Welcome back to The Invisible College, my series of literature courses for paid subscribers. The introduction to and schedule for the 2026 season is here. The 2024 and 2025 archives are here. This episode, of which the first 10 minutes are free, is the second in a three-part sequence on Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. We discuss the novel’s themes of Russian political, economic, and social reform; women’s place in society; the relationship between religion and conscience; the limitations of ideology as against a direct experience of reality; the importance of art as a disclosure of truth; the wisdom of childhood; and more. The slideshow corresponding to the episode can be downloaded behind the paywall:
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