The Kreutzer Sonata (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Leo Tolstoy
- First Published: 1889
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Late nineteenth century
- Setting: Russia
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: Suicide, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Adultery, Aristocracy or aristocrats, Pianos or pianists, Russia or Russian people
- Locales: Russia
Characters Discussed
Vasyla Pozdnishef (VAHS-lyah pohz-DNIH-shehf), a Russian landed proprietor who describes the horror of marriage and the murder of his wife. The only character in the novel developed to any extent, Pozdnishef relates his macabre story to a fellow traveler on the train, who in turn relates it to the reader. The hero-villain has been brought up to avoid all moral responsibility. As a wealthy young man, he looked on women merely as the instruments of his sensual gratification. At thirty, he married and settled down to what he supposed would be an ideal and pure...
[The entire page is 922 words long]
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