Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina is the tragic story of a married aristocrat/socialite and her affair with the affluent Count Vronsky, a bachelor. He is eager to marry her if she will agree to leave her husband Karenin, a senior government official, but she is vulnerable to the pressures of Russian social norms, the moral laws of the Russian Orthodox Church, her own insecurities, and Karenin's indecision. A parallel story is that of Konstantin Levin, a wealthy country landowner who wants to marry Princess Kitty. He has to propose twice before Kitty accepts. The novel details Konstantin's difficulties managing his estate, his eventual marriage, and his personal issues, until the birth of his first child. The novel explores a diverse range of topics: politics, individual characters and families, religion, morality, gender and social class.