Master and Man

“Master and Man” is a short story, written in Russian, by Leo Tolstoy in 1895—a period of the author’s life often considered distinct from the early periods of his most famous novels. Having disowned these previous works, the 67-year-old began writing stories on ethical-religious themes. Set in post-reform Russia, when serfdom was abolished and capitalistic forms of work were redefining social life, “Master and Man” is also a commentary on the effects of the new mercantilism and the possibility of conversion despite changing social conditions. Far from mere didacticism, this story renders the themes of death, exploitation, social divisiveness, and religious redemption through the devices of realist description and psychological narration, which Tolstoy had been developing since his first writing experiments nearly five decades earlier; “Master and Man” represents one of their highest levels of achievement. This guide uses the 2004 Harper edition Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy, translated by Aylmer Maude.

Vasily Andreevich Brekhunov is a provincial innkeeper, church elder, and merchant intent on journeying to a nearby landowner to inquire about the purchase of a grove. More than his other titles, Brekhunov has the spirit of a merchant; eager to make a profit on the grove, he adds church money to his purchase funds.