Leo Tolstoy's Remarkable Writings and Profound Philosophy

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Appreciated the summaries. Perhaps you are selling Tolstoy short a little by saying he "ran away from his wife" at the end of his life when the reality is far more complex and interesting. Both men were very religious, but Dostoevsky was a traditionalist conservative (orthodox) while Tolstoy was a religious and social reformer whose extensive Christian writings and correspondence influenced even Gandhi. Tolstoy's Christian beliefs caused a gradual change in his life and led him on a journey to renounce his wealth and fame, educate the children of his peasants, and even to a desire to give his peasants his land--something that naturally didn't sit well with his wife, who did not share the same level of enlightenment. Tolstoy may deserve some criticism but it needs to be fair and balanced in light of his own personal journey.

The Genius of Leo Tolstoy: His Remarkable Writings and Profound Philosophy intro 00:22 In this very long video, I'll compare Tolstoy to Charles Dickens, discuss Tolstoy's significant novels, Anna Karenina and War and Peace, and discuss some life lessons we can learn from Tolstoy. 01:30 By the end of this video, you will know Tolstoy like your wise old grandpa. Dickens vs Tolstoy 01:57 Charles Dickens was a poor city boy who believed in opportunities in life, while Leo Tolstoy was a Country Gentleman who believed in mystical forces within the soil. Dickens's Tales are overly sentimental, while Tolstoy's are excessively moralistic. 02:45 In the 19th century, Egalitarianism became a dominant philosophical Enterprise, especially after the 1840s. Karl Marx argued for total equality, and Charles Dickens and Leo Tolstoy captured this inequality in their writing. 03:31 Charles Dickens is the greatest English novelist of all time, and Leo Tolstoy is a towering figure of Russian literature. Both are comparable to Dickens, but Tolstoy is more sociological and adopts realism as his style. 04:38 Dickens and Tolstoy are often compared because of their focus on social justice. In this video, I'll compare their lives, novels, writing styles, themes, and characters, and at the end, I'll try to answer whether today we are more Dickensian characters or Tolstoyan characters. 05:48 Count Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth, some 120 kilometers south of London. When he was 12, his father was sent to prison for unpaid debt, and this problem with the legal system would dominate Dickens's novels. 06:34 Tulsa was born in 1828, 16 years after Dickens and Yasnaya Poliana. He struggled with life after losing his mother and father when he was two and nine years old. 07:10 Dickens, a young boy, was forced to work 10 hours a day to earn a living. He became a reporter, started writing short stories, and rose rapidly up the socio-economic ladder. 08:06 Tolstoy joined the Russian army in the Crimean War of the 1850s and experienced the horrors of the War, which shifted his perspective towards pacifism. 08:35 Dickens married Catherine, and together they had 10 children. In 1842, he traveled to the U.S. and Canada, where he was like a rock star like the Beatles, and in 1846, he traveled to Europe for quiet and peace. 09:23 In 1862, at age 34, Tolstoy married Sofia, who was 18. He made many trips to Europe, mainly France, where he met the same Victor Hugo, who inspired him to write War and Peace. 10:01 Dickens hit a midlife crisis when he was 45 and fell in love with an 18-year-old woman. Tolsto's crisis was for life's purpose, and he struggled with Schopenhauer's negation of the self and the Christian belief. 10:46 Deacon supported charities for disadvantaged people and advocated against slavery, terrible labor conditions, and poverty among the working class. Tolstoy valued education and a rural way of life in the country. 11:25 Dickens was an Industrial Revolution success story of a poor boy becoming one of the greatest novelists. At the same time, Tolstoy was a Russian success story of a rich man becoming one of the greatest writers. 12:25 Deacon's second novel, Oliver Twist, is about an orphan boy, Oliver, who escapes from harsh working conditions to join London's underground criminals. 12:59 Tulsa's first novel, Childhood, was published in 1852, followed by Boyhood two years later in 1854, and Youth in 1857. They tell about their own lives growing up an aristocrat. 13:47 Dickens published five novellas in the 1840s, and his most famous work is Christmas Carol, about a miserly older man who is haunted by three ghosts. 14:11 Dickens obsessed over money, Tolstoy locked himself and his country house to ride the Beast of a novel. 14:29 War and Peace tells the story of the Napoleonic Wars of 1805 and 1812, including hundreds of characters from top to bottom. 15:01 Dickens wrote Bleak House in 1852 about a legal battle that lasted decades. It was inspired by Dickinson's War and Peace. 15:46 Dickens wrote Hard Time Little Dorit, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations, about a young boy whose life takes a dramatic turn when he meets a convict. 16:24 Tolstoy wrote the Death of Evan Ellis and Meditation on Meaning of Life and Death and Resurrection about past guilt. 17:06 Dickens' storytelling style is best described as a fairy tale of the Industrial Age, in which young people try to seek their fortune in the city, mainly London, and also abroad in the colonies. 17:44 Tolstoy had an advantage over Dickens because he came a few years later, and Russia has a harsh climate, so people are slightly more challenging than the English. 18:11 Tolstoy is a philosopher and sociologist who challenged history and historians instead of challenging the class system in England. He admired the French and combined French literary realism with his Russian or Eastern mysticism to create something unique. 19:12 Dickens was a fantastic comic Genius of his day, and his novels are Litter, Pickwick Papers, Bleak House, and America. 19:54 Dickens told stories about people, places, and things, while Tolstoy wrote philosophical epics. Dickens's Tales are more optimistic about the future, while Tolstoy's Tales are more realistic, which means more pessimistic. 21:08 Tolstoy's most famous quote comes from Anna Karenina. Dickens is more concerned with the poetic, lyrical, and stylistic side of writing and storytelling, while Tolstoy is more concerned with wisdom, profundity, and depth. 21:52 Tolstoy's language from Anna Karenina describes Levin's love for Kitty as leaving him blind to her flaws and believing her to be human perfection. Dickens describes Pips La's love for Stella as having no weaknesses and being higher than all Humanity. 23:04 Tolstoy is almost Godlike, while Dickens is more focused on the irrational side of Love of a man who would do anything to achieve his goal. Dickens is more concerned about telling you an entertaining story, while Tolstoy catered for himself. 24:02 Dickens's Tales are about poor people looking up, while Tolstoy's Tales are about wealthy people looking down at the peasants and looking at themselves in search of purpose. 24:29 In Tolstoy's Tales, characters accept their fate and are less likely to complain about their lives. In Anna Karenina, characters can be calm when they think of their wives but can be broken by seeing their tortured faces. 25:15 Dolly shut the bureau with a slam and glanced at him. She forgives him, and the couple stays married because Russians are realistic. 25:39 Deacon's characters are well off but suffer significantly due to historical events, family expectations, or poverty. 26:05 Tolstoy's characters look for something grander than money to make them happy, and age plays a vital role in their characters. 26:29 Tolsto's characters are primarily adults caught up in Social and historical events. They all look for happiness and meaning but struggle with the tide of history. 26:56 Torso famously said that all great literature is either a hero takes a journey or a Stranger Comes To Town. Dickens and Tolstoy were obsessed with children as the most beautiful period in one's life. 27:37 Deacon's characters are shackled by poverty, Wild Toaster's characters are shackled by history and social conventions, Dickens's characters are wild hampered economically or psychologically Freer, Tolsto's characters are the opposite, they don't lack in wealth but mentally feel stifled by the social norms and family expectation. 28:38 Dickinson's characters are slightly more Square, while Tolstoy's characters are more fluid and able to grow on the page, and they have many contradictions. It has to do with their Styles, as Dickens wrote many types of characters, while Tolstoy mostly wrote about himself. 30:03 Dickens tells his characters to smile boy while toasting all his characters because English people smile to cover awkwardness, while Russians don't smile and don't care about awkwardness. Themes Dickens's canvas was the English Industrial Revolution.

I love his voice and sense of humor

Fiction Beast, you are one of my favorite programs on YouTube. You bring Dickens, Tolstoy, Doedysifsky, or any writer you discuss with depth with fervor and complete luminosity. With the deepest appreciation and respect for all your videos. One question, if I may ask, have you ever written anything?What a dedicated teacher you are. 🙏♥️🌍🎵🎶

Fantastic video! I read Russian Literature at Oxford but you have taught me even more than my professors there.

Thanks and an extra thanks for captioning the paintings as the cherry on the cake❤❤❤ This takes time and effort and is indeed instructive.

I'm not watching the video now but will save it for later. Thank you for this, I absolutely love it whenever you make a video, such a pleasure it is to listen to these. 2h30m wow.

Why is it so many in Russian literature attempt suicide but survive? It must be more of a gesture than a true desire to end?

Thank You for this. This year I finished War and Peace and am now about to finish Notes from Underground. This was great timing for me to have this lengthy comparison at the end :)

Please do a video on Victor Hugo and his masterpiece Les Miserables because its a gem that deserves a video on its own. It was a life changing experience for me and its sad theres not enough content on him on youtube. I really hope you take my suggestion. Thanks a lot!

Thank you for your work! Amazing production as always!

Bro you're awesome. I've never read these authors and don't read much fiction, but I've been listening to your vids at work today, been 5 hours so far , last one was the philosophers piece, and you sir, paint a wonderful picture while spawning the segment in my mind that will now not allow me to ignore their work, and yours. Thanks for talking about what you love and putting it into the world. Legend.

It's crazy how boring all this is but Anna Karenina is still the best book I've read.

I appreciate how you pointed out the differences. I will read from both before being able to have an opinion. Thank you.

Only 10 minutes in but, another intellectually interesting video from you. Thanks for creating these wonderful videos. I was wondering if you have ever, or would ever cover Cormac McCarthy?

why people always show the latest photo when he was only 35 y.o. at the time of his finest masterpiece

Simple excellent! Thank you for sharing your depth of knowledge and understanding of Russian history through their son's Tolstoy and Dostoevsky ... simply excellent .

Τις ιστορίες του Dickens μέσες άκρες τις καταλαβαίνω ενώ για τα βιβλία του Tolstoy έχω πολλά ερωτήματα. Για τα βιβλία του Dostoevsky ακόμα αναρωτιέμαι. Ο πιο αγαπημένος μου είναι αυτός που καταλαβαίνω λιγότερο Υ.Γ. Το βίντεο είναι επιπέδου πανεπιστημιακής διατριβής

This video was Amazing! I learned many things from it. I love Russian literature so much. Please make more videos.