tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post7389620729492014287..comments2024-03-27T16:48:21.039-05:00Comments on Wuthering <br>Expectations: Tolstoy's Confession - so what?Amateur Reader (Tom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-85347830896108440682016-03-03T08:50:03.126-06:002016-03-03T08:50:03.126-06:00In my crumbling Swiss-cheese memory, I vaguely rec...In my crumbling Swiss-cheese memory, I vaguely recall reading (or beginning) _Hadji Murad_, but I couldn't tell you anything about it. Damn, getting old and forgetful sometimes really sucks! Then again, there are some blissful moments within forgetfulness.RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-37156849283138548632016-03-03T08:47:07.071-06:002016-03-03T08:47:07.071-06:00Yes, there are some other greatest novels of all t...Yes, there are some other greatest novels of all time, but none so relevant to this post.<br /><br /><i>Anna Karenina</i> is unusual in its balance and blend of Flaubert's stylistic perfection and, say, Eliot's ethical concerns.<br /><br />Have you read Tolstoy's military fiction? It's extraordinary. I would point you to <i>Hadji Murad</i> or <i>Sevastopol Sketches</i> before <i>Anna Karenina</i>, actually.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-56676244260450317952016-03-03T08:28:46.355-06:002016-03-03T08:28:46.355-06:00You say: "the greatest novel of all time, Ann...You say: "the greatest novel of all time, Anna Karenina (1877)"<br /><br />Wow! That is quite a declaration. When I consider all that I have read among your past postings, I am surprised by that statement. Perhaps "the greatest" could be replaced with "one of the great." I could buy into that statement.<br /><br />In any case, I guess I should read it. (Yes, shame on me. I have neglected it and most of Tolstoy.)RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-41902325268759495642016-03-03T08:17:24.207-06:002016-03-03T08:17:24.207-06:00Anna Karenina is the greatest novel for the purpos...<i>Anna Karenina</i> is the greatest novel for the purposes of this post. There are a few other good candidates.<br /><br />Tolstoy is among the <i>sanest</i> of all writers, which is a good part of what makes this episode so interesting.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-62379574170614004562016-03-02T23:35:19.175-06:002016-03-02T23:35:19.175-06:00I got bogged down about halfway through the greate...I got bogged down about halfway through the greatest novel of all time and have yet to return to it. Spent less time than I did with Dosto's <em>Demons</em>, that is, which is surely NOT the greatest novel of all time. Somewhat relieved to hear that even the greats doubt their worth at times although Tolstoy's religious reasons complicate the aesthetics of the matter, I guess. Interesting post topic.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-20161952626545879502016-03-02T23:26:56.332-06:002016-03-02T23:26:56.332-06:00Tolstoy had an interest in Buddhism, too. I had n...Tolstoy had an interest in Buddhism, too. I had not known that until I read <i>Confession</i>. Buddha, the author of <i>Ecclesiastes</i>, Socrates, and Schopenhauer were his sages.<br /><br />"Ivan Ilych" seems to recognize that it takes your whole life to reach the end of it, pretty much by definition. I suspect that no one will take much comfort in Tolstoy's answers who is not already somehow ready to do so. Dropping religion and death, acts of kindness - you sound pretty Tolstoyan there at the end!Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-87445923824468125012016-03-02T22:51:46.924-06:002016-03-02T22:51:46.924-06:00the trouble is, you can't tell anybody anythin...the trouble is, you can't tell anybody anything. people develop their own explanations for existence over a lifetime, some indoctrinated, some not, but no one cares to throw away their convictions for someone else's... in my reality, tolstoy had a sort of awakening when he left home and soon after passed away in a train station(if i remember rightly), but it took a whole life to bring him to that point... everyone has his own ideas. i studied zen and have a degree in geology, so i have a pragmatic pov involving some unpopular thoughts. consciousness is an illusion and we are, basically, dust in the wind, and that's it... probably shouldn't publish this, but maybe it will help somebody... (it's been my experience that dropping religion, ideas of death, and the other "beliefs" frees a person from worrying. then the only thing that matters is kindness... humans are a mess, but they usually do the best they can...Mudpuddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17194891656971454279noreply@blogger.com