Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Matvei: Stepan's valet

This is a very quick start. We are immediately embroiled in the difficult affairs of a family dispute.

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." [p. 1]

"... one can't say it in words, or even put it into waking thoughts." [p. 2]

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky: 34 years old, handsome, 5 children

Matvei: Stepan's valet

Matryona Filimonovna: the Oblonsky nanny

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Grisha (the youngest boy) & Tanya (the eldest daughter)

Matvei: Stepan's valet

We realize that Stepan has a liberal orientation.

"Stepan Arkadyich chose neither his tendency nor his views, but these tendencies and views came to him themselves..." [p. 7]

"If there was a reason why he preferred the liberal tendency to the conservative one (also held to by many of his circle), it was not because he found the liberal tendency more sensible, but because it more closely suited his maner of life." [p. 7]

"The liberal party said that marriage was an obsolete institution and was in need of reform, and indeed family life gave Stepan Arkadyich little pleasure and forced him to lie and pretend, which was so contrary to his nature." [p. 7]

"And his inner voice told him that he should not go, that there could be nothing here but falseness, that to rectify, to repair, their relations was impossible, because it was impossible to make her attractive and arousing of love again or to make him an old man incapableof love. Nothing could come of it now but falseness and deceit, and falseness and deceit were contrary to his nature." [p. 9]

Yet he fails to realize that his affair was an example of falseness and deceit.

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Princess Darya Alexandrovna (Dolly)

Once again, we see how differently the husband and wife are viewing the problem. She is very hurt and feels she can no longer trust him. He views the affair as a minor mistake, but at the same time realizes that he no longer has a passionate love for his wife.

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin, a boyhood friend of Stepan's, who lives in the country. He owns a farm of about 8,000 acres.

Stepan was well known, and liked, in both Moscow and Petersburg upper circles.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

I like the contrast between Levin and Stepan: Levin is emotionally distraught because he commits totally to his emotions, whereas Stepan fails to fully engage in any situation.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev, Levin's half-brother

This is a superb three pages, revealing that although Levin may come from the country, he is very astute and intelligent.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev, Levin's half-brother

This reveals another dimension of Levin's personality: he is automatically caring and wishing to help those in need. He is an ideal person.

I doubt if I would have noticed this as clearly as I now do if I had not been making these notes.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Kitty

Levin meets Kitty at the rink and they have a brief chat, and a short skate together. Levin is very awkward and fails to make a good impression, although Kitty acknowledges to herself that he is fun to be with. But she also realizes that she is not in love with him.

Stepan arrives and he and Levin go off to a restaurant while Kitty and her mother return home.

This is when we first realize that the strong feelings that Levin has for Kitty are not reciprocated.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Stepan is a regular here, and he orders a fine meal of fresh oysters, soup, turbot and roast beef and a chablis. Levin is amused and impressed at Stepan's sophistication.

Stepan indicates that he thinks Kitty will say yes to Levin's proposal of marriage.

Levin again shows his strength of character by prefering hard work on a farm to the non-physically demanding life in the city.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Stepan is a regular here, and he orders a fine meal of fresh oysters, soup, turbot and roast beef and a chablis. Levin is amused and impressed at Stepan's sophistication.

Stepan indicates that he thinks Kitty will say yes to Levin's proposal of marriage.

Levin again shows his strength of character by prefering hard work on a farm to the non-physically demanding life in the city.

"... just as it seems wild to me that while we countrymen try to eat our fill quickly, so that we can get on with what we have to do, you and I are trying our best not to get full for as long as possible, and for that we eat oysters," [p. 36]

"... for him all the girls in the world were divided into two sorts: one sort was all the girls in the world except her, and these girls had all human weaknesses and were very ordinary girls; the other sort was her alone, with no weaknesses and higher than everything human." [p. 37]

I am enjoying making these notes. They force me to slow down and to get inside the characters more fully. For example, in making the notes, I reread the chapter and often notice a phrase or sentence that has additional significance. Not only is Stepan very comfortable in this restaurant where he is well known, but he has choir practice this evening before he will visit the Shcherbatsky's. He also has a special set of office clothes that he wears while working. It is a very formal and ritualistic life: comfortable and relatively easy. He believes that the aim of civilization is "to make everything an enjoyment" [p. 36] He is easy going and very pleasant to be with. But one also gets the impression that this is all there is to him. He doesn't seem to have deep convictions or commitments. He would be surprised to find that not everyone is like him. For him life is both easy and pleasant. This is not so much a criticism as simply a statement that although he has a positive outlook on life, and is not mean spirited, he is rather superficial.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Stepan then tells Levin that another man, Vronsky, has also shown an interest in Kitty. Stepan describes him as handsom, intelligent, and with a great future.

Stepan suggests that Levin propose to Kitty as quickly as possible, before Vronsky makes his move.

Levin indicates that he has a genuine lothing for any woman who has an affair out of wedlock.

As I make these notes, I am struck by the meaning of the word 'wedlock'.

" ... 'you're [Levin] a very wholesome man. That is your virtue and your defect. You have a wholesome character, and you want all of life to be made up of wholesome phenomena, but that doesn't happen. So you despise the activity of the public service because you want things always to correspond to their aim, and that doesn't happen. You also want the activity of the individual man always to have an aim, that love and family life always be one. And that doesn't happen. All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life are made up of light and shade." [p. 42]

Stepan and Levin represent two very different personalities. Both are common in the world.

"And suddenly they both felt that, though they were friends, though they had dined together and drunk wine that should have brought them still closer, each was thinking only of his own things, and they had nothing to do with each other. Oblonsky has experienced more than once this extreme estrangement instead of closeness that may come after dinner..." [p. 42]

Stepan is always thinking of himself, even when he is apparently thinking of the other. He fails to fully appreciate the thoughts and emotions of other people.

Princess Kitty Shcherbatsky, 18 years old, who is in her first year of "coming out"

Princess Shcherbatsky, her mother

Kitty's mother clearly prefers Vronsky to Levin as a possible husband for Kitty. Levin doesn't seem to fit into the life of a socialite. He is not like most of her friends. Kitty's mother married through a matchmaker, and she is not familiar with a procedure where the woman makes her own decision.

This chapter provides some nice historical and cultural background to how Russia is changing in the 1860's. It shows how the older generation was brought up and how different it is for the younger generation.

Princess Kitty Shcherbatsky

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Kitty realizes that she must choose between Levin and Vronsky.

Levin proposes to Kitty and she replies, "It cannot be ... forgive me..." [p. 48]

A very short chapter, but one full of implications.

Princess Kitty Shcherbatsky

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Princess Shcherbatsky, Kitty's mother

Countess Nordson, a married friend of Kitty's. She and Levin are contemptuous of one another.

Count Alexie Kirillovich Vronsky

The rest of the guests arrive and engage in social banter. Levin sizes up Vronsky and realizes he is a handsome, intelligent man. But overall, Levin simply wants to leave as soon as it is possible, without seeming to be rude.

Both Levin and Vronsky are portrayed in a favorable light. Vronsky is socially quite adept at carrying on a conversation with the ladies, while Levin is too serious.

Princess Kitty Shcherbatsky

Princess Shcherbatsky, Kitty's mother

Prince Alexander Dmitrievich Shcherbatsky, Kitty's father

Kitty thinks about the evening, is generally pleased with her decision to reject Levin in favor of Vronsky, but she has some lingering doubts.

Kitty's parents argue about Kitty's decision: the mother approving of it and the father disagreeing, saying that Vronsky is just playing around while Levin is serious.

This is a very difficult situation for a young lady to find herself in, and it is only natural that she have some doubts. Life is seldom clear cut.

Count Alexie Kirillovich Vronsky

Vronsky reflects upon the evening.He is quite pleased with it and with his time at the Shcherbatsky's. He is viewing this as simply a very enjoyable evening, and the idea of marriage has not even crossed his mind.

Vronsky is more amoral than immoral. He is simply enjoying being alive, and is unaware that others may have different views.

Count Alexie Kirillovich Vronsky

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Vronsky is at the station to meet his mother, Stepan to meet his sister, Anna Karenina.

Stepan suggests that Levin may have proposed to Kitty, and she had rejected him. Vronsky is a bit surprised, but takes the news as only an indication that he is the victor.

It still doesn't occur to Vronsky that marriage might be expected of his continuing relationship with Kitty.

Count Alexie Kirillovich Vronsky

Prince Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Countess Vronsky, Vronsky's mother

Princess Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, Stepan's sister

Vronsky meets Anna and there is some quick form of interest shown between them.

A man has been run over by the train. Both Stepan and Vronsky see the corpse. Stepan is very upset by the event and can see the implications for the man's wife. Vronsky is emotionally unmoved, but donates some money to the widow.

Anna Karenina is also moved by the event.

Stepan tells her that they have hopes that Vronsky will marry Kitty. They then begin to discuss how she might help bring Stepan and his wife together.

My sense is that Vronsky gave the money because it would reflect well on him, rather than out of any sensitive need to be helpful.

Anna Karenina

Dolly

Anna implores Dolly, if she still loves Stepan, to forgive him for his affair with the governess.

Early in their meeting there is a telling sentence when Dolly is remembering her visit to Anna's a few years earlier: "... as far as she could remember her impression of the Karenins' house in Petersburg, she had not liked it; there was something false in the whole shape of their family life." [p. 66]

Stepan

Anna Karenina

Dolly

Kitty

Stepan returns home and they all have the evening meal together. Stepan can see that there is now hope for reconciliation. Kitty arrives after dinner and her and Anna quickly become friends.

There is another telling sentence when Anna is remembering meeting Vronsky at the railway station "But she did not mention the two hundred roubles. For some reason it was unpleasant for her to remember it. She felt there was something in it that concerned her, and of a sort that should not have been." [p. 74-5]

I like the way Tolstoy often indicates a perception that is below the level of cognitive awareness, but is nontheless real.

The novel is beginning to shift. It appears that Dolly and Stepan will keep their marriage together, but that a new triangle is forming with Vronsky, Anna and Kitty, although at the moment none of them are aware of it.

Dolly

Anna Karenina

Kitty

Vronsky

Vronsky arrives to check the date for an upcoming dinner and then leaves. There is momentary eye contact between him and Anna.

On the surface this was a trivial event. Yet the narrator indicates that is event "seemed strange to everyone."

"Anna, looking down, at once recognized Vronsky, and a strange feeling of pleasure suddenly stirred in her heart, together with a fear of something." [p. 75]

"... he raised his eyes, saw her, and something ashamed and frightened appeared in his expession..." [p. 75]

"... they all thought it was strange. To Anna especially it seemed strange and not right." [p. 76]

Vronsky wanted to just see Anna again, but immediately realized that this was not the time to do it.

Kitty

Anna Karenina

Vronsky

Kitty is delighted to be at the ball, and is having a wonderful time. She then joins Anna and is surprised when Anna fails to acknowledge Vronsky's bow as he approaches. Anna leaves to dance with another and Kitty's look at Vronsky "so full of love, which she gave him then, and to which he did not respond, cut her heart with tormenting shame." [p. 80]

This is the first real signal to Kitty that Vronsky may not love her the way she loves him.

Kitty

Anna Karenina

Vronsky

Kitty notices that both Anna and Vronsky are unaware that there is anyone else at the ball. She realizes with a sinking heart that Vronsky is attending to Anna in a way that he never did with Kitty.

Anna leaves the ball early, before dinner is served.

Kitty is aware that Vronsky and Anna have a very special raporte, and that she is now on the outside.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Nikolai Dmitrich Levin

Marya Nikolaevna, companion of Nikolai's

Levin goes to meet his brother, Nikolai. Nikolai is rude and obnoxious but Levin is compassionate and has a genuine desire to help him

Further evidence of just what a superb person Levin is.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Nikolai Dmitrich Levin

Marya Nikolaevna, companion of Nikolai's

Marya indicates to Levin that Nikolai drinks to excess and that his health is failing.

Marya promises to keep Levin informed of Nikolai's situation, and will try to persuade him to go and live with Levin.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Levin is determined to be even better than he has been. He makes a number of resolutions:

1. Not to hope for the extraordinary happiness that marriage might bring, and to focus on the present.
2. Never again let himself be carried away by passion.
3. He would do everything he can to help his brother, Nikolai.

Levin then becomes totally occupied with the many details of running a succesful farm.

Levin's resolution to improve himself is laudable, but has the consequence of making it much more unlikely that he will ever permit trying to woo Kitty again.

When one has been seriously hurt, one normally tries to avoid repeating that mistake again.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Levin continues to think about everything: his views on marriage, his farm, the future, a book on heat, his farm animals...

I love the way Tolstoy recognizes that most normal thought is unfocused yet connected in some subtle manner.

"The connection between all the forces of nature is felt instinctively as it is..." [p. 96]

"Just a dog ... But she understands that her master's come back and is feeling sad." [p. 96]

Anna

Dolly

Anna confesses to Dolly that Kitty is upset with her because she spend the ball dancing with Vronsky. She also realizes that the reason she is leaving early is to avoid seeing Vronsky again.

"Because children are either inconstant or else very sensitive and could feel that Anna was different that day from when they had come to love her so, that she was no longer concerned with them - in any case they suddenly stopped playing with their aunt and loving her, and were quite unconcerned about her leaving." [p. 97]

"Each of us has his skeletons in his soul, as the English say." [p. 97]

" 'But really, really, I'm not to blame, or only a little,' she said, drawing out the word 'little' in a thin voice." [p. 98]

All of Anna's thoughts and actions betray the fact that she has been strongly affected by her evening with Vronsky.

Anna

Anna recalls the previous evening at the ball with Vronsky.

"She went through all her Moscow memories. They were all good, pleasant. She remembered the ball, remembered Vronsky and his enamoured, obedient face, remembered all her relations with him: nothing was shameful. But just there, at that very place in her memories, the feeling of shame became more intense, as if precisely then, when she remembered Vronsky, some inner voice was telling her: 'Warm, very warm, hot!' " [p. 100]

When the train comes to a stop at a station, Anna steps outside for a few minutes because she is feeling so hot, and needs some fresh air.

This is like reading an intelligent Hitchcock mystery. Why are we bothering to describe a stop at a remote town between Moscow and Petersburg?

Anna

Vronsky

Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, Anna's husband

Anna meets Vronsky at the station(!)

"She had no need to ask why he was there. She knew it as certainly as if he had told her that he was there in order to be where she was." [p. 102]

"Not one of your words, not one of your movements will I ever forget, ..." (Vronsky) [p. 103]

"She was especially struck by the feeling of dissatisfaction with herself that she experienced on meeting him (her husband)." [p. 104]

The action builds. Clearly both Vronsky and Anna are attracted to one another. Further, Anna is no longer attracted to her husband.

Vronsky

Anna

Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, Anna's husband

Vronsky is delighted at the feelings that he has for Anna.

At the station Vronky boldly imposes himself on Anna and Alexei, both to see Anna one more time, and to form an impression of Alexei, and of the relationship between the two. He is delighted to infer that they are not close to one another.

Alexei is formal and cold, and brushes Vronsky aside as a minor annoyance.

Another piece of the puzzle falls into place. Anna and her husband are not very close to one another.

Anna

Countess Lydia Ivanovna

Anna re-enters her regular family and societal life, but now she notices many of its shortcomings, and is somewhat dissatisfied with it all.

There was one sentence that was more Tolstoy than Anna: "... her goal is virtue, she's a Christian, yet she's angry all the time, and they're all her enemies, and the're all her enemies on account of Christianity and virtue." [p. 108]

Anna

Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, Anna's husband

Alexei is a very busy and regimented man. Each day has a tight schedule of appointments and duties.

This appears to also include making love: exactly at midnight he arrives, freshly washed and combed, saying to Anna, "It's time. It's time." with a special smile.

"She undressed and went to the bedroom, but not only was that animation which had simply burst from her eyes and smile when she was in Moscow gone from her face: on the contrary, the fire now seemed extinguished in her or hidden somewhere far away." [p. 112]

We gain a further glimpse into married life in the Karenina household.

Vronsky

Petritsky, Vronsky's favorite comrade

"In his Petersburg world, all people were divided into two completely opposite sorts. One was the inferior sort: the banal, stupid and, above all, ridiculous people who believed that one husband should live with one wife, whom he has married in a church, that a girl should be innocent, a woman modest, a man manly, temperate and firm, that one should raise children, earn one's bread, pay one's debts, and other stupidities. This was an old-fashioned and ridiculous sort of people. But there was another sort of people, the real ones, to which they all belonged, and for whom one had, above all, to be elegant, handsome, magnanimous, bold, gay, to give oneself to every passion without blushing and laugh at everything else." [p. 114]

The above quote summarizes the two main opposing views of marriage and life in Russian society in the 1860's.