Why Is Anna Karenina a classic? I finally understand

The idea for Anna Karenina began in 1870, but Tolstoy did not start writing until 1873. This was a period of mental distress in his life.

Tolstoy originally intended to write a story about an upper-class married woman who falls apart, but the idea was constantly revised as he went on.

Tolstoy was not satisfied with the first draft of the novel, which was completed in just 50 days. It took him dozens of times more time to revise it, going through 12 major changes before it was published four years later. At this time, the abandoned manuscript of the novel was more than 1 meter high!

"Everything should be rewritten, and rewritten," Tolstoy often said. It is clear that an Anna Karenina is not so much written as altered.

So what is this "revised" tome about?

Victorian Europe, a time when self-discipline, loyalty, was the highest of all virtues. And the word "decent" is all of a person's face.

The great Woody Allen, in his film to Rome with Love, illustrates the irremediable fact that it is unfortunate to be poor, but equally unfortunate to be famous and rich.

Anna is a case in point.

The misfortune was twofold. First, she was a great lady, and a famous one. She has her own rebellion.

Anna's husband Alexander Karenin was obsessed with fame and fortune, which prevented her from feeling the joy of love. On a long train ride, she met Vronsky, with his blue eyes and youthful enthusiasm and fearlessness.

Anna could no longer lock the door of her flaming heart.

A woman meets her true love at 30. It's like when a child who's never had sugar discovers how sweet it is, there's nothing anyone can do to stop her from eating it, including herself.

Now, she could divorce her husband and pursue true love. But not in those days.

Still, Anna is a modern person at heart. She wants to pursue love, in her eyes as long as the heart beats is love.

Unlike her husband, Levin, she was a devout person who could do nothing without the Bible and God, including love. In his eyes, it was blasphemous for a married woman to fall in love with another man, shameful for a woman to pursue love and abandon her family.

Not being able to do it was the biggest stain on Anna's life.

In this sense, Anna is a victim of the evolution of the old and the new. As for why victim? As anyone who has read the novel knows, the most shocking scene in the book -- Anna commits suicide by throwing herself under a train. A monster from the industrial revolution, like a centipede, swallowed Anna's body.

This is a tragic ending, Anna did not die for anyone, she died for love, but also for public opinion.

Anna Karenina has become a world classic. Let's reflect on the classic scenes.

Whether kindled by soul or passion, love is a blinding glare that illuminates everything, warming and blinding -- until the light fades and other realities emerge and intervene: character and interests, family and environment, position and wealth. They set or destroy love. As hot as the fire of love is, so cold is the world of ashes when it burns out. If you believe in the love of people, how decadent will be lost.

2. If there are as many thoughts as there are heads, there are as many loves as there are hearts.

3. All change, all charm, all beauty of life is made up of light and shadow.

4. A horse is known by his brand, and a lover by his eyes.

5. "When water is full, it overflows; when the moon is full, it wanes." The world is never more beautiful than it is beautiful. And the closest to perfection is the easiest time to go the other way.

6. All happy families are happy alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

7. Love is like a prairie fire. When it burns, emotion rules reason completely.

8. We are guilty because we did not save people like Anna, beautiful and noble souls like her.

9. All people live for hope, because hope, people have the courage to live.

10. A candle in the wind flickers in the wind, its faint light shines all around and finally fades in darkness.

No one is satisfied with his property, but everyone is satisfied with his own wisdom.

12. Happiness lies in love and hope. Wishing what she wants and thinking what she thinks is happiness. There's no need for freedom!

13 as long as a person can forget oneself and love others, he will not be out of balance in psychology, he is a happy and perfect person.

14. In the ancient Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. They had sex. It follows that God is an ascetic. He doesn't allow people to do things he doesn't like, so he's an authoritarian. I don't believe in the existence of God in this world.

15. You are consistent. That's your strength and your weakness. You have a consistent personality, and you want to be consistent throughout your life, but that's never the case. You despise official business because you expect it to always be perfectly compatible with purpose, which it is not. You want everyone's activities to have a clear purpose, and love and family to be consistent, which is not the case.