History Literature / AnnaKarenina

This book is a Russian classic and tends to be considered a timeless love story, though it also contains touches of satire of contemporary Russian society. The novel has been adapted into many [[FilmOfTheBook versions]] for theatre, film, and TV, with actresses such as Creator/GretaGarbo (twice, in 1927 [[Film/AnnaKarenina1935 and in 1935]]), Creator/VivienLeigh (1948), Creator/NicolaPagett (1977), Creator/JacquelineBisset (1985), Creator/SophieMarceau (1997) and Creator/KeiraKnightley (2012) in the title role. It was also adapted into Creator/TheABC miniseries ''The Beautiful Lie'', with a SettingUpdate to contemporary Australia and starring Creator/SarahSnook as Anna.

This book is a Russian classic and tends to be considered a timeless love story, though it also contains touches of satire of contemporary Russian society. The novel has been adapted into many [[FilmOfTheBook versions]] for both theatre, film and TV, with actresses such as Creator/GretaGarbo (twice, in 1927 [[Film/AnnaKarenina1935 and in 1935]]), Creator/VivienLeigh (1948), Creator/NicolaPagett (1977), Creator/JacquelineBisset (1985), Creator/SophieMarceau (1997) and Creator/KeiraKnightley (2012) in the title role. It was also adapted into Creator/TheABC miniseries ''The Beautiful Lie'', with a SettingUpdate to contemporary Australia and starring Creator/SarahSnook as Anna.

This book is a Russian classic and tends to be considered a timeless love story, though it also contains touches of satire of contemporary Russian society. The novel has been adapted into many [[FilmOfTheBook versions]] for both theatrical film and TV, with actresses such as Creator/GretaGarbo (twice, in 1927 [[Film/AnnaKarenina1935 and in 1935]]), Creator/VivienLeigh (1948), Creator/NicolaPagett (1977), Creator/JacquelineBisset (1985), Creator/SophieMarceau (1997) and Creator/KeiraKnightley (2012) in the title role. It was also adapted into Creator/TheABC miniseries ''The Beautiful Lie'', with a SettingUpdate to contemporary Australia and starring Creator/SarahSnook as Anna.

This book is a Russian classic and tends to be considered a timeless love story, though it also contains touches of satire of contemporary Russian society. The novel has been adapted into many [[FilmOfTheBook versions]] for both theatrical film and TV, with actresses such as Creator/GretaGarbo (twice, in 1927 [[Film/AnnaKarenina1935 and in 1935]]), Creator/VivienLeigh (1948), Creator/NicolaPagett (1977), Creator/JacquelineBisset (1985), Creator/SophieMarceau (1997) and Creator/KeiraKnightley (2012) in the title role.

%% * BetaCouple: Levin and Kitty.

%% * BittersweetEnding

** Dolly feels awful because of her husband Stiva's infidelity in the beginning, but eventually learns to ignore it.

%% * DoggedNiceGuy: Levin is somewhat like this, although he doesn't start trying to get Kitty back until much later in the story.

One of the main threads of the novel centers on Anna Arkadaevna Karenina who is a good, kind, empathetic, but impulsive person and a loving mother who dotes on her son. Like the majority of the women in her social circle, her marriage was determined not by love, but by polite courtship and social convenience. She's married to the much older, cold, and highly respected diplomat Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin. One day, after travelling from St. Petersburg to Moscow on a train, she meets the brave officer Alexei Krillovich Vronsky at the train depot, who at the time appears to be on the fast track in his military career. It's LoveAtFirstSight, though the fact that Anna is married -- and cannot be granted a fair divorce in the Russian legal system -- complicates matters significantly. Gradually, the pair sacrifices ''everything'' else they value for each other. Unfortunately, this is not a typical Western romance, but a tragedy: giving everything up for love may not be worth it, as the reactions of friends and family show, especially when said love may be transient.

Some chapters take the point of view of other characters, such as Levin's easygoing friend Stepan Arkadyevich "Stiva" Oblonsky (Anna's brother, who is entering a tough spot in his marriage due to infidelity) and Alexei Karenin (who becomes severely depressed when he learns of Anna's infidelity and finds it very difficult deciding whether he will officially divorce Anna). Levin's brother and half-brother, the destitute Nikolai Dmitrievich and the highly successful Sergius Ivanich, also play large roles in some chapters, particularly by interjecting philosophical viewpoints in various discussions (which, in some cases, are thoroughly mocked in the narration).

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The death of a railroad worker in the book's first chapters, which coincides with Anna and Vronsky's first meeting and prefigures [[spoiler: Anna's eventual suicide by train]]. Anna even [[LampshadeHanging calls this an "evil omen"]] in-text. Also, the bizarre dream shared by Vronsky and Anna, which foreshadows the same event.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Whether or not Anna is a good girl is debatable, but she does imply once to her friend Dolly that she either has had, or plans to have, an abortion, because she is afraid that losing her beauty due to pregnancy will make Vronsky lose interest in her.

* {{Hypocrite}}: All of the Society that treat Anna badly after her elopement probably all have had affairs themselves, however they have had servants as lovers (like her brother Stiva), also their relationships were just for sex and behind closed doors. However Anna's relationship with a Count and she breaks the rules.

* InHarmsWay: Vronsky, severely depressed, returns to his military roots in the quasi-epilogue and goes off to fight for Serbian independence as his coping mechanism for [[spoiler:Anna's suicide]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Averted with Karenin. He does let Anna go with Vronsky, but in a spirit of bitterness; later on, he refuses to grant a divorce, on the grounds that his strict religion will not allow it. At times, Vronsky states he would respect Anna's decision to stay with Karenin (for her son) early on.
%% * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Anna. Also Karenin, though his heart of gold is buried very deep down.
%% * KickTheDog: Happens all the time, especially when Anna is around.

* RapeAsDrama: Kitty is molested by a very unpleasant doctor, and very shaken by it.

* RoyallyScrewedUp: With the exceptions of Levin and Kitty, Kitty's parents, and Vronsky's brother and wife, nearly all of the royalty and aristocrats have unhappy and estranged families, or marriages that end in affairs or cold detachment.

* TranslationConvention: Happens a lot, because the aristocrats have a tendency to speak in many different languages and it is only by the narrator cluing us in on what language is used that we are aware of this. Many editions also have sections of untranslated foreign language, but it is normally explained in the footnotes.

%% * PoisonousFriend: Countess Lydia, for Karenin.

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Nikolai's lover, Masha, whom he rescued from a brothel and who looks after him devotedly throughout his illness.#

* IllGirl:
** Nikolai Levin is a male example. He at several points says that his illness is DefinitelyJustACold and claims to be feeling better, even on the day of his death, but it's clear he is seriously ill.
** Kitty after Vronsky's rejection; she gets better.

''Anna Karenina'' is a Russian novel by Creator/LeoTolstoy, who also wrote ''Literature/WarAndPeace''. It was first published as a serial novel in 1873. Like ''War and Peace'', it has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

%% ** Anna towards Vronsky.

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Nikolai's lover, Masha, whom he rescued from a brothel and who looks after him devotedly throughout his illness.

%% * RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Kitty has this with Anna, and later Varenka.

* ForbiddenFruit: Vronsky to Anna and vice versa.
* FourthDateMarriage: Sort of, with Levin and Kitty. They've known each other for years, and the love between them was mutual, but Kitty turned down his proposal because of Vronsky. When Levin returns later in the story, he hadn't seen her in almost a year, but she accepts his proposal on the same night.

* GratuitousFrench: A lot.
** TruthInTelevision, it was fashionable for the Russian aristocracy to learn French at the time. The use of French in this novel is pointedly invoked to show when characters are being shallow or keeping each other at a distance, with Russian being the language of honesty and intimacy.
* GratuitousGerman: Occasionally.
* HappilyMarried: Levin and Kitty in the latter part of the story, as well as Kitty's parents, and Vronsky's brother and his wife.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Kitty, fitting with being TheIngenue.

* TheIngenue: Kitty.

* ItWasHisSled: Nabokov invoked this trope about [[spoiler:Anna's suicide]] so his students wouldn't focus entirely on the plot.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Anna. Also Karenin, though his heart of gold is buried very deep down.
* KickTheDog: Happens all the time, especially when Anna is around.

* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: Kitty and Anna, respectively.
* LoveAtFirstSight: Vronsky and Anna.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Anna
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Anna and Vronsky
* LoveDodecahedron
* LoveHurts

* TheMasochismTango: Anna and Vronsky slide into this after moving in together - while Vronsky is free to socialize with whomever he likes, Anna (see SlutShaming) has no one but him to turn to for support, which makes her bitterly jealous, and him increasingly disgusted by her jealousy.

* MayDecemberRomance: Anna and Karenin, although their marriage is not exactly romantic even before Vronsky comes on the scene.

** Ironically, little Annie can be considered this for Karenin at her birth.
* NoHuggingNoKissing: Averted, even between the men.
* OhCrap: Anna, upon revealing her affair with Vronsky.

** Lydia Ivanovna is a less virtuous version.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. Anna's husband Karenin and her lover Vronsky have the same first name, Alexei. And Vronsky has a brother with the similar name Alexander. Anna's name is shared by her maid and daughter, who are called "Annushka" and "Annie" to tell them apart.
** The 2012 film alludes to this in the horse scene race where Anna worriedly cries out for "Alexei," referring to Vronsky, and it's Karenin who steps up to comfort her.

* PanickyExpectantFather: Levin, when Kitty gives birth.
* ParentalIssues: Seryozha. Also Levin, whose mother died when he was very young, which led to him idealizing women (especially Kitty) to an almost impossible degree.

* ThePhilosopher: Levin. Also his half-brother, Sergei Ivanovich.
* PoisonousFriend: Countess Lydia, for Karenin.
* PrettyInMink: It's Russia, but adaptations certainly like applying this trope.
* QuestForIdentity: Anna goes through a number of these, as does Vronsky. Most characters only seem to come to their true characterizations in the country.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath:
** Subverted during the birth of Anna and Vronsky's baby. The two of them share a heartwarming moment of reconciliation with Karenin; he forgives them both, promises to look after the baby... then Anna survives, to her own disappointment, and feels so inadequate in the face of Karenin's kindness that she leaves him, breaking his heart and their son's.
** Played straight with the death of Nikolai Levin.

* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Kitty has this with Anna, and later Varenka.

* SexlessMarriage: Upon learning the truth about Anna's infidelity, Karenin informs her that from now on, she will "receive the privileges of a wife, but not the duties".
** In the 2012 movie, she outright refuses to let him share the bed: "I can't ... I'm ''his'' wife now."

* TheStoic: Karenin.

* TranslationConvention: Happens a lot, because the aristocrats have a tendency to speak in many different languages and it is only by the narrator cluing us in on what language is used that we are aware of this.
** Many editions also have sections of untranslated foreign language, but it is normally explained in the footnotes.
* UnwantedRescue: Vronsky, after he shoots himself.

* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: Levin has known Kitty since she was a child.

* WalkingTheEarth: Nikolai Levin, as a result of some poor financial and lifestyle choices.

This book is a Russian classic and tends to be considered a timeless love story, though it also contains touches of satire of contemporary Russian society. The novel has been adapted into many [[FilmOfTheBook versions]] for both theatrical film and TV, with actresses such as Creator/GretaGarbo (twice, in 1927 [[Film/AnnaKarenina1935 and in 1935]]), Vivien Leigh (1948), Jacqueline Bisset (1985), Creator/SophieMarceau (1997) and Creator/KeiraKnightley (2012) in the title role.

Entertainment Weekly ranked it the #1 novel ever written.

* YourCheatingHeart: Most of the aristocrats and royalty, with the exception of a pathetic few, have had (numerous) affairs.

* ViewersAreGoldfish: The author loves to have characters keep on reiterating their situations and predicaments. Justified, considering the length of the book and the many POV skips.

* BiTheWay: Countess Lidia Ivanova has a husband she's on strained terms with, and is also explicitly described as being in love with "all the new princes and princesses who married into the imperial family".

* ViewersAreGoldfish: The author loves to have characters keep on reiterating their situations and predicaments. Justified, consiering the length of the book and the many POV skips.

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: Levin has one of these early on in the book.
* AuthorAvatar: Konstantin Levin, by Tolstoy's admission.
* AuthorFilibuster: Tolstoy loves this trope. In fact, the entire final section of this book, after [[spoiler: Anna's suicide]], which nobody seems to remember, is nothing except an anarcho-pacifist Christian moralist lecture.

** Also averted somewhat, in that Anna is never explicitly condemned by the narration as a "bad person" (and is treated quite sympathetically at times), while Levin is still shown to possess his characteristic temper and stubbornness even immediately after his conversion.
* BetaCouple: Levin and Kitty.
* BiTheWay: Countess Lidia Ivanova has a husband she's on strained terms with, and is also explicitly described as being in love with "all the new princes and princesses who married into the imperial family."
* BigFancyHouse: Being written about the Russian aristocracy of the late 19th century, you can expect that these turn up all the time.
* BittersweetEnding
* CannotSpitItOut: Koznyshev, when Varenka wants him to propose.
* CharacterTitle

** Anna towards Vronsky.
** Dolly feels like this about Stiva's infidelity in the beginning, but eventually learns to ignore it.
** Kitty is briefly jealous of Anna, who first "steals" Vronsky from her, then attempts to do the same to Levin, but since Levin is truly happy with his wife, there is no real cause for alarm.
* CrazyJealousGuy: Karenin and Levin, though the latter gets over it.
* CostumePorn: At least the adaptations, with all the GorgeousPeriodDress and {{Pimped Out Dress}}es the costume designers could get away with.
* DanceOfRomance: Anna and Vronsky during their second meeting at the ball.

* DespairEventHorizon: Anna, Vronsky, and many other characters go through this.
* DoggedNiceGuy: Levin is somewhat like this, although he doesn't start trying to get Kitty back until much later in the story.

** Which is ''nothing'' compared to his more famous ''War and Peace'', which is several hundred pages longer.
* DidYouThinkICantFeel: Karenin to Anna.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Anna]], when everything falls apart. Vronsky is also DrivenToSuicide earlier in the story but his attempt fails and he reconsiders. Levin struggles with suicidal urges near the end, due to not finding any true meaning in life.
* DuelToTheDeath: Averted and resoundingly defied. When wondering what to do about Anna's affair, Karenin briefly wonders if he should challenge her lover to a duel. Though he dismisses the idea on the grounds that he'd lose and was afraid of death; he does realize how utterly futile it would have been if he'd won as he'd merely have killed a man he'd never really know, and his marriage would be none the better.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: You can pretty much tell the author's standpoint on each character depending on how they are at the end of the story. The characters who embody the author's ideals got the best endings, especially Levin and Kitty.
* TheEveryman: Levin.

** The 2012 film alludes to this in the horse scene race where Anna worriedly cries out for "Alexei," referring to Vronsky, and its Karenin who steps up to comfort her.

This book is a Russian classic and tends to be considered a timeless love story, though it also contains touches of satire of contemporary Russian society. The novel has been adapted into many [[FilmOfTheBook versions]] for both theatrical film and TV, with actresses such as Creator/GretaGarbo (twice, in 1927 [[Film/AnnaKarenina1935 and in 1935]]), Vivien Leigh (1948), Jacqueline Bisset (1985), Sophie Marceau (1997) and Creator/KeiraKnightley (2012) in the title role.

-->-- '''The opening line of the novel'''

This book is a Russian classic and tends to be considered a timeless love story, though it also contains touches of satire of contemporary Russian society. The novel has been adapted into many [[FilmOfTheBook versions]] for both theatrical film and TV, with actresses such as Creator/GretaGarbo (1927 and 1935), Vivien Leigh (1948), Jacqueline Bisset (1985), Sophie Marceau (1997) and Creator/KeiraKnightley (2012) in the title role.