The Failure of Russian Criticism: The Case of 'Anna Karenina'

• In Event: The Liberation of Anna Karenina: From Criticism to Canonization

Abstract

All authoritative critics of the 1870s responded to "Anna Karenina": Alexander Skabichevsky, Nikolai Mikhailovsky, Vasily Avseenko, Pyotr Tkachev, and Alexey Suvorin. Despite recognizing the author's talent, they unanimously criticized Tolstoy's novel for its "vulgarity," "pettiness," and excessive attention to the sexual issue. At the same time, ordinary readers received Tolstoy's novel enthusiastically and avidly. This paper will be devoted to understanding what exactly, in addition to party views, prevented critics from appreciating Tolstoy's novel and why readers turned out to be more insightful than venerable critics. I will pay special attention to Russian readers' perception of the adulterous novel in the second half of the 19th century.

Author

• Maya Kucherskaya, Henan U (China)