Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Deep Analysis of Anna Karenina Part Three: Why Do We Love Russian Literature? (Chapters 3-4) (Patreon)

Published:
2021-03-02 08:31:53
Imported:
2026-06
haven't archived this post yet. have a subscription? use the importer!

Content

In this video, we're talking about why readers love Russian literature, collectivism vs individualism, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Aristotle and character ethics, and why the western idea of "happiness" is flawed.

  • 0:00 Why Levin is a bit of an ass
  • 2:00 Revolution and the conversations of our time
  • 9:00 How Tolstoy subtly gets you thinking about society
  • 10:30 Collectivism vs individualism 
  • 13:00 The western idea of "happiness" is flawed 
  • 14:33 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
  • 17:55 "First they came..." (a poem)
  • 19:00 Aristotle, virtue, and character ethics
  • 21:00 Why do people love Russian Literature so much?
  • 21:20 Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions
  • 21:50 Russia vs America (individualist vs collectivist culture)

A quote to ponder:

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

"First they came..." by Martin Niemöller

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

And a question for you:

  • Do you like what you've read of Russian Literature so far? If so, why? 

Files

Previews only

Deep Analysis of Anna Karenina Part Three: Why Do We Love Russian Literature? (Chapters 3-4)

0:00 Why Levin is a bit of an ass 2:00 Revolution and the conversations of our time 9:00 How Tolstoy subtly gets you thinking about society 10:30 Collectivism vs individualism 13:00 The western idea of "happiness" is flawed 14:33 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 17:55 "First they came..." (a poem) 19:00 Aristotle, virtue, and character ethics 21:00 Why do people love Russian Literature so much? 21:20 Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions 21:50 Russia vs America (individualist vs collectivist culture)

Comments

Rima Kundnani
>>88637051

Patrick, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I felt myself oscillating between the views of the two brothers but found myself connecting to Levin more because I felt there was just something more genuine about him. I actually was thinking along the same lines as you articulated but was struggling to put into words some of the reasons that I connected with Levin -- it is because of precisely that he is working on living a life that is authentic to him and pushing back against the "should", which is what I have been working on in my own journey. There were elements in this that reminded me of Emerson's essay, "Self-Reliance".

Aniela

I wasn’t planning on writing up a response, but I’ve been inspired by the recurring reference to writing helping us determine what we think, so here we are! I really liked the discussion of individualism vs collectivism. As an economist (with previous experience working in public policy), I was so strongly drawn to the various scenes where Levin and others contemplate the economic issues of the time. The idea that what is good for the collective is good for the individual makes me connect to the idea of positive externalities. This is where there is a benefit to third parties who are not involved in the transaction – the social benefit is greater than the private benefits, and so the market will underprovide these good/services. While we may not benefit when we have our direct consumer hat on, we certainly do benefit as being part of the collective third party society. Education is the classic example here. While I can buy my own education, I also gain from others around me being more educated – for example, materially, through more innovations in various fields that means I have access to better goods and services, and non-materially, through wiser engagement in voting for political leaders… My economics training makes it a little too easy for me to side with Sergei in this passage. So then I’ve tried to challenge myself by asking about whether this justification holds when there’s no possibility of personally receiving these third party benefits. This then prompted the question of altruism, and I note you did mention martyrs in your video here too. As someone with a highly tuned conscience, I often find myself doing ‘the right thing’ if only to alleviate the future guilt of choosing the ‘wrong thing’. This then took me down a familiar path of wondering whether there is any truly altruistic act. Annnnnd… that’s where I always get stuck! I’m not sure if anyone is seeing comments on these older posts, but if so, does anyone have recommendations on readings on this topic? And for the record… another INTJ here haha!

Patricksb

Levin is not present with his brothers line of questioning because he is actually present with what he values more, farming and efficiency. We see this throughout the novel where society is constantly trying to drag Levin into what he “should” be doing based on others values, but Levin fights and stays true to his own values and refuses to subordinate to others. However, when he does subordinate to others (e.g. the wedding, and birth) we see that he becomes unhappy and can hardly recognize his own actions, which forces him to right his own ship. I believe what Tolstoy is attempting to relay is the importance of living your own authentic life, and it is not by accident that because Levin continually reverts back to that theme that he seems to be the only character that ultimately grows.