Unit 8 - The Modernity of Anna Karenina: Tolstoy's Fascination (and revulsion) with Trains

Noted historian, literary scholar, and Anna Karenina translator Rosamund Bartlett's lecture on the Modernity of Anna Karenina was one of the best events I've ever attended at Stetson. I've not yet read Anna Karenina but I've seen the 1935 film starring Greta Garbo. After attending Dr. Bartlett's lecture, Tolstoy is at the top of my summer reading list.

One of the aspects of her brilliant talk that captivated me the most was her focus on the railways as Tolstoy's commentary on modernity. Throughout the story, the train station provides a key setting in the relationship between Anna and Vronsky. It is where they meet throughout the story. It is the setting of infidelity and the breakdown of the family - key themes in Tolstoy's modernity. Trains are a literal representation of the iron and artifice that represent everything Tolstoy thinks is wrong with the modern world. Yet, while clearly repulsed by trains, Tolstoy cannot help by fascinated by them and the possibilities and changes they bring. Anna's ultimate suicide by train symbolizes Tolstoy's fear that society will suffer the same fate; modernize itself to death and degradation.

Having Dr. Bartlett speak at Stetson was truly a memorable experience and one that makes me pause and reconsider the brilliance of Tolstoy.

Unit 7 - Illegal to drive Transgender?

Evoking comparisons to Saudi Arabia's policies against women, back in January the Russian government listed transgender and transexual people among those who would have their driving privileges revoked for "mental disorders" and specifically "sex disorders".

This move was supported by the Professional Drivers Union who wanted to crack down on the numbers of deaths on the road by eliminating those with "serious medical conditions."

BBC - Russia says drivers must not have " sex disorders"

After pressure from the international community and the World Health Organization, Russia ultimately rescinded their implication and specified that only those suffering prolonged health and mental conditions would be banned from driving, giving transgender persons the green light to stay on the road.

Reuters - Russia gives green light for transgender drivers to stay on the road

This is just one more notch in the fervent anti-LGBTQ sentiment that has been building in Russia in recent years. As a transgender American woman, I know I won't be visiting Russia anytime soon, if ever. Which is really a shame because there is much about Russian culture, history, art, and food that I really like and enjoy.