RanaldClouston@fediscience.orgI usually enjoy 19th century classics just fine, but although parts of this were great, the whole was not for me. Ludicrously long and with an oddly adolescent emotional tone, with the main character Levin in particular lurching dramatically from mood to mood in a way that is hard to accept from an adult. The aristocratic political philosophy, of which there is a lot, is vaguely interesting historically but pretty crappy morally speaking. @bookstodon #bookstodon
clew@ecoevo.social
Long time since I read it, but aren’t the aristocratic thinking and the lurchy feelings related? Tolstoy showing how an aristocratic society will also be personally unhappy (well, unsteady)? @RanaldClouston
Levin is the part people either love or skim. Tolstoy clearly put a lot of himself into him, scything scenes and all, which might be why he swings so wildly.