I am finished! I loved it so much. I am already planning to read it again. Tolstoy is a GENIUS. Really, really, really.
The guy who wrote the introduction, Malcom Crowley, said he is a genius because "Tolstoy writes as if Anna Karenina were the first novel ever published. To be more accurate, he writes as if there are other novels and he has read them, but doesn't need to be bothered about them, being perfectly convinced that he can do better."
Which A) it totally true - it doesn't seem like AK is copying anything else I've heard of or read. and B) totally reminded me of Ovidian conceit!
In my London Greek/Roman Mythology class (first rate, ps. If any BYU folks want to take such a class, take it from Macfarlane, please) our text was Ovid's Metamorphoses. Ovid was convinced that he could write a better epic than Homer or Virgil. And he wrote a book that still centuries later is the go-to for mythologists.
So, maybe that's what it takes to be a great writer - or to write a great book. You have to be aware of the other works that are out there, but be perfectly convinced that you can do better.
I guess it's the being convinced part that takes years to get to.
...the point is READ ANNA KARENINA. I guarantee you will not be sorry you did.
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