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Character development introduction
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Character development introduction
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Tolstoy's Anna Karenina
By examining the character list, one immediately notices the value
Tolstoy places on character. With one hundred and forty named characters and
several other unnamed characters, Tolstoy places his central focus in Anna
Karenina on the characters. He uses their actions and behavior to develop the
plot and exemplify the major themes of the novel. In contrast to Flaubert's
Madame Bovary, Tolstoy wishes to examine life as it really is. Both novels have
relationships and adultery as a central theme. However, Tolstoy gives us a much
more lifelike representation in Anna Karenina by creating characters, both
major and minor, that contribute to the sense of realism.
The most striking feature of Tolstoy's minor characters is that although
they may only appear briefly, they still possess a sense of lifelikeness. When
a character is introduced, Tolstoy provides the reader with details of the
characters appearance and actions that give a sense of realism. For example,
the waiter that Stiva and Levin encounter at their dinner, although a flat
character is definitely presented in a manner which allows him to have a sense
of lifelikeness and fullness. From the speech patterns the waiter uses to the
description of the fit of his uniform, one is presented with the details that
allow the waiter to contribute to the novel in means beyond simply the presence
of a minor character. His description and actions provide the novel with a
sense of "real life".
Another way in which Tolstoy gives the minor character a sense of life
is by making them unpredictable. One sees this in the character of Ryabinin.
When initially discussed, the reader is told that upon conclusion of business,
Ryabinin will always say "positively and finally" (p161). However upon
conclusion of the sale of the land, Ryabinin does not use his usual tag.
This tag would normally be characteristic of the flat, minor character
such as Ryabinin.
However, Tolstoy wishes to add to the lifelikeness of even his minor
characters and allows them to behave as one would expect only major, round
characters. The detail Tolstoy gives to all of his characters, including the
minor characters, contributes to the realism of both the novel and the
characters.
Perhaps the most realistic of Tolstoy's major characters is Konstantin
Levin. Throughout the novel, the reader witnesses the trials of Levin's life
and his response to them. Unlike Flaubert, Tolstoy reveals Levin in a manner
He abandons omniscience, the story’s main narration style, and writes in the first-person: “The hero of my story, whom I love with all my heart and soul, whom I have attempted to portray in all his beauty and who has always been, is now and always will be supremely magnificent, is truth” (Tolstoy 109 [1986]). Unlike many literary works, there is no analysis needed in order to uncover Tolstoy’s primary message — he directly expresses to readers that truth is the center of the text. Essentially, the story’s characters, settings, and plot are merely vehicles Tolstoy manipulates to bring him to this final sentence where the central theme is revealed; everything in the piece ties back to the concept and central theme of truth. Some might say this ending degrades the story’s literary appeal because it does not allow for a clean resolution, but in many ways, this proclamation serves as the story’s climax. In this moment, the veil of fiction is lifted away from the reader’s eyes and only then can they see the story clearly.
Asher Lev Essay: Minor characters are central to our understanding of any text. Analyse their significance in My Name Is Asher Lev.
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While the main narrative as well as the title of the novel favor the character of Anna Karenina, the main plot line is mirrored by Konstatin Levin, who has a plot all his own. Levin, in many ways, reflects Tolstoy himself and holds the same philosophy and has the same reservations. Levin is a farmer whose search for happiness and satisfaction leads him to ask stark questions about...
When comparing Chekov’s elements that construct a love story to those in Leigh Michaels’ “The Essential Elements of Writing a Romance Novel”, readers must make their own judgments with what little Chekov provides. Chekov accomplishes this task by portraying Anna's and Gurov's relationship through using a lens of representative true human behavior. Unlike a traditional romantic story, Chekov fails to provide the reader with a concrete answer to how or if the lover’s will endeavor. Furthermore, the expectations of the romantic hero and heroine are skewed when analyzing Gurov and Anna. Readers are forced use their own judgments to fill in the blanks that Chekov provides because of the vast uncertainty due to human nature in the short
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The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank was published in 1947. When the book was published a lot of people were impacted. It started getting more and more famous all around the world. In no time 30 million copies of the book was sold. Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett decided to make a play based on Anne Franks book. The play was a huge success and it was nominated for 8 Oscars and won 3. After George Stevens decided to make a movie about Anne Frank. There were some famous actors in the movie like, Shelley Winters playing Mrs. Van Pels and Millie Perkins as Anne Frank (pg.282, The Diary of a Young Girl).
In every rags to riches story, the protagonist eventually must decide whether it is better to continue to associate with impoverished loved ones from the past, or whether he or she should instead abandon former relationships and enjoy all that the life of fame and fortune has to offer. Anton Chekhov gives his readers a snapshot of a young woman in such a scenario in his short story Anna Round the Neck. While this story certainly gives a glimpse of the social climate in Russia during the nineteenth century, its primary focus is the transformation of Anyuta (Anna) Leontyich from a meek, formerly impoverished newlywed into a free-spirited, self-confident noblewoman. Throughout the story, the reader is drawn to pity Anna’s situation, but at the
The Characters of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina By examining the character list, one immediately notices the value Tolstoy places on character. With one hundred and forty named characters and several other unnamed characters, Tolstoy places his central focus in Anna Karenina on the characters. He uses their actions and behavior to develop the plot and exemplify the major themes of the novel. Tolstoy wishes to examine life as it really is.
Marriage and family are prevailing themes in the major works of Tolstoy. In War & Peace the marriage of Pierre to Hélène is later contrasted with that of Pierre's later marriage with Natasha (among others) and in Anna Karenina, the novel is in some ways two separate stories of two separate marriages. On one hand is the union between Levin and Kitty and on the other is Anna Arkádyevna and Alexéy Karenin. One is a marriage coming together, while the other is one breaking apart. Based on the characterization of the players involved, coupled with parallels to Tolstoy's own life it is possible to discern his philosophy towards marriage and therefore why each character's fate was chosen at the outset.
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