Anna Karenina Setting
Where It All Goes Down
Late 19th century Moscow, Petersburg, the Russian countryside, a German spa, and a small Italian town
Most crucial is the novel's setting in late 19th century Russia. This was a time of incredible intellectual fervor and debate about what direction Russia should take in becoming a modern nation. For centuries, Russia had been a place that lagged behind its Western neighbors in sophistication and culture. By the late 19th century, Russia was hurrying to catch up and prove it could be as advanced as the rest of Europe. This sparked a huge debate over how much Russia should try to Europeanize itself and how much it needed to hang onto its own traditional values.
Tolstoy illustrates the different facets of 19th century Russia through the different physical settings of the novel. Setting matters a lot in Anna Karenina. The lives of the characters – especially their moral lives – are affected by their surroundings. Levin only feels comfortable in the countryside, because the country embodies traditional Russian values like purity, hard work, and religiosity. Oblonsky is happiest in town, but when Levin stays in town for a long time he starts drinking, gambling and falling for women other than his wife. As soon as he heads back to the countryside , of course, Levin becomes a good guy again.
The two cities of the novel also each have their own character. Moscow is traditional, conservative, and "Old Russia"; Petersburg is fashionable and hedonistic. Petersburg represents the "New Russia" shaped by European influences – which can be both a good thing and a bad thing, but which Tolstoy often views as a bad thing.