Synthesized answer
The novel's proceeds are dedicated to aiding the Doukhobors, a sect persecuted for "refusing to learn war" [1]. This act of dedicating the novel's proceeds aligns with the translator's philosophy that "prevention is better than cure," as she states she would "rather help people to abstain from killing and wounding each other than devote the money to patch up their wounds after the battle" [1].
These stated motivations suggest a moral and activist dimension to "Resurrection" by highlighting a commitment to preventing violence and aiding those persecuted for their pacifist beliefs. The dedication of financial proceeds and the translator's explicit desire to "help people to abstain from killing and wounding each other" [1] indicate a purpose beyond mere storytelling, aiming to contribute to a cause and promote a pacifist philosophy.
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
nd America such outlandish views are attributed to him, that an outlandish spelling is desirable to match those views. This novel, written in the rough by Tolstoy some years ago and founded upon an actual occurrence, was completely rewritten by him during the last year and a half, and all the proceeds have been devoted by him to aiding the Doukhobors, a sect who were persecuted in the Caucasus (especially from 1895 to 1898) for refusing to learn war. About seven thousand three hundred of them are settled in Canada, and about a hundred of the leaders are exiled to the remote parts of…
Produced by Jim Tinsley RESURRECTION By Leo Tolstoy Translated by Mrs. Louise Maude [Transcriber’s Note: The following paragraph is on a page of its own, in cursive writing, apparently in Tolstoy’s own hand.] This English version of “Resurrection” is pub- lished by Dodd, Mead and Company by my authority. Leo Tolstoy TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE Opinions about Tolstoy and his work differ, but on one point there surely might be unanimity. A writer of world-wide reputation should be at least allowed to know how to spell his own…
money to patch up their wounds after the battle. LOUISE MAUDE RESURRECTION CHAPTER I. MASLOVA IN PRISON. Though hundreds of thousands had done their very best to disfigure the small piece of land on which they were crowded together, by paving the ground with stones, scraping away every vestige of vegetation, cutting down the trees, turning away birds and beasts, and filling the air with the smoke of naphtha and coal, still spring was spring, even in the town. The sun shone warm, the air was balmy; everywhere, where it did not get scraped away, the grass revived and…
n so untrustworthy that he had to appeal to the authorities. This letter was partly disagreeable, and partly pleasant. It was pleasant to feel that he had power over so large a property, and yet disagreeable, because Nekhludoff had been an enthusiastic admirer of Henry George and Herbert Spencer. Being himself heir to a large property, he was especially struck by the position taken up by Spencer in Social Statics, that justice forbids private landholding, and with the straightforward resoluteness of his age, had not merely spoken to prove that land could not be looked upon as…
nd the children. But men, grown-up men and women, did not leave off cheating and tormenting themselves and each other. It was not this spring morning men thought sacred and worthy of consideration not the beauty of God’s world, given for a joy to all creatures, this beauty which inclines the heart to peace, to harmony, and to love, but only their own devices for enslaving one another. Thus, in the prison office of the Government town, it was not the fact that men and animals had received the grace and gladness of spring that was considered sacred and important, but that a notice,…
More questions about this book
- Given Tolstoy's explicit insistence on the spelling of his name and his personal authorization of this translation, what does this reveal about his perceived authorial control and the potential significance of how his ideas are presented to a new audience?
- How does the translator's preface, particularly its commentary on Tolstoy's "outlandish views" and the humanitarian cause, prepare the reader for the stark contrast between natural beauty and human degradation presented in the opening paragraph of Chapter 1?
- Explain, as if to a skeptical peer, the central tension Tolstoy establishes in the first chapter by juxtaposing the vibrant, renewing power of spring with the "cheating and tormenting" actions of humanity. What specific details amplify this contradiction?
- By presenting the novel as "founded upon an actual occurrence" but completely rewritten, and then dedicating its profits to a persecuted group, what larger societal or spiritual "truth" might Tolstoy be aiming to expose or advocate for through "Resurrection"?