Authors

Olga Pressitch¹;  ¹ University of Victoria, Canada

Discussion

At the University of Victoria, I have developed an upper-level undergraduate course on Tolstoy, cross-listed between Slavic Studies and English. The course is organized around Tolstoy’s creative biography, spanning his earliest works to his final writings. The last week, however, focuses on a local connection: the Doukhobors and Tolstoy’s involvement with them. Many students from British Columbia are familiar with the Doukhobors, and some even have family ties to this historically Russian-speaking religious community. <br /><br /> Initially, I intended this topic to serve as a lighter epilogue to an otherwise rigorous course. Unexpectedly, it became a highly effective way to synthesize the course’s key themes. Students observed that Tolstoy’s relationship with the Doukhobors reflects his lifelong artistic quest for figures embodying moral truth—often depicted in his works as humble peasants, servants, or soldiers. Beyond literature, Tolstoy sought to meet such individuals in reality. <br /><br />
As students discover, the Doukhobor leaders valued Tolstoy as much as he valued them, even adapting their teachings to resonate with his ideals. While Tolstoy ultimately experienced deep disappointment in them, we view the enduring legacies of both Tolstoy and the Doukhobors as promoting values of lasting significance in today’s world.