The Death of Ivan Ilyich & Other Stories (Wordsworth Classics)

These stories give an excellent view of Tolstoy's vision on the real nature of man, his place in our world, on sex, marriage and women, on man's ultimate destiny and on morals.For Tolstoy, man as a species is barely more than an animal incapable of controlling his `animal passion'. More, `it is perhaps better that people should be pure animals, then they would not suffer from death and disease.'In `The Devil', the main character commits suicide because he cannot control his sexual drive ('his swinish life'). In `The Kreutzer Sonata', the main character knows his wife `only as an animal and nothing can restrain an animal.'To have sex is `necessary for physical health', but the solution lays in no way in marriage.In `Family Happiness', the novelty of the first years of marriage (`the wild delight') turns into routine. Pure love for her man becomes `love for her children and the father of her children.'But in `The Death of Ivan Ilyich', `conjugal love was in reality a very intricate and different business.' And, in `The Devil', marriage is not less than sin, `a deviation from the doctrine of Christ'.`The Kreutzer Sonata' is not less than the killing of marriage as an institute.For sex one needs a partner. Here, L. Tolstoy shows his serious misogyny. In `The Devil' it is crystal clear who the devil is and who constantly reminds the main character of his sexual drive. In `The Kreutzer Sonata': `that the women of our society have other interest in life than prostitutes, but I say no.'The only solution then is chastity and celibacy, in other words the extinction of mankind. Tolstoy has absolutely no problem with this outcome, for in any case science tells us that mankind is doomed with the death of the sun!Chastity and celibacy makes of man still more an island. In `The Death of Ivan Ilyich', the main character `cried at his awful loneliness, the cruelty of people, the cruelty and the absence of God.'If celibacy is Tolstoy's ideal of humanity what should man do? `Family Happiness' gives us the answer: `in life there is only one certain happiness - living for others.'As science has proven, pure altruism is a synonym for evolutionary death.This extremely emotionally driven short stories reveal clearly Tolstoy's demons and his catastrophic vision on mankind.Not to be missed.

I had never read Tolstoy before, being put off by the length and perhaps depth of his books. But short stories would be ok, wouldn't they? And yes, they were. I really enjoyed the four stories in the collection, especially Ivan Ilyich, the most compelling tale of dying I have ever read. Not a death bravely born but a person who goes kicking and screaming out of life. The introduction section was really interesting, I read each story and then read the commentary, and this helped me with where Tolstoy was in his life as he wrote each one. A fairly major step back for female emancipation, but I found it so interesting to read his views on marriage and relationships. And Russia. I will now brave War and Peace I think.

Bought as a present for my dad and he loves it. My sister and I also read the book. It's good that the stories are only a few pages and we can easily finish one at lunchtime. You can put it down and pick it up at anytime without worrying remembering nothing because the stories are independent of each other.

The introduction provides an excellent overview of key themes in these short stories by Tolstoy. This helps readers to look for the development of his core concerns over the years as he wrestled with the meaning of life and many aspects of the human condition that ring true to modern readers from our own experiences today. I was especially interested to see how his attitude towards women evolved. This collection is highly recommended!

The book is split into four unequal short stories, with the first three taking up the majority of the book, ('The Devil' is the shortest story). Tolstoy expresses some very interesting, albeit occasionally controversial, ideas in the stories; the way he framed the character's dialogues (either narrating in the first person, or interacting amongst themselves), is top quality, and the descriptive sections are a real breath of fresh air compared to some of the books available.I am not usually keen on fiction, but there are many ideas to be explored and lessons to take away - happy reading.

A selection of immediately compelling tales casting an eye over universal human suffering and malaise. My favourite is the last, The Devil, for its immediacy and brevity. The short story is an understated art form and this collection shows how memorable it can be in the hands of someone with something to say and the talent to be able to say it. Tolstoy hooks you from the first page of each story, then effortlessly reels you in.

Thought-provoking read like so many of Tolstoy’s brilliant writing. Great thanks to the publisher for printing and distributing such books at such very affordable prices.

Interesting stories but dated! Wouldn't happen today!