Anna Karenina Readalong, 2023

27th August
Anna Karenina Part 8, Chapter 11

•	The day that Koznyshev arrives in the country is one of Levin's most stressful days. Whenever he has time to think, however, the questions of who he is, what he's doing, and what the purpose of his life is, consume his thoughts.
•	Out on the farm, he wonders why he is so devoted to his work and to overseeing the peasants working. He ponders the inevitability of death, and the pointlessness of all his efforts.
•	He falls into conversation with a peasant named Theodore (or Fyodor).
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•	Theodore speaks negatively of an innkeeper who takes no pity on peasants who can't pay back the loans he gives them. But another peasant, a wealthy man named Platon, lends willingly and won't press you too hard for repayment. So he comes out short sometimes, but overall, he's still a good, wealthy man. The innkeeper, for Theodore, is an example of a man who lives for his own needs, just to stuff his own belly. Platon, on the other hand, is a man who lives for the soul, and remembers God.
•	Levin practically yells at him for the definition of remembering God and living for your soul. What does he mean? He sees that this is the key to his philosophical angst.
•	Before Theodore can finish explaining, Levin runs off with thoughts going nonstop through his mind.

This section feels very autobiographical to me. Like this is something Tolstoy struggled with. And yes you just want to say OFGS get over yourself!

He’d drive me mad. It’s all a tad self indulgent.

Isn't he! The first line of the summary says it all. He needs to put the philosophy books away!

He's a bit of an over thinker isn't he!

Levin is all about Levin really :)

26th August
Anna Karenina Part 8, Chapter 10

•	When Levin simply lives instead of thinks about living, everything is fine.
•	Levin was once consumed by the idea of serving mankind and performing great deeds for humanity, but has now realized that those ideals worked better in the abstract than in actuality.
•	Now that Levin confines himself to what affects himself and his family personally, he finds work much more agreeable. He doesn't feel the same joy at working on his estate that he used to, but he's gotten better at it now that he performs his chores without too much philosophy.
•	Levin stays busy and adheres to a strict code of conduct; this code doesn't seem to be dedicated to maximum profit.
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•	It bothers him when he thinks about it too deeply, so instead of thinking he has decided to just live.

25th August
Anna Karenina Part 8, Chapter 9

•	Levin continues to question the meaning of life, and he spends time rereading all the men who might help him: Plato, Spinoza, Kant, Schelling, Hegel, and Schopenhaur.
•	Levin can understand and accept these authors' arguments, but only if he disregards real life and real experiences.
•	Throughout the entire spring, Levin believes that he cannot live without answering these questions: who am I? Why am I here?
•	He is briefly entranced by the teachings of the Church, but after reading the histories of two churches—the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic—he sees that each one shares many teachings with the other, but that both reject the other entirely. So he cannot sustain his belief in either one.
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•	These questions so absorb Levin that he is convinced he will either hang or shoot himself. But he doesn't. He goes on living.

24th August
Anna Karenina Part 8, Chapter 8

•	Ever since Levin had seen his brother dying, the questions of death and life have weighed heavy on his mind.
•	Although he has continued living, Levin has been terrified of his own ignorance.
•	Marriage temporarily distracted him from these bigger questions, but ever since his time in Moscow, his brain has been occupied with questions of the mysteries of life. To this end he has been reading lots of philosophy.
•	One thing Levin has realized is that everyone close to him is a believer. After reading a lot of books, Levin fails to be persuaded by even those who ostensibly share his same disbelief.
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•	Levin remains concerned about his moment of prayer during Kitty's pregnancy.

Yes, gorgeous portrait Fuzzy! ❤

Is there an implication that Levin and Kitty are rich enough not to miss that portion? It is a good way of offering help to Dolly that will be acceptable to her.
Ah thanks CornishLizard, that makes sense.

Same, Desdamona :)* *

Beautiful painting Fuzzy. I could definitely see that on an AK book cover.

I had completely missed that inheritance point too.

I also agree that it dragged after Anna’s death. I have gone ahead and finished the book now and it ended earlier than I thought - at 95% on kindle. The rest was all notes.

I was just smitten with the plump baby wrist - I remember them exactly as he describes looking like they have a thread round them.

cassandre you’re right, though I didn’t feel outraged until you mentioned it. Is there an implication that Levin and Kitty are rich enough not to miss that portion? It is a good way of offering help to Dolly that will be acceptable to her.

lovely card Fuzzy. I see what you mean!

I seem to have missed that detail, cassandre! I'll go back and read it again.
At the risk of sounding fanciful, it feels like a light has gone out now that Anna has died. It feels like I'm dragging my way through part eight.

I was in Berlin last week and I came across this picture in the Alte NationalGalerie. I liked it so much I bought a postcard of it. Later, I realised it reminded me of Anna. She must be lingering on in my subconscious, haunting me!

Hmm, am I the only one who finds it a bit weird that Kitty agreeing to give up her own inheritance is interpreted as an altruistic gesture on Levin's part?!

23rd August
Anna Karenina Part 8, Chapter 7

•	Kitty nurses Mitya as the nanny sleeps. Kitty can hear her guests laughing on the balcony, and is a little peeved that Levin isn't around to greet them.
•	She reflects that Levin has been spending a lot of time alone lately, mostly tending to his beehives. He knows that her husband is bothered by his lack of faith.
•	She notes that he reads philosophy incessantly yet finds no answers, then reflects that he'll enjoy the company of his visitors. This train of thought leads her to worry that there are no clean sheets to offer the guests.
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•	She returns to pondering her husband's unbelief, deciding that she would rather have him be an unbeliever than be a believer full of pretense, like Madame Stahl.
•	She knows that her husband is a good man, thinking of a recent suggestion that helped the Oblonskys out of financial difficulties. Kitty thinks of all the duties that he assumes caring for his relatives' estates, Dolly and her children, and all the peasants who seek his guidance.
•	Kitty bends over her son and murmurs a wish that he turns out to be just like his father.

22nd August
Anna Karenina Part 8, Chapter 6

•	When Koznyshev and Katavasov arrive at Levin's house, Kitty is sitting on the balcony with her father and sister.
•	She runs down to greet her guests, shows them where to wash up, and then runs back up to the balcony.
•	She asks her sister to entertain the guests, and then she heads to the nursery. She feels a gush of milk in her breasts, signaling that Dmitri (whose nickname is Mitya) hasn't been fed enough.
•	Mitya is screaming as Kitty walks into the nursery. Due to the impatience of mother and son, it takes forever for them to get settled.
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•	Once settled down, Kitty and Miss Agatha chat for a bit.
•	Kitty already feels a strong spiritual connection to her son, although others in the family view him only as a thing that needs material care.

If my maths are right, Madame Bovary has 35 chapters distributed across three parts. The chapters look longer than Tolstoy's chapters, but not extremely long.

Yes, thank you St Columb!

I was also going to comment on Vronsky's toothache, as it seemed to me like a moment of very dark humour on Tolstoy's part: 'He's so sad. And, as ill luck would have it, he's got a toothache.' Such a ridiculous mixing of registers, like Anna's suicide and a toothache are comparable! But the toothache gets even more space in today's chapter; what is that all about? I do think it diminishes Vronsky's tragic heroic status.

Today's passage about how the expression on Anna's face is one of reproach reminds me of the War and Peace scene when Andrei is looking at the face of his dead wife and sees it as accusing him. But eventually (if I recall correctly), happier memories of her replace that terrible moment. I suspect Vronsky, on the other hand, is not going to lose that grim memory of Anna.

Gosh Piggy, if Vronsky's mother reminds you of your mum, condolences! 😯💐My mother could also be pretty awful on occasion when it came to judginess... Here I kind of feel like Anna's mother represents the callousness of conventional society and its failure to comprehend the complexity of Anna's plight.

21st August
Anna Karenina Part 8, Chapter 5

•	Vronsky is pacing up and down, his hands thrust into his coat pockets. He ignores Koznyshev's approach, but Koznyshev doesn't mind. Since Vronsky is contributing to what Koznyshev considers a great cause, he believes it his duty to praise and encourage Vronsky.
•	Koznyshev admits that Vronsky may not want to see him, but he offers to help Vronsky any way he can.
•	Vronsky is apathetic.
•	Koznyshev offers to write Vronsky letters of introduction to various contacts.
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•	Vronsky refuses, saying that there's no need for introductions if he's just going to meet death.
•	Koznyshev persists, but Vronsky argues that his only virtue as a man is that his life means nothing to him.
•	Koznyshev continues to misunderstand what Vronsky is talking about, and continues praising the cause and Vronsky's contributions.
•	As Vronsky continues walking, he suddenly thinks of Anna as he last saw her, a corpse stretched out in front of strangers, her head still proud and beautiful.
•	Vronsky tries to remember all their best moments together, but he can't escape the thought of Anna carrying out her final threat to him—inflicting remorse.
•	He almost breaks into sobs, but collects himself.
•	Vronsky and Koznyshev discuss the war in Serbia calmly, and then separate into different carriages.

Thanks StColumb, I’m keen and have started looking at library options but like the idea of a break first!