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\"Everything was upset in the Oblonskys\' house,\" Tolstoy
writes at the beginning of Anna Karenina--and it\'s all because
of Stiva, Anna\'s brother. Dolly, Stiva\'s wife, has learned of
yet another of his love affairs, and this time she\'s threatening
divorce.
Stiva is charming and sentimental. He loves good food, good
wine, lively conversation, music, the theater, parties--and
women. Everyone likes Stiva, he is so much fun to have around.
And no one is a better host.
However, Stiva is also deceitful, and in certain ways cruel.
He never intended to be, and never is faithful to his wife, who
loves him. He can\'t help himself, and besides, he\'s only
behaving like most of the men he knows. Does he rate a plus or
a minus in your estimation?
The bane of Stiva\'s existence is money. Years of high living
have depleted his money, and now he\'s starting to use his wife\'s
inheritance to pay his gambling debts.
It has been said that Stiva is but a shallower version of
Anna. He lives by his passions, but nowhere nearly as intensely
as his sister.
Good-natured Stiva is Tolstoy\'s portrait of decadence,
hypocrisy, and self-indulgence. Still, he radiates charm.
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