In this blog post, I’ll explain why Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ should remain a classic rather than a relic of the past, and suggest ways to appreciate this vast work relatively easily. The Scale and Paradox of a Masterpiece Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ is a truly monumental work. First of all, it is so vast in scope that it can be called an epic novel, with a cast...
Why is ‘Anna Karenina’ a novel about death rather than love?
In this blog post, I will examine the hidden meanings of ‘Anna Karenina’ by reinterpreting it—not as a simple love story, but through the lens of Levin’s reflections on death and the questions of life and death. There is a book titled ‘The Ideal Library on a Desert Island’, which asks readers to name the three books they would take with them if stranded on a desert...
What is the meaning of life and death learned from The Death of Ivan Ilyich?
In this blog post, I aim to deeply reflect on the essence of life and death through Leo Tolstoy’s ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’. I’ve wondered what I would do today if I knew I would die tomorrow. I worried about my parents. I should tell them I love them and thank them. The rest of my family and friends would be sad too. But the most pitiable person was me. Since I am the one who...
Why do we avoid talking about death and only grasp its meaning at life’s end?
In this blog post, we reflect on why we avoid talking about death and only grasp its meaning at life’s end. Facing Death Every human being will eventually face death. Death is as natural and inevitable as growing old. Yet in modern society, discussing death is often considered taboo, and people tend to avoid it intensely. When someone brings up death, most people react uncomfortably...
The Death of Ivan Ilyich (How Can We Find Meaning in Life?)
This blog post explores how we can find meaning in life through ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich,’ focusing on regret and reflections on life. We all experience many regrets as we live our lives. We often think things like, “I wish I had studied harder for that exam…” or “I wish I had been kinder to my parents…” There is a fundamental difference between these two types of regret...