Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1878) is a monumental 19th-century novel exploring forbidden love, social hypocrisy, and existential meaning in Russian high society. It follows Anna, a captivating aristocrat whose passionate affair with Count Vronsky causes her social ruin, contrasted with Konstantin Levin’s search for spiritual purpose. Key themes include adultery, jealousy, and the tension between personal desire and societal constraints.