The Significance of Setting in Anna Karenina

     Tolstoy focuses on four themes in location as settings for the novel: Moscow, St. Petersburg, country estates and western Europe.  This is very realistic, as aristocratic life in Russia revolved around these principal places.

     Moscow and St. Petersburg, both at one time capitals of imperial Russia, have long existed as representations of the identity crisis of Russia: should Russia be a part of Europe, or should it maintain its distinction from the west?  Moscow is seen as the traditionally Russian city, while St. Petersburg, designed by Peter the Great to be a European city, symbolizes western influence and what some see as a perversion of Russian culture.  Tolstoy’s views on the question of Moscow versus St. Petersburg (and which should be the true heart of Russia) is clear in the novel.  The characters of St. Petersburg live an artificial life in which family life takes a back seat to the court and meaningless diversions.  Tolstoy finds many ways to illustrate St. Petersburg’s deficiencies; for example, Oblonsky, a cheating husband and irresponsible father, loves the atmosphere of St. Petersburg.  On the other hand, Moscow is portrayed as a homier city, one much more encouraging of traditional family life.

     Tolstoy’s love of the countryside is, likewise, evident in the novel.  The country estate was a haven for many Russian elites, a place where they felt free to operate autonomously from the state.  The multiple estates Tolstoy includes in the novel (Dolly’s Ergushevo, Sviyazhsky’s, Levin’s Pokrovskoe and Vronsky’s Vozdvizhenskoe) depict landowners’ challenges in the 1870s, and different solutions.  Additionally, the atmosphere at each estate gives the reader insight into the characters.  The state of Ergushevo symbolizes Oblonsky’s irresponsibility as a husband and father.  The placement of Dolly’s visit to Vozdvizhenskoe immediately following her time at Pokrovskoe highlights the discrepancies between Vronsky’s and Levin’s way of lives.  As an example, at Pokrovskoe, activities include jam making and mushroom picking, which are not only traditional Russian pastimes, but also focus on responsible planning for the future.  On the other hand, during Dolly’s visit to Vozdvizhenskoe, Anna, Vronsky and their guests distract themselves with childish games, which lack purpose and are very un-Russian.

     Travel to western Europe, a typical leisure activity for Russian high society, is portrayed in a very negative light in this novel.  All trips away from Russia are acts of desperation—a last resort to escape either society or oneself.  Only on Russian soil does “real life” happen.