Description

Anna Karenina is the tragic story of a marriedaristocrat/socialiteand her affair with the affluent Count Vronsky.The story startswhen she arrives in the midst of a family broken upby herbrother's unbridled womanizing—something that prefigures herownlater situation, though she would experience less tolerancebyothers. A bachelor, Vronsky is eager to marry her if shewouldagree to leave her husband Karenin, a senior governmentofficial,but she is vulnerable to the pressures of Russian socialnorms, herown insecurities, and Karenin's indecision. AlthoughVronsky andAnna go to Italy, where they can be together, they havetroublemaking friends. Back in Russia, she is shunned, becomingfurtherisolated and anxious, while Vronsky pursues his sociallife.Despite Vronsky's reassurances, she grows increasinglypossessiveand paranoid about his imagined infidelity, fearing lossofcontrol. A parallel story within the novel is that ofKonstantinLevin, a country landowner who wants to marry Kitty,sister toDolly and sister-in-law to Anna's brother Oblonsky.Konstantin hasto propose twice before Kitty accepts. The noveldetailsKonstantin's difficulties managing his estate, hiseventualmarriage, and his personal issues, until the birth of hisfirstchild. The novel explores a diverse range of topics throughoutitsapproximately thousand pages. Some of these topics includeanevaluation of the feudal system that existed in Russia atthetime—politics, not only in the Russian government but also atthelevel of the individual characters and families,religion,morality, gender and social class.