That’s right. I said it. I would not have picked up Anna Karenina if it was a 2017 release. Before you think that I am going to blatantly criticize a classic, allow me to say that I am currently reading (currently? I have been ‘currently reading’ it for the last three months). And I am immensely enjoying this novel. Tolstoy stole my heart within a few chapters and I keep going back to the passages I have already read; imagining the world in which Anna lived. But maybe if this book was written by a present-day author, I might have second thoughts about reading it mainly because of three reasons.
1. The size
Yes, Anna Karenina is a huge one indeed. Knowing my fear of big books, it is surprising that I decided to read it. I do not read new releases that are this huge in case you are wondering.
2. The heroine’s entry
We start the story with Anna’s sister in law and the problems in her family. Anna does not make an appearance until about fifty pages after. The classics-reader in me is a patient little girl; the new-releases reader in me is definitely not.
3. Agriculture
Levin, a major character in Anna Karenina, has his POV strewn with agricultural and political references. Though I did not find the political talk boring, the passages on agriculture, ploughing, horses etc were not enjoyable for me.
Why I Picked it Up
The truth is, I picked up Anna Karenina, two years after reading a chapter (or two?) of Orhan Pamuk’s The Naïve and Sentimental Novelist, a series of lectures on the craft of writing and essence of a novel. Pamuk keeps referencing Tolstoy’s Anna that I stopped reading the lectures because it gave rise to an urge to pick up this Russian classic. It took me two years to fulfil that urge and here I am, currently reading Part 6 of Anna Karenina. I did pick up Pamuk’s book (which by the way is an extraordinary one defining who the novelist is and who the reader is) and finished reading it with a clearer perspective.
- Good writing
- Great descriptions
- Very atmospheric of the times
- Excellent character sketch
- Excellent portrayal of emotions and confusions
So, why this difference in approach?
Is it that we expect a slower unfolding of the story when we pick a classic but are too impatient to humour the same style in contemporary novelists? I do not know. Or is it that classics are so well acclaimed that we do not mind plodding through the whole book? Maybe we (specially me) are less patient while reading a contemporary novel.
Anna Karenina will definitely be a 4.5 or 5 star read for me. It is that good! Tolstoy’s language is brilliant and it really makes me ache to close the book after a few chapters. Hopefully I can check it off my Classics Club list of fifty books to read in five years soon. If you have not yet read the story of Tolstoy’s Anna, you must find a spot for it on your reading pile.
Such an interesting comparison! I tend to avoid modern chunksters, too, although sometimes they work: I read and enjoyed Nathan Hill’s The Nix earlier in the year which would make a handy doorstop if needed.
I was very keen on The Nix after reading the blurb. But the size really dampened my enthusiasm. Thanks for letting me know it is a good book
This is a very interesting question I have often found myself pondering too! I think I do read “old” books differently, or weigh them on a different scale. Like the works of Fanny Burney and other novelists of her era, which I find melodramatic, improbable, hilariously bad. And yet, I strangely enjoy them.
One thing is that old novels have stood the test of time in a way that new ones haven’t — they are likely to have *something* that enabled their survival, because so many of their peers are completely forgotten. Even if they are as silly as say, “Cecilia.” We are likelier to give the benefit of the doubt then, and to keep reading.
I love that you introduce this idea with Anna K. Yes, even in the context of a glowing review in some prestigious publication, the description would make me think: sounds slow, boring, rather depressing, much too long….meh. Give it a pass.
I definitely enjoy them in a different way. I also find that technology has stolen my attention span! lol. I used to LOVE big books. Today they are almost unmarketable because of time pressures for readers, costs for publishers, so most are done now as series. But books are so dumbed down compared to classics. That’s our world. In the early 20th Century Jane Addams wrote in her memoir of Hull House that immigrants even would debate (really debate with rules) political issues. They had book cloves that seriously discussed and analyzed great books. Today we watch vapid reality shows and follow celebrities. I’m not immune to that.
Contemporary books pass the time while I’m on my long commute. Classics are an “experience.” I am immersed in them for a long time. Currently I’ve got 2 going, Sir Walter Scott’s Kenilworth and Les Miz. I’m reading the last hefty tome in a new way–on the Serial Reader App (pay the small fee for the extras). It gives a classic in a modern world-sized chunk each day. Reading slowly is an art that we’ve all but lost. But reading slowly, in small bites, leads to greater retention.
I, too, would likely see Anna your way if I was reading it today for the first time. Thankfully I grew up when big books were a good escape. The 1970s featured tons of big, big books that are still well worth reading.
Very interesting post!
Thank you. This idea cropped in my head because my current read The Sport of Kings by C. e. Morgan is quite the tome and it often tests my patience. However I enjoy getting back to Anna Karenina after a small break and I really enjoy the world Tolstoy has created. But I am not sure if I have the patience to read new books that are slow paced. Thank you for your insightful comment
I am finding as I get older and wiser I am returning to the classics more and more. Classics endure time and are in short ‘everything’ about life. Personally in light of your question I don’t know that I judge them differently it is just that I find classic literature far superior to a lot of recent releases.
I admit the language and the writing style is very different from a new release. Classics are different in their tone and pacing. However I also think that some releases which are often called modern classics might be the classics of the future
Really interesting post! I must admit I’ve greater tolerance for the classic hefty tomes – if I see a modern massive novel I find myself wondering if its overly self-indulgent writing. I’m not sure why I have this bias! You’ve got me thinking….
Same here. I started reading The Sport of Kings by C. E. Morgan and it is HUGE. I kept thinking why no one bothered cutting down the word count while I am more tolerant towards Anna Karenina. I do not mind that Anna K is a big book
I am happy to pick up big books (less happy to carry them about to read in my lunchbreak!) but I find I cut big classics more slack when it comes to rambling. I think editors are more ruthless these days, modern writing more concise, and a doorstop of a book like Hallberg’s City on Fire can’t wander as much as a similar books of that size written a hundred years ago.
That is so true. And frankly I am glad when I see smaller books. They fit into my reading schedule more easily. I am not keen on huge contemporary reads while I am willing to give a chance to classics that are huge.
You’re so right! I love Dickens, but if I saw a blurb that said “Full of quirky characters, ranting about social conditions and a spontaneous combustion scene”, and spotted the 800 plus pages, I doubt I’d ever pick up Bleak House! I guess maybe they just get talked about so often and so appreciatively that we’re willing to make a greater effort with them? Intriguing question… 🙂
You are so funny! I admit I would not be keen on a modern Dickens either. I think part of the enjoyment is because of our curiosity that some books have really stood the test of time. I enjoy classics but I also admit that if a new release is written in the same way, I would not have picked it up.
Great post.
I was just talking to someone about this novel. I have not read it but I would like to.
One of the things that seems apparent id that literary styles and tastes have changed. What was innovative and worthy in the past may be strangely inappropriate now. With that, I am fine with modern novels that have very slow stories. The agriculture parts do sounds a little dull.
I am currently reading Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd. There are a lot of agricultural references in that book but they do not seem overdone.
Far from the Madding Crowd is an excellent choice. I love that novel and I have read it many times. It is a nice story. I hope you will enjoy it.
I definitely have way different expectations for classic books and for new releases! I can’t begin to count the many times I was studying a book and thought “well this wouldn’t be as popular if this was being published in out time!” !
Haha. That is so true. Many classics would not have ben best sellers now. Same way, the present day writing would not have been enjoyed by readers then. I think each decade enjoys a different style of writing
I usually give classics longer to wow me because I HAVE to read them for my course. Classic or not, if I’m not enjoying a book, I’ll either push through because I feel like I have to finish it now that I’ve started it, or I’ll drop it. There’s no in-between.
Sometimes that happens with me too. I finish the book only because I started it.
I don’t know if I judge classics and contemporaries differently – I’d have to think about that more. I think I have to be in different moods to read them, so I obviously find that they’re not the same. And I think sometimes I have to be more patient, depending on how old the book is – sometimes the language they use is harder to get through. However, when it comes to the story and how much I enjoy it, the classics have to live up to the same standards as any other book. I read Anna Karenina a few years ago when I was in the mood for a big book… and I liked it… but I didn’t love it. I found parts of it tedious and I didn’t care what happened to some of the characters. I didn’t care about Anna at all (I don’t mind not liking characters, but I do want to care about them). Luckily, there were so many other characters with stories to help carry me along. I’m glad to hear you’re loving it, though! I think I might be in the minority here. 🙂
I totally get what you mean – some portions of Anna Karenina are very tedious and I agree that you have to be in the right mindset to read them. And i think the book is best enjoyed like a TV show, in small parts rather than trying to read through the book in one go. Yesterday I really missed reading Anna K since it had been quite a while and I picked it up because I loved the character sketches and the general atmosphere. But I was not expecting such lengthy passages on the elections in Part 6. Then I laughed to myself saying ‘ now I remember why I kept the book down and did not pick it up for long’. 😀
I love this post. I’ve always been one that is slow to read classics as well. I like to savor the language and all of the little details of times gone by. I used to always hate it in school when I had to rush through a classic to get it finished by a certain deadline for a class. There are many that I would love to re-read now at a slower pace so that I can take in more details.
That surely is the worst- rushing through a classic. Classics should be savoured and read slowly. I have a list of some classics that I really loved and want to read again
Interesting perspective, I’m not sure how I feel honestly. I feel like there are novelists always trying to hearken back to the classics and sometimes they can nail it and sometimes it’s just painful. The Russians in particular are tough because they’re always philosophizing and revolutioning which makes them rough for me to read.
That is so true. There is a lot of philosophy and random thoughts in Russian literature. I find them okay to read as classics , maybe because I am curious about the though process in olden times. But definitely not this patient to read new books written in this style.
Read this last winter and just finished War & Peace – Tolstoy’s pacing is probably slow by modern standards, but his chapters are mercifully short and he switches up POV enough to keep it interesting. I kinda liked the late entrance of the main character, and the slowly unraveling but gripping details of her life, but yeah it’s a domestic novel. The candle burns bright but slow….
I love the way Tolstoy writes. But the passages in agriculture can be plodded through only the ‘classics-reader’ in me. 😀 You are right about the minute details. He really brings the whole scene alive. This would make a brilliant BBC adaptation. I wish they would do it soon (not movie). I am curious about War and Peace too. But I think it is too big for me
The Russian revolution(s) fascinate me, so I kinda liked the agriculture stuff especially about the emancipation of the serfs. In War & Peace, though, I yawned every time Napoleon or the Russian General appeared in a chapter.
Yes, the revolution is interesting to read about. There is a new book by Sana Krasikov named The Patriots. Did you read it? I am not sure if it has the Russian revolution but I have been postponing picking it up because of the size(of course) and I heard from other bloggers that it is a good read. Take a look, you might enjoy it. As for War and Peace, I think I will pick it up after a few years. I do not think I will enjoy it now. But Anna Karenina is really enjoyable for me.
I definitely agree that I have more patience with classics. I hardly ever DNF a classic. I also think there’s a bit of pressure there, as much as I don’t want to admit it. I want to say I’ve read these things and have well rounded opinions in then even (especially) if I don’t enjoy them, so I’ll drag myself through a classic just to prove to myself that I can. It’s ridiculous because I would NEVER do this with a contemporary book, even if it were highly acclaimed. Interesting post!
Thank you. Exactly what I am trying to say. We always read through classics either because we are sure they are enjoyable since they have stood the test of time or because we are curious to see what makes them so famous. But we are not ready to give so much time to a new release.
Thanks for dropping by.
I confess that the size of this novel has kept me from picking it up. It would drive me up the walls if the protagonist wasn’t introduced for fifty pages. I get frustrated when it takes more than that long for the two leads to meet. I think these are really good tips for anyone who is likely to pick this one up and great encouragement to stick it out.
Thanks Alicia. I really enjoyed reading Anna Karenina, but for a new novel, I would not have waited so long for the heroine to appear and I would have given it a lower rating.
I am increasingly going for shorter books, a thing publishers have not understood. There just is not enough time.
And I also write short. Even novels.
Thank you for your POV. 😉
(I make an exception for Monte Cristo)
I remember many readers suggested Monte Cristo to me after I made a Classics Club list. I must try to get a copy. And I am all for shorter books too.
Ahh I actually understand your criticisms- and in many ways I would be just as hesitant if this was a new release. I think you put it really well when you described your “classics reader” in you- I definitely feel the same way and have completely different standards of classics to what I have of modern books. I love your title for this post- but even more than that I love that you are enjoying this book- it is truly wonderful!!
Thankyou! Yes, I view classics and modern releases very differently. In case of classics, I am keen to know more about the time period then and the way of life then. But for modern books, I AM living in the same time period so I am more impatient for the story to progress faster
I will definitely be reading Tolstoy one day, but yeah, I know what you mean – I’ve been “currently reading” Middlemarch for over a half a year now 😀 however! I have to say that I will cut current books pretty much the same amount of slack! I am not daunted by 800 page books or slow books. It’s just that I still think classics get somewhat unfair treatment because of how acclaimed they are. But I do love me a long book 🙂 even if it’s not a classic.
I think for me classics represent a larger historical context, so I tend to read them in this vein and not only as fiction. I also have more patience with classics than modern fiction because they’ve been vetted and talked about in so many different ways. Even if I don’t love the story, there’s a different kind of value in them, and I do love reading someone from a different era and feeling so closely connected to them. It’s always amazing when something someone wrote 200 years ago cuts to your core and is still relevant to you and your modern life. I suppose I also feel an obligation to read classics to better understand modern literature, or at least feel grounded in its history.
Huh, this is so interesting! Classics aren’t what I normally pick up but I did like a good majority of the ones that I read for school. The first time I heard of Anna Karenina was actually when I was in high school and the valedictorian of my class was reading it. He recommended it to me since he knew I liked to read but I never got around to buying a copy (since it’s a mini brick of a book and quite intimidating, as you mentioned). But I’ve heard nothing but brilliant things about Tolstoy’s storytelling and writing. I do have this on my TBR list already but I’m not going to pick it up until I need something depressing since I know it’s not a happy book, haha.
– Summer
Great post! I love Anna Karenina! The parts about farming I will skip if I ever end up doing a re-read, but there are sections that are so mesmerizing! I’m currently attempting to read War and Peace, I’ve been at it for a full year now. I’m about 48% done with the book and still have about 13 hours left per my Kindle. It’s not as interesting to me as Anna Karenina was. There’s something so fascinating about Anna’s character. She’s one of the most interesting female characters I’ve read.
Thanks for the insight. Anna Karenina was fantastic and War and Peace was a book that I had sworn not to read. After reading Anna K, I was so mesmerized by it that I was wondering whether to read War and Peace or not.
I’ve heard a lot of people rave about War and Peace, but sadly, it is not keeping my interest at all! I keep hoping for it to get better, but I just haven’t been able to get into it. I’ve debated giving up on it, but am trying to push through because it’s a classic, and I’d like to have read it. I hope you have better luck with it if you decide to try it!
Yikes! That makes me even more apprehensive about the book. I would recommend Anna Karenina though. It is a nice read and not boring; maybe because it is about human relationships.