Anna Karenina Readalong, 2023

[StColumbofNavron]

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.

Ha, ha, yes! I read it when I was 18 when I definitely had more tolerance for feckless men.

Today's chapter was quite a bit longer wasn't it, very interesting detail of Russian civil service and a start to understanding the way nepotism and rank plays such a huge role.

This is the type of chapter I would probably have breezed past if I was reading the book "normally" - but instead I really paid attention to the details. It's a completely new way of reading for me!

Definitely Magentax, it makes you slow down and take more notice. Yes, a longer chapter today. I though the dialogue between Stepan and Levin was a bit disjointed. I had to read over it again.

The continuation of Tolstoy's obsession with hands! Levin focusing on Grinevich's long slender hands this time.

Just read today's chapter. I am getting very strong Boris Johnson vibes...

Part 1, Chapter 5

•	We find out that Oblonsky got his job through a family connection (his sister Anna's husband). Even if that job hadn't been available, someone else would have helped him out, because he's well-connected.

•	Apparently, Oblonsky knows half of Moscow and St. Petersburg. He's a great guy and everyone likes him. And besides, that's just how things work in 1870s Russian society: cronyism everywhere.

•	Everyone, everywhere, likes Prince Oblonsky, primarily for three reasons: 1) since he knows his own faults, he's extremely willing to forgive everyone else for theirs; 2) he behaves in an egalitarian fashion, meaning that he treats everyone the same, and 3) he never gets excited about his job and he never makes mistakes.

•	During his council meeting, there is activity at the door.

•	Oblonsky wants to know who's there.

•	The doorkeeper points out a big man with a curly beard and a sheepskin hat, whom Oblonsky greets with great affection.

•	The man turns out to be Constantine Levin (keep your eye on this character—he's one of the major protagonists).
•	

Oblonsky and Levin are childhood friends who took different paths in life. Oblonsky is urbane and self-assured, while Levin lives in the country and is socially awkward and shy.
•
A characteristically awkward social encounter occurs when Levin is introduced to Oblonsky's colleagues, Philip Nikitin and Michael Grinevich.
•
• Levin is described as a member of District Council, a cattle breeder, and a hunter. He is also introduced as Sergius Koznyshev's brother. (Sergius Koznyshev is a well-known writer.) Levin isn't too pleased about this last bit, because he hates being known as the "brother of Sergius Koznyshev."
•
Also, it turns out that he has quit the District Council.
•
Levin blushes furiously when Oblonsky notes that Levin is wearing a new French suit. Levin then insists that the two of them have a private chat.
•
After Oblonsky suggests dinner, Levin demurs, arguing that he doesn't have that much to say.
• So Oblonsky tells Levin to say what he needs to say.
• Levin becomes shy, and then finally asks what the Shcherbatskys (those are Oblonsky's in-laws) are up to.
• Oblonsky knows that Levin is in love with Kitty, the youngest Shcherbatsky girl, (who also happens to be Dolly's younger sister.)
•
• Oblonsky tells Levin that he can't give a short answer to the question.
• They agree to talk later. Levin blushes a lot.
• Oblonsky tells Levin to go to the zoo where Kitty skates. Oblonsky will pick Levin up for dinner there.
•
Levin dashes out, realizing later that he forgot to say good-bye to Oblonsky's colleagues.
•
We also find out that Levin owns six thousand acres of land in the Karazin District.

I would like to join!

I have been listening to it for a while nw and am delighted to find you. I really want to read it so will get a kindle version.

Can add about Stephan and Dolly - he writes Dolly brilliantly I think. Her understanding of how Stephan regards her and her rejection of role assigned to her by her husband, the shift in the relationship.

The akwardness of Levin is painful.

@Piggywaspushed yes, definitely Bojo/Eton vibes! although to be fair to Stiva he's painted as attractive, well attired, and smelling nice...not attributes I've ever given to Johnson.

I agree. The way he is written is so incredibly real. Last time I read the book he was my favourite character.

Levin is supremely annoying generally but there is a humanity to him that doesn’t let you dislike him. Almost like it would be unreasonable to dislike him.

Interesting views on Levin - is he this book’s Pierre?

I did think that after I wrote this.

Pierre and Levin are sort of self portraits of Tolstoy I think and his view of the world. I did read that somewhere but have no
recollection so it might be utter rubbish.

@StColumbofNavron That is definitely true of Levin.

I was also picking up Andrei / Pierre vibes from this chapter, but it didn't endear Stephen to me as happened with his fellow crappy husband, Andrei.

I agree with previous posters about this being a chapter that I'd normally not pay that much attention to, reading this way forces me to pay attention more, which I like.

We see Levin's struggles and I think that keeps us onside with him. Afterall, most of us have had at least one of his experiences!

We are now so invested in finding out the outcome of the actions discussed in chapter 6! Just a few short paras on this subject and it was very hard to stop reading to find out what happens! Chapter 6 is very very short but seems
to convey so so much. Loving this book which I am reading for the very first time.

I thought it was fantastic how Tolstoy summarised the cronyism of the day and I too immediately thought of our current government and how many were brought up to assume their path in life was certain just because of who they are – that ultimate self-assurance.

I read that quite a lot of Levin's experiences in the book (no spoilers) mirror Tolstoy's own. He's definitely his own man.

Errmmm, exactly what age is Kitty?? She seems to be a child??

Just chiming in to say I'm enjoying both the book and the discussion so far!

Piggy, I was wondering the same thing about Kitty's age.

I liked today's mini-portrait of what an education for 19th c. upper class Moscow girls was like, eg speaking French and English on alternate days.

I'd guessed 17 or so? So 7 when he first met her 10 years ago (when her older sister who I think is his age - now presumably a worn-out hag - would have been on the marriage market). If I've been following correctly!

I remember from W&P that Tolstoy's time is a bit elastic in places though

With Kitty's age, I find it hard to be in the mindset of the time that that was all fine because frankly, to me, it's revolting and off-putting.

Similarly, I'm reading all of Stevo and getting frustrated by the silly hail fellow well met trifling twat he is and while I know that's not an accident on Tolstoy's part, I wonder if the reasons we see him that way and the reasons the original readers did overlap very much?

Without giving anything away, characters, events etc in this book are all very deliberate and exist to highlight various things about others/other things. E.g. Levin exists because he presents the Slavophile in 19th. century Russia, where Stiva and Karenin who got him the job represent the modernising attempts of the state to become more European. But there are many other themes that are presented as opposing forces too, but we’ll get to those.

It is hard to put into a historical context when so much of the behaviour is abhorrent to us - the infidelity, nepotism etc, but Stiva is an every man. He isn’t particularly different to many aristocratic men in 19th century Russia, or even Europe more broadly. Divorce was not easy to obtain, even in Britain for a portion of the 19th c it required an Act of Parliament and was costly, so only really available to very wealthy people and then it was sensationalised and reported in the media. So, even if Dolly does leave Stiva, she will need him to agree to a divorce, from which he is likely to get the children and she will become dependent on her father/male siblings if there are any. Divorce would also impact badly on Stiva reputationally, though obviously he would come out of it significantly less maligned than Dolly.

Part 1 Chapter 6

•	This section gives a history of the Levin/Shcherbatsky connection.

•	The Levins and Shcherbatskys are two old Moscow families who have always been friendly with each other.

•	Levin and the young Prince Shcherbatsky went to university together.

•	Consequently, Levin spent a lot of time at the Shcherbatsky house, and fell in love with the whole family. All the Shcherbatsky women seemed intriguing, mysterious, and beautiful.
•	
•	Levin almost fell in love with the eldest girl, Dolly, but she got married to Oblonsky.

•	Then Levin almost fell for the second girl, Natalie, but she got married to a diplomat.

•	This left Kitty, and you can guess what happened: Levin fell in love with her.

•	Levin is a good match for Kitty, but since he's in love he convinces himself that he's not good enough for her.

•	He hung out in the Moscow social scene just so he could see her, but then he convinced himself that she could never love him, and sought refuge in the country.

•	(We learn that the young Prince Shcherbatsky died serving in the navy.)

•	Finally, after spending two months alone in the country, Levin decides that he has to ask Kitty to marry him, and put an end to all his anxieties over the matter for once and for all.

I'm another one who found the fact that Kitty is clearly young and the fact he knew her as a child really off-putting. Also it's pretty clear that he's just looking for a family and any of the sisters would do. I'm not seeing this as a love match.

I hope it's not too late to join - I've wanted to read AK for such a long time and have read every post in this thread (apart from the spoilers). I have the hardback but it's a weighty tome, so will download to Kindle and catch up by next week.

Currently reading up on the translations, which I've narrowed down to two: the P&V v Rosamund Bartlett translations before I commit. I understand the P&V translation is in American English (Oxford turned it down and Penguin London initially thought it unreadable, buying only a few hundred copies on first publication) The Bartlett apparently reads more smoothly in British English, but we shall see.

An earlier translator, Constance Garnett has been described as "a woman of Victorian energies and Edwardian prose"; her translation later criticised as confusing and stumbling.

Fascinated by the translation process and varying styles; achieving a balance between the author's writing style without modernising too much and avoiding confusion and reader misinterpretations is an art in itself.