Kadish, Rachel: * 1969

Tolstoy Lied, 2006 - Thematic Parallels: Truth and Happiness

Kadish, Rachel: Tolstoy Lied, 2006
The novel uses the structure of a romantic comedy to challenge and explore deeper questions about happiness, love, feminism, and the role of literature in shaping our understanding of human experience.
The following books are thematically simliar. Having read "Tolstoy Lied," the following texts lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Angelou, Maya: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969, ~290pp
  A memoir about finding personal truth and dignity, and the pursuit of happiness despite adversity.
  Both works interrogate the relationship between suffering and expression, but while Angelou’s memoir finds dignity and resistance in the act of singing from within the cage, "Tolstoy Lied" questions whether the cage is necessary at all for the creation of meaningful art or life.
- Forster, E. M. Forster: A Room with a View, 1908, ~230pp
  The story centers around the loss of innocence and the struggle between good and evil. It explores themes like faith, temptation, and the nature of human sinfulness.
  Both novels explore how women confront and resist the stories the world tells them about who they are and how they should love. Forster’s Edwardian romance and Kadish’s modern literary fiction converge in their insistence on female self-determination, even if their conclusions diverge in tone and structure.
- Russell, Willy: Educating Rita, 1980, ~100pp
  The play focuses on personal growth, the pursuit of knowledge (truth), and the quest for a more fulfilling, happier life through education and self-realization.
  Both works share nuanced explorations of truth, identity, and the complexity of personal transformation, especially around how ideals meet reality, and the costs involved in seeking authenticity and knowledge.
- Solnit, Rebecca: Hope in the Dark, 2004, ~170pp
  This collection of essays focuses on hope as a form of resistance and the importance of maintaining optimism and integrity in difficult times, directly engaging with the concept of finding happiness through truth and hope.
  Both works align in their nuanced understanding that hope is not just wishful thinking but a complex, sometimes difficult stance amid darkness. Solnit’s work brings a contemporary, activist angle emphasizing external change and collective action, while "Tolstoy’s" approach is more inward, moral, and spiritual. Together, they frame hope as a vital but multifaceted response to life’s uncertainties.
List of general discussion questions on Truth and Happiness (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Truth and Happiness (pdf)