A Critical Examination of Love, Marriage, and Society in Late 19th Century Aristocratic Russia As Seen Through Works of Tolstoy and Chekov

Literature is a valuable resource for understanding the ideas, values, and social concepts of a given time period and culture. 19th Century Russian literature has some particularly pertinent works that quite clearly reflect societal views of love and marriage at the time and show the dynamic relationship between literature and social sentiment. By looking at the historical context of these works and analyzing the works within the historical context, we can better comprehend the social values of the time period. Further, through a chronological analysis of the texts, it is possible to see the progression of thought and view the changing values and sentiments of the time as they are changing within the texts and the world around them