Anna Karenina

 The novel

Tolstoy begins his novel: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." There are three love-stories in the novel. Constantin Levin´s and Kitty´s family is happy like all other families and their petty quarrels appear to us outsiders as funny episodes belonging to the first stages of young love. Anna Karenina´s and Aleksei Vronsky´s relationship is unhappy because the society condemns it. Contrary to that, Anna´s brother Stiva´s and Dolly´s relationship is unhappy because the society does not condemn the adultery in it. Stiva represents the general morality of the nobility, or rather, the double-morality of it. His love of humanity gives him his personal character. He feels for other people but fails to understand the pain his conduct causes his wife. Dolly complies to her part as the betrayed wife at the same time that another part of her is seeking a way out of the situation.

In Anna Karenina two grand stories and a smaller one are woven together: those of Levin and Kitty and Anna and Vronsky, and on the other hand that of Stiva and Dolly. The essential question of the dramaturgy is always choosing the focus between the two main stories. Film-makers have usually chosen the story of Anna and Aleksey Vronsky. The choice is difficult, however, since without the story of Levin and Kitty, the novel would be just another love-story. Thus, Levin is never completely omitted from the script, but the danger remains that he is reduced to a marginal character. On the other hand too much emphasis on Levin and Kitty disturbs the narration, which is problematic even in the novel, not to mention in a film or theatre version. Whatever the solution, omitting Levin would render the whole story commonplace.

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