Through the character of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy

Order Instructions

Answer all parts of the question thoroughly and accurately in two or three fully developed paragraphs.

Provide detailed evidence in the form of quotations from the text.

Follow APA guidelines for citing and referencing the text.

Demonstrate a clear understanding of the time period, topic, or genre that is this week’s focus.

By Monday, May 15, review and comment on at least two, preferably more, of your peers’ answers.

Ensure your responses are substantive. Provide a significant level of detail in your responses and show active engagement through referencing the readings. Draw on your own experiences and give your opinions. Agree or disagree respectfully and ask questions that are designed to generate further discussion.

Question: Through the character of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy offers a critique of affluent Russian society in the nineteenth century. Tolstoy describes Ivan’s life as the “most simple and most ordinary and therefore the most terrible.” What makes Ivan’s life terrible? Consider his social life and his family life. What aspects of his contemporary society is Tolstoy trying to critique? You might also consider how the servant Gerasim is presented as an alternative approach to life.

Example APA Reference:

Tolstoy, L. (2018). The Death of Ivan Ilyich. In M. Puchner (Ed.) The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 2, (shorter 4th edition) (pp. 769-806). Norton.