Hello Hivers and Book Clubbers,
And I'm back with another book-review, looking to keep up my flow of writing since a few months of absence on this platform. This time, a swerve into fiction, though with a lot of non-fictional societal commentary within it. The book I'm writing about is 'Resurrection', written in 1899 by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
Tolstoy is a very well-known name in literature, yet I've never read anything by him myself, until now. I got my copy, a 2009 English translation by Oxford university press, while I was on vacation in Hungary. The story proper clocks in at about 475 pages, on the more lengthy side. I'll be talking more about themes and motifs than the plot itself, but just to be clear: from this point onward SPOILER ALERT.
Distinctions of all types
The story's setting is the one Tolstoy lived in: late 19th century Czarist Russia. This was a highly stratified society, with clear differences in class. The book shows this through the eyes of its two main characters, who are from completely different backgrounds:
-Nekhlyudov is a minor noble with a sizable estate. Through his title as 'prince' he is given respect by people he doesn't know, and is able to get things done where the common man would not be able to.
-Maslova on the other hand got lucky she got adopted by two noblewomen, otherwise she would probably have died as a child in terrible poverty and destitution. She grants the point-of-view of a commoner, and she can only make use of her looks to get things to go her way.
Differences in class, ethnicity, religion and sex, which all play parts in life, are regularly mentioned by Tolstoy, because this indicated how far one got in life, up to a certain degree. Also the superstitions one might have of other groups are taken in account, also through its two main POV-characters, Nekhlyudov and Maslova.
I'll give a taste of what I mean through this citation:
'Now, come up; I am so glad', said Maslennikov excitedly, grasping Nekhlyudov's hand... He was in particularly good spirits, owing to the attention paid him by the important personage. Every such attention gave him the sense of delight which is felt by an affectionate dog when its master pats it, strokes it, or scratches its ears. (p.205)
Dreary Locales
Since it becomes quite clear that Tolstoy is not happy with the state of affairs in late 19th century Russia, the places the story takes place aren't particularly nice. Some of the main places visited are a courthouse and a prison, and many of the other locales are coloured by the mood of one of the main characters. Nekhlyudov, for example, is after a certain point not able to enjoy the Russian high-society of Moscow and St. Petersburg anymore, though the houses he visits are well-kept. The contrast between these places and the poverty of the countryside, which Nekhlyudov also visits, are quite staggering.
Societal Critique
Though the book is fiction, Tolstoy includes many of his critiques of contemporary Russian society in his book, to the point of being overwhelming. I'll name some of his main points here:
-The criminal justice system: Nekhlyudov (Tolstoy speaks through him) becomes a clear opponent of the way the Judiciary works in Russian society. He goes through all the channels of this system, to try to help innocent people get out of jail and harsh sentences. He fails due to, in his view, an overly-bureaucratic system which cannot be held to account in and of itself. Something as simple as personal animosity between bureaucrats can mean that innocent people stay in jail unfairly.
-The jails themselves: the squalid state of the jails is clearly portrayed as well. Maslova stays in one of them for a while, and it seems overcrowded, overly dirty, with jailors that can have quite the nasty streak. Nekhlyudov seems to come close to a position held by Western liberals today; that prison should be about re-integration, not punishment, of criminals.
-Land Reform: Tolstoy, like many others in Russian society, was of the opinion that the way land was held was incorrect. The nobles's estates were massive, and though serfdom was abolished in 1861, the peasants' situation did not really change much in practice. Nekhlyudov wants to give the good example, and basically abolishes one of his estates by letting the peasants rent the land from him at lower (i.e. reasonable) prices. This experiment is not appreciated by other Russian nobles, who accuse him of liberalism/socialism/anarchism.
What Resurrection?
The resurrection that the title refers to is not literal, this isn't science-fiction, or the Bible for that matter. No, the resurrection clearly takes place in Nekhlyudov's mind, who goes from an 'average' noble in late 19th century Russia to a man who would like to see large parts of it change. To do this, he sets the example by changing himself.
His relation with Maslova changes too, from a place of pure love at the start, to a worsening, where it is implied that Nekhlyudov forced himself on her, back to a more complete and wholesome relationship.
Conclusion
I've tried to leave the actual plot out as much as I could, in the hope that people will look to pick up this book. It is a great snapshot in time, both of 19th century Russia and of the way Tolstoy viewed it in his later life. I think I'll return to one of his other works sometime soon, though I don't own any other title of his at this moment. I'll be back with more reviews in the future. Until the next one,
-Pieter Nijmeijer
(Top image: self-made photo of book cover)