In 1870, after the successful publication of "War and Peace," Leo Tolstoy began imagining a story about a high-born society woman, "Anna Karenina," who destroys her life by having an adulterous affair. By presenting his adulteress as a sympathetic character, Tolstoy aimed to expose injustices in such Russian institutions as government, urban aristocratic society, and the Russian Orthodox Church. He also intended to portray his own ideal of a meaningful life. This teacher's guide contains strategies for viewing and suggests pre-viewing and post-viewing activities and discussion topics for the two-episode television film of "Anna Karenina," as well as background and biographical material. The guide offers an essay, "Tolstoy: Life as Russian History" about the author's life and another essay, "The Woman Question," about the situation of women in 19th-century Russia. It also presents a section, "Looking at Film," which outlines the process and problems of turning a novel into a screenplay, and which can be used with the "Masterpiece Theatre" Web site. (NKA)