Anna Karenina FINALE: Revenge of the Reddit Atheists

What an absolutely dogshit ending to an otherwise incredible book. We made it through 800 pages for this?? I still love you Tolstoy but seriously wtf bro.

This discussion covers parts 6, 7, and 8 of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. 

Anna's unhappy ending: Look how they massacred my girl. Is this a tale of a wanton harlot who got what was coming to her, or a good woman driven mad by society's strictures? What is it exactly that Tolstoy disapproves of about Anna's actions? How much would he hate her revival as a feminist icon? Is Aella the modern Anna K?

Levin's leap of faith: Is there any way this isn't totally unredeemable bullshit that ruins the end of the book? Sadly, no. Nevertheless we explore Levin's 'undefined but significant ideas'. Should we turn our brains off, and disregard reason and philosophy in favour of tradition? Is Christianity the final word in moral progress? Cam is more sympathetic to the leap of faith: if we replace religion, what do we replace it with?

Final thoughts: Jordan Peterson has a line about Dostoevsky being the great psychologist of the 20th century and Tolstoy being the great sociologist. Is he right? Where do we land on this book overall? Would we recommend it wholeheartedly? What are our favourite things about Tolstoy? Do we have to read War and Peace now? 

...and, if you can believe it, more

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) hot takes
(00:05:30) Anna’s unhappy ending
(00:24:26) the feminist reading of Anna vs society
(00:29:55) Parallels with the Kitty/Levin arc
(00:44:05) Vronsky’s teeth discourse
(00:49:35) Levin’s depression and rejection of reason
(01:05:40) Cam makes the case for the leap of faith
(01:11:43) Dostoevsky vs Tolstoy: who’s the better psychologist?
(01:19:12) Would we recommend this book?

 

WRITE US:

We love listener feedback. Send us a note at douevenlit@gmail.com to correct our hot takes, add your own, or ask a question.

NEXT ON THE READING LIST:

• The Library of Babel - Jorge Luis Borges
• Butcher's Crossing - John Williams