Leo Tolstoy: The Russian novelist, playwright, and moral philosopher, Leo Tolstoy was one of the greatest rebels of all time. He was a celebrated author, who rejected his aristocratic life and was at odds with the Church, government and mythical tradition.
Leo Tolstoy was born in September 9, 1828 in Tula Province of Russia. He was the youngest of five siblings descending from one of the most privileged and upper class families of the 19th century Russia. Both Leo’s father, Prince Nikolay Tolstoy, and his grandfather had a great passion for gambling and had almost lost all families’ wealth. However, Nikolay saved it by marrying Leo’s mother, Princes Maria Volkonsky who then brought with a significant amount of wealth to his family. Leo’s mother died when he was two and his father died when he was eight. Becoming an orphan at
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Leo Tolstoy was a melancholy and self-centered child, who grew up on his parent’s privately owned estate, Yasnaya Polyana, a beautiful mansion, located about 130 miles from Moscow. Tolstoy was homeschooled throughout his secondary studies and was tutored by German and French teachers. Leo in order to pursue a higher education in oriental languages to become a diplomat joined the Kazan University in Russia in 1843. However, not being particularly a dedicated student, when finding the lessons a bit demanding and time consuming, Leo changed his focus into law after two
In the early eighteenth-century, a letter from Peter the Great’s court was sent to Russian publishers declaring that all material must be printed with the intention to maintain “The glory of the great sovereign and his tsardom and for the general usefulness and profit of the nation” (The Cambridge History of Russia). The effects of this proclamation reverberated throughout Russia for centuries and laid the foundation on which future rulers such as Catherine the Great and later Alexander III fortified the position of the censor. The strengthening of the Russian censor, consequently, manipulated and stifled the country’s most influential wordsmiths. No Russian writer was safe from the censor, not even a master like Leo Tolstoy. Specifically,
PI never quite makes the transition to the true understanding of the nature of life that Ivan had made and Gerasim as well. Even though upon leaving Ivan’s funeral PI evokes the observation that it is God’s will that everybody dies someday. His receptivity and consciousness make him stand out amongst society. If one looks at PI’s last name of Ivan...
Chekhov is part of a non-typical category of artists, because he did not believed in his genius, on the contrary, there are evidence that he believed that his work will not conquer time and posterity. Spectacular, just like Russia at the border between the 19th and 20th century, Chekhov was born the son of serfs in 1860 (Tsar Alexander will abolish serfdom in 1861) only to become a landlord 32 years later, and a neighbor of Prince Shakovskoi. He bought the Melikhovo estate (unconsciously imitating Tolstoy, the patriarch of Iasnaia Polyana), not far from Moscow, with 13 thousand rubles of which he has paid an advance of five thousand.
Fear is only one of the emotions that drive people. Society and even religion uses fear in the form of consequences to persuade people to control their EGO. The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy allows the readers to learn the consequences of living a completely selfish, non-Christian life without actually having to make Ivan’s mistakes. At face value, The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is not a Christian novel. There is no mention of spirituality until the final chapter of the book, ****** there are only vague references to life after death with no mention of Christianity. However, fiction is about telling a story; it is about leaving the reader changed by the end of the book. In this regard, Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a masterpiece and should be celebrated by Christians as a work of art.
To start, Tolstoy believes that are can either be universally good art or good for people with specific tastes. However, the very best works have the ability to be universally
Chekhov was born in Taganrog, Russia in 1860 to a woman named Yevgeniya and a man named Pavel. His father, who shares the name of the bishop, is described as being “severe” and sometimes went as far as to chastise Chekhov and his siblings (Letters
Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia on September 25, 1906, Shostakovich was the second of three children born to Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina. His father was of Polish descent but both his parents were Siberian natives. Dmitri was a child prodigy as a pianist and composer. He began taking piano lessons from his mother at the age of nine. He displayed an incredible talent to remember what his mother had played at the previous lesson and would get caught pretending to read the music, playing the music from his last lesson instead of what was placed in front of him.
“The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” (Chris McCandless) This was said by McCandless because he could not find happiness from his family so he went out to go find happiness. The book Into the Wild, by John Krakauer, was a book about a person named Chris McCandless, who could not find happiness from his family because they always provided him with all the materials he needed. This caused him to go out for an adventure or to the wild in Alaska. While on his journey, he had read books finding self- definition and so he used the authors from the book as literary heroes to get him past the journey. He was really inspired by the writers. With the inspiration he was set out to find happiness, and so he went into the wild. It is where he spent the rest of his days until he died because of poisoning. Many of his literary heroes inspired him to do what he did, but one stands out the most. Leo Tolstoy, who is considered to be one of the best novelists, Leo really inspired Chris because they had a life that they could relate. He also appreciated him because he had realistic views of the life. Chris McCandless needed inspiration for his adventure, so he looked up to the literary heroes as his guidance to the wild.
The opposing tyrant, Imam Shamil, acquires a few favorable characteristics that Hadji Murat fails to demonstrate. Shamil’s blunt and direct attitude prove to be effective throughout some parts of this novel. His attitude makes people frightened of him and therefore “people were afraid to disobey Shamil” (7). Tolstoy also introduces Tsar Nicholas, a ignorant and petty leader that is driven more by flattery and lust than any consideration for the citizens that obey his every
Ivan Fyodorovich is a difficult character to label. In fact, his views are so fickle and whimsical that it almost seems like hypocrisy. We know this is untrue, however, and it is not difficult to see ourselves in his position. He brings up major flaws in religion, specifically Book 5, where he contemplates suffering, free will and morality. He builds the plot and has an avid role in the messages portrayed throughout the novel and the story itself.
Name: Britney Shaw Major Works Data Sheet This form must be typed. Title of the Work: Resurrection Author: Leo Tolstoy Date of Publication: 1994 (1899)
Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky was a mid-1800’s Russian composer. Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840 in Votinsk, Russia. He showed interest in the piano when young and began lessons at five, but his tutors and parents did not consider him a prodigy (Masha). Tchaikovsky was sent to school to be a clerk at the age of nine, and many believe Tchaikovsky took a serious interest in composing when he was fourteen after his beloved mother died of cholera (Ewen 375). Tchaikovsky work was criticized by others and himself during his life and most of Tchaikovsky’s life is characterized by an emotional turmoil that influenced his music, but his work has had an enduring popularity entitling him a successful composer.
Ernest Hemingway’s writings emerged through the 1920’s. His novels and stories were direct and simple, although it had many abstract and complex meanings. In one of his greatest works, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, Hemingway tells a story about a lonely old man who drinks in a bar, one night. At first, readers are led to believe the story is about the old man. The two waiters watch and discuss about the old man, which gives the readers a sense of their characters.
After contracting heavy gambling debts, Tolstoy accompanied his older brother to the Caucasus in 1851, and joined an artillery regiment. In the 1850s Tolstoy also began his literary career, publishing the autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth.
Tolstoy's eventful life impacted his works. Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born into a family of aristocratic landowners in 1828 at the family estate at Yasnaya Polyana, a place south of Moscow. His parents died in the 1930s when he was very young so his aunts raised him with an upper middle class lifestyle. His aunts were very important to him and when they died, he made them live on forever as characters in his stories (Alexander 16). While his aunts were still alive, they hired tutors to teach him out of Tolstoy's home (Tolstoi). After a few years of wandering about Russia, he recommenced his studies at sixteen years old at Kazan' University to study law and oriental language but preferred to educate himself independently and in 1847, he gave up his studies without finishing his degree (Troyat 28).