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Which three families are connected in Anna Karenina?
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Leo Tolstoy
Russian writer Leo Tolstoy is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest novelists. His masterpieces are War and Peace (1865–69) and Anna Karenina (1875–77).
In his celebrated novel Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy interweaves the stories of three primary families:1
- The Oblonskys: The story begins with this family, focusing on the marital strain caused by the infidelity of Stiva Oblonsky and the patient endurance of his wife, Dolly.1
- The Karenins: This family centers on Anna, who is married to the government minister Aleksey Karenin. Her decision to leave her husband and son for her lover, Aleksey Vronsky, serves as the novel's central tragedy.12
- The Levins: This family is formed through the courtship and marriage of Dolly’s sister, Kitty, and Konstantin Levin. Their journey provides a thematic counterpoint to the Karenins, focusing on the pursuit of a meaningful life through family and daily work.12