Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" is largely autobiographical and expressive of his yearnings. His main character, Anna, exemplifies both what he admires and what he repels in a woman. Anna embodies more than human fullness in a lovable woman, specifically in the mother Tolstoy lost before he...

The famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote "War and Peace" in 1865. It is a story about the lives of the Russian royal family from 1805 to 1815. This book depicts things and events that happened during the war. The novel describes the war with Napoleon in which many countries were involved such a...

In Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy examines the psychological makeup of Konstantin Levin. On one hand, he is a symbol for the educated landowners and aristocracy that is prevalent in Russia. Conversely, he represents the struggle in searching for the meaning of life. Although part of the Russian Aristocr...

War and Peace The famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote "War and Peace" in 1865. It is a story about the lives of the Russian royal family from 1805 to 1815. This book depicts things and events that happened during the war. The novel describes the war with Napoleon in which many countries were ...

When reading a piece of literature, a protagonist can often times make a discovery which can make the protagonist view life in a different way. This happens with Ivan Ilych, the protagonist in the short story, "The Death of Ivan Ilych" by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Upon making a dis...