To what extent is the novel of adultery a critique of society Essay

To what extent is the novel of adultery a critique of society - Essay Example In order for there to be a ‘novel of adultery’, adultery itself must exist. In other words, the society in which the narrative is played out must regard sexual infidelity to a life-partner as a crime or sin. The very word ‘adultery’ is pejorative, deeply condemnatory, and would have been even more so to Russian readers in the late nineteenth century. Unlike French society, which compensated those in arranged marriages by tolerating the keeping of mistresses, the Russian aristocracy demanded that any sexual activity outside marriage must be strictly discreet – and if the offender was a woman, the stakes were very high indeed. An errant husband might conceivably enhance his reputation through dalliances with the right ladies, but if a woman’s indiscretions were made public, she was liable to lose everything. Adultery therefore cannot exist outside its social setting. It owes its very existence to society. Consequently, any novel with adultery as its main theme must inevitably examine the social framework in which this adultery takes place. To this extent then, the ‘novel of adultery’ is certainly a novel about society’s values, rules, taboos and punishments. Those values, however, are not always set in stone, and are certainly not always fair. As Christo N Koutroulis1 points out in an essay examining the meaning of the novel’s epigraph, ‘while Oblonsky and Princess Tverskaya were having extramarital affairs, Princess Tverskaya had no problems with judging and shunning Anna.’ Adultery, the author seems to suggest, is a dangerous game with complex rules and endless possibilities for personal ruin, but it is possible for certain individuals to play it to their own advantage. As we see, Anna is not one of those fortunate few. Although society’s values are extremely important in Anna Karenina, the novel is far more intricate than the simple record of a woman who broke the rules and