I've been half-heartedly reading this for some time (see previous post) and realised that I couldn't bear to go back to work after such a long time off after Christmas without finishing it. This has meant that I've spent a lot of time reading in the last couple of days - there are worse ways to spend a very cold holiday.
Firstly, I'd like to thoroughly recommend to you keen readers that a slanket (blanket with sleeves) is a fantastic addition to your reading equipment. I was given one for Christmas by my brilliant friend Jo - I have rarely left the sofa since due to the extreme comfort (and occasional electric shock from the static it creates), and it has most definitely facilitated reaching the end of a difficult read.
Secondly - Anna Karenina. Hmm. As I read this, I couldn't shake the feeling that Tolstoy had about three different books in mind, and at least 6 essays on philosophical and religious concepts, as he wrote and, rather than writing separate works, rolled it all into one. My overwhelming feeling at the end was word fatigue. I think this is mainly due to the way Tolstoy seemed to be working towards a grand ending, then veered off for a few thousand words to discuss the rights and wrongs of war, before shoe horning the story back towards his ending...I think it would have been more powerful as a culmination without this diversion.
There are three main strands to the story - Anna & Vronsky, Kitty & Levin, and Dolly & Stiva. Anna & Vronsky are an exploration of what might happen if you follow your heart at the expense of previous commitments and promises - the social quagmire they find themselves in, the realisation of how much has been given up, and the guilt all chip away at the happiness of their new-found love and it is never going to end well. Dolly & Stiva as a storyline kind of hovered in the background - they feature strongly at the beginning but, once Dolly accepts Stiva's adultery and decides to move on with their marriage, fade into the background as a constant reminder of the stresses and strains of living beyond your means. Stiva seems to play the part of a catalyst for other events in the novel, often coincidentally popping up in unexpected places to facilitate meetings between other characters or the moving on of the story. Kitty & Levin were, I think, the most interesting characters, in the way that they develop and grow a happy and fulfilled relationship despite Levin's best efforts to sabotage it by over-thinking.
It is a majestic work. I suspect it would be made vastly more readable by removing the sections on the peasantry & musings on the best way to manage farmland and there were also times when it seemed to drift for 50 pages or so before moving things on. I suspect Tolstoy's aim in writing was more about the leisurely exploration of concepts than creating a tight, fast-moving tale...or if not, this is certainly what he achieved. I can't see myself reading it again - I actually didn't find any of the characters particularly believable, and also didn't think that any of them moved much beyond the initial character sketch/characteristics laid out for them. I suspect that each character represented a particular type of belief or person in society but I'm just not interested enough to do the reading which would give me that background knowledge...sorry! I would not venture to argue that it shouldn't be considered one of the greats - but it is probably one I won't even dip into again. As Daniel commented in my previous post - it's useful to have read it to understand other allusions to the work but that's about as far as it goes.
So, next - slightly unenviable choice between the three as-yet-unread Dickens novels on the list. I need to read one now or I will find myself at the end with all Dickens to go, and I can't think of anything worse!
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