Аннотация:Two Unhappy Women: Marina Nenskaya by E. P. Rostopchina and Anna Kareninaby L. N. Tolstoy · In Russian literature there is a work whose plot and characters anticipatethe plot and characters of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. This is the novel The Happy Woman(Schastlivaya zhenshchina, 1850-1851) by Countess Evdokiya Petrovna Rostopchina, whichpresents the tragic story of a married woman who tied her fate with that of her lover. Acertain similarity between this novel and Tolstoy’s work is manifested not only in the plot,but also in the portrayal of the characters. The similarities of the two novels, however,are combined with significant differences. Rostopchina acquits his heroine Marina Nenskaya, whereas Tolstoy considers Anna Karenina to be guilty. Marina’s love, unlike Anna’sdestructive passion, does not bring grief to anyone. While society is to blame for Marina’stragedy, Anna is primarily to blame for her own suffering. Characters and ways of expressing the author’s position in Tolstoy’s novel are more complex. Tolstoy’s acquaintance withRostopchina’s novel is highly probable. There are reasons to consider Rostopchina’s novelas both a genetic pretext and part of the literary background of Anna Karenina.