ConfessionIn "Confession" Tolstoy poses the question: Is there any meaning in my life that will not be destroyed by my death? In 1879 the fifty-year-old author of "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" came to believe that he had accomplished nothing in life. Either of these magnificant novels would have assured Tolstoy's permanent place in the annals of world literature, yet his achievement was not enough to give his life meaning. "Confession" is an account of this spiritual crisis, marking a shift of Tolstoy's central focus from the aesthetic to the religious and philisophical. |
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Alexis Mikhailovich Anna Karenina area of knowledge asked became began believe brother Buddha Christian clear communion Confession continued to live convinced cord death Decembrists Descartes despair destroy Dogmatic Theology doubt dragon epicurean everything evil and meaningless exist experimental sciences explanation expressed failed feel felt fields of knowledge Filioque finite gave happened happy heart honey horror human infinite infinity intellect irrational John Chrysostom kill knew labor learned Leo Tolstoy live according lived and continue look lying mankind meaningless and evil means of escape Molokans Moscow Nicene Creed Old Believers Orthodox Church peasant phenomena philosophy possible to live prayers Raskolniks rational knowledge realized reason rection remember reply Russia Samara Schopenhauer seemed simple Solomon soul speculative science striving stupid teachings of faith thing thought tion Tolstoy Tolstoy's torment truth tsar turn understood University of Kazan vanity wanted wisdom