The Awakening

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This classic work of Russian fiction by Leo Tolstoy tells the story of a nobleman who has lost the ideals of his youth. He finds himself as a jury member in a case involving a woman he wronged, accused of murder. First published in 1899, this was Tolstoy's last novel and serves as a critique of the injustices of man-made laws and the hypocrisy of the institutionalized church. The narrative also delves into Georgism, an economic philosophy Tolstoy strongly supported later in life. Originally serialized in the magazine Niva to fund the resettlement of the Doukhobors, the story follows Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhlyudov, who seeks redemption for a past sin involving a maid, leading to her downfall into prostitution. A decade later, he unwittingly sentences her, Maslova, to Siberian prison for murdering a client who abused her. The novel chronicles Nekhlyudov's efforts to aid her while grappling with his moral dilemmas. His visits to the prison expose him to the harsh realities of suffering and injustice, revealing a world of cruelty hidden beneath his aristocratic existence. Through harrowing tales of the imprisoned, the narrative builds to a feverish intensity, highlighting the depths of human despair and the search for redemption.