Tolstoy in Context

This book illuminates the historical, religious, intellectual, and artistic contexts of Tolstoy's time, both national and international.

Anna A. Berman (Edited by)

9781108479240, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 December 2022

300 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.7 cm, 0.72 kg

Likened to a second Tsar in Russia and attaining prophet-like status around the globe, Tolstoy made an impact on literature and the arts, religion, philosophy, and politics. His novels and stories both responded to and helped to reshape the European and Russian literary traditions. His non-fiction incensed readers and drew a massive following, making Tolstoy an important religious force as well as a stubborn polemicist in many fields. Through his involvement with Gandhi and the Indian independence movement, his aid in relocating the Doukhobors to Canada, his correspondence with American abolitionists and his polemics with scientists in the periodical press, Tolstoy engaged a vast array of national and international contexts of his time in his life and thought. This volume introduces those contexts and situates Tolstoy—the man and the writer—in the rich and tumultuous period in which his intellectual and creative output came to fruition.

Part I. The Man: 1. The Life Andrei Zorin
2. The Death William Nickell
3. Tolstoy's family Rosamund Bartlett
4. Estate culture and yasnaya polyana Hilde Hoogenboom
 Part II. Russian social and political contexts: 5. Peasants and Folklore Sibelan Forrester
6. Emancipation and the great reforms Anne Hruska
7. Nobility and the Russian class system Bella Grigoryan
8. The Russian Orthodox Church Francesca Silano
9. Law Tatiana Borisova
10. Politics G. M. Hamburg
11. War and the military Donna Tussing Orwin
12. Tolstoyans Charlotte Alston
13. Clothing Daniel Green
14. The woman question Anne Lounsbery
15. The Family Anna A. Berman
Part III. Literature, The Arts, and intellectual life: 16. Tolstoy's Oeuvre Chloë Kitzinger
17. Peasant schools and education Daniel Moulin-Sto?ek
18. Russian philosophy Randall A. Poole
19. The Russian literary scene Ilya Vinitsky
20. European literature Priscilla Meyer and Melissa Frazier
21. European philosophy Jeff Love
22. Theater Caryl Emerson
23. Music Emily Frey
24. The visual arts Maria Taroutina
Part IV. Science and technology: 25. The mechanized world Julia Vaingurt
26. The natural world Thomas Newlin
27. Darwin and natural science Michael D. Gordin
28. Medical science Elena Fratto
Part V. Beyond Russia 29. Pacifism and the doukhobors Veronika Makarova
30. America Galina Alekseeva
31. India Suvij Sudershan
32. Eastern Religion Jeff Love
33. English varieties of religious experience Liza Knapp
Part VI. Tolstoy's afterlife: 34. Tolstoy's complete works Inessa Medzhibovskaya
35. Tolstoy in English translation Carol Apollonio
36. Film adaptations Alexander Burry
37. Musical adaptations Tony H. Lin
38. Biographies Caryl Emerson
39. Tolstoy as subject of Art: Portraits, films, novels Margarita Vaysman.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]