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These chapters plunge us into Moscow society.
Tolstoy begins by simply describing the three major social
circles. The highest, consisting of government officials, is
the set to which Karenin belongs. The next is \"run\" by the
Countess Lydia Ivanovna and is made up mostly of rather plain,
elderly rich women and ambitious men of a scholarly turn of
mind. The third circle is the one that consists of balls,
dinner parties, opera excursions, and the like. This glittering
set is \"led\" by the Princess Betsy Tverskaya. All these
circles, of course, overlap, and there are rivalries between
them.
Keep your eye on Princess Betsy; she\'s a villain. Tolstoy
takes this opportunity to make her appear silly. She\'s at the
opera to see a famous soprano, although, as your narrator puts
it, she wouldn\'t know the difference between the diva\'s voice
and that of a chorus girl. She doesn\'t even stay until the end
but goes home to powder her nose before her guests arrive.
Conversation in Princess Betsy\'s drawing room is shallow. No
one seems to know what she is talking about, lots of names are
dropped, gossip is exchanged, jokes are made at others\' expense.
Anna and Karenin are for a time the topic of discussion. Some
make the observation that Anna is much changed since her visit
to Moscow. Everyone knows that she and Vronsky are interested
in each other.
NOTE: Of course, everyone speaks French at Princess Betsy\'s.
Karenin, upon entering the drawing room, says to his hostess,
\"Your Hotel Rambouillet is in full muster.\" Karenin is referring
to La Marquise de Rambouillet (1588-1665), the Parisian
noblewoman who had the first literary salon. Her gatherings of
writers and artists had considerable influence on the cultural
scene of the day and established in France the tradition of
salons. The last great era for literary salons in Paris was the
1920s and 1930s when Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott
Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and other writers, painters, and
composers gathered at the homes of such people as the American
writer Gertrude Stein.
Later in the evening, Anna and Vronsky, having arrived
separately, are at Princess Betsy\'s. Karenin notices his wife
talking with the young count and sees nothing wrong in their
conduct. But his friends are beginning to talk, and this
bothers him.
Karenin leaves early to mull over the conversation he would
like to have with Anna. But it\'s hard for him. Never before
has he tried to put himself in Anna\'s place, to imagine what she
feels. He honestly believes he has been a model husband. He
can\'t fathom that Anna might love someone else. He decides to
explain it to Anna from two points of view. First, he will
emphasize the importance of public opinion (the last thing he
wants is a scandal); second, he will bring up the religious
aspects of marriage. If need be, he decides, he will mention
the harm that an extramarital affair would bring to their son;
and he will finish by mentioning the unhappiness that such an
affair would cause Anna herself.
Karenin lays it out clearly and logically. Knowing Anna as
you do, do you think she\'ll be swayed by those arguments? You
know Karenin is nervous and unsure, for he cracks his knuckles.
What justifications can you find for Karenin\'s attitude? Do you
have sympathy for Karenin at this point?
Karenin tries to talk with Anna, but his attempt doesn\'t go
well. Anna pretends that nothing is wrong, but inside she is
seething. She believes her husband knows nothing about love.
Since her return from Saint Petersburg, Anna\'s feelings toward
her husband have changed. She no longer blames herself; she
blames him for her dissatisfactions. What do you think about
this?
The scene shifts to Anna\'s \"other life.\" By now, Vronsky has
pursued Anna for a year. Finally, they consummate their love,
But theirs is no joyful tryst--afterward Anna feels ashamed, and
literally falls at Vronsky\'s feet, begging forgiveness. What a
strange reaction, you may well be thinking. Vronsky has wanted
Anna ever since he saw her, and now she\'s apologizing to him.
Have you ever felt so guilty about something you did that you
felt as though you\'d wronged the entire world? Anna feels that
way now. For his part, Vronsky feels \"like a murderer,\" that
\"the body he deprived of life was their love.\" He feels that
\"the body must be cut in pieces and hidden away, and he must
make use of what he has obtained by the murder.\" Both realize
they have entered a new existence, but neither is able to think
clearly about it yet.
Tolstoy associates sexual passion with the dark feelings that
lead to crimes. Do you think that Anna and Vronsky have done
something wrong?
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