This will be short and sweet (and probably written over several sessions). You see, I have a very poorly back, caused by lots of typing at work (nothing to do with my blog!). On the down side, this means putting just about everything in my life on hold - work, studies, playing with my daughter (even the blog will be affected). On the up side, apart from sleeping and going to the physio, about the only thing I can do is read...Anyway, I have recently finished the aforementioned Tolstoy collection, consisting of four novellas (or long short stories if you prefer): 'Family Happiness', 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich', 'The Kreutzer Sonata' and 'The Devil'. I can honestly say that these are not stories you should be reading if your marriage is on shaky ground (especially the last one). Let me elaborate...
In 'Family Happiness', a two-part story, a young woman falls in love with an older man, a friend of her late father (very normal for the nineteenth century, so I'm told), and we are led through her experiences - from first love, sweet courtship, marriage and honeymoon... to what comes after. Despite the minor hiccups she experiences, this is by far the cheeriest of the four tales.
Ivan Ilyich, as suggested by the title, ends up dead (and fairly early too). However, the story is concerned with how he dies and the reflection he undertakes on his life while waiting for it to end, leading him to conclude that his life (and marriage) was wasted. The next story, 'The Kreutzer Sonata', also tells us at the start how events are destined to unfold, but the skilful unveiling of the reasons behind a murder keeps the reader's attention until the very last page.
In the final story, 'The Devil', Tolstoy leaves us with two endings, allowing us to choose who (or what) the devil of the title is: is it the alluringly sexy peasant woman; or is it the sexual drive of the married landowner who cannot keep away from her, no matter how hard he tries? Either way, it doesn't end well...
The four stories reflect Tolstoy's views on love and marriage: his dislike of the 'cattle market' that the game of match-making had become; the double standards of wealthy young men sowing their wild oats while searching for a chaste, pure woman to settle down with; the evil, natural necessity of a sex drive, the removal, or repression, of which (according to Count Leo) would lead to the fulfilment of humanity. As you may have guessed, old Tolstoy wasn't very happy in his marriage...
Anyway, I'm going to leave it there: firstly, as it's very difficult to type standing up with a keyboard balanced precariously on the back of a chair; secondly, because, my interest having been piqued by these vignettes of Russian family life, I am going to have another look at the real thing. Book 72 will be Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina', and the post will be appearing... well, let's just just say it will be appearing.
In 'Family Happiness', a two-part story, a young woman falls in love with an older man, a friend of her late father (very normal for the nineteenth century, so I'm told), and we are led through her experiences - from first love, sweet courtship, marriage and honeymoon... to what comes after. Despite the minor hiccups she experiences, this is by far the cheeriest of the four tales.
Ivan Ilyich, as suggested by the title, ends up dead (and fairly early too). However, the story is concerned with how he dies and the reflection he undertakes on his life while waiting for it to end, leading him to conclude that his life (and marriage) was wasted. The next story, 'The Kreutzer Sonata', also tells us at the start how events are destined to unfold, but the skilful unveiling of the reasons behind a murder keeps the reader's attention until the very last page.
In the final story, 'The Devil', Tolstoy leaves us with two endings, allowing us to choose who (or what) the devil of the title is: is it the alluringly sexy peasant woman; or is it the sexual drive of the married landowner who cannot keep away from her, no matter how hard he tries? Either way, it doesn't end well...
The four stories reflect Tolstoy's views on love and marriage: his dislike of the 'cattle market' that the game of match-making had become; the double standards of wealthy young men sowing their wild oats while searching for a chaste, pure woman to settle down with; the evil, natural necessity of a sex drive, the removal, or repression, of which (according to Count Leo) would lead to the fulfilment of humanity. As you may have guessed, old Tolstoy wasn't very happy in his marriage...
Anyway, I'm going to leave it there: firstly, as it's very difficult to type standing up with a keyboard balanced precariously on the back of a chair; secondly, because, my interest having been piqued by these vignettes of Russian family life, I am going to have another look at the real thing. Book 72 will be Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina', and the post will be appearing... well, let's just just say it will be appearing.
