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By Mary Cate Culbertson. Leo Tolstoy. The Early Years. Born on August 28, 1828 in Russia’s Tula Province, Yasnya Polyana. Fourth out of five children Family old Russian nobility Mother Countess Mariya Tolstaya Father Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy Family moved to Moscow
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By Mary Cate Culbertson Leo Tolstoy
The Early Years • Born on August 28, 1828 in Russia’s Tula Province, Yasnya Polyana. • Fourth out of five children • Family old Russian nobility • Mother • Countess Mariya Tolstaya • Father • Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy • Family moved to Moscow • Father died shortly after
A Young Adult • 1844 Tolstoy studied at Kazan University • Began drinking and gambling • 1851 joined army with brother • Began writing • Married Sophia Andreyevna Behrs • Well known in Russia
Later Years • Became very religious • The more religious and beloved he became by the country, the more his family disliked him • Tolstoy became depressed • 1910 he fled his home in search for peace • Died while traveling at age 82
Works • Most famous: • War and Peace • Anna Karenina • The Death of Ivan Ilich • Hadji Murad • Childhood • Boyhood • Youth • Wrote over ten novels, twenty short stories, seven plays, four essays, and five non-fiction pieces • Works give a depiction of his own life
Inspirations • Jean-Jacques Rousseau • Emile, The Confessions • Many writers influenced him • Death • War • Wife • Yasnya Polyana • Faith
Religion • Wrestled with spirituality as a child • Originally Russian Orthodox • Criticized church and was excommunicated • Founded Tolstoyism
Met Vladimir Chertkov Focused on Jesus’ teachings and was especially inspired by the Sermon on the Mount Live simply Abstain from tobacco, alcohol Practice chastity and vegetarianism Live by the principles of love, truth, and peace. Rejected violence and government Lived by 5 rules Love enemies Do not be angry Do not fight evil with evil Do not lust Do not take oaths Tolstoyism
Tolstoy and C+P • Both were incredibly significant in Russian literature history • Both lived in Russia at same time period • Never met but still influenced each other • Tolstoy’s War and Peace inspired Dostoevsky to write Brothers Karamazov • Both influenced by Russian wars, poverty, and government
Influenced by Tolstoy • Christian theories inspired many people for years • Ghandi • Believed violence was morally wrong • Wrote many letters to each other and became friends • Through Ghandi Tolstoy inspired many more
Quotes • Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way • All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. • Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced. • Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. • Government is an association of men who do violence to the rest of us. • In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you. • Faith is the sense of life, that sense by virtue of which man does not destroy himself, but continues to live on. It is the force whereby we live.
Tolstoy Today • Still influences writers, painters, and philosophers • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw72eJi_lgs
Work Cited • Merriman, C.D. "Leo Tolstoy - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Jalic Inc., 2007. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/>. • "Leo Tolstoy Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Book Rags, 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/leo_tolstoy.html>. • "Leo Tolstoy Biography - Life, Family, Childhood, Children, Name, Death, History, Wife, Mother." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/St-Tr/Tolstoy-Leo.html>. • "Leo Tolstoy - Literary Influences." Leo Tolstoy - The Centennial Anniversary. Leo Tolstoy. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://tolstoy.beckerfilmgroup.com/46.html>. • Townsend, James. "Grace in the Arts: The Theology of Leo Tolstoy." Grace Evangelical Society: Faith Alone in Christ Alone! 1998. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1998i/Townsend.html>. • "Leo Tolstoy." Guide to Russia. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.guidetorussia.com/leo-tolstoy.asp>. • Chisenhall, K., and Y. Byrd. "The Life Of Tolstoy." Authors From Around the World. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://enloehs.wcpss.net/projects/west/tolstoyyk/tolstoy.html>.