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Originally Posted by !@#$%!
eh?? the book is anything but nihilistic. maybe levin's "bad thinking"? but the "bad thinking" is thoroughly refuted by the entire novel. tolstoy was a christian and ended up as i recall founding a religion or a cult or a theology or something...
it's a depressing book for anna, but in spite of the title she's not the main character, she's the... cautionary tale? this is levin's story, who is tolstoy's alter ego, after all
then again like count vronski tolstoy was a count and an officer (he was involved in the crimean war) and a young degenerate. so maybe anna is the life that he gave up
for more on tolstoy's moral/moralistic approach, i'd recommend a couple of shorter narratives: the kreutzer sonata (a "nervous" novella), and ivan the fool (a very funny fable, i read it as a child)
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I just mean it kinda
seems that way. It often feels hopeless, like there’s nothing worth believing in. And several characters — Anna, Dolly, Levin — essential say as much out loud multiple times in the novel. But I don’t think it’s nihilistic at its core. To me, again, it’s more hopeful than it’s made out to be.
I’m onto shorter and more leisurely reads now (see: Irving, boy am I storming through Hotel New Hampshire compared to the 2-month journey that was Anna K.) But eventually I’ll want more Tolstoy (AND Dostoevsky — man, that Brothers Karamazov floored me!)