The history of the creation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel “Anna Karenina. The prototype of Anna Karenina was the eldest daughter of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, Maria Hartung. Genre of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
April 17, 1877 Lev Tolstoy Finished work on the novel Anna Karenina. The prototypes of many of the characters were real people - the classic “drew” some of the portraits and characters from the friends, relatives and acquaintances around him, and the hero named Konstantin Levin is often called the alter ego of the author himself. AiF.ru tells what Tolstoy’s great novel is about and why “Anna Karenina” turned into a “mirror” of its era.
Two marriages
“All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” this phrase opens the first volume of Anna Karenina and sets the mood for the entire novel. Over the course of eight parts, the author describes the joys and hardships of individual families: adultery, weddings and the birth of children, quarrels and worries.
The work is based on two storylines: a) the relationship between the married Anna Karenina and the young and passionately in love with her Alexei Vronsky; b) the family life of landowner Konstantin Levin and Kitty Shcherbatskaya. Moreover, against the backdrop of the first couple, experiencing passion and jealousy, the second has a real idyll. By the way, in one of the early versions the novel was called “Two Marriages.”
On someone else's misfortune
The scene of the meeting between Anna and Vronsky in the light (Part II, Chapter VI). Drawing by Elmer Boyd Smith, 1886 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Anna Karenina’s life, it would seem, can only be envied - a woman from high society, she is married to a noble official and is raising a son with him. But her entire existence is upended by a chance meeting at the station. Coming out of the carriage, she exchanges glances with the young count and officer Vronsky. Soon the couple collides again - this time at the ball. Even Kitty Shcherbatskaya, who is in love with Vronsky, notices that he is drawn to Karenina, and she, in turn, is interested in her new admirer.
But Anna needs to return to her native Petersburg - to her husband and son. Persistent and stubborn Vronsky follows her - not at all embarrassed by her status, he begins to court the lady. Over the course of a year, the heroes meet at balls and social events until they become lovers. The entire high society is watching the development of their relationship, including Alexei Karenin, Anna’s husband.
Despite the fact that the heroine is expecting a child from Vronsky, her husband does not give her a divorce. During childbirth, Anna almost dies, but a month after her recovery she leaves abroad - together with Vronsky and their little daughter. She leaves her son in the care of his father.
But life with her lover does not bring her happiness. Anna begins to be jealous of Vronsky, and although he loves her, he is burdened by her and yearns for her. Returning to St. Petersburg does not change anything, especially since former friends avoid their company. Then the heroes go first to the village, and then to Moscow - however, their relationship does not become stronger from this. After a particularly violent quarrel, Vronsky leaves to visit his mother. Karenina follows him and at the station a decision comes to her on how to resolve this situation and “untie” everyone’s hands. She throws herself under a train.
Vronsky takes the loss seriously and volunteers to go to war. Their little daughter is taken in by Alexey Karenin.
Vasily Meshkov. "L. N. Tolstoy at work in the library in Yasnaya Polyana.” 1910 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Levin's second chance
In parallel, Tolstoy unfolds another storyline: he describes the story of Kitty Shcherbatskaya and Konstantin Levin. The 34-year-old landowner was in love with 18-year-old Kitty and even decided to propose to her, but she was then infatuated with Vronsky and refused. Soon the officer left for Anna, and Shcherbatskaya was left “with nothing.” Due to nervousness, the girl fell ill, and Levin drove off back to the village, to manage his estate and work together with the peasant men.
However, Tolstoy gave his heroes a second chance: at a dinner party the couple met again. Kitty realizes that she loves Levin, and he realizes that his feelings for the girl have not faded away at all. The hero offers Shcherbatskaya his hand and heart for the second time - and this time she agrees. Immediately after the wedding, the couple leaves for the village. Despite the fact that at first life together is not easy for them, they are happy - Kitty supports her husband when his brother died and gives birth to Levin’s child. This is exactly what, according to Tolstoy, a family should look like, and there must certainly be spiritual closeness between spouses.
Mirror of the era
Mikhail Vrubel. "Anna Karenina's date with her son." 1878 Photo: reproduction
As I wrote Sergei Tolstoy, son of a classic, “From a realistic novel, such as Anna Karenina, what is required first of all is truthfulness; therefore, his material was not only large, but also small facts taken from real life.” But what could have prompted the author to come up with such a plot?
In the 19th century, divorce was rare. Society harshly condemned and despised women who dared to leave their family for another man. However, precedents did occur, including in Tolstoy’s family. For example, his distant relative Alexey Tolstoy married Sofya Bakhmeteva- when the couple met, Bakhmeteva was already married to someone else and had a daughter. To some extent, Anna Karenina is a collective image. Some features of her appearance resemble Maria Hartung- daughter Pushkin, and the author “wove” the character of the heroine and the situation in which she found herself from several different stories. The spectacular ending was also taken from life - the live-in wife of Tolstoy's neighbor in Yasnaya Polyana died under a train - Anna Pirogova. She was very jealous of her lover, and somehow she quarreled with him and left for Tula. Three days later, the woman sent a letter to her partner through the coachman, and she threw herself under the wheels.
Nevertheless, critics were outraged by Tolstoy's novel. Anna Karenina was called immoral and amoral - that is, “in reality” readers treated her in exactly the same way as the secular characters in the book. The author’s description of the scene of intimacy between his heroine and Vronsky also caused a number of attacks. Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin spoke of “Anna Karenina” as a “cow novel”, where Vronsky is a “bull in love”, and Nikolay Nekrasov wrote an epigram:
“Tolstoy, you proved with patience and talent,
That a woman should not "walk"
Neither with the chamber cadet, nor with the aide-de-camp,
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Biography, life story of Anna Karenina
Anna Arkadyevna Karenina is the heroine of the novel Anna Karenina.
Life story
Anna Karenina is a noble lady from St. Petersburg, the wife of Minister Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin. introduces us to Anna at the moment when she comes to her brother Stepan Oblonsky (Steve) in order to reconcile him with his wife. Stiva meets his sister at the station. At the same time, a young officer Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky arrives at the station (he was meeting his mother). Anna and Alexey pay attention to each other. However, the author does not allow the first emotions to completely overwhelm the characters. At the moment of the first meeting of Karenina and Vronsky, a misfortune happens - a train carriage accidentally drives back and kills the watchman. Anna Karenina, a married lady and a caring mother of her eight-year-old son Seryozha, considered this turn of events a bad sign.
The next meeting between Anna and Alexei takes place at the ball. There, some inexplicable chemistry flares up between them again. When Karenina returns to her native Petersburg, Vronsky, unconscious from the passion that has captured his mind, goes after her. There, Alexey Kirillovich becomes the shadow of Anna Karenina - he follows her every step, tries to constantly be next to her. At the same time, the officer is not at all embarrassed by the fact that Anna is married, and her husband is a man of high social status. On the contrary, Vronsky’s love grew stronger from the fact that his chosen one turned out to be a woman from high society.
Anna Karenina, who has never had anything but deep respect for her husband, falls in love with Alexei Vronsky. Falls in love and is ashamed of his vicious feelings. At first, Anna tries to escape from herself, return to her usual life and find peace of mind, but all her attempts at resistance ended in failure. A year after they met, Karenina becomes Vronsky’s mistress. Over time, the connection between Karenina and Vronsky becomes known throughout St. Petersburg. Alexey Karenin, having learned about his wife’s infidelity, punishes her in the most cruel way - he forces her to continue to play the role of his loving wife.
CONTINUED BELOW
Anna soon finds out that she is pregnant from Vronsky. The officer invites her to leave her husband, but Karenina does not agree. Immediately after the birth of her daughter, she almost dies. The tragedy forces Alexei Alexandrovich to forgive his wife and her lover. He allows Anna to continue to live in his house and bear his last name. And Anna herself, in her dying state, begins to treat her husband warmer. But after recovery, everything returns to normal. Anna, whose conscience could not stand Karenin’s generosity, leaves with Vronsky for Europe. The lovers take the newborn girl with them. Anna's son remains with his father.
After a short absence, Vronsky and Karenina return to St. Petersburg. There Anna Karenina sadly realizes that she is now a real outcast for secular society. But Vronsky, on the contrary, is happy to see in any company. Separation from her son caused Anna additional suffering. But on Seryozha’s birthday, Anna secretly sneaks into the boy’s bedroom. The meeting was very touching - mother and son cried with happiness. They wanted to say so much to each other, but they were unable to talk - a servant came into Seryozha’s room and said that Alexey Karenin would come in any minute. When the official entered the nursery, Anna ran away, leaving Seryozha sobbing.
Relations between Karenina and Vronsky gradually began to deteriorate. The attitude of society towards Anna also contributed to the fading of their warm feelings. High society pointed fingers at Anna, and some society ladies did not hesitate to publicly insult her. Tired of the constant pressure, Anna, Alexey and their little daughter Anya move to Vronsky’s estate. Far from the bustle of the city, Anna hoped to improve relations with her lover, however, Alexey himself tried to create all the conditions for his beloved. However, it was difficult for them to get along with each other. The officer regularly went to business meetings and social events in St. Petersburg, while Anna, like a leper, had to sit at home. Due to Vronsky's constant absences, Karenina begins to suspect him of treason. Scenes of jealousy became a mandatory addition to dinner in their home. At the same time, life is darkened by a protracted divorce process. In order to solve this problem, Anna and Alexey move to Moscow for a while. Earlier, Karenin promised that he would give Seryozha to Anna, but at the last moment he changed his mind. He did this solely to hurt the woman who betrayed him. Having learned that the court left Seryozha with her ex-husband, Anna almost went crazy with grief...
Lost, unhappy Anna Karenina argues more and more with Vronsky. One day Anna Karenina suspected him of intending to marry someone else. Tired of constant hysterics, Alexey goes to his mother. As soon as Vronsky left, Anna clearly felt a burning need for reconciliation with her beloved. She rushes after Vronsky to the station.
Arriving at the place, Anna Karenina remembers her first meeting with Vronsky, their timid glances at each other, that incomprehensible feeling that swallowed her up. Anna also remembered the watchman who died under the carriage. At that very second Anna understands - this is the solution to all problems! This is how she can wash away the shame and get rid of the constantly oppressive feeling of shame for her actions! This is how she, who has exhausted herself and those around her, will be able to throw off the burden that has already become unbearable! A second of delay - and Anna throws herself under an oncoming train.
After Anna’s death, Vronsky repented - late, senselessly, but he repented. Deciding to follow Karenina's example, Alexey began to look at death as a deliverance. He volunteers to go to war, hoping that he will never come back.
Prototype
Anna Karenina is an image created on the basis of three prototypes. The first is Maria Hartung, daughter
Home and family, without which a happy life is impossible, are for Tolstoy a moral ideal, a life project, and a subject of many years of artistic reflection. Already in the 50s, Tolstoy’s views on this subject looked archaic: people were arguing about emancipation, women’s equality and the institution of marriage, society was reading the novels of George Sand, about which Tolstoy once said at a dinner at the Sovremennik editorial office: “The heroines of her novels, if they really existed, they should, for the sake of edification, be tied to a shameful chariot and driven through the streets of St. Petersburg.” A decade later, Chernyshevsky in his novel “What is to be done?” depicts a new type of family relationship, free from obligations and selfish attachment. Echoes of disputes about family and marriage are heard in “Karenina”: Princess Shcherbatskaya cannot understand how to marry off her daughters now, in English or in French, Pestsov and Koznyshev argue about women’s rights, the old Prince Shcherbatsky remarks about this - this is “ it’s as if I were looking for the right to be a wet nurse.” The answer to these questions has already been formulated by Tolstoy in the epilogue of War and Peace: the dignity of a woman is to understand her calling, which is to maintain the hearth and procreate; “talks and discussions about women’s rights, about the relationship of spouses, about freedom and their rights...<…>...existed only for those people who in marriage see only the pleasure that spouses receive from each other, that is, one beginning of marriage, and not its entire meaning, which consists in the family.” Oddly enough, “Karenina” does not answer these questions: Tolstoy shows what egoistic passion that destroys a family leads to, but through the stories of Karenina and Dolly Oblonskaya, he also talks about how unnatural and painful a marriage that is not based on love is. Oblonsky and Levin look at the wedding ceremony, the sacrament on which the inviolability of marriage is based, with detachment and incomprehension. The first months of Kitty and Levin’s family life are a story of mutual misunderstandings and resentments, and, despite Levin’s spiritual insights in the last chapters, the reader is not sure that this misunderstanding will ever be overcome. “Karenina” is a turning point: building a family idyll turns out to be impossible for the author both in his own life and in literature. Tolstoy read a lot at this time of Schopenhauer, with his discussions about sexual desire as a blind force of the race, which forces a person to mistake the interests of evolution for his own feelings; The highest wisdom, according to Schopenhauer, is to get out of this stream of fundamentally insatiable desires. Towards the end of his life, Tolstoy returns to the story of adultery in the “Kreutzer Sonata,” and here carnal love turns out to be sinful, destructive even within the boundaries of marriage: “Marriage cannot contribute to the service of God and people even if those entering into marriage had the goal of continuing the human race.<…>...Carnal love, marriage, is service to oneself and therefore is, in any case, an obstacle to serving God and people, and therefore from a Christian point of view it is a fall, a sin.” A marriage based on sensuality is two convicts bound by one chain. Tolstoy increasingly looks at carnal love, regardless of its relationship to family ties, as an obsession, and in the title of one of his stories he names the agent of this obsession: the devil. Tolstoy is still trying to see the ideal: two people can unite in marriage as one chaste being, if they were chaste before marriage and if they understand marriage as serving God. But, as often happens with Tolstoy, this speculative scheme looks illusory, far-fetched against the backdrop of the gloomy pictures of sensual obsession in his later stories.
Year of publication of the book: 1875-1877
The writer worked on Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina for four years, starting in 1873. The work almost immediately received the status of a classic of world literature. It has been translated into many languages and filmed in several countries. Based on the work, plays, ballets and musicals were staged. The most recent film adaptation of the Anna Karenina novel was the 2017 Russian TV series Anna Karenina. The story of Vronsky."
Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina summary
Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky, a thirty-five-year-old civil servant, is caught by his wife in infidelity with their governess. Dolly (his wife) took this news too seriously. She wants to take six children and leave the house immediately. Stepan himself (aka Stiva) does not see anything wrong in his betrayal. He justifies his action by saying that he no longer loves his wife. Over all the years of their life together, Dolly has changed both externally and internally, so Stiva did not even think that his wife would react so painfully to the news of betrayal. He himself is currently awaiting the arrival of his sister, Anna Arkadyevna Karenina.
While working, Stepan Arkadyevich meets his longtime friend Konstantin Levin. He came for a reason. For a long time he has been in love with Kitty Shcherbatskaya, Dolly’s younger sister, and is soon going to propose to her. Levin is a landowner who lives in the province and farms. His great love for Kitty is also reinforced by the fact that the girl is from a respectable noble family, which Konstantin has respected since childhood. The friends got to talking and Stiva admitted that he approved of the marriage of Kitty and Konstantin and was happy for him.
Next, "Anna Karenina" the book describes Kitty as a young naive girl of eighteen years old. She has great sympathy for Levin, she likes to spend time with him and, of course, she cannot help but notice sympathy on his part. The situation becomes more complicated when Count Alexei Vronsky appears on the horizon. He begins to actively court the girl, although he does not want to marry her at all. All this becomes a difficult test for Kitty herself, who, due to her youth, cannot understand her feelings. She has affection for both Levin and Vronsky, but still understands that with Alexei she is guaranteed a good future. Having received an offer from Konstantin, she, as in, refuses him.
Further in Tolstoy’s novel “Anna Karenina” you can read about how the next day Count Vronsky goes to the station to meet his mother. There he meets Oblonsky, who is waiting for his sister to arrive. When the train arrives and the passengers get out of their carriages, Vronsky's gaze immediately falls on the beautiful stranger. She turns out to be Anna Arkadyevna Karenina. The woman also pays attention to the count. He catches the sparkle in her eyes and her smile. Suddenly, a drunken railway station guard falls under a train and dies. Anna sees this event as not a very good sign.
Stiva asks his sister to help him reconcile with his wife. Anna persuades Dolly not to leave the house. She calls on the woman to remember how happy the couple were in their marriage and assures her that Stepan is very sorry for what he did and does not intend to repeat such an act. Dolly agrees to give this relationship a second chance.
Kitty decides to visit the Oblonskys. She is fascinated by Anna, her manners, voice, grace. The young girl sees Karenina as the ideal woman. Soon Vronskikh appears. But as soon as Alexey finds out that Anna is in the house, he refuses to come in. With this action, Vronsky arouses suspicion among those present.
Anna goes to the ball with the Oblonsky and Shcherbatsky family. Kitty is fascinated by Anna's appearance. At the ball, Vronsky flirts with Kitty and invites her to dance. The girl becomes more and more fascinated by the count. She dreams of their future together. Suddenly, Kitty notices Alexei flirting with a woman in a black dress. She turns out to be Anna. From that moment until the end of the ball, Vronsky communicates and dances only with Karenina. Both feel that passion is arising between them, it is present in their every gesture, in every word. Anna informs Vronsky that tomorrow she is going back to St. Petersburg. 
The very next day, on the train, Karenina notices the Count on the train. Vronsky tells Anna that he is going to St. Petersburg solely for her sake. Anna is confused: she doesn’t know where this romance will lead her, but she is unable to resist the feeling that is arising in her. She is met on the platform by her husband and eight-year-old son Seryozha. Karenina understands that she is not just indifferent to her husband. With every second around him, she feels a deep disgust for this man.
Alexey Alexandrovich Karenin works at the ministry. He is much older than his wife and by his nature is particularly unromantic, devoid of love for any form of art. He spends all his time either at work or reading newspapers or theological literature. Karenin loves his wife, but prefers to talk about his feelings infrequently.
Further in the novel “Anna Karenina” we can read about how in winter Kitty falls ill with tuberculosis. Doctors are confident that the disease manifested itself against the background of a nervous breakdown. All the girl’s relatives understand that the culprit is the betrayal of Count Vronsky. The Shcherbatskys decide that Kitty needs to unwind. They send her abroad to improve her health and forget about the grief that happened.
In St. Petersburg, Vronsky often meets with Anna. The count's cousin helps them with this. The entire secular society suspects Anna of treason, but Alexey Alexandrovich has no idea about anything. When Karenin's friends hint to him about his wife's infidelity, he wants to talk to Anna. Their conversation leads nowhere. The woman skillfully hides the secret affair and assures her husband that this is all his invention.
Stiva Oblonsky visits Levin at his estate. All this time, Konstantin was busy looking after the economy and making profitable deals with merchants. During the conversation, Levin learns that Kitty and Vronsky are not together and that the girl is seriously ill
Vronsky is not satisfied with the relationship he has with Karenina. He asks the woman to divorce her husband and marry him. But with all her love for the count, Anna is afraid of losing her son. She understands that Karenin can forbid her to see the child, and she will not survive this, because Seryozha is the only reason why Anna stayed married to Alexei Alexandrovich all these years.
The relationship between Karenina and Vronsky crosses the platonic level. Anna is rushing about. She doesn't want to live a lie, but at the same time she doesn't want to talk to her husband. And there is something to talk about, because the woman understands that she is irrevocably in love with the count. Moreover, she is expecting a child from him.
The Karenins go to the races, in which Vronsky participates. During the race, the Count falls from his horse and is seriously injured. Anna's behavior during the fall of her lover betrays the woman. She panics and starts crying. The thought that she could lose Alexei drives her crazy. Karenin does not like this behavior of his wife. Wanting to avoid shame, he persuades Anna to leave here. On the way home, Anna breaks down. Everything that has accumulated in her results in a frank conversation with Karenin. She admits to her husband that she does not love him and has not been faithful to him for a long time. Karenin is confused. He doesn't know what to do in this situation. He decides to leave Anna in a house outside the city, and he goes to St. Petersburg to make a decision.
His brother Sergei Koznyshev comes to Konstantin Levin. They spend a lot of time talking about life and people. Sergei notices that Levin likes to spend time on the ground. He works in the field along with everyone else, looks after the farm himself and finds peace of mind during hard work. Later, Konstantin learns that Dolly and her children are coming to the village next door. The woman is not used to living in the village, she cannot find a common language with the servants. In addition, the renovation of the house is not completed and Dolly has to deal with all the economic problems. In desperation, she accepts Levin's help. In gratitude, she is thinking of setting him up with Kitty. Dolly tells Konstantin that she is going to invite her sister to stay in this house. Levin admits that he is afraid to date Kitty because she refused him a few months ago. But Dolly assures the young man that all is not lost for him.
Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Karenin in the novel Anna Karenina thinks about how he should act in the current situation. He sees several options for solving the problem. He immediately discards thoughts about the duel with Vronsky and about divorcing his wife. Alexey Alexandrovich does not want to change anything in his life. He is driven by the fear of losing influence in society. In addition, he wants to hurt his wife. Pain commensurate with what he experienced. Therefore, he tells Anna that she can stay with him and her son. But she should continue to lie to everyone, imitating a happy family life. Anna is in despair. She realizes that now she hates her husband even more. He seems to her a soulless person, incapable of understanding. At some point, she wants to pack her things and leave him, but she understands that she does not want to be in the role of a mistress.
Anna is burdened by her life. She doesn't understand what to do next. Everything is aggravated by the fact that Vronsky begins to move away from her. She catches the coldness in his gaze and begins to panic. Anna arranges scenes of jealousy for him. She is afraid that he will leave her, thereby ruining her life.
Karenin goes to visit the Oblonskys. Kitty and Levin are also there. Young people spend a lot of time together. Kitty realizes that she is in love with Konstantin. She feels at ease talking to him. Levin also realizes that his feelings for Kitty have only become stronger. He proposes to the girl again, and she accepts. The family begins preparations for the wedding.
Karenin receives a letter from Anna. The woman writes that she will die soon. Her pregnancy was not easy, and the woman is afraid of dying during childbirth. Alexey Alexandrovich goes home. There he finds Vronsky, who was very upset. Karenin is informed that Anna has given birth, but she herself is dying and is calling for her husband. In a feverish state, Anna asks her husband for forgiveness for everything she has done. Karenin's heart can't stand it. He forgives his wife and takes upon himself all the worries about her and the newborn Anna.
Having recovered, Anna again moves away from her husband. She feels no gratitude for anything he has done. Karenin seems like a stranger to her. After a conversation with Oblonsky, Karenin agrees to sign divorce papers. Vronsky and Anna, their child, leave for Italy, and Alexey Alexandrovich remains in St. Petersburg with his son Seryozha.
Before the wedding, Levin worries that he does not believe in the existence of God. But they are about to get married. Konstantin turns to the priest for help and he finds the necessary words. Young people get married with a pure heart. After the wedding they move to the village. For several months they got used to living together, quarreled, could not understand each other. But after they moved to Moscow, everything improved. Later, Konstantin learns that his brother, Nikolai Levin, is dying. He goes to him. Kitty is traveling with her husband. Nikolai loved drinking and was currently living with a woman of easy virtue. Konstantin could never accept his brother's lifestyle, so they were not on close terms. Kitty was able to find understanding in her heart. She begins to care for Nikolai, who has only a few days left to live. After the death of his brother, Konstantin feels depressed. Kitty suddenly becomes ill, and the doctor tells the girl that she is pregnant.
A crisis ensues in the relationship between Karenina and Vronsky. It worsens after the couple arrives back in St. Petersburg. Society does not accept Karenina, considering her act shameful. Anna visits her son on his birthday. Having lived all this time with his father, the boy was never able to love him. The woman learns that Seryozha was told that his mother had died. Anna understands how much she loves her son and does not want to be apart from him.
Due to conflict in society, Anna increasingly stays at home. She feels despondent, although she tries to occupy herself with reading and caring for her little daughter. Further in his novel L.N. Tolstoy “Anna Karenina” talks about how one day Karenina goes to the theater. But even there she will be condemned by society. One of the ladies said that she was ashamed to sit next to Anna. The main character can't stand it. She blames Vronsky for everything, although she understands that it was her choice too.
Dolly comes to visit Anna and Alexey. She can observe all the misunderstandings that reign between lovers. Anna has become unsure of herself, she is afraid to the point of panic that the count might leave her. The main character of the novel “Anna Karenina” is interested in all her husband’s affairs, helps with advice and deeds. But all this looks so intrusive that Vronsky feels like he’s in a cage. He understands that Anna is manipulating him with her attacks of jealousy and hysterics. The Count understands that he is tired of this relationship. He goes on business. Karenina finds the separation difficult and begins taking medicine containing morphine. Upon her return, Anna again quarrels with Vronsky. Her jealousy reached its limit. She doesn't want him to leave her, even for a little while. The Count feels that his love for this woman is giving way to irritability. He doesn't know how much longer his patience will last.
Kitty and Levin move to Moscow. There Konstantin meets Anna, who managed to make a very pleasant impression. Kitty remembers how Karenina recently bewitched Vronsky. She is tormented by jealousy. Konstantin sees this and says that he will limit communication with Anna. After some time, Kitty gives birth to a boy. They give him the name Dmitry.
And, if everything is going well for Levin and Kitty, there is complete discord in the relationship between Karenina and Vronsky. Anna's jealousy goes beyond all boundaries. She becomes contradictory in her actions. Her impulsiveness played a cruel joke on her. She alternately swears her love for Vronsky and then curses him. The Count finds it difficult in this relationship. He understands that the feelings between them have long faded away. He is even saddened by the news that Karenin has finally filed the divorce papers. After this, in the novel “Anna Karenina” by Tolstoy we can read that Alexey Alexandrovich goes to visit his mother. Anna does not want to let him go, but she comes to terms with the separation. It is hard for her to realize that the count no longer loves her. In a fit of jealousy, Karenina follows Vronsky to the station. There she recalls how, on the first day of their meeting on the platform, the station watchman fell under the train. The woman's mind is foggy. She sees no way out of her current situation. Anna decides to punish both Vronsky and Karenin. As in the main character decides to commit suicide and throws herself under a train.
Vronsky is having a hard time with Anna's death. He begins to blame himself. Unable to bear the thoughts of his dead beloved, the count goes to war in Serbia. Karenin takes in the daughter of Anna and Vronsky to raise him.
After the birth of little Dima, Kitty and Konstantin move to the village. There they lead a measured and happy life.
The novel “Anna Karenina” on the Top books website
Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina has been considered a classic of world literature for centuries. Therefore, his high place in, as well as among, cannot cause any misunderstandings. Moreover, we can say with confidence that the novel will continue to occupy high places in the future.
You can read Tolstoy’s novel “Anna Karenina” online on the Top Books website.
Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina, written in 1877, tells the story of the tragic love affair of a married lady, Anna Karenina. In his book, the author managed to present a large-scale picture of the life and customs of the noble stratum of Moscow and St. Petersburg in the second half of the 19th century.
On our website you can read online a summary of “Anna Karenina” in chapters and parts, and also take a test to test your knowledge. A brief retelling of the novel will be useful for the reading diary and preparation for a literature lesson.
Main characters
Alexey Kirillovich Vronsky- Count, a young brilliant officer, an enviable groom.
Alexey Alexandrovich Karenin- husband Anna, a respected official.
Anna Arkadyevna Karenina- socialite, wife of Alexei Alexandrovich.
Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky (Steve)- Anna’s brother, a loving and fickle man.
Daria Oblonskaya (Dolly)– Stiva’s wife, mother of many children, Anna’s faithful friend.
Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin- a successful landowner, Kitty's husband.
Ekaterina Shcherbatskaya (Kiti)- Dolly’s younger sister, who became Levin’s wife.
Other characters
Sergey Ivanovich Koznyshev- writer, Levin's older brother.
Lidia Ivanovna- old countess, good friend of Karenin.
Betsy Tverskaya- socialite, friend of Anna.
Varenka- Kitty's friend.
Seryozha- Anna's eight-year-old son.
Part one
Chapters I-IV
“All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” A serious crisis is brewing in the large Oblonsky family: Dolly, the mother of six children, learns about the betrayal of her husband, Stepan Arkadyevich (Steve). The atmosphere in the house is tense to the limit, and the situation seems hopeless.
Chapters V-XVI
Meanwhile, Stiva’s old acquaintance, Konstantin Levin, comes from the village to Moscow. He is going to propose to Kitty Shcherbatskaya, Dolly's younger sister, in whom he sees "perfection in every way." However, his plans were not destined to come true: the eighteen-year-old girl is already in love with the dashing officer Count Vronsky, who does not even think about marriage. Kitty's parents fully support her choice.
Chapters XVII-XXI
Anna Karenina, Stiva's sister, comes to the Oblonskys from St. Petersburg to reconcile the spouses and prevent divorce. Vronsky falls in love with a young beautiful woman at first sight and tries with all his might to win her attention.
In a personal conversation with Anna, Dolly shares her grief - between the spouses, “it’s all over, and nothing more.” However, Karenina manages to use all her diplomatic skills to reconcile Oblonsky and prevent the family from splitting.
Chapters XXII-XXX
At the magnificent ball, Karenina creates a real sensation. Kitty watches her carefully and notices that “Anna is drunk with the wine of the admiration she arouses.” The girl understands that her happiness is ruined - Vronsky is seriously infatuated with the St. Petersburg beauty.
The day after the ball, Anna sends "a telegram to her husband about her departure from Moscow on the same day." Dolly thanks her sister-in-law for "doing a good deed."
On the train, Anna notices Vronsky, who followed her. The officer confesses his love, and Anna is "scared and happy" by this confession.
On the platform in St. Petersburg, Anna is met by her husband, Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, whom she does not love, but respects.
Chapters XXXI-XXXIV
At home, the first person to meet Anna is her eight-year-old son Seryozha, whom she missed immensely during the separation.
Alexey Alexandrovich occupies a high position in the ministry, and his day is scheduled literally to the minute. He loves his wife, but is quite restrained in expressing his feelings.
Having settled in Moscow, Vronsky intends to “start traveling to the next world where he could meet Karenina.”
Part two
Chapters I-X
After Vronsky’s humiliating refusal, Kitty has a nervous breakdown, which leads to the development of tuberculosis. A medical council gathers at the Shcherbatskys’ house to “do something to restore her weakening strength.” Doctors advise sending the girl abroad for treatment.
After a trip to Moscow, Karenina avoids “her moral friends” in every possible way, and increasingly meets with Vronsky in the house of his cousin, Princess Betsy Tverskaya. Rumors are already spreading in society about their tender sympathy for each other, and Karenin begins to get irritated.
Alexey Alexandrovich, who considered “jealousy an offensive and humiliating feeling,” asks his wife not to cross “well-known laws of decency.”
Chapters XI-XVII
A love affair with Vronsky weighs heavily on Anna, who for the first time in her life decides to commit treason. She feels “criminal and guilty.”
Levin, having returned to his estate, knows nothing about Kitty and her illness. He throws himself into running the household and shows himself to be a very smart landowner. Stiva Oblonsky comes to see him, and from him Levin learns “details about Kitty’s illness and the Shcherbatskys’ plans.” Stiva accuses his friend of indecisiveness and cowardice in front of his rival.
Chapters XVIII-XXIX
Vronsky’s mother is categorically against her son’s relationship, “which could involve him in stupid things” and interfere with his brilliant career. However, Vronsky is determined - he insists that Anna leave her husband and move in with him. Karenina does not want to “give her name to shame,” since her husband will never give her a divorce, and she does not agree to the role of a mistress.
Vronsky's great passion is horses. He signs up for the "officers' steeplechase" and acquires the beautiful English mare Frou-Frou. At the races, Vronsky makes a “bad, unforgivable movement,” and thereby breaks the horse’s back. Seeing her lover defeated, Anna throws a formal hysteria in front of everyone, and thereby completely betrays herself.
Chapters XXX-XXXVI
The Shcherbatskys opt for “small German waters,” where they meet Madame Stahl, a Russian lady who moves in a wheelchair and her adopted daughter Varenka.
Kitty quickly finds a common language with the kind Varenka and tells her about her love tragedy. The girl calms the sufferer and asks her to take a more sensible approach to life's trials. Kitty returns to Russia in a calm mood.
Part three
Chapters I-XII
Levin throws himself into running the household. Often he works equally with men, receiving great pleasure from hard physical labor. Levin realizes that his love for Kitty is so strong that he cannot imagine another woman next to him. He tries to find a different meaning in life, and opts for reforming the economy on the scale of his own estate.
Stepan Oblonsky sends Dolly and the children to the village for the whole summer, “to reduce expenses as much as possible.” Levin helps Dolly cope with many of Dolly’s economic problems, and she, in gratitude, tells him that he should not lose hope in Kitty’s favor. Dolly wants to invite Kitty to the summer and reconcile the young people.
Chapters XIII-XVI
The news of Anna's betrayal causes "cruel pain in the heart of Alexei Alexandrovich." But he very quickly comes to his senses and tries to “shake off the dirt with which she splashed him in her fall.” It is very important for Karenin to be in a state of mental balance, as well as to observe the limits of decency and not harm his own reputation.
He is not going to fight a duel with an opponent or start a lawsuit. After much thought, Alexey Alexandrovich decides to live as before, only without the former respect for his wife.
Chapters XVII-XXIII
Being a very careful person in financial matters, Vronsky comes to the conclusion that he needs to cut expenses and under no circumstances get into large debts. The situation becomes more complicated when he finds out about Anna's pregnancy. To take the woman you love away from your husband, you need to “have money and retire,” but the ambitious Vronsky could not do this.
During an explanation with Vronsky, Anna understands that “she will not be able to neglect her position, abandon her son and unite with her lover.”
Chapters XXIV-XXXII
Levin suffers from the fact that, being only thirty miles from Kitya Shcherbitskaya, he cannot see her. Her refusal has erected an "insurmountable barrier" between them, and he continues to ignore Dolly's persistent requests to see them.
While visiting the leader of the Sviyazhsky district, Levin shares his thoughts on running a household in Russia in his own, not Western, manner.
Part four
Chapters I-VIII
The Karenins continue to live in the same house, but become “completely alien to each other.” Anna is still dating Vronsky, and she is increasingly overcome by jealousy towards him. Alexei Alexandrovich's patience comes to an end when he finds his wife's lover in his own house. He accuses Anna of non-compliance with the contract, and is going to file for divorce, and take Seryozha to his sister.
The next day, Karenin turns to the lawyer with a request to carry out a divorce “so that the son does not remain with his mother.” Having learned that this would require the publication of his wife’s love correspondence, he abandons the litigation and leaves for service matters “to distant provinces.” While passing through Moscow, he informs Oblonsky about the severance of family relations between them due to the betrayal of his sister Anna.
Chapters IX-XVI
At a reception with the Oblonskys, Levin sees Kitty again, and an explanation takes place between the young people. In essence, Levin proposes marriage to Kitty, and she agrees. The girl's parents also "were indisputably in agreement and happy with her happiness." Preparations for the wedding begin.
Chapters XVII-XXIII
Karenin receives a telegram from his wife asking him to come immediately and forgive her before his death. Alexey Alexandrovich understands that this is “deception and cunning,” but still returns home. He learns that Anna gave birth to a girl, but her condition is critical. She begs her husband for forgiveness, and he grants it.
Karenin explains to Vronsky, and the young officer feels “ashamed, humiliated, guilty.” In desperation, he decides to shoot himself, but only wounds himself.
While his wife was recovering, Alexey Alexandrovich took upon himself all the care of the newborn girl, who was also named Anya. But his hopes for family happiness were not justified - Anna, strengthened after childbirth fever, “was afraid of him, was burdened by him and could not look him straight in the eyes.”
Anna hates her husband “for his generosity” and asks her brother to discuss the possibility of divorce with Karenin. Alexey Alexandrovich is trampled and agrees to sign any papers under any conditions. A month later, he is left alone with Seryozha, while Anna and Vronsky go to Italy, “having not received a divorce and decisively refusing it.”
Part five
Chapters I-VI
Preparations for the wedding are in full swing. To celebrate, Levin even confesses, something he hasn’t done for many years. He confesses his unbelief to the priest, and he calls on him to believe in the Lord, at least for the sake of his future children. Levin calms down and with a pure soul marries Kitty. Immediately after dinner, “that same night the young couple left for the village.”
Chapters VII-XIII
Anna and Vronsky travel around Europe. Freed from marital shackles, Anna feels “unforgivably happy and full of the joy of life,” in contrast to her lover, who “was not completely happy.” Tired of a boring and inactive life in Europe, they return to Russia.
Chapters XIV-XX
The first months of Kitty and Levin's family life are full of petty quarrels and outbursts of jealousy that poison their happiness. But after a while, the spouses adapt to each other, and their lives improve. The painful death of Levin's brother, Nikolai, leaves a deep mark on their souls. At the same time, Kitty’s health is deteriorating - the girl is pregnant.
Chapters XXI-XXXIII
In “a difficult moment of lonely despair,” Karenin receives tangible moral support from his old friend, Countess Lydia Ivanovna. She manages to strengthen his spirit and faith in God. The Countess takes upon herself all the worries about Seryozha and solving economic issues. She is sure that the boy needs to be completely isolated from his mother.
Lydia Ivanovna receives a letter from Anna asking her to meet with her son, and answers her with a decisive refusal. In turn, Karenin personally takes up the task of raising Seryozha, but he never manages to reach the child’s heart.
On Seryozha’s birthday, Anna decides that she will go “to her husband’s house, bribe people, deceive, but at all costs she will see her son.” The boy is incredibly happy about this meeting, but with the appearance of Karenin, Anna rushes away from the house.
Anna languishes locked up and, contrary to all Vronsky’s warnings, goes to the theater. Thus, she signs the final verdict under her reputation: a scandal in high society is guaranteed, and Anna is assigned the glory of a “fallen woman.”
Part six
Chapters I-XV
Throughout the summer, numerous relatives and friends of the newlyweds visit the Levins’ house. Varenka, whom Kitty met during her stay on the waters, also arrives. Levin's brother, Sergei, who is going to propose to the girl, begins to look after her, but everything is not resolved.
Chapters XVI-XXIV
Dolly decides to visit Anna, “despite the change in her situation.” Dolly notices that Karenina has become unusually prettier: she takes special care of her wardrobe and rides a horse. She confesses to her friend that she is “unforgivably happy” and that she will no longer have children in order to preserve her beauty for Vronsky. Anna devotes little time to her daughter, and takes much more pleasure in doing housework.
During the two days that Dolly stayed with Anna, she realized how great the gulf had become between them.
Chapters XXV-XXXII
At first glance, Anna and Vronsky’s life “was such that one could not wish for anything better: they had complete prosperity, they had health, they had a child, and both had activities.” However, over time, Vronsky increasingly begins to notice how he is burdened by Anna’s annoying love, her constant desire to control all his actions. He goes alone to the provincial elections, partly out of boredom, but mostly to “declare his rights to freedom before Anna.”
In turn, Karenina tries not to bother her lover with violent scenes of jealousy, but she doesn’t last long. She writes him a letter and informs him about her daughter’s imaginary illness. Vronsky has no choice but to return to the estate, where “gloomy, difficult love” awaits him.
Anna, wanting to drive away the terrible thoughts about Vronsky’s indifference to her, begins to take morphine.
Part seven
Chapters I-XII
Before Kitty gives birth, the couple moves to Moscow. Levin tries to lead a social life, but he does not like it at all. Among others, he pays a visit to Vronsky and Anna, who have also moved from the estate.
Anna tries to make a favorable impression on Levin, and she succeeds: he admires and admires her - “her beauty, her intelligence, her education, and at the same time her simplicity and sincerity.” Having learned about her husband's visit to Anna, Kitty feels deeply unhappy. Levin promises her to avoid any communication with Karenina from now on.
Chapters XIII-XXII
Kitty begins to give birth, and Levin, an unbeliever, in despair calls on the Lord, as “in the days of childhood and early youth,” to save his beloved woman. Seeing Kitty’s torment, he no longer wants a child, but wants “only an end to this terrible suffering.”
Kitty safely gives birth to a boy, and the distraught Levin has difficulty understanding that his wife is “alive, healthy, and that the creature that screamed so desperately is his son.”
The financial affairs of the Oblonsky family are “in a bad position.” He asks Alexei Alexandrovich to lobby for his salary increase. Karenin considers his son-in-law a worthless worker, but still agrees to put in a good word for him with his superiors.
Oblonsky also asks Karenin to grant Anna a divorce, who has been living in Moscow for six months, “where every meeting is a knife in her heart.” Alexey Alexandrovich promises to think about it.
Chapters XXIII-XXXI
Anna continues to be jealous of Vronsky "not of any woman, but of the diminution of his love." She torments her lover with endless accusations, nagging, complaints, sudden mood swings, which further alienates him from her. More and more often, Anna comes to the idea that “everything is saved by death,” and all the problems in her life can only be solved by death.
Karenina finally loses her mental balance. Hoping to get the consolation she needs, she goes to Dolly, but finds Kitty there. Wanting to prick her former rival more painfully, Anna casually notes that Levin was with her and she liked her very much.
Wanting to punish her lover as painfully as possible for his indifference and to get rid of the worries that tormented her, Anna goes to the station and throws herself under the train.
Part Eight
Chapters I-V
Vronsky had a hard time with the death of his beloved woman. For six weeks, his family kept an eye on him, fearing that in a fit of despair he would commit suicide. Having recovered from the tragedy, he goes as a volunteer to Serbia.
Vronsky’s mother believes that Karenina’s death is “everything to prove something special.” Even now she cannot calmly talk about the woman who killed “two wonderful people” - Karenin and her son.
Alexey Alexandrovich takes upon himself the upbringing of the orphaned Anya.
Chapters VI-XIX
Happy in her motherhood, Kitty calmly raises her son, who was named Dmitry. Levin often reflects on “what he is and why he lives.” Having rethought his attitude towards faith, he begins to live “for the soul, in truth, in God’s way.”
Conclusion
In his work, Lev Nikolaevich emphasizes that it is impossible to build happiness based on the destruction of the family and the suffering of loved ones. Blindly following passion is destructive and cannot make a person truly happy.
After reading the brief retelling of Anna Karenina, I recommend reading Tolstoy’s novel in its entirety.
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