The Complete Plays of Leo Tolstoy (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Power of Darkness, The First Distiller, Fruits of Culture, The Live Corpse, The Cause of it All & The Light Shines in DarknessBy Leo Tolstoy
Length22h 7m
About this audiobook
The Complete Plays of Leo Tolstoy (Annotated) gathers the dramatic writings of a novelist better known for epic fiction, revealing his sustained engagement with theatre as a moral and social instrument. From the grim peasant tragedy of The Power of Darkness to the satirical brilliance of The Fruits of Enlightenment and the psychological tensions of The Living Corpse, these plays combine stark realism, ethical urgency, and sharp observation of Russian society. The annotations clarify historical, religious, and cultural references, situating the dramas within late nineteenth-century debates over faith, class, law, and conscience. Leo Tolstoy, born in 1828 into the Russian aristocracy, became one of world literature's central figures through War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Yet his later spiritual crisis, rejection of privilege, and commitment to Christian nonviolence profoundly shaped his drama. His plays often expose hypocrisy, institutional cruelty, and the tragic consequences of moral blindness, reflecting the same reformist intensity that animated his essays and late fiction. This volume is recommended for readers seeking a fuller understanding of Tolstoy beyond the novels. It will especially reward students of Russian literature, theatre history, and ethical realism, offering powerful works that remain intellectually provocative and dramatically alive.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.2 (177)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing, StoryGraph
GenreLiterary Classics
Length22 hrs 7 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 21, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The History of the Women's Suffrage: The Origin of the Movement (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)
26CHARACTERS
2The Complete Plays of Leo Tolstoy (Annotated)
27ACT I
3Introduction
28ACT II
4Leo Tolstoy: A Short Biography
29ACT III
5“Tolstoy the Artist” and “Tolstoy the Preacher”
30ACT IV
Show all chaptersShow less
6TOLSTOY THE ARTIST.
31The Live Corpse
7TOLSTOY THE PREACHER.
32CHARACTERS
8“Count Tolstoi and the Public Censor”
33ACT I
9Plays
34ACT II
10The Power of Darkness
35ACT III
11CHARACTERS
36ACT IV
12ACT I
37ACT V
13ACT II
38ACT VI
14ACT III
39The Cause of it All
15ACT IV
40CHARACTERS
16ACT V
41ACT I
17The First Distiller
42ACT II
18CHARACTERS
43The Light Shines in Darkness
19ACT I
44CHARACTERS
20ACT II
45ACT I
21ACT III
46ACT II
22ACT IV
47ACT III
23ACT V
48ACT IV
24ACT VI
49ACT V
25Fruits of Culture
50Reminiscences
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