Previous
Personification
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
Anna Karenina, written by Leo Tolstoy, takes place in late 19th-century Russia in its two largest cities: Moscow and Petersburg. In the novel, these two cities serve as the homes for the different wealthy families. Moscow is the home of the Oblonsky family (Stiva, Dolly, and their children) and the Shcherbatsky family (Prince Shcherbatsky, Princess Shcherbatsky, and Kitty). Moscow is also the city where the ball in the beginning of the novel takes place, an event where many of the novel's characters meet and intertwine. At the Moscow train station, Anna first meets Vronsky, and at the skating rink, Levin tries to make Kitty fall in love with him. Levin himself, though, lives in the countryside on his farm and cattle lands.
Petersburg, however, is the home of the Karenin family—Anna, Karenin, and their son Seryozha. Petersburg later becomes the home of Anna, Vronsky, and their daughter Annie when they return from Italy. Petersburg is consistently the more doomed city of the two: Anna was not happy with her life there initially, she is ostracized by society when she tries to live there with Vronsky, and she eventually takes her own life at the city's train station. It seems that nothing ever good happens for Anna in Petersburg.
At one point in the story, Stiva even compares the two cities. According to him, Moscow is stuffy and full of uptight people with too many responsibilities, while Petersburg is more relaxed and allows people to live freely without cares. The novel also travels to places such as Italy and Germany. Anna and Vronsky take a honeymoon of sorts to Rome, Venice, Naples, and a small Italian town. On their journey, they are able to escape the judgmental eye of society and live in peace. For instance, Kitty and her mother travel to a spa town in Germany to refresh and rejuvenate themselves after Kitty's tragic heartbreak over Vronsky.
Related Themes:
