SLAV 117H Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Skaz
Document Summary
After anna karenina, tolstoy begins pedagogical writing. More direct messages to the readers (his peers) Tolstoy hated orthodox christianity, but remained a believer in the core values of the religion. Tolstoy"s pedagogical stories focused on folkloric style writing. Innocent person is taken in for crime, 26 years in prison leads to meeting the real murderer. Innocent rich person in prison, becomes wise man who helps his fellow prisoners. Innocent man realizes that murderer is trying to escape prison. Innocent man longs for vengeance first, but lets it go as well. Only god is allowed to carry out that revenge. It"s not up to us to forgive, only a higher power can do that. Peasants don"t fear death, they accept it. The aristocracy tries to prevent death as much as possible. Stories are not for the aristocracy, usually for villagers. Simple writing, meant to be read out loud to people in large gathering.
