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Anna Karenina Readalong, 2023

958 replies

StColumbofNavron · 28/12/2022 21:30

Following the success of W&P in 2022, we’ve decided to stick with Tolstoy for 2023 and read Anna Karenina, one chapter per day.

For newbies: we simply read one chapter a day and discussion is allowed with a broader chat at the end of each section. Tolstoy’s chapters are nice and short, flicking through average length is about 4 pages.

I have used the Penguin Classics (2001, 2003) trans. by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky for the breakdown below. More on editions below.

There are 249 chapters in this edition and the book is in 8 parts taking us to 14 September with a break of a day between each book. Hopefully, irrespective of the edition you pick the finishing of each ‘book’ will hopefully align.

Book 1, ch. 1-34 (1 Jan-3 Feb)
BREAK, 4 Feb
Book 2, ch. 1-35 (5 Feb-11 Mar)
BREAK, 12 March
Book 3, ch. 1-32 (13 Mar-13 Apr)
BREAK, 14 Apr
Book 4, ch. 1-23 (15 Apr-7 May)
BREAK, 8 May
Book 5, ch. 1-33 (9 May-10 Jun)
BREAK, 11 Jun
Book 6, ch. 1-32 (12 Jun-14 Jul)
BREAK, 15 Jul
Book 7, ch. 1-31 (16 Jul-15 Aug)
BREAK, 16 Aug
Book 8, ch. 1-29 (17 Aug-14 Sept)

Some info on different translations and editions in the links below. Maud, Aylmer and Pevear and Volonkhonsky all present once again.

Wikipedia here
Tolstoy Therapy
New York Times
Some thoughts on Pevear and Volonkhonsky contenting the Russian Lit market

For reasons best known to me (largely foolish) I decided look up and work it all out on my phone instead of laptop, so apologies for any inaccuracies, typos etc. I am certain I have forgotten something, got my numbering wrong somewhere, but hopefully broadly correct.

All that remains is to say welcome back to those who are remaining committed to Tolstoy, thank you to those who organised and helped the last read run smoothly and welcome, do come in to those joining.

p.s. I would love to see the covers of your books.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
32
cassandre · 19/08/2023 12:09

My feeling is that no, lovers cannot flourish outside the structure of society. It’s what makes affairs exciting and traumatic and why they are so often studied in literature.

Good point James, the element of transgression is partly what makes the desire so intense.

cassandre · 19/08/2023 12:11

Should have said, I'm less keen on the impenetrable D.H. Lawrence.

DesdamonasHandkerchief · 19/08/2023 12:28

19th August
Anna Karenina Part 8, Chapter 4

•	When the train stops at a provincial capital, Koznyshev goes out to stretch his legs. He passes by Vronsky's compartment, where Countess Vronsky is sitting with the curtain raised. Vronsky is not in the carriage.
•	Koznyshev says hello to the Countess, who invites him inside her carriage. She tells him all about Vronsky in the aftermath of Anna's death.
•	After Anna's death, Vronsky didn't speak to anyone for six weeks, and ate only when forced to. They had to put him in a first-floor room, and remove anything with which he could kill himself.
•	
•	Vronsky's mother describes Anna as a base and common woman in every way, even condemning her manner of death as a reflection of Anna's commonness.
•	The Countess goes back to describing the night that Anna died, saying that Vronsky sent off the note without any of them realizing that Anna was already at the station. The Countess claims that as soon as she heard a woman had committed suicide, she knew it was Anna and didn't want Vronsky to know.
•	Vronsky, having already found out, rushed to the station and came back practically swooning; he looked like a corpse.
•	The Countess argues that Anna was a terrible woman for ruining the lives of two men.
•	Karenin has taken custody of the little girl, Annie.
•	The Countess calls the Serbian war a godsend for Vronsky, the only thing that occupies him. Yashvin, who has lost all his money at cards, has convinced Vronsky of the merits of the war. The two are going together.
•	The Countess invites Koznyshev to talk with Vronsky, who is on the opposite platform.
•	
•	Koznyshev agrees, and goes to find Vronsky.
Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2023 12:37

Sorry, for being the broken down record, but you're a chapter ahead again des... I think you maybe don't observe the 'gap day' between the volumes?

I could just read Chapter 4 to catch up....

Yes, I am pedantic!

DesdamonasHandkerchief · 19/08/2023 12:48

Yes I did miss the gap day. I'll not post tomorrow.
I think a lot of people have just zipped through the final part though.

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2023 13:01

Yes I think they have.

Can't help it. I'm a teacher and I do roolz Grin

Piggywaspushed · 20/08/2023 07:59

That awful woman banging on about how bad Anna's death was for her, and Vronsky's toothache! Reminds me of my mother...

goodthinking99 · 20/08/2023 09:31

The toothache was just pathetic wasn't it. How awful that these terrible things keep happening to Vronsky...boo hoo, get the tiny violins out.

I'm loving how all the major meetings/events happen on the railways. It must have been such a plot gift that this newish form of transportation brings the social classes and random folk into close proximity.

I'd be up for Mme Bovary next, this readalong has been great!

Original poster
StColumbofNavron · 20/08/2023 14:50

Since there seems to be some interest, I’ll take a look at Bovary and chapter breakdown. It’s not a long by book at all and maybe we have a couple of weeks break between Anna and Emma to watch adaptations/recover.

OP posts:
CornishLizard · 20/08/2023 16:11

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

DesdamonasHandkerchief · 21/08/2023 11:45

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.
•	
•	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.
cassandre · 21/08/2023 23:24

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.

cassandre · 21/08/2023 23:29

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.

DesdamonasHandkerchief · 22/08/2023 07:57

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.
•	
•	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.
DesdamonasHandkerchief · 23/08/2023 09:37

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.
•	
•	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.
cassandre · 23/08/2023 14:30

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?!

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 23/08/2023 15:18

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!

Anna Karenina Readalong, 2023
Anna Karenina Readalong, 2023
CornishLizard · 23/08/2023 15:38

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!

ChessieFL · 23/08/2023 16:36

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.

DesdamonasHandkerchief · 23/08/2023 17:16

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

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 23/08/2023 17:37

DesdamonasHandkerchief · 23/08/2023 17:16

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

Same, Desdamona :)* *

cassandre · 23/08/2023 21:41

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.

Original poster
StColumbofNavron · 24/08/2023 09:37

Yes, that’s how I read it, that they know Dolly needs help but she will be offended by a hand out so Levin suggests that.

OP posts:
DesdamonasHandkerchief · 24/08/2023 09:42

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.
•	
•	Levin remains concerned about his moment of prayer during Kitty's pregnancy.
DesdamonasHandkerchief · 25/08/2023 19:07

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.
•	
•	These questions so absorb Levin that he is convinced he will either hang or shoot himself. But he doesn't. He goes on living.