Drawing from my somewhat limited personal library, this week's book is [insert drumroll here], Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy is best known for the very long novel, War and Peace. Anna Karenina is the dramatic story of two figures, Anna Karenina and Konstantin Levin. Anna, the wife of a Petersburg civil service officer, renounces her respectable marriage and social position to enter into a passionate affair with a young army officer. Levin, a young nobleman, well-educated and financially set, decides to remove himself from the constrains of society and live as a peasant.
Tolstoy used this novel to further his ideas about nonviolence and abstention from worldly riches. He magnificently sketched the psychological anguishes of his character, as well as the pressures they were under from their society mates. Russian literature from this period, (including Dostoevsky and Pushkin) is a little difficult to read, mainly because of the forms of nicknames, (Konstantin = Kostya, Ayosha =Alexey, etc.) and also a heavy use of French dialogue , that is generally not translated for the reader. If you've never had French, it would be wise to have a French to English dictionary around. Anybody interested in nineteenth century Russian society should read this. Tolstoy's descriptions are extremely vivid and flowing, almost making you feel as if you were present for all the tragedies and happiness he recounts.
Something to keep in mind for this weekend, the first Kaleidoscope film of the year is this Sunday, September 24 in Perreault Hall. Show times are 6:30 and 9:30, admission is $2. The movie is "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". This film had some of the most interesting cinematography and costume design that I've seen in a long time. The three main characters are a despicable lot, but somehow they kind of grow on you. Judging from commercials, this movie can best be described as the Australian version of that "To Wong Foo" movie that is currently out. After seeing "Priscilla", I don't think that American filmmakers could come close, without blatantly copying the film. So, go see "Priscilla", you'll laugh, you might cry, but most important you'll have fun. Proof that there are things to do on the WPI campus. Until next time...
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