Emna El Mokhtar asked this question about Anna Karenina:
am i the only one who felt like Tolstoy was portraying himself through Levin ? and that, well, Levin is the principle character of the book ?
Maryam Yes, but his views/autobiography are also in the other characters such as Dolly, Karenin, and even Seriozha. Levin just happens to be the strongest in…moreYes, but his views/autobiography are also in the other characters such as Dolly, Karenin, and even Seriozha. Levin just happens to be the strongest in representing Tolstoy's ideals. He also added Levin to the story later; originally, there was no Kostya in his writing.
Levin has a major narrative, but the book's main hero is still Anna. As I mentioned, Levin was an additional character later added. If we were to have a book about Levin and reverse the significance of the two characters, it wouldn't be the same. In my literature classes I have contended that Levin deserves more space than Anna and is the more interesting narrative, but not many people agree. So, consider Levin as Tolstoy having a little fun and adding some good ideals to a novel full of scandal. (less)
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