Leo Tolstoy's Art and Thought

Undergraduate

Tolstoy spent his long life on a tireless quest to discover how one should live. In this course, we will analyze the trajectory of his thought, a path marked by cycles of hope and disillusionment, as he sought answers to life's most profound questions. By reading his early stories, the novel Anna Karenina , and his late masterpiece The Death of Ivan Ilyich , we will explore Tolstoy's distinctive views on ethics, morality, and aesthetics. The course will trace the development of his ideas on family, love, work, and art, as well as explore his innovative use of literary genre. Taught in English. Open to all classes.