before writing this preface, being desirous once more to test myself, I have, as an old man of seventy-five, again read the whole of Shakespeare, including the historical plays, the "Henrys," "Troilus and Cressida," "The Tempest", "Cymbeline", and I have felt, with even greater force, the same feelings, --this time, however, not of bewilderment, but of firm, indubitable conviction that the unquestionable glory of a great genius which Shakespeare enjoys, and which compels writers of our time to imitate him and readers and spectators to discover in him non-existent merits, --thereby distorting their aesthetic and ethical understanding, --is a great evil, as is every untruth." Tolstoy on Shakespeare

Leo Tolstoy, 1906: "I remember the astonishment I felt when I first read Shakespeare. I expected to receive a powerful aesthetic pleasure, but having read, one after the other, works regarded as his best: "King Lear," "Romeo and Juliet," "Hamlet" and "Macbeth," not only did I feel no delight, but I felt an irresistible repulsion and tedium... Several times I read the dramas and the comedies and historical plays, and I invariably underwent the same feelings: repulsion, weariness, and bewilderment. At the present time, before writing this preface, being desirous once more to test myself, I have, as an old man of seventy-five, again read the whole of Shakespeare, including the historical plays, the "Henrys," "Troilus and Cressida," "The Tempest", "Cymbeline", and I have felt, with even greater force, the same feelings, --this time, however, not of bewilderment, but of firm, indubitable conviction that the unquestionable glory of a great genius which Shakespeare enjoys, and which compels writers of our time to imitate him and readers and spectators to discover in him non-existent merits, --thereby distorting their aesthetic and ethical understanding, --is a great evil, as is every untruth." Tolstoy on Shakespeare

Leo Tolstoy's final significant novel is "Resurrection" (preceded in 1899). His major works are usually regarded as the 3rd of them, following "War as well as Peace" and "ANNA Karenina." The novel examines issues of injustice, morality as well as redemption and mirrors Tolstoy's progressing spiritual and philosophical perspectives towards the end of his life.The plot centers on Prince Dmitri Ivanovaich Nekhlyudov, a nobleman who's seeking retribution for a sin committed many years ago. When Nekhlyudov was younger he had a short affair with'a maid 'named Katerina Maslova but she fell into prostitutery. Nekhlyudov seats a jury and identifies Maslova as the accused in a murder trial years later on. Nekhlyudov is absolutely horrified that he played a role in her calamity and is wrongly convicted. He promises to assist her and search for forgiveness, going on a profound personal transformational journey.The novel deals with significant issues like the problems of the justice system, poverty among the poor and moral responsibility of people to correct wrongs. Tolstoy critiques the social norms and institutions he discovers perpetuate injustice, especially the moral decline of the aristocracies and the harsh realities of the penal / judicial system.The time of great Social and political transformation in Russia had been the setting of "Resurrection," as per Social and historical Context. In the late 19th century witnessed an increase in dissatisfaction with autokratic rule, prompting even more demands for reform. Tolstoy himself grew to be far more critical of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the government, advocating peaceful opposition along with a reversion to the basic teachings of Christ.The novel also mirrors Tolstoy's keen interest in social justice that increased following his religious awakening in the 1870s. He took an active part in helping the very poor and challenged the moral basis of contemporary society, concentrating on law and coercion rather morality and empathy.

The Kingdom of God Is Within You is a book written by Leo Tolstoy. A philosophical treatise, the book was first published in Germany in 1894 after being banned in Russia. It is the culmination of thirty years of Tolstoy's thinking, and lays out a new organization for society based on an interpretation of Christianity focusing on universal love

Leo Tolstoy authored the novel "The Cossacks" that appeared in 1863. It concentrates on the topics of man's instincts and his encounters with the environment, society, and ethics. Olenin is a Russian aristokrat who, dissatisfied with his conventional society life in Moscow, chooses to seek a less complicated life among the Cozsacks after escaping to the Caucasus Mountains.Olenin falls in love with the Cossack way of living, which he finds more genuine and organic compared to his prior encounters. He falls in love with a nearby Cossack lady called Maryanka and is caught between his attraction to her along with their cultural differences. The tale gives a much deeper look at his interactions with some other Cossack villager villagers and the surrounding landscapes, offering a vivid account of Russian colonial life in the 19th century.Through "The Cossacks," Tolstoy investigates themes of the search, identity, and love for meaning, contributing to his standing as among literature's greatest stylists and philosophers.Leo Tolstoy wrote and set "The Cossacks" during a critical moment in Russian history, particularly in the Caucasus region as the Russian Empire grew as well as consolidated. What were some crucial historical context factors which shaped the novel?

The story concerns the love and marriage of a young girl, Mashechka (17 years old), and the much older Sergey Mikhaylych (36), an old family friend. The story is narrated by Masha. After a courtship that has the trappings of a mere family friendship, Masha's love grows and expands until she can no longer contain it. She reveals it to Sergey Mikhaylych and discovers that he also is deeply in love. If he has resisted her it was because of his fear that the age difference between them would lead the very young Masha to tire of him. He likes to be still and quiet, he tells her, while she will want to explore and discover more and more about life. Ecstatically and passionately happy, the pair immediately engages to be married. Once married they move to Mikhaylych's home. They are both members of the landed Russian upper class. Masha soon feels impatient with the quiet order of life on the estate, notwithstanding the powerful understanding and love that remains between the two. To assuage her anxiety, they decide to spend a few weeks in St. Petersburg. Sergey Mikhaylych agrees to take Masha to an aristocratic ball. He hates "society" but she is enchanted with it. They go again, and then again. She becomes a regular, the darling of the countesses and princes, with her rural charm and her beauty. Sergey Mikhaylych, at first very pleased with Petersburg society's enthusiasm for his wife, frowns on her passion for "society"; but he does not try to influence Masha. Out of respect for her, Sergey Mikhaylych will scrupulously allow his young wife to discover the truth about the emptiness and ugliness of "society" on her own. But his trust in her is damaged as he watches how dazzled she is by this world. Finally they confront each other about their differences. They argue but do not treat their conflict as something that can be resolved through negotiation. Both are shocked and mortified that their intense love has suddenly been called into question. Something has changed. Because of pride, they both refuse to talk about it. The trust and the closeness are gone. Only courteous friendship remains. Masha yearns to return to the passionate closeness they had known before Petersburg. They go back to the country. Though she gives birth to children and the couple has a good life, she despairs. They can barely be together by themselves. Finally she asks him to explain why he did not try to guide and direct her away from the balls and the parties in Petersburg. Why did they lose their intense love? Why don't they try to bring it back? His answer is not the answer she wants to hear, but it settles her down and prepares her for a long life of comfortable "Family Happiness