Resurrection

Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.5

Word count: 972K words
Chapters: 98

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Resurrection by graf Leo TolstoyAuthor: Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910,Language: English, Class: PG: Language and Literatures: Slavic (including Russian), Languages and Literature, Release Date: Oct 1, 1999

Editor's review

Tolstoy's Resurrection is a major late novel, centering on the intertwined fates of the nobleman Nekhlyudov and Maslova, weaving personal repentance, judicial injustice, and the suffering of the lower classes into a single whole. The novel's power lies not in intricate plotting but in the meticulous depiction of the characters' spiritual transformation: from self-deception to facing the truth, from the troubled conscience of the privileged to the difficult process of taking action—a reading that is heavy yet deeply thought-provoking. With a broad social panorama and sharp moral questioning, Tolstoy makes the novel both narrative and intellectual. This edition is a public-domain English e-book with relatively plain language, suited to reading in segments over a fairly complete stretch of time. Readers who approach it as a slow-reading classic about conscience and redemption rather than a story chasing dramatic reversals will find it easier to enter its spiritual core and draw from it lasting reflection on the relationship between institutions and human nature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Classic literature readers who enjoy Tolstoy and Russian realist novels
Reflective readers interested in themes of morality, conscience, redemption, and social justice
Readers interested in the judicial system and the circumstances of the lower classes
Readers who can accept a slower pace and are willing to read closely the characters' spiritual transformation

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer light entertainment and fast-paced plots
Readers who are more resistant to passages of religious and moral preaching
Readers who struggle with English reading and have no Chinese translation at hand for reference

Reading tips

Read in segments according to the stages of the characters' spiritual transformation, reviewing their shifting motives after each segment
Note the contrast between courtroom and lower-class scenes to trace the author's lines of social critique
Mark long discursive passages for later and return to them after finishing the main plot
Read alongside Tolstoy's other late works to understand the continuity of his moral concern

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is the electronic edition of this book in English or Chinese?

According to the information, the e-book is in English and is a public-domain e-book provided by Project Gutenberg. Chinese readers who need a Chinese version should look for a separate Chinese translation; when reading this book, they can pace their reading according to the English original.

Is Resurrection suitable for middle school students?

It depends on reading ability. The book is long and contains much discussion, touching on judicial injustice and the suffering of the lower classes, so the threshold for understanding is not low. Senior students with some grounding in classic reading may read it with guidance; younger readers may be better served by excerpts or an introductory guide first.

Do I need to know Russian historical background to read this book?

Systematic prior study is not necessary, but understanding nineteenth-century Russian nobility, the judicial system, and the circumstances of the lower-class peasants will help in grasping the characters' choices and the social critique. On a first reading, focus on the characters' fates, then supplement background knowledge and revisit the social panorama.

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About the author

Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910 Author

Leo Tolstoy (Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910) is a highly important writer in the history of Russian literature. Public information about his nationality and exact dates of birth and death is limited; the library records only his name, the number of his works, and representative titles. The library holds 81 of his works, with representative titles including Anna Karenina and War and Peace (Sota ja rauha). These titles show that he excelled at presenting characters' fates and inner conflicts against broad social panoramas, with calm narration and a reflective quality, while questions of family, morality, and the course of history run throughout. His works have been translated into many languages and have a lasting readership and wide influence.