Anna Karenina: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1878, 351,659 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1878, 351,659 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
351,659 words. Modern literary often runs 70,000 to 100,000 words, so this is long for the shelf today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 351,659 words across 239 chapters, the novel is exceptionally long by modern standards. Contemporary literary fiction averages 80,000 to 100,000 words. Tolstoy's length allows deep character development and multiple subplots but challenges modern readers.
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1878, 351,659 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
The novel was serialised in The Russian Messenger from 1875 to 1877. Part breaks occur at natural story divisions: Part One ends with Anna's arrival, Part Two with Levin's rejection, Part Three with the steeplechase, Part Four with Karenin's forgiveness, Part Five with Levin's spiritual awakening.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 35, Ch 70, Ch 102, Ch 125
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comparable works include Donna Tartt's The Little Friend (multiple perspectives, moral complexity), Sally Rooney's Normal People (relationship focus, philosophical depth), and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (existential questions, restrained emotion).
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Today the novel would be shelved as Literary Fiction. It appeals to readers of character-driven narratives, philosophical fiction, and historical literature. Fans of George Eliot, Dostoevsky, and contemporary literary fiction would find it rewarding.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: infidelity, suicide, death (including childbirth complications), jealousy, emotional abuse, class hierarchy, anti-Semitic remarks, and the treatment of women as property. The novel contains no graphic violence or sexual content.
Chapters: Ch 45, Ch 105, Ch 220
I hate her with my whole soul, and I cannot even forgive her, because I hate her too much for all the wrong she has done me! (Ch 113, para 43)
Yes, to die!... And the shame and disgrace of Alexey Alexandrovitch and of Seryozha, and my awful shame, it will all be saved by death. (Ch 213, para 42)
My love keeps growing more passionate and egoistic, while his is waning and waning, and that’s why we’re drifting apart. (Ch 219, para 4)
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
In 1870s Russia, a nobleman searches for meaning through love and work while a married woman risks everything for passion. Their parallel journeys explore whether happiness comes from duty, desire, faith, or some combination. A sweeping novel of ideas and hearts.
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is a proper name, unusual for literary fiction of the era. It signals that the novel is about a specific woman's tragedy rather than a universal theme. This directness contrasts with the novel's philosophical complexity.
Ask Anna Karenina a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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