Summary Anna Karenina Lev N. Tolstoy
L. N. Tolstoy
Anna Karenina
Part One
“All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” All mixed up in the Oblonsky house. ” Stepan Arkadyevitch is betraying his wife, Dolly, with a French governess. She and Dolly have six children, Dolly has greatly undermined this, and it seemed to him that his free behavior must be taken by his wife calmly. Dolly says that she intends to go with her children to her mother. Even a telegram with the news of the arrival of Stepan Arkadievich’s sister Anna (for her husband Karenina) does not contribute to the reconciliation of the spouses. Stepan Arkadevich or Steve works as head of one of the places in Moscow, earns a little. In the service he unexpectedly meets an old friend Konstantin Levin. They are both about thirty-five years old, they are familiar from childhood.
Levin came to offer Kitty Shcherbatskaya, younger sister of Dolly. Levin since childhood is in love with
The next day, after explaining Kitty and Levin, Oblonsky and Vronsky
While the Karenins and Vronsky are on the platform, a drunken railway watchman falls under the train. Anna offers to help the widow, and Vronsky gives two hundred rubles. Steve asks Anna to reconcile him with his wife. Anne manages to persuade Dolly not to leave Steve, the fact is promoted by the fact that Dolly has nowhere to go (she does not need a mother, she has no other patrons or incomes). Anna reminds Dolly how Steve loved her, assuring him that from now on his brother will not stumble. On a visit to Oblonsky comes Kitty. She is captivated by Anna, her ability to submit herself, ease of movement, poetic attitude to life. In the evening Vronsky calls in, but, seeing Anna, refuses to go. All this seems strange. At the ball, Kitty sees Anna. She in a black dress, emphasizing the dignity of her figure. Vronsky dances with Kitty Waltz. Soon Kitty notices, that Vronsky pays special attention to Anna, and she revels in her success. Kitty refuses the other knights, but Vronsky dances only with Anna.
At the end of the ball, Anna accidentally announces that tomorrow she is leaving for St. Petersburg. On the train she sees Vronsky. He confesses that he followed her. On the platform in St. Petersburg, Anna notices her husband. He is unconsciously unpleasant to her. Alexei Alexandrovich is much older than his wife, he holds a high post in the ministry, he prefers not to spread his feelings. His whole life is maximally ordered, which runs counter to Anna’s temperamental nature. They have an eight year old son, Sergei. He joyfully meets his mother, father is a little afraid and shy.
Alexey Alexandrovich Karenin’s day is painted by the minute. The service takes away almost all of his time, but, nevertheless, he considers it his duty to monitor novelties of literature, events in politics, study philosophical and theological writings. Art is alien to his nature, although he is perfectly educated and considers himself to be able to judge poetry, music, etc. Vronsky, being in Moscow, intends to lead a secular life and visit those homes where he will almost certainly be able to meet the Karenins.
Part two
At the end of winter, a medical consultation is being held in the Shcherbatskys’ house. Kitty is suspected of the onset of the tuberculosis process, the cause of which is a nervous breakdown. All the householders know that the problem is that Vronsky “terribly deceived” Kitty’s hopes, so a decision is made to go abroad for treatment, since the girl urgently needs a change of scenery. Anna and Vronsky are often seen in the house of the cousin of Vronsky Princess Betsey Tverskaya. Already many people in the world are aware of their mutual sympathy, and Betsy is especially happy with their dates. The only one who does not find anything reprehensible about Anna meeting with Vronsky and spending much time with him in public view is Karenin himself.
Anna suddenly demands that Vronsky go to Moscow and ask Kitty’s forgiveness. Friends of the house are beginning to hint to Alexei Alexandrovich that his wife does not behave in accordance with propriety, this hurts Karenin, and he starts a conversation with Anna, which leads to nothing, Anna always denies and pretends that she does not understand that she annoyed her husband. Finally, the relationship between Anna and Vronsky goes from platonic attraction to physical love. Anna is ashamed, it seems to her that everything is over, and she again and again reminds Vronsky that she has nothing but him. She dreams of having two husbands, and both caress her.
Levin, retiring to his estate, pays much attention to farming, delves into the details of soil fertilization, the state of affairs in the cattle yard, and planting. He concludes profitable deals with merchants and generally shows himself to be a very diligent master. To him comes Steve Oblonsky, who does not tell him anything about the fate of Kitty. Friends hunt together, and Levin nevertheless learns from Steve details of Kitty’s illness and the Shcherbatsky’s plans. Steve accuses Levin of lack of proper perseverance and cowardice before his rival, regrets that Levin did not fight Kitty’s hand, but immediately retreated.
In St. Petersburg, a scandal is ripening, because there are many people who want to talk about the connection between Anna and Vronsky. Countess Vronskaya also disapproves of her son’s behavior, since staying in Petersburg (where he can always see Karenina) interferes with his career. Vronsky is very much hampered by Serezha, the son of Anna, who often becomes an obstacle to their relationship. Vronsky insists that Anna leave her husband and son and live with him as a wife. Anna also avoids the fact that her husband will never give her a divorce, and she does not agree to the position of a lover. At the same time, Anna constantly insists that she can not live in a lie, but she continues to deceive her husband. However, she herself is undesirable to keep her secret, and she wants to tell her husband everything, so that everything becomes clear between them. The feelings of Alexei Alexandrovich,
At the races because of Vronsky’s incorrect movement the horse falls under it and breaks the ridge. Anna during the race does not take his eyes off him. Seeing Vronsky on the ground, Anna shows herself off with a head: she rushes, loudly gasps, does not notice that her husband is offering her to leave, points binoculars at Vronsky, sobs loudly. Only when she learns that the rider is unhurt, she calms down somehow. On the way home she tells her husband that she is in love with Vronsky, and Alexei Alexandrovich is afraid and hates. Karenin demands observance of external conventions, and immediately leaves.
Shtcherbatsky travel. On the waters they get acquainted with Madame Stahl, a Russian lady who moves in a stroller, and Varenka, a girl who takes care of her. Varenka is always busy with business, always helping someone, settling conflicts. Varenka is the adopted daughter of Madame Stahl. She very much likes Kitty, and she closely converges with this active and compassionate person. Kitty tells Varenka about the story with Vronsky, she comforts and calms her, calling for a more balanced attitude to the vicissitudes of fate, assures that Kitty’s case is far from the only one, Kitty tries to follow Varenka’s example and patronize the painful artist Petrov, but brings upon himself the suspicions of his wife Petrov. In addition, it turns out that Madame Stahl has not risen for ten years, not because it is dangerously ill, but because it is badly composed (short legs). Kitty is recovering,
Part three
Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev comes to the village to Levin rest. He discovers that the brother easily communicates with the peasants, understands the farm. The brothers conduct long conversations about the people, the need for education, and it turns out that the cabinet reformer Koznyshev faces stubborn resistance from the practice of Levin. During the mowing, Levin works on a par with peasants; He seems to rest in heavy physical labor, he likes to work on the ground.
In the neighborhood with the estate of Levin (Pokrovskoye) is the village of Oblonskiy Ergushovo, where Dolly travels with children to cut expenses. The house is completely uninhabited, and Dolly herself is desperate for the huge number of economic problems that have fallen on her. She is visited by Levin, makes the necessary orders, which helps Dolly very much and allows you to quickly establish a way of life and find a common language with the servants.
Grateful Dolly informs him that she invited me to stay with Kitty for the summer. She wants to reconcile her sister with Levin, but he admits to Dolly that he made Kitty’s offer, which she rejected. Dolly as delicately as possible tries to convince him that not everything is lost, and that he should not consider himself insulted. Karenin tries to convince himself that the crime of Anna should not knock him out of balance, that he must continue to live as if nothing had happened, that what happened is the wife’s problem, that he is not the first and not the last deceived husband. He decides not to fight in a duel, obeying the voice of reason, not to start a lawsuit that will only harm his impeccable reputation. He is not jealous of Anna, he is considering the possibility of separate residence, but comes to the conclusion that this will only contribute to the “debauchery” of his wife, and decides,
Karenin is confident that with time the affair will end, and his relationship with his wife will be restored. He sends a polite letter to Anna, in which she outlines the conclusions to which she came, promises her former financial support, explains the need for preserving the family – first of all, for Sergei’s sake. Anna, on receiving the letter, behaves impulsively enough. She decides, taking Sergei, to leave her husband, orders to pack things, but then unpacks them. She understands that she can not neglect the light and the way of life that she used to lead, but she is not ready for the role of mistress, she is crying bitterly, she asks herself questions, where only “I” is heard, and so on.
Vronsky intends to deal with his situation. First of all, he settles money matters and finds out that his incomes should not be increased (for Anna, for example), but cut back. It turns out that Anna is pregnant. Vronsky faces the need for resignation. Anna is waiting for a decision from him, but she is ready to quit her husband and her son on the first word and leave with Vronsky. She confesses (without any excuse) to her husband that she can not change anything, and he declares that he ignores her, and again demands to behave decently. Levin is married to the daughter of the leader of the Sviyazhsky district. During the visit to Sviyazhskiy Levin expresses his views on the need to conduct business in Russia in Russian, and not in foreign manners, take into account the special characteristics of the Russian peasants and workers.
He is not sure of the usefulness of schools, because schools will not raise the economy: “Schools will not help, but an economic system will help, in which people will be richer, there will be more leisure – and then there will be schools.” He believes that the peasants should be interested in the success of the economy, pay more to them. Levin decided to rationally organize his farm. Reforms of Levin meet misunderstandings on the part of the peasants. The economy takes so much energy and time that Levin does not even pay attention to the arrival of Kitty in Ergushovo.
Part Four
Karenin continue to live in the same house, Anna still sees Vronsky. With it the attacks of jealousy occur more often, and Vronsky begins to cool to her. Anna is angry because her husband remains absolutely calm outside, she wants him to kill her, but stop her “torment.” Anna constantly repeats both Karenina and Vronsky that he will soon die (from childbirth). Once Karenin encounters Vronsky on the porch of his house, forces his wife to talk to him, announces that he is moving to Moscow and takes Seryozha, Karenin goes to a lawyer to find out if a divorce is possible, but realizing that the process requires the disclosure of his wife’s love letters, decides not to start a lawsuit. He is leaving for Moscow.
Visiting the Oblonsky Kitty again meets with Levin. Karenin is also present there. At Dolly’s attempts to talk to him about reconciliation with Anna, he responds coldly that he does not see such an opportunity. “I can not forgive, and I do not want to, and I consider it unfair.” I did everything for this woman, and she trampled everything into the dirt that is peculiar to her. ” Kitty spends the whole evening with Levin. They understand each other with a half-word, are explained in love (they write the first letters of the words of explanation). In fact, Kitty agrees to marry Levin and invites him to make an offer to her parents. They approve of the choice of their daughter. Preparation for the wedding begins.
Karenin receives from Anna a telegram in which she writes about a near death and begs him to come. Knowing the nature of Anna, Alexei Alexandrovich decides that this is a trick, but nevertheless starts out. In the house he finds the crying Vronsky and confused servants, Anna gave birth to a girl, but she herself is at death (labor fever). She raves, but when she comes to consciousness she calls her husband, calls him a saint, asks for forgiveness. Karenin explained to Vronsky, said that he had forgiven Anna everything. Vronsky retires, goes home and decides to shoot himself, but only hurts himself. Then he decides to leave for Tashkent, but asks permission to see Anna in advance. Anna remains alive.
While everything in the house revolves around her, Alexey Alexandrovich manages to establish medical care for her, and equip a newborn (find a wet nurse, etc.). Anna recovers, but falls into apathy, and her husband does nothing to change the conditions of her life (and does not take away, and does not give a divorce). Oblonsky is making conversation with Karenin, again talking about divorce. Karenin is beside himself because he is once again trampled into the mud – after all his generous actions. He agrees to give a divorce. Vronsky does not go to Tashkent, and together with Anna and little Anya leaves for Italy. Alexei Alexandrovich remains with Sergei alone.
Part Five
In the Shcherbatsky house preparations for the wedding are in full swing. Levin really likes “happy troubles”, he even fasts and confesses, which he did not do for many years. He confesses to the priest that he doubts the existence of God; and he calls him to believe for the sake of future children. The priest treats Levin kindly, does not require him to swear, and Levin with a clean soul is waiting for the wedding day, rejoicing that he does not have to lie. The wedding ceremony is described very solemnly. Levin seems to be unusually majestic, he is grateful to the priest who found the right words, he is happy that Kitty, who is standing next to him, feels the same as he.
The same evening the young people leave for the village. At first, inexperienced spouses can not adapt themselves to each other – small quarrels and petty jealousy poison their happiness. Three months later they return to Moscow, and their life is improving. They receive news that Levin’s brother, Nikolai, at death, lives with him a woman (from the street), who takes care of him as much as possible. Kitty decides to go with her husband. She manages to quickly find a common language with Nikolai, who immediately has to it her sincerity and compassion, while in the company of Konstantin himself, Nikolai feels uncomfortable. Nikolai is whimsical, he dies long and painfully. Kitty feels bad too. The doctor determines the pregnancy.
Vronsky and Anna are traveling around Europe. Anna persuades herself to be guilty towards her husband, but, despite all the efforts, she does not feel guilty. She wants to see Sergei, and they go back to St. Petersburg with Vronsky. There they are waited by the cautious attitude of the light, which does not want to take them back. Anna decides at all costs to see her son on the day of his birth. Alexei Alexandrovich “could not reconcile in any way his recent forgiveness, his affection, his love for the sick wife and another’s child with what was now, that is, as if in reward for all this, he now found himself alone, disgraced, ridiculed, useless to anyone and despised by all. “
He struggles to forget himself, to go headlong into work, to seem unperturbed, but comes to despair from the consciousness of his utter loneliness. All women are disgusted with him, he has no friends, all relatives have died. He begins to often visit the Countess Lidia Ivanovna, who tries to support him and encourage him, assumes the responsibilities of arranging the life of Karenin. She inspires Karenin with the idea of the need to completely isolate Seryozha from Anna and announces to the boy that his mother has died. However, soon Lidia Ivanovna receives a letter from Anna, where she asks for assistance in arranging a meeting with her son. The countess writes the answer in an offensive tone for Anna, refuses her. On top of everything, Alexei Alexandrovich is no longer promoted, although he is still active and businesslike.
Karenin is trying to establish contact with Seryozha, is engaged in his personal education, but can not find an approach to the boy. Serezha becomes more and more self-absorbed, misses his mother, realizing that he must love his father, he can not force himself to be grateful. On the birthday of Seryozha, Anna falsely enters her husband’s house. Seryozha is very glad to her, he admits that he never believed in her death. Karenin enters, and Anna runs away, never giving Seryozha the toys she bought for him. Anna is bored locked up, and she, contrary to the advice of Vronsky (who suspects that this will not bring it to the good), goes to the theater. One of the ladies, Kartasova, insults Anna, stating that it’s shameful to sit next to Karenina. Although most of those present agree that this is an evil and unworthy trick, the scandal is assured. Returning home, Anna accuses Vronsky of everything.
Part of the sixth
Dolly is staying in Pokrovsky near Kitty. Varenka also comes, she takes care of Kitty. Brother Levina Sergey Ivanovich gives Varenka signs of attention. Everybody expects Koznyshev’s proposal, he himself prepares for a long time, but he does not dare to do it. Steve comes with a friend Veslovsky, who takes care of Kitty. Both of them cause active irritation in Levin, and he exposes Veslovsky from his home. Dolly goes to visit Anna in the estate of Vozdvizhenskoe, where she lives with Vronsky and her daughter Anya.
Anna is still pretty, she pays a lot of attention to her wardrobe, rides. Anna is pretty indifferent to her daughter, she does not know the many small, tedious and charming details of the education of the little child that Dolly lived all her life. Vronsky arranges a modern hospital, passionately takes a great interest in economy. Anna delves into his affairs, as far as abilities helps him, it is decided to write a book for children. Few people visit them, so both of them are very grateful to Dolly for her deed. Among other things, Anna joyfully informs Dolly that she can not have children anymore. She does not want to look bad and be pregnant, that is, sick. She dreams only of Vronsky’s passionate love, realizing that he is not interested in her ailments and can abandon her. Anna does not even think about divorce, she pays little attention to her daughter, but wants to return Sergei,
She studies the issues of architecture, agronomy, stud farming in books and magazines, achieving significant success, so Vronsky himself sometimes turns to her for advice. The same more often feels that Anna entangles him with “invisible nets,” and the desire for independence awakens more and more. He leaves for the provincial elections. Anna decides to make an effort and not to bother Vronsky stormy scenes of jealousy and abundant tears. However, it does not last long. She writes Vronsky a contradictory letter about Ani’s illness, where she demands to come immediately, then ascribes that she will come to him, In the absence of Vronsky she begins to take morphine. Vronsky returns and immediately reveals deception. He is unhappy with the scenes, he is haunted by endless clarification of the relationship, he himself does not want Anna’s divorce with Karenin.
Part Seven
Levin move to Moscow. Constantine makes visits, goes to the theater and everywhere feels equally at odds with her. Among others, he visits Anna and Vronsky. Anna tries to make an impression on Levin, he admires it. Kitty accuses him that he is in love with Anna (as Vronsky used to be). Levin promises to continue to avoid the society Karenina.
Kitty begins to give birth. Levin is frightened to death, he is very sorry for his tormented wife, he no longer wants a child and he only asks that Kitty stay alive. Everything ends well. The Levins had a son Dmitri. The affairs of Steve Oblonsky are in a deplorable state. He tries to ask Karenin to raise the salary, but he considers him an empty worker, although he agrees to “put in a word”. Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin together with the Countess Lidia Ivanovna attend meetings of a certain “mystical” society.
Anna is increasingly tormented by causeless jealousy, from isolation, from the cooling of Vronsky. She behaves more impulsively and selfishly, the more she pushes her beloved away from herself. She then asks for forgiveness, then depicts offended pride, then again threatens to die, then showered Vronsky with passionate caresses. Vronsky warps from talking about love, which is almost gone, he is unhappy with news about Karenin’s consent to divorce. Anna dreams of punishing Vronsky for his coldness (even to the detriment of himself), she simply needs a violent expression of feelings, which has long been not observed in her chosen one. She has completely lost her spiritual balance, she contradicts herself, she does not know what she wants, she can not stay at home alone, rushes and cries, Vronsky writes meaningless notes. Anna goes to Dolly, hoping to get from that part and consolation, but finds the Oblonsky Kitty. As if accidentally, Anna remarks that Levin was with her and very much liked her. Not finding the house of a response from Vronsky, Anna completely immerses herself in painful and incoherent thoughts about lost love. Remembering how, on the day they met Vronsky, the train crushed a man before their eyes, Anna goes to the station and rushes to the rails.
Part of the eighth
Karenin takes away little Anya. Happy Kitty is growing Mitya, whom Levin also loves very much. The Levins give Dolly a part of their estate for the adjustment of the financial situation of the Oblonsky family. Vronsky is leaving for Serbia. Levin, who pondered a lot about God, comes to the idea that “the undisputed manifestation of the deity is the laws of good… in the recognition of which I… are connected with other people in one society of believers, which is called the church… my life now… not only is it not meaningless, as it was before, but it has the undoubted sense of goodness that I have the power to invest in it! “.
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