I understand one of my all-time favorite and most respected authors, William Faulkner, said that "Anna Karenina" was the best novel he had ever read. Wow. That's quite an accolade. I re-read it recently...the first time I read it, I was in college....and unmarried...younger....this time, I was surprised that it resonated with me more than it had initially. Initially I had loved it, but now I not only love it but also feel that Faulkner's conclusion about the book is probably correct. To be clear, there are books I love more than Anna Karenina, but I admit that doesn't make them better books. I hope that makes sense - it does to me. This isn't about Faulkner, though, this is about Anna. I purchased this copy as part of the Easton Press '100 Greatest Books' series. It is a gorgeous volume, but, differs from the bulk of the other volumes I have received in the series by being barely illustrated. That bothered me initially, but I got over it quickly after starting. Tolstoy's prose paint vivid enough pictures and impressions. And, weighing in at I understand 350,000 words or so, there is a lot of painting to enjoy.
There's a lot of deep, well-developed characters in the book. Anna is one of them and shares the name of the book itself. Levin was probably my favorite character though - not due to any dislike for Anna and her story, but simply due to my connecting with him more directly. He was a relatively simple guy...lived in the country....married his sweetheart...she gives birth to his son...and, much later in the book, he makes some significant strides in his faith journey. I recall learning that marriage was much more complex than I had thought it would be....Levin experiences the same lesson. He similarly has to grow to love his own son...parenthood also being more complex than he had thought it would be. But he grows earnestly and admirably...his stumbles along the way serve to humanize him rather than villainize him.
I wanted to share a quote from the book...well, I'll likely share more than one, but this was my favorite excerpt from this reading of the book. "All these traces of his life seemed to clutch to him, and to say to him: 'No, you're not going to get away from us, and you're not going to be different - but you're going to be the same as you've always been: with doubts, everlasting dissatisfaction with yourself, vain efforts to amend, and lapses, and everlasting expectation of a happiness which you won't get, and which isn't possible for you.'" The 'he' in the quote is Levin and is written shortly after his initial proposal to Kitty, his paramour and later his wife, is rejected. The man is haunted by his past and his present...it almost takes on a mocking characteristic. His rejection expands to mean much more than the simple words that Kitty had said...he's rejected by life and by his very goals within it.
"Anna Karenina" is a tumultuous read because its subject matter is somewhat distressing. It is hard to read about suffering and hers and that of those around her is particularly poignant. It's not the point of the book, though. I submit that this book is about achieving, and failing to achieve, goals. This is my amateur opinion, though, having only read the book twice and never having studied it. But that was the impression it made on me.
One more quote - this one from Anna herself: "'I think...if there are as many minds as there are heads, then surely there must be as many kinds of love as there are hearts.'" An astute surmise, to be sure. Love is complicated - no less so than the human mind. For as many people as I have been blessed to love throughout my life, each relationship is different. And the feeling is different. I don't think the word 'love' is very communicative as a result. When someone says that, it is impossible to know what in the world it means. Actions can compliment the words and hint at the meaning, but it will remain diaphanous despite any of our best efforts to clarify. The barrier to communication is nothing to be upset about, though - I could say the same of many words. Human speech is complex and is a powerful tool, but it is only that - a tool. It doesn't create perfect transparency and never can. That's one of the things that makes literature so much fun and so beautiful. It's as much how something is said as what is said that counts.
Reading Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" made me want to re-read "War and Peace" for what would be my third time. I'll get to it someday, but it won't be soon - I've got quite a list of books I want to read soon and need to make headway on that before adding any tomes. I'm grateful to have re-read "Anna Karenina" though. It is an impressive and moving work. It reminds me why I love to read.
Comments