The Kreutzer Sonata

The Kreutzer Sonata (1886) by Leo Tolstoy is a novella that engages with contemporary debates on morality and gender politics and presents an argument in favor of sexual abstinence. Tolstoy’s realist fiction works reflect and critique Late Imperial Russian high society and weigh in on contemporary moral and philosophical debates.

The novella is titled after Beethoven’s 1803 sonata for violin and piano of the same name (Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47). It consists of 28 chapters and an author’s note entitled “The Lesson of The Kreutzer Sonata” that was added to the main body of the work in 1891 and explains the messages that Tolstoy intended to communicate through the narrative. The story explores themes such as Sensual Passion as a Corruption of Purity, The Subjugation of Women, and Conflict Between Social Expectation and Moral Duty.

This guide uses the 2022 Project Gutenberg e-book edition of Benj R. Tucker’s 1996 translation of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories. In-text citations reference chapter number and paragraph number.

Content Warning: The source material contains instances of violence against women, domestic abuse, attempted suicide/suicidal ideation, underage sex, and sex work.