Anna Karenina Readalong, 2023

6th August
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 22

•	Oblonsky is confused by the strangeness of the conversation, and keeps dozing off as Countess Lydia reads. Finally Countess Lydia says, "he's asleep," but she is referring to Landau, not Oblonsky.
•	Without opening his eyes, Landau says that the person who arrived last, the person who wants something, should leave.
•	Oblonsky is so uncomfortable that he forgets to ask about either his cabinet post or his sister's divorce, and just gets out of there.
•	He heads to the French Theater, where he feels much more comfortable.
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•	The next day he gets a letter from Karenin definitely ruling out divorce. Oblonsky is certain that this is thanks to whatever Landau might have said in his "sleep."

5th August
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 21

•	Oblonsky arrives at Countess Lydia's a little late. Karenin and Landau are already there.
•	Oblonsky plans to ask Countess Lydia also to drop hints to the appropriate people about his suitability for the committee post.
•	They converse about religion. Landau is not included in the conversation, because he's nodding off in a corner (the book has also informed us that his cognitive ability may be somewhat impaired).
•	Oblonsky's starting to get nervous with all of this talk about salvation, because he considers himself a free thinker (and thus, not a religious man). But he doesn't want to offend Lydia because, with one word to Pomorsky, she could get him that cabinet post he wants. So he compromises by saying that sometimes, people may not be able to achieve this pure belief Lydia's advocating.
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•	Lydia brushes this off, saying that pure believers cannot be guilty of sin, because their sins have already been redeemed.
•	Lydia gets up to read a text (in English): Safe and Happy, or Under the Wing, a piece of pious mysticism. According to Lydia, it proves that anyone who believes wholly in God can never be unhappy, because she is never truly alone.

There's not too much left now!
Part 8 seems quite short.

I've struggled a bit recently with reading a chapter a day so I decided to go ahead and finish. I'll catch up with the chat at the end!

I thought Karenin would be too cerebral to go along with that kind of quackery.
He's easily influenced all the same.

4th August
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 20

•	Oblonsky takes full advantage of the pleasures of Petersburg, which he finds liberating in comparison to those of Moscow.
•	In particular, Oblonsky likes the Petersburg attitude towards money: large debts are not a problem.
•	Oblonsky pays Princess Betsy a call, and goes a little too far in his flirtations. (In other words, the man either has to make a move or risk insulting Betsy.) Luckily Princess Myagky drops in and inquires after Anna, saying that she's entirely on Anna's side.
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•	Oblonsky tells Princess Myagky of Karenin's response to requests for a divorce, and the Princess tells Oblonsky that Karenin's decision will rest on Jules Landau, a celebrated clairvoyant.
•	Apparently Countess Lydia and Karenin make all their decisions after consulting him.

That's a really good point, Fuzzy, about Dolly asserting her financial independence.

Poor Seryozha in today's chapter!

3rd August
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 19

•	Before Oblonsky leaves, Anna's son Seryozha (now called Master Sergius or Sergei Alexeich) comes into the room.
•	Oblonsky remembers that Anna asked him to see the boy.
•	Karenin tells Oblonsky not to mention Anna. He says the boy was ill for a time after his mother's unexpected visit, but that going to school has been extremely beneficial for him.
•	The boy looks healthy, happy, and handsome, but he's not at all keen to talk to Oblonsky.
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•	It's been a year since Seryozha saw his mother, and he's tamped down all the associated memories and emotions, considering them fit for girls, not boys. He resigns himself to the idea that he has to live with his father, and considers his sentiments for his mother to be shameful.
•	Thus, it's really unpleasant for Seryozha to see his uncle because Oblonsky resembles Anna, and it calls up those feelings for her that he now considers humiliating.
•	Seryozha tries to avoid his uncle, but Oblonsky follows Seryozha out of the room and makes idle conversation for a little bit. Finally Oblonsky can't help asking if Seryozha remembers his mother. Seryozha answers in the negative, blushing. Of course he remembers, but he doesn't want to talk about it.
•	Half an hour later, Seryozha's tutor finds him on the staircase. He was either crying or in a bad mood. Seryozha yells at the world, asking why it matters if he remembers his mother.

It's interesting in chapter 17 that Dolly claims her right to her own fortune for the first time and refuses to put her signature to the receipt of the money, putting pressure on Stepan who doesn't have access to her wealth any more and needs to look for a new position. This was glossed over, but it's significant.

Karenin is being quite a twat by changing his mind on agreeing to a divorce. His shrieking high voice gives a disagreeable impression of him. He doesn't seem to have an argument either to support his view. I suppose he's still being influenced by whatshername.

2nd August
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 18

•	Oblonsky then brings up the question of Anna's divorce, and he and Karenin discuss the issue.
•	What it comes down to is that Anna is no longer asking for custody of her son, Seryozha. Oblonsky argues that for Anna, the question of a divorce is a question of life or death. He compares her waiting for news of a divorce to a prisoner waiting for news of his acquittal or death sentence.
•	Oblonsky brings up Karenin's former Christian spirit of forgiveness, which clearly upsets Karenin. Karenin ushers Oblonsky out, promising that he'll think it over and give a definite answer the day after tomorrow.

I'm enjoying everyone's comments. After a major character died in childbirth in War and Peace, I was also hugely relieved to see Kitty and her baby son come through all right!

I was also amused by the portrait of Levin as an angsty father-to-be and new father. It does feel kind of timeless! A momentous thing is happening in the man's life, but the woman is the person who really matters.

goodthinking, I agree that the men in this novel often objectify the women, but I think Tolstoy himself makes us aware of this objectification. It's painfully clear sometimes how the female characters are more constrained than the male ones, especially in the case of Anna.

Finally back up to date with the chapters. I had never thought before of how it must have felt to be the parent of a daughter giving birth at that time when so many women died in childbirth. The fear must have been immense. This book is the first that really brought that home to me.

1st August
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 17

•	The Oblonsky family barely has any money. Oblonsky believes the problem is that he's not getting paid enough, and so he starts scouting for a better position.
•	The position depends on two Ministers, and requires that Oblonsky visit them in Petersburg. While in Petersburg, Oblonsky had also promised to see Karenin about Anna's divorce.
•	Oblonsky sits with Karenin while Karenin reviews Oblonsky's memo about Russia's finances.
•	He asks Karenin to drop Pomorsky a hint that Oblonsky would be best for the post of the Committee of the Joint Agency of the Mutual Credit Balance of the Southern Railways.
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•	After Oblonsky confesses that the chief reason he wants the post is because it carries a better salary, Karenin launches into a bit of a lecture on the excessiveness of salaries and the problem throughout the government of favoritism.
•	Oblonsky argues that the post is new and important, and that it must be conducted with honesty, something Karenin seems less interested in.
•	What follows is a small anti-Semitic segment that demonstrates, in Oblonsky's eyes, how much he has compromised his own noble birth: in begging for this post, he visited a Jewish official, Bolgarinov. Despite Oblonsky's descent from Rurik (one of the early rulers of Russia), Bolgarinov still makes him sit and wait for two hours, as though he were a commoner. He continues to feel awkward about the meeting, and it's making him feel as if he's off on the wrong foot with Karenin.

31st July
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 16

•	The old Prince (Shcherbatsky, Kitty's father), Koznyshev, Oblonsky, and Levin all sit around chatting about the birth.
•	Levin goes in to see Kitty, who is making plans with her mother for the christening of the boy, who is named Dmitri.
•	Miss Mary cleans the baby and hands him to Levin.
•	That feeling of weird distance Levin experienced at the end of the last chapter, when his son's sudden appearance seemed almost superfluous or excessive, seems to continue here. Instead of some sort of immediate love for his son, Levin feels pity and squeamishness at this weird, red little creature.
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•	The baby starts sucking on Kitty's breast, and then sneezes.
•	Levin is a little shocked at the unexpected nature of his emotions. Rather than happiness, he is concerned about this new vulnerability in his life—though he does feel a certain amount of pride and joy when the little baby sneezes.

Three cheers for Kitty! 💥
Hope she gets a nice cup of tea and toast.

At last!!

30th July
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 15

•	As Kitty's labor continues, Levin is completely distraught, caught up in this ecstatic state of waiting. He wants Kitty's suffering to end, and doesn't recognize either Kitty's screams or her distorted, pained face.
•	Finally, the baby has been delivered, and it's all over.
•	The midwife tells him that the baby is a healthy little boy.
•	The child starts shrieking, and Levin doesn't recognize at first that those cries are coming from his child.
•	Levin is filled with delirious joy. Here is this new person, his son, whom he has to get to know. He can't immediately understand the idea that a child who wasn't here the day before has sudden materialized in his life.

Didn't he just! I'm surprised he didn't end up fainting at the foot of the bed!

I enjoyed this episode. It has a universal, timeless quality. Some things stay the same.

Talk about making it all about him!!

This chapter amused me. Levin reminded me of stock 'panicking dad' of so many sitcoms and I can't put my finger on why exactly - but it read a bit like a comedy MN thread.

The description of Levin's moods during Kitty's Labour is incredible, he was such a pain in the arse to deal with whilst the real stuff was going on with Kitty. He's great but also insufferable...everything experienced is solely in relation to his feelings. What a fanny! Let's hope his emotional inner workings are in Kitty's favour as things move on - not that she can do anything about that, 'object' as she is for him (and all the women are for the men)

29th July
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 14

•	Levin reaches the doctor's house, but the doctor is not awake. He instead goes to the pharmacy and picks up the opium. When he returns to the doctor's house, he insists on waking up the doctor.
•	The doctor takes his sweet time, which drives Levin mad. He rushes back to his house.
•	Levin has a difficult time remaining calm. The more he sees Kitty in pain, the more he prays to God.
•	In his anxiety and suffering, time flows together for Levin. He feels the same as when Nicholas was dying, except that this is a joyful occasion and not a tragic one.

Lots of interesting stuff going on. Anna and Vronsky seem to be hurtling towards some kind of showdown. Poor Anna - her despair
At least Kitty has finally gone into labour!

28th July
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 13

•	That night, Levin sleeps soundly and easily.
•	At five in the morning, Levin wakes up to find Kitty out of bed and walking. She claims to be fine and goes back to bed.
•	At seven, she wakes Levin up and asks him to send for Miss Mary, the midwife. He gets up to go but is struck by the beautiful expression on her face. Levin believes he sees Kitty's soul.
•	Levin is leaving to fetch the midwife and the doctor when he hears Kitty moan painfully.
•	Involuntarily, Levin starts praying to the Lord to help them. Even though he has always been a non-believer, in this moment of extreme love and concern for his wife, he calls on God.
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•	He reaches Miss Mary's and sends her over to Kitty. Miss Mary tells him to fetch the doctor, but that there's no hurry. She also tells Levin to pick up some opium (which, at the time, was a pretty common painkiller) at a pharmacy.

27th July
Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 12

•	Anna realizes perfectly well that she has been as successful as possible in getting Levin to fall in love with her (she's been doing this with every young man she comes across).
•	What Anna doesn't get is how she can conquer the heart of a devoted family man like Levin in one evening while Vronsky, who's actually important to her, just gets colder and colder.
•	Anna understands that Vronsky wants to prove that he has freedom and other obligations, but she's bitter that he doesn't understand that all she has is his love. She claims that she isn't living, but rather waiting for a sentence from Karenin.
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•	Vronsky comes in, and Anna hastily alters her expression to one of calm.
•	Despite her best intentions, she picks a fight with Vronsky anyway, about his staying out at the club with Yashvin instead of returning home to her.
•	Anna guilts Vronsky into conceding the argument by claiming to be close to catastrophe at all moments. Still, by manipulating him so obviously, Anna drives Vronsky even further away. She realizes that she has infused their relationship with a feeling of constant struggle.