This course will examine the life and works of Lev Tolstoy in the context of Western intellectual history. Readings will include Tolstoy's two major novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, as well as a number of shorter works such as The Kreutzer Sonata and The Death of Ivan Ilych. We will also examine some of Tolstoy's aesthetic and didactic works. Ultimately, we will develop an understanding of the writer's environment and his impact on the numerous social movements calling for change in the second half of the nineteenth century. All readings will be in English. Requirements: active class participation, three short papers, and a final research project. No prerequisites.