When their dalliance is discovered, scandalizing Russian high society, Anna’s world begins to unravel and, well, locomotive tragedy ensues.Īs you would expect, Anna Karenina has been adapted many, many, many times over the past century. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world’s finest books to their full potential.The news out of Moscow/wherever Netflix is headquartered today is that the streaming giant has set a contemporary reimagining of Anna Karenina as its first-ever Russian original drama series.įor the ignorant among you, Leo Tolstoy’s epic 1878 novel -considered by many to be the greatest work of literature ever written -is the tale of a beautiful but unhappily married Muscovite who begins an affair with a dashing young calvary officer. Simon & Schuster Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader’s experience Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction Critical analysis and modern perspectives on the work An outline of key themes and plot points to guide the reader’s own interpretations

A timeline of significant events that provides the book’s historical context A chronology of the author’s life and work A concise introduction that gives the reader important background information

Surrounding these two central plot threads are dozens of characters whom Tolstoy seamlessly weaves together, making Anna Karenina a breathtaking overview of nineteenth-century Russian society. While Anna looks for happiness through love-rashly defying the conventions of Russian society by leaving her husband and son to live with her lover, which finds her condemned and ostracized by her peers and prone to fits of jealousy that alienate Vronsky-Levin embarks on his own search for spiritual fulfillment through marriage, family, and hard work. This impossible and destructive triangle is set against the courtship and marriage of Levin, a melancholy landowner, and Kitty, a beautiful young woman was also initially sought after by Vronsky. Anna Karenina is a powerful meditation on love and marriage, envy and retribution, and the desire for happiness.Ĭonsidered one of the greatest novels ever written, Anna Karenina is the story of Anna, her marriage to Karenin, a high-ranking government minister, and her affair with Vronsky, a wealthy and charismatic military officer.

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