Family Happiness (Masterplots II: World Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Leo Tolstoy
- First Published: 1859
- Type of Work: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The 1850’s
- Setting: A country estate, St. Petersburg, and a spa in Baden-Baden
- Principal Characters: Marya “Masha” Alexandrovna, Sergei Mikhailych
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Love or romance, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Women’s issues, Germany or German people, Russia or Russian people, Houses, mansions, or manors
- Locales: St. Petersburg, Russia, Baden-Baden, Germany
The Novel
Family Happiness is divided into two parts. In the first, Masha, a girl of seventeen whose mother has just died, relates the story of her romance with her guardian, Sergei Mikhailych, a man of thirty-six and a former friend of her father (who has died some years earlier). The romance culminates in their engagement and marriage. The second part concerns Masha’s married life. The couple’s relationship temporarily deteriorates, as Masha is corrupted by the false values of high society in St. Petersburg but is eventually restored on a new,...
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