Anna karenina novel summary chapter by chapter. Foreign literature abbreviated

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Everything was mixed up in the Oblonskys' house. Stepan Arkadyevitch is unfaithful to his wife Dolly with a French governess. He and Dolly have six children, Dolly has become very ugly from this, and it seemed to him that his free behavior should be taken calmly by his wife. Dolly also declares that she intends to leave with the children to her mother. Even a telegram with the news of the arrival of Stepan Arkadyevich's sister Anna (by her husband Karenina) does not contribute to the reconciliation of the spouses. Stepan Arkadyevich or Stiva works as the head of one of the offices in Moscow, earns a little. At the service, he unexpectedly meets an old acquaintance, Konstantin Levin. They are both about thirty-five years old, they have known each other since childhood.

Levin came to propose to Kitty Shcherbatskaya, Dolly's younger sister. Since childhood, Levin has been in love with the Shcherbatsky house itself, which for him is filled with poetry and mystery. In Moscow, Levin stays with his older brother by mother, Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev, a businessman. They remember their third brother Nikolai, who moved away from the family, went down, squandered his fortune and began to drink. Levin consults with Oblonsky whether he has a chance of getting consent to marry Kitty, and Stiva encourages him. It is difficult for Levin to make up his mind, his feeling seems special to him, and Kitty is an extraordinary girl. Kitty is eighteen years old. Her parents would be glad to see Kitty Levin as her husband, but a young officer, Count Vronsky, begins courting Kitty, and her mother's sympathies immediately pass to a new contender for Kitty's hand. Stiva informs Levin about this. He goes to explain to Kitty, and she refuses him. Vronsky himself is not going to marry. He never knew family life, he did not remember his father, his mother, a brilliant secular woman, did little with children. He has tender feelings for Kitty, but nothing more.

The day after Kitty and Levin's explanation, Oblonsky and Vronsky meet at the station. Stiva is waiting for the arrival of her sister Anna, Vronsky is waiting for his mother. Both women traveled together. Anna strikes Vronsky at first sight. “Brilliant, which seemed dark from thick eyelashes, gray eyes amiably, attentively stopped on his face, as if she recognized him, and immediately transferred to the approaching crowd, as if looking for someone. In this short glance Vronsky managed to notice the restrained liveliness that played in her face and fluttered between her shining eyes and a barely perceptible smile that curved her ruddy lips. It was as if an excess of something so overwhelmed her being that, against her will, it was expressed either in a gleam of a look, or in a smile.

While the Karenins and the Vronskys are on the platform, a drunken railway guard falls under a train. Anna offers to help the widow, and Vronsky gives two hundred rubles. Stiva asks Anna to reconcile him with his wife. Anna manages to convince Dolly not to leave Steve, which is facilitated by the fact that Dolly has nowhere to go (her mother does not need her, she has no other patrons or income). Anna reminds Dolly how much Stiva loved her, assures her that her brother will not stumble again. Kitty comes to visit the Oblonskys. She is captivated by Anna, her ability to present herself, ease of movement, poetic attitude to life. In the evening Vronsky calls in, but when he sees Anna, he refuses to come in. Everyone finds this strange. At the ball, Kitty sees Anna. The one in a black dress that emphasizes the dignity of her figure. Vronsky is dancing a waltz with Kitty. Soon Kitty notices that Vronsky is paying increased attention to Anna, who revels in her success. Kitty refuses the other gentlemen, but Vronsky dances only with Anna.

At the end of the ball, Anna, as if by chance, announces that tomorrow she is leaving for home in St. Petersburg. On the train she sees Vronsky. He confesses that he went after her. On the platform in St. Petersburg, Anna notices her husband. He subconsciously dislikes her. Alexey Alexandrovich is much older than his wife, he holds a high position in the ministry, prefers not to talk about his feelings. His whole life is as streamlined as possible, which runs counter to Anna's temperamental nature. They have an eight-year-old son Serezha. He joyfully meets his mother, while his father is a little afraid and shy.

The day of Alexei Aleksandrovich Karenin is scheduled by the minute. The service takes up almost all of his time, but, nevertheless, he considers it his duty to follow the latest in literature, political events, and studies philosophical and theological writings. Art is alien to his nature, although he is well educated and considers it possible for himself to judge poetry, music, etc. Vronsky, once in Moscow, intends to lead a secular life and visit those houses where he will almost certainly be able to meet the Karenins.

Part two

At the end of winter, a medical consultation meets in the Shcherbatskys' house. Kitty is suspected of starting a tuberculosis process, the cause of which is a nervous breakdown. Everyone at home knows that the problem is that Vronsky "terribly deceived" Kitty's hopes, so a decision is made to go abroad for treatment, since the girl urgently needs a change of scenery. Anna and Vronsky often see each other at the house of Vronsky's cousin, Princess Betsy of Tverskoy. Many in the world already know about their mutual sympathy, and Betsy specially arranges dates for them. The only one who does not find anything reprehensible in Anna meeting Vronsky and spending a lot of time with him in full view of society is Karenin himself.

Anna unexpectedly demands that Vronsky go to Moscow and beg Kitty's forgiveness. Friends at home begin to hint to Alexei Alexandrovich that his wife is not behaving in accordance with decency, this offends Karenin, and he starts a conversation with Anna, which leads to nothing, Anna denies everything and pretends not to understand, which angered her husband . Finally, the relationship between Anna and Vronsky moves from platonic attraction to physical love. Anna is ashamed, it seems to her that everything is over, and she reminds Vronsky again and again that she has nothing but him. She has dreams that she has two husbands, and both caress her.

Levin, having retired to his estate, pays much attention to housekeeping, delves into the details of fertilizing the soil, the state of affairs in the barnyard, and sowing. He concludes profitable deals with merchants and generally shows himself to be a very zealous owner. Stiva Oblonsky comes to him, who does not tell him anything about Kitty's fate. The friends hunt together, and Levin nonetheless finds out from Stiva the details of Kitty's illness and the Shcherbatskys' plans. Stiva accuses Levin of the lack of proper perseverance and cowardice in front of an opponent, regrets that Levin did not fight for Kitty's hand, but immediately retreated.

In St. Petersburg, a scandal is brewing, since there are many people who want to gossip about the connection between Anna and Vronsky. Countess Vronskaya also disapproves of her son's behavior, since his stay in Petersburg (where he can constantly see Karenina) interferes with his career. Vronsky, on the other hand, is greatly hindered by Seryozha, Anna's son, who often becomes an obstacle to their relationship. Vronsky insists that Anna leave her husband and son and begin to live with him as his wife. Anna excuses herself by saying that her husband will never give her a divorce, and she does not agree to the position of a mistress. At the same time, Anna constantly insists that she cannot live a lie, but continues to deceive her husband. However, she herself does not want to keep her secret, and she wants to tell everything to her husband so that everything becomes clear between them. The feelings of Alexei Alexandrovich, for whom a public scandal is tantamount to the end of a career and who prefers to live by conventions (that is, a lie from Anna's point of view), do not interest her at all.

At the races, due to the wrong movement of Vronsky, the horse under him falls and breaks his back. Anna does not take her eyes off him during the races. Seeing Vronsky on the ground, Anna betrays herself with her head: she rushes about, gasps loudly, does not notice that her husband is offering her to leave, points binoculars at Vronsky, and sobs loudly. Only after learning that the rider is unharmed, she somehow calms down. On the way home, she tells her husband that she is in love with Vronsky, and that she is afraid and hates Alexei Alexandrovich. Karenin demands compliance with external conventions, and immediately leaves.

The Shcherbatskys travel. On the waters, they meet Madame Stahl, a Russian lady in a wheelchair, and Varenka, the girl who takes care of her. Varenka is always busy, always helping someone, resolving conflicts. Varenka is Madame Stahl's adopted daughter. Kitty likes her very much, and she closely converges with this active and compassionate person. Kitty tells Varenka about the story with Vronsky, she consoles and reassures her, urging her to take a more balanced attitude to the ups and downs of fate, assures that Kitty's case is far from the only one, Kitty tries to follow Varenka's example and look after the sick artist Petrov, but incurs the suspicions of Petrov's wife . In addition, it turns out that Madame Stahl has not been getting up for ten years, not because she is dangerously ill, but because she is badly built (short legs). Kitty recovers, and the Shcherbatskys go to Moscow.

Part three

Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev comes to the village to rest with Levin. He discovers that his brother easily communicates with the peasants, understands the economy. The brothers have long conversations about the people, about the need for education, and it turns out that the armchair reformer Koznyshev is facing stubborn opposition from Levin's practice. During mowing, Levin works on a par with the peasants; he seems to be resting in hard physical labor, he really likes to work on the ground.

Next to Levin's estate (Pokrovskoye) is the village of Oblonsky Ergushovo, where Dolly and her children go to cut costs. The house is completely unfurnished, and Dolly herself is in despair from the huge number of economic problems that have fallen on her. Levin visits her, makes the necessary arrangements, which helps Dolly a lot and allows her to quickly improve her life and find a common language with the servants.

A grateful Dolly informs him that she has invited Kitty to stay with her for the summer. She wants to reconcile her sister with Levin, but he admits to Dolly that he made an offer to Kitty, which she rejected. Dolly, as delicately as possible, tries to impress upon him that all is not yet lost, and that he should not consider himself offended. Karenin is trying to convince himself that Anna's crime should not throw him off balance, that he must continue to live as if nothing had happened, that what happened is his wife's problem, that he is not the first and he is not the last deceived husband. He decides not to duel, obeying the voice of reason, not to start a lawsuit that will only harm his impeccable reputation. He is not jealous of Anna, he considers the possibility of separation, but comes to the conclusion that this will only contribute to the "licentiousness" of his wife, and decides that the best option is to live as before, only not respecting Anna.

Karenin is sure that over time the romance will end, and his relationship with his wife will be restored. He sends Anna a polite letter, in which he sets out the conclusions he has come to, promises the same material support, and explains the need to save the family - first of all, for the sake of Seryozha. Anna, having received a letter, behaves quite impulsively. She decides, taking Seryozha, to leave her husband, orders to pack things, but then unpacks them. She understands that she will not be able to neglect the world and the way of life that she is used to leading, but she is not ready for the role of a lover, she cries bitterly, asks herself questions where only “I” is heard, etc.

Vronsky intends to sort out his position. First of all, he settles money matters and finds out that his income should not be increased (by Anna, for example), but cut. It turns out that Anna is pregnant. Vronsky is faced with the necessity of resigning. Anna is waiting for a decision from him, but is already ready at his first word to leave both her husband and son and leave with Vronsky. She admits (without any reason) to her husband that she cannot change anything, and he declares that he is ignoring her and again demands to behave decently. Levin is married to the daughter of the head of the Sviyazhsky district. During a visit to Sviyazhsky, Levin expresses his thoughts about

regarding the need to manage the economy in Russia in a Russian, and not in a foreign manner, to take into account the peculiarities of the character of the Russian peasants and workers.

He is not sure about the usefulness of schools, because schools will not boost the economy: "Schools will not help, but such an economic arrangement will help, in which the people will be richer, there will be more leisure - and then there will be schools." He believes that the peasants should be interested in the success of the economy, they should be paid more. Levin begins to rationally organize his household. Levin's reforms met with misunderstanding on the part of the peasants. Housekeeping takes so much effort and time that Levin does not even pay attention to Kitty's arrival in Ergushovo.

Part Four

The Karenins continue to live in the same house, Anna still sees Vronsky. Attacks of jealousy happen to her more and more often, and Vronsky begins to grow cold towards her. Anna is furious that her husband remains completely calm outwardly, she wants him to kill her, but would stop her "torment". Anna constantly repeats to both Karenin and Vronsky that she will soon die (from childbirth). One day, Karenin runs into Vronsky on the porch of his house, forces his wife to talk to him, announces that he is moving to Moscow and taking Seryozha, Karenin goes to a lawyer to find out if a divorce is possible, but realizing that for the process it is necessary to make public his wife's love letters decides not to start litigation. He leaves for Moscow.

Visiting the Oblonskys, Kitty meets Levin again. Karenin is also present there. To Dolly's attempts to talk to him about reconciliation with Anna, he coldly replies that he does not see such an opportunity. “I can’t forgive, and I don’t want to, and I consider it unfair. I did everything for this woman, and she trampled everything into the dirt that is characteristic of her. Kitty spends the whole evening with Levin. They understand each other perfectly, declare their love (they write in small letters the first letters of the words of explanation). In fact, Kitty agrees to marry Levin and invites him to propose to her parents. They approve of their daughter's choice. Preparations for the wedding begin.

Karenin receives a telegram from Anna, in which she writes about her imminent death and begs him to come. Knowing Anna's character, Aleksey Alexandrovich decides that this is a trick, but nevertheless sets off. In the house, he finds Vronsky crying and a confused servant, Anna gave birth to a girl, but she herself is dying (puerperal fever). She is delirious, but when she regains consciousness, she calls her husband, calls him a saint, and asks for forgiveness. Karenin explains himself to Vronsky and says that he has forgiven Anna everything. Vronsky retires, goes home and decides to shoot himself, but only wounds himself. Then he decides to leave for Tashkent, but asks permission to see Anna first. Anna stays alive.

While everything in the house revolves around her, Aleksey Aleksandrovich manages to arrange medical care for her and equip the newborn (find a wet nurse, etc.). Anna recovers, but falls into apathy, and her husband does nothing to change the conditions of her life (and does not take away, and does not give a divorce). Oblonsky initiates a conversation with Karenin, again talking about a divorce. Karenin is beside himself with being trampled into the mud once again - after all his generous deeds. He agrees to divorce. Vronsky does not go to Tashkent, but together with Anna and little Anya leaves for Italy. Alexey Alexandrovich remains alone with Seryozha.

Part five

In the house of the Shcherbatskys, preparations for the wedding are in full swing. Levin really likes "happy chores", he even fasts and confesses, which he has not done for many years. He confesses to the priest that he doubts the existence of God; but he calls him for the sake of future children to still believe. The priest treats Levin kindly, does not demand oaths from him, and Levin with a pure soul is waiting for the day of the wedding, rejoicing that he will not have to lie. The wedding ceremony is described very solemnly. Everything appears to Levin as extraordinarily majestic, he is grateful to the priest who found the right words, happy that Kitty standing next to him feels the same way as he does.

On the same evening, the young people leave for the village. At first, inexperienced spouses cannot adapt to each other in any way - petty quarrels and petty jealousy poison their happiness. Three months later they return to Moscow, and their life is getting better. They receive news that Levin's brother, Nikolai, is dying, a woman (from the streets) lives with him, who takes care of him as best she can. Kitty decides to go with her husband. She manages to quickly find a common language with Nikolai, who immediately has her sincerity and compassion for her, while Nikolai feels uncomfortable in the company of Konstantin himself. Nikolai is capricious, he dies long and painfully. Kitty's health also deteriorates. The doctor determines pregnancy.

Vronsky and Anna travel around Europe. Anna persuades herself to be guilty in relation to her husband, but, despite all her efforts, she does not feel a trace of guilt. She wants to see Seryozha, and she and Vronsky return to Petersburg. There they are awaited by the wary attitude of the light, which does not want to take them back. Anna decides at all costs to see her son on his birthday. Alexey Alexandrovich “could not in any way reconcile his recent forgiveness, his tenderness, his love for his sick wife and someone else’s child with what he now had, that is, with the fact that, as if as a reward for all this, he now found himself alone, disgraced , ridiculed, wanted by no one and despised by all.

He strives with all his might to forget himself, to plunge headlong into work, to seem unperturbed, but he comes to despair from the consciousness of his utter loneliness. All women are disgusting to him, he has no friends, all relatives have died. Countess Lidia Ivanovna begins to visit him often, who tries to support and encourage him, takes on the responsibility of arranging Karenin's life. She inspires Karenin with the idea of ​​the need for complete isolation of Serezha from Anna and announces to the boy that his mother has died. However, soon Lidia Ivanovna receives a letter from Anna, where she asks for assistance in arranging a meeting with her son. The Countess writes an answer in a tone offensive to Anna, refuses her. On top of that, Alexei Alexandrovich is no longer being promoted, although he is still active and businesslike.

Karenin tries to establish contact with Seryozha, personally educates him, but cannot find an approach to the boy. Seryozha becomes more and more isolated in himself, misses his mother, realizing that he must love his father, he cannot force himself to be grateful to him. On Seryozha's birthday, Anna fraudulently enters her husband's house. Serezha is very happy with her, he admits that he never believed in her death. Karenin enters, and Anna runs away, without giving Seryozha the toys she bought for him. Anna is bored locked up, and she, contrary to the advice of Vronsky (who suspects that this will not lead to good), goes to the theater. One of the ladies, Kartasova, insults Anna, declaring that it is shameful to sit next to Karenina. Although most of those present agree that this is an evil and unworthy trick, the scandal is guaranteed. Returning home, Anna blames Vronsky for everything.

Part six

Dolly is visiting Kitty at Pokrovsky. Varenka also arrives, she takes care of Kitty. Levin's brother Sergei Ivanovich shows signs of attention to Varenka. Everyone is waiting for Koznyshev's proposal, he himself has been preparing for a long time, but he still does not dare to make it. Steve arrives with his friend Veslovsky, who takes care of Kitty. Both of them cause active irritation in Levin, and he puts Veslovsky out of his house. Dolly goes to visit Anna at the Vozdvizhenskoye estate, where she lives with Vronsky and her daughter Anya.

Anna is still pretty, she pays a lot of attention to her wardrobe, rides a horse. Anna is rather indifferent to her daughter, she does not know many of those small, tedious and charming details of raising a small child, which Dolly lived all her life. Vronsky arranges a modern hospital, passionately takes a great interest in housekeeping. Anna delves into his affairs, helps him to the best of her ability, begins to write a book for children. Few people visit them, so both of them are very grateful to Dolly for her act. Among other things, Anna happily informs Dolly that she will not be able to have any more children. She does not want to look bad and be pregnant, that is, sick. She dreams only of Vronsky's passionate love, realizing that he is not interested in her ailments and can leave her. Anna no longer thinks about a divorce, she pays little attention to her daughter, but she wants to return Seryozha, whom, along with Vronsky, she loves.

She studies the issues of architecture, agronomy, horse breeding from books and magazines, achieving significant success, so that Vronsky himself sometimes turns to her for advice. The same one increasingly feels that Anna is entangling him with “invisible networks”, a thirst for independence is awakening in him more and more. He goes to the provincial elections. Anna decides to make an effort on herself and not to bother Vronsky with stormy scenes of jealousy and copious tears. However, it doesn't last long. She writes Vronsky a contradictory letter about Anya's illness, where she demands to come immediately, then she attributes that she herself will come to him. In Vronsky's absence, she begins to take morphine. Vronsky returns and immediately reveals the deception. The scenes are unpleasant for him, he is burdened by endless showdowns, he himself no longer wants Anna to divorce Karenin.

Part seven

The Levins move to Moscow. Konstantin pays visits, goes to the theater and everywhere he feels equally at ease. Among others, he visits Anna and Vronsky. Anna tries to impress Levin, who admires her. Kitty accuses him of being in love with Anna (as Vronsky used to be). Levin promises to avoid Karenina's company in the future.

Kitty goes into labor. Levin is frightened to death, he is insanely sorry for his tormented wife, he no longer wants a child and prays only that Kitty stay alive. Everything ends happily. The Levins had a son, Dmitry. The affairs of Stiva Oblonsky are in a deplorable state. He tries through Karenin to petition for a salary increase, but he considers him an empty worker, although he agrees to "put in a word." Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, together with Countess Lidia Ivanovna, attends meetings of a certain "mystical" society.

Anna suffers more and more from unreasonable jealousy, from isolation, from Vronsky's cooling. She behaves more and more impulsively and selfishly, the more she pushes her beloved away from her. She now asks for forgiveness, now portrays offended pride, now threatens to die again, now showers Vronsky with passionate caresses. Vronsky jars from talking about love, which is almost gone, he is unpleasant about the news of Karenin's consent to a divorce. Anna dreams of punishing Vronsky for his coldness (even to the detriment of herself), she simply needs violent expressions of feelings, which has not been observed in her chosen one for a long time. She has completely lost her peace of mind, she contradicts herself, does not know what she wants, cannot stay at home alone, rushes about, cries, writes senseless notes to Vronsky. Anna goes to Dolly's, hoping to get sympathy and consolation from her, but she finds Kitty at Oblonsky's. As if by chance, Anna notices that Levin was with her and liked her very much. Not finding an answer from Vronsky at home, Anna is completely immersed in painful and incoherent thoughts about lost love. Remembering how, on the day they met Vronsky, a train crushed a man in front of their eyes, Anna goes to the station and throws herself onto the rails.

Part eight

Karenin takes little Anya. Happy Kitty raises Mitya, whom Levin also loves very much. The Levins give Dolly part of their estate to improve the financial situation of the Oblonsky family. Vronsky leaves for Serbia. Levin, who thought a lot about God, comes to the conclusion that “the undoubted manifestation of a deity is the laws of goodness ... in the recognition of which I ... am united with other people in one society of believers, which they call the church ... my life now ... is not only not meaningless, as it was before, but it has an undoubted sense of goodness, which I have the power to put into it!

A very difficult situation is created in the family of the Moscow prince Stepan Oblonsky, whom friends usually briefly call Stiva. The frivolous head of the family, having a wife and five children, cheats on his wife with a governess of French origin working in their house. Due to the frequent birth of children, the wife of the prince, Darya Alexandrovna or Dolly, has largely lost her external attractiveness, he believes that she should not be particularly indignant at his betrayal. But Dolly, having learned the truth, falls into the deepest despair and announces to Stiva that she will leave him and go with the children to her mother.

At the same time, a telegram arrives at the Oblonskys' house about the imminent arrival of the owner's sister Anna, who bears the surname Karenina by her husband and is the wife of a major official and high-society lady of St. Petersburg. Stiva himself serves in one of the offices, his work is not paid too high, and the financial situation of his family can hardly be called prosperous. Having gone to work that morning, he unexpectedly meets with an old friend Konstantin Levin. An old comrade frankly admits to Prince Oblonsky that the purpose of his arrival in Moscow is to make a marriage proposal to Princess Kitty Shcherbatskaya, who is Dolly's younger sister.

Levin tries to consult with Stiva whether it makes sense for him to offer his hand and heart to Kitty, who seems to him a truly extraordinary girl. A friend encourages him, assures him that Konstantin undoubtedly has chances, although he cannot guarantee success.

Kitty Shcherbatskaya has barely passed 18 years old, the girl has just begun to go out into the world, but she is already enjoying considerable success there. Her parents are initially not opposed to marriage with Levin, but Count Alexei Vronsky, a brilliant officer, also shows attention to Kitty, and this party seems to Shcherbatsky much more preferable for their daughter. Stiva warns Konstantin about Vronsky's courtship of the young princess, but Levin still decides to explain himself to Kitty. However, the girl categorically refuses him, because she is already seriously carried away by Alexei.

At the same time, Vronsky himself has absolutely no plans to marry. The young man does not remember his father, his mother has always devoted almost all her time to social life, almost without taking care of her sons. The count likes Princess Shcherbatskaya, but nothing more, he has no serious intentions regarding her.

The day after the conversation between Levin and Kitty, Steve Oblonsky and Alexei Vronsky end up at the station together. Stepan meets his sister, while Alexei is waiting for his mother's arrival. Anna Karenina immediately makes an indelible impression on Vronsky not so much with her appearance, but with her liveliness and undisguised interest in everything around.

During the stay of Anna, Stiva and Alexei on the platform, a drunken watchman falls under the train, and Karenina intends to help his widow by all means. Vronsky immediately handed over the sum of 200 rubles for this purpose. Oblonsky begs his sister to act as an intermediary and help him reconcile with his wife.

Anna really persuades Dolly not to leave her brother, convincing her that he deeply repents of his betrayal. In addition, the woman and her children have nowhere to go, her parents do not need her, Darya Alexandrovna has no income of her own.

Princess Kitty comes to the Oblonskys, and Anna charms the young, inexperienced girl at first sight with her behavior and manners. Vronsky also decides to pay a visit to Stiva and his wife, but, having learned that Karenina is also in the house, he does not enter the house, although this is extremely surprising to everyone.

At the ball, Alexei first performs the first dance with Kitty, but the princess notices that he literally does not take his eyes off Anna. Further, Vronsky dances exclusively with this woman throughout the evening, and Kitty is deeply disappointed and offended.

At the end of the ball, Karenina casually announces that tomorrow she will go to her home, to St. Petersburg. On the train, Anna sees Vronsky with great surprise, and the young man confesses that he hurried after her. On the platform, the woman is met by her husband, Alexei Alexandrovich holds a respectable position in the ministry and always behaves with restraint, avoiding any manifestations of emotions. His whole life proceeds according to the established routine, which burdens Anna, who has a lively, spontaneous temperament, but until a certain point the woman tries not to express her displeasure to her husband.

The Karenin family has a son named Seryozha, the boy is 8 years old. Upon Anna's arrival, the child happily throws himself into her arms, although he is most often embarrassed and a little afraid of his harsh father.

Karenin's days are rigidly scheduled down to the minute. He spends almost all the time in the service, however, Alexey Alexandrovich is aware of all literary novelties, is interested in political events, has well-founded judgments about music and other varieties of art. Vronsky intends to lead a secular life in St. Petersburg and visit first of all those houses where he can meet Anna again.

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The novel begins in 1873. At the beginning of the novel, the reader gets acquainted with the difficult situation in the Oblonskys' house - the owner of the house cheated on his wife, the mother of five children. Stiva Oblonsky has not loved Dolly's wife for a long time, but he sincerely pities her. The owner of the house himself is having lunch in a restaurant with his friend Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin, who came to Moscow to propose to the sister of Oblonsky's wife, Princess Kitty Shcherbatskaya.

But he is not very sure of himself, because he considers himself too ordinary for a girl like Kitty. In addition, Oblonsky tells him that Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky is courting Kitty. Kitty herself does not know whom to prefer - she is fine with Levin, but she has some inexplicable feelings for Vronsky. Not knowing that Vronsky is not going to marry her, she refuses Levin, and he returns to the village.

At the station, meeting his mother, who had arrived from St. Petersburg, Vronsky met Anna Arkadyevna Karenina. Their meeting takes place under tragic circumstances - a station watchman gets under the train.

Anna came to Moscow from St. Petersburg to persuade Dolly to forgive her husband's betrayal, she succeeds, after which she returns home. Vronsky, fascinated by Anna, also goes to Petersburg.

At home, Anna does not feel happy - her husband Alexei Aleksandrovich Karenin is much older than her, and she only feels respect for him, but not love. Does not save the situation and her attachment to her son Serezha, who is 8 years old. Those signs of attention that Vronsky, who is in love with her, renders to her, take her even more out of a state of mental balance. In addition, the relationship between Anna and Vronsky is noticed in the light, and Anna's husband unsuccessfully tries to stop the development of relations. A year after they met, Anna becomes Vronsky's mistress. Vronsky persuades her to leave her husband and leave with him, but Anna cannot decide to take this step, despite the fact that she is expecting a child from Vronsky.

During the races, Vronsky falls off his horse; Anna, seeing this, expresses her feelings so openly that Karenin takes her away from the races. At home, a conversation takes place between the spouses, during which Anna expresses to her husband everything that she feels for him. Karenin leaves for Petersburg, leaving Anna at the dacha. In the end, he comes to the decision that the spouses should stay together, and if Anna does not agree with this, he threatens to take her son away from her. This further sets Anna against her husband.

Anna gives birth to a daughter. The birth is difficult and she, thinking that she is dying, asks for forgiveness from her husband and refuses Vronsky, who makes an attempt to shoot himself.

A month passes. Vronsky decides to retire, after which he goes abroad with Anna and his daughter.

Levin, living in the countryside, is trying to carry out reforms that do not always meet with the approval of the peasants. Arriving in Moscow, he meets Kitty again, realizes that he loves her and proposes to her. Kitty agrees, and after the wedding, the newlyweds leave for the village.

Traveling around Italy with Vronsky, Anna is happy. And Vronsky himself does not know what he can do after leaving the army. They return to Petersburg, where Anna realizes that society has rejected her. Vronsky finds himself in the same position, but she does not see this, being occupied only with personal experiences. Gradually, it begins to seem to her that Vronsky no longer treats her with the same love as before. Vronsky tries to dissuade her of this, they leave for Vronsky's estate. But even there, relations remain strained, which Dolly, who has come to visit Anna, feels.

A strong quarrel between Anna and Vronsky leads to the fact that he goes to Petersburg to his mother. Anna follows him to the station, where she recalls the circumstances of their first meeting. It seems to her that she sees a way out of this situation, and she throws herself under the train.

Vronsky returns to the army and goes to war with the Turks. Karenin takes the daughter of Anna and Vronsky to him. Kitty gives birth to Levin's son. And he is in mental turmoil - he is trying to find the meaning of life. And only when he realizes that it is impossible to understand or explain, peace of mind comes to him.

Summary of Anna Karenina

Part one

The end of the winter of 1873. Everything was mixed up in the Oblonskys' Moscow house. Everyone was waiting for the arrival of the owner's sister - Anna Arkadyevna Karenina. The owner himself, Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky, was so inopportunely convicted of treason by his wife. Thirty-four-year-old Stiva, as he was called in the world, had not been in love with his wife, Daria Alexandrovna, who was only a year younger than him, for a long time. She was the mother of his five living and two dead children, and he was in touch with a French governess who served in their household. Stiva was handsome, amorous, kind and careless. He only regretted that he had failed to properly conceal the news from his wife. Now there was only one hope - his sister. Anna Karenina went to her brother from St. Petersburg to reconcile them and dissuade poor Dolly (Daria Alexandrovna) from a divorce.

By nature, Steve was a friendly and indulgent person. And the natural charm allowed him to enjoy the location of others. He was indifferent to his work, but with a sense of duty. Stiva was the chief in one of the Moscow presences. All subordinates, friends and colleagues treated him well. Even debts and family problems could not make him refuse lunch with a friend. This time he dined with a childhood friend who had come from the village - Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin, who came to propose to eighteen-year-old Kitty Shcherbakova, the princess and sister-in-law of the Oblonskys. Levin has long been in love with this girl, but suspects that she will not choose an ordinary landowner, who, moreover, has no special talents. His suspicions are confirmed by Oblonsky, who says that Kitty has a new boyfriend, a representative of the St. Petersburg "golden youth" - Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky.

Levin goes to declare his love to Kitty, who guesses about his feelings and has nothing against his company. She feels at ease with him, light and free. With Vronsky, the opposite is true: she behaves stiffly and feels an incomprehensible awkwardness. However, she finds it difficult to deal with her own feelings, and she does not know who to prefer. Dreaming of a happy future with a count from St. Petersburg, Kitty refuses Levin. The girl does not even suspect that Vronsky does not intend to marry her. The count himself at that time went to meet his mother at the station, who had arrived from St. Petersburg. There he meets Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, who was traveling in the same carriage with his mother. A young man, fascinated by the expressive appearance of Karenina, falls in love with her. At this time, a tragedy occurs at the station: a drunken station watchman dies under the wheels of a train. Anna thinks this is a bad sign.

Upon arrival, Stiva asks Anna to reconcile them with Dolly. After much persuasion, Anna still manages to convince Dolly. She temporarily forgives her husband and a fragile peace reigns in the house. Kitty comes to visit the Oblonskys. The girl is delighted with the beauty and grace of Anna. In the evening Anna goes to the ball with the Oblonskys and the Shcherbitskys. Kitty expects a lot from this ball. She secretly hopes that Vronsky will explain himself to her. However, he dances only one waltz with her, and spends the rest of the time next to Anna. Charmed, they talk, unable to tear themselves away from each other. This did not escape Kitty's eyes. The girl is upset and refuses to dance with other gentlemen. Anna, on the contrary, revels in her success. Leaving, she says that tomorrow she is returning to St. Petersburg.

The next day, at the station, she meets Vronsky, who has followed her. He also went to Petersburg. When Anna is met by her husband on the platform, she subconsciously feels that he is unpleasant to her. Karenina's husband, Alexey Alexandrovich, is much older than her and holds an impressive post in the ministry. Unlike the impulsive and temperamental Anna, Alexei Alexandrovich does not like to talk about his feelings and leads a rather orderly life. They have an eight-year-old son Serezha. He is very happy about the arrival of his mother, and his father is a little shunned. At the Karenins, the whole day is scheduled by the minute. Vronsky, seeing Anna's meeting with her husband, understands that she "does not love and cannot love him", and he decides to live with thoughts about her. He begins to lead a secular life and visit only those houses where he can accidentally meet Anna. Meanwhile, Kitty falls ill in despair, and Levin, upset after an unsuccessful matchmaking, returns to his village.

Part two

There is a medical consultation in the Shcherbatskys' house. Kitty is suspected of developing tuberculosis due to a nervous breakdown. The family knows that this is because of Vronsky and disappointed hopes. The girl decides to temporarily go abroad for treatment. Konstantin Levin, returning to the village, meets with his brother Nikolai, who is always drinking, messing with dirty women and living in cheap rooms. He sincerely sympathizes with his brother, despite all the inconvenience that he gives him. After this meeting, Levin withdraws into himself even more and decides to devote all his time to work in the family estate. Anna and Vronsky begin to see each other often at Vronsky's cousin, Betsy Tverskoy. Many already guess about their mutual sympathy, and Betsy herself arranges dates for them.

Anna had never been in love before, and had only respect for her own husband. Vronsky is trying in every possible way to achieve her location, and he gradually succeeds. Even love for the eight-year-old son Serezha does not save Anna. Vronsky is sincerely in love with her, but his passion is even more intensified by the fact that an affair with a society lady makes his position even more brilliant. While his inner life is filled only with feelings for Anna, outwardly he leads the usual life of a guards officer: he goes to balls, participates in horse races, meets friends and just has fun. The relationship between Anna and Vronsky quickly catches the eye in society, as it differs from ordinary flirting in a strong passion. Alexey Alexandrovich also notices the attitude of society towards his wife's novel and shows his displeasure. However, all Karenin's attempts to keep his wife from rash acts, as well as Anna's efforts to come to her senses, are in vain.

Steve Oblonsky visits Levin. He doesn't tell his friend anything about Kitty and the situation. During the hunt, Levin is still interested in the condition of the girl and the plans of the Shcherbatskys. Stiva accuses him of lack of perseverance and cowardice. He says that he should not have given up so quickly, but should have fought for Kitty's hand. There is more and more gossip in Petersburg about Karenina's affair with Vronsky. These rumors reach Countess Vronskaya, who, as expected, does not approve of her son's behavior. She is not satisfied with her son's frequent stay in St. Petersburg, as this negatively affects his career. Vronsky, on the other hand, notices that her son Seryozha greatly hinders their relationship with Anna, and asks her to leave both her husband and son for him. Anna excuses herself by saying that her husband will never give her a divorce, and she does not agree to the role of a mistress. She herself is tired of living in a lie, but she does not stop deceiving her husband. Even the fact that she is expecting a child from Vronsky does not give her the necessary determination.

An unexpected event occurred during the races, which gathered all the high society. Anna was there too and did not take her eyes off her beloved. Due to the wrong movement of Vronsky, the horse under him fell and broke his back. Not knowing how serious the fall was, Anna ran up to him, betraying her undisguised despair. Karenin was forced to take her away immediately. This behavior of his wife greatly upset him. He seriously thought about what next step to take: a duel with Vronsky, a divorce, or leave everything unchanged. As a result, he decided to leave everything as it is, and force Anna to continue to observe the apparent idyll of family life. Thus, he wanted to punish his wife. Anna was very upset by this decision. She hated her husband even more and called him a soulless machine. She realized that she was cornered and now she could not even exchange her current position for the position of a mistress, deserving of universal contempt.

Part three

In the village, Levin devotes himself entirely to agriculture. He is looking for the meaning of life outside of marriage and is trying to develop a system for better farming. Thus, he spends all his energy on agricultural work. At this time, an armchair reformer and half-brother Sergey Ivanovich Koznyshev comes to him. They talk for a long time. He notices that Levin easily copes with the economy and works on the land on an equal footing with the peasants. Levin himself understands that he works so hard not to think about Kitty, whom he is still in love with, and also not to think about death, since his brother, Nikolai, is hopelessly ill with tuberculosis. Next to Levin is the village of Oblonsky Ergushovo, where Dolly arrives. Seeing how unsettled life there is, she quickly falls into despair. Levin comes to the rescue and helps her with all the economic issues that have arisen. In gratitude, Dolly wants to reconcile them with Kitty.

Karenin at this time reflects on the current situation. He assures himself that he is not the first, he is not the last deceived husband. He decides not to start litigation, not to wave his fists, but simply to continue to live as he lived. He doesn't even want separation. It's just that from now on he will no longer respect Anna. At the same time, he assures himself that his wife's romance will soon end and their good relationship will be restored. With such thoughts, he writes a letter to Anna, in which he expresses his decision to leave everything as before, at least for the sake of Serezha, and promises the same material support. Anna is not happy about this letter. She wants to pack her things, take Seryozha with her and leave her husband, but she does not dare, because she understands that she cannot ignore the opinion of the world and accept the role of a mistress.

Meanwhile, Vronsky is also thinking about how to solve this problem. He's trying to settle money matters first. Upon learning that Anna is expecting a child from him, he begins to think about resigning. In anticipation of his decision, Anna is ready to leave her husband and child, and go to him. When she confesses to her husband that it is not in her power to change anything, he ignores her and asks her to keep up appearances. In the village, they try to marry the daughter of Sviyazhsky, the leader of the county, for Levin. In a conversation with Sviyazhsky, Konstantin expresses his thoughts about the need for housekeeping in the Russian manner, and not in a foreign one. He also says that in the economy it is useful to take into account the character of the Russian peasants and their style of work. However, his thoughts do not find support. Levin again plunges into work, which is why he does not even notice that Kitty has arrived in Ergushovo.

Part Four

The life of Anna, Vronsky and Alexei Alexandrovich is increasingly entangled in lies. Anna feels disgust for her husband, and sometimes pity. Meetings with Vronsky continue, despite the request of her husband not to do this. It's time for childbirth. Anna has difficulty giving birth to a girl and nearly dies of childbed fever. Being delirious, she asks for forgiveness from her husband. Karenin takes pity on her and compassion for his wife awakens in him. Remaining in an unconscious state, Anna rejects Vronsky. Faced with him, Karenin explains and says that they will leave for Moscow with the whole family. In desperation, Vronsky tries to commit suicide, but he is rescued just in time. When Anna comes to her senses, she again begins to be burdened by her husband. Neither his decency, nor generosity, nor even touching concern for her newborn daughter, make her change her attitude towards him. It begins to seem to her that she hates Karenin and all his virtues. Soon she leaves with retired Vronsky and their daughter abroad. Karenin leaves for Moscow.

Levin continues his reforms in the countryside and even writes a book on economic reorganization. The men respect him, because he considers himself part of the people. All his interests are connected with the peasants. On the one hand, he admires their meekness and justice, on the other hand, he is burdened by their drunkenness, lies and carelessness. Koznyshev comes to him, with whom the argument starts again. Merging with nature and engaging in village life, it seems to him that he has already abandoned his dreams of family happiness. These illusions vanish in an instant when he learns about Kitty's illness and when he sees her in Ergushovo. Long-standing feelings come to life in him again and at a dinner at the Oblonskys, he re-proposes to her and receives consent. After the approval of her parents, preparations for the wedding begin.

Karenin, who has been trying to keep calm and composure all this time, nevertheless decides to file for divorce. Anna and Vronsky travel through Italy. At first it seems to her that she is happy, but then she begins to be weighed down by thoughts of separation from her son, of the loss of an honest name and that she was the cause of all the misfortunes of her husband. Vronsky tries in everything to be polite and respectful to her, so that she does not get bored. He also begins to feel miserable. Despite all the love for Anna, he is bored without his usual life. To make at least some variety, he begins to paint. But seeing his mediocrity, he quickly cools off to this occupation.

Part five

Alexey Alexandrovich goes headlong into work, trying to forget himself and not think about his situation. All women become disgusting to him, friends and relatives “die” for him. Countess Lidia Ivanovna begins to visit him. She tries to somehow cheer him up and support him in these difficult moments. She also takes on some of the household chores and advises keeping Seryozha away from her mother. However, she soon receives a letter from Anna, in which she asks her to arrange a date with her son. In response, Lidia Ivanovna writes an insulting letter and rudely refuses her. In addition, Karenin is no longer promoted, despite the fact that he is still active and businesslike.

Upon returning to St. Petersburg, Anna fully felt her rejection. She is not accepted in the world, friends shun her. Vronsky also has a hard time. On Seryozha's birthday, Anna secretly goes to see him. Seeing her son and his selfless love for her, she realizes that she simply cannot live apart from him. Desperate, she begins to reproach Vronsky for not loving her enough. It takes a lot of effort for him to calm her down. Tired of boredom, Anna decides to visit the theater, despite Vronsky's warnings. There, one of the society ladies unceremoniously insults her, saying that she does not want to sit next to her. Everyone starts whispering behind their backs, and most visitors agree that this is a vicious and inappropriate prank. Returning home, she blames Vronsky for everything, and he is not happy with her behavior.

Meanwhile, preparations for the wedding are in full swing in the Shcherbitskys' house. Levin likes such "happy chores." Immediately after the wedding ceremony, the young couple leaves for the village. At first, they rub against each other, and married life seems difficult. Quarrels and disappointments are replaced by reconciliations. Suddenly, news of his brother's grave condition reaches Konstantin. He is near death in the provincial town. Levin immediately goes to him. Kitty rides with him despite his protests. At the sight of Nikolai, he feels the strongest pity mixed with the fear of death and disgust. Unlike him, Kitty knows how to handle the sick and patiently looks after Nikolai. Then, Levin realizes that only she saves him in these terrible days. When the brother dies, he learns that Kitty is pregnant. They remain to live in Pokrovsky and their relationship acquires spiritual intimacy.

Part six

Dolly, who was visiting her sister, decides to visit Anna. Karenina, Vronsky, and their daughter Anna now live on the Vozdvizhenskoye estate, not far from Pokrovsky.Anna looks great, she pays a lot of attention to her appearance and wardrobe. However, Dolly notices a change in her behavior. There is no longer that liveliness and naturalness, but only falseness and pretense. She tries to entertain the guests, run the household, take care of her daughter, but this is done only in order to replace Vronsky with everything that he once lost for her sake. She is rather indifferent to her daughter, she is more concerned about how she looks. Anna informs Dolly that she is not going to have any more children, as she is afraid of looking bad. Her main fear is the loss of Vronsky. She begins to be painfully jealous of him and annoy him with her love.

Vronsky increasingly notices how Anna is trying to occupy all his time. This in him gives rise to a thirst for independence. One day, when he is leaving for the provincial elections, she informs him by letter that their daughter is seriously ill. When he returns, he discovers that it was not true. He does not like this trick of Anna very much. He begins to be weary of her annoying love. Anna secretly begins to take morphine, often falls into hysterics, arranges zealous scandals. Vronsky himself no longer wants Karenin to give her a divorce. Alexey Alexandrovich, meanwhile, falls under the influence of the religious princess Myagkaya, who recommends not to divorce his wife, hinting that this is a sin.

Surrounded by Levin, strange events occur. His brother Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev begins showing signs of attention to Varenka, an acquaintance of Kitty's. Everyone is waiting for him to decide to make an offer, but he is going for a long time, without risking it. Steve Oblonsky and his friend Veslovsky visit Levin. Veslovsky undertakes to look after Kitty, which frankly irritates Levin, and he sends the uninvited guests out.

Part seven

After moving to Moscow, Levin tries to attend theaters, pay visits, but nothing pleases him. Everywhere he feels equally at ease. One day he and Kitty visit Karenina with Vronsky. Anna tries to impress him, and he remarks that she is beautiful. Kitty remembers how Vronsky once preferred Anna to her, and reproaches her husband. Levin promises not to visit Karenina again and to avoid her company in the future. Kitty soon goes into labor. Levin is frightened and no longer happy about such an event. When he sees Kitty's torment, he only dreams of her surviving. But everything goes well and their son Mitya is born. Things are not going well for Stiva, and he asks Karenin to put in a good word for him. He is sure that Stiva is a worthless worker, but promises to pat.

Relations between Anna and Vronsky come to a standstill. They have neither agreement nor discord. She blames her lover for all the hardships of life. Attacks of jealousy alternate with attacks of tenderness, and so on from day to day. Vronsky, in spite of everything, tries to be honest with her and still loves her. Anna dreams of punishing his "coldness". She keeps having the same nightmare: as if some peasant is leaning over her and whispering something. Anna's mental balance is completely lost. She contradicts herself, does not know what she wants, constantly rushes about, cries a lot and writes tearful letters to Vronsky, and is increasingly immersed in gloomy and incoherent thoughts. One day, after a particularly bitter quarrel, Vronsky decides to visit his mother. Anna follows him to the station. There, she recalls how on the day they met, a man fell under a train, and she herself decides to throw herself onto the rails. Her last vision is of a mumbling man leaning over her.

Part eight

With the loss of Anna, Vronsky's life loses all meaning. He is tormented by unnecessary, but inevitable remorse. He decides to volunteer to go to Serbia to fight the Turks. Karenin takes care of their daughter. The happy Levins raise little Mitya and decide to move to the countryside. In order to somehow help the Oblonskys improve their financial situation, the Levins give Dolly part of their estate. Kitty's birth was a huge shock for Konstantin, and now he is looking for the meaning of life. Being at odds with himself, he is afraid to commit suicide, so he does not come close to the gun. However, he understands that he has a reason to live. And this reason is in the good that you need to fill every minute of your life.

In the Moscow house of the Oblonskys, where "everything was mixed up" at the end of the winter of 1873, they were waiting for the owner's sister, Anna Arkadyevna Karenina. The reason for the family discord was that Prince Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky was caught by his wife in treason with a governess. Thirty-four-year-old Stiva Oblonsky sincerely regrets his wife Dolly, but, being a truthful person, does not assure himself that he repents of his deed. Cheerful, kind and carefree Stiva has long been no longer in love with his wife, the mother of five living and two dead children, and has long been unfaithful to her.

Stiva is completely indifferent to the work he does while serving as a boss in one of the Moscow presences, and this allows him to never get carried away, not make mistakes and perfectly fulfill his duties. Friendly, condescending to human shortcomings, charming Stiva enjoys the favor of the people of his circle, subordinates, bosses and, in general, everyone with whom his life brings. Debts and family troubles upset him, but they cannot spoil his mood enough to make him refuse to dine in a good restaurant. He is having lunch with Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin, who has arrived from the village, his peer and a friend of his youth.

Levin came to propose to the eighteen-year-old Princess Kitty Shcherbatskaya, Oblonsky's sister-in-law, with whom he had long been in love. Levin is sure that such a girl, who is above all earthly things, like Kitty, cannot love him, an ordinary landowner, without special, as he believes, talents. In addition, Oblonsky informs him that, apparently, he has a rival - a brilliant representative of the St. Petersburg "golden youth", Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky.

Kitty knows about Levin's love and feels at ease and free with him; with Vronsky, however, she experiences an incomprehensible awkwardness. But it is difficult for her to understand her own feelings, she does not know who to give preference to. Kitty does not suspect that Vronsky does not at all intend to marry her, and her dreams of a happy future with him make her refuse Levin. Meeting his mother, who has arrived from St. Petersburg, Vronsky sees Anna Arkadyevna Karenina at the station. He immediately notices the special expressiveness of Anna’s whole appearance: “It was as if an excess of something so overwhelmed her being that, against her will, it was expressed either in the brilliance of her eyes, or in a smile.” The meeting is overshadowed by a sad circumstance: the death of a station watchman under the wheels of a train, which Anna considers a bad omen.

Anna manages to persuade Dolly to forgive her husband; a fragile peace is established in the Oblonskys' house, and Anna goes to the ball together with the Oblonskys and the Shcherbatskys. At the ball, Kitty admires Anna's naturalness and grace, admires that special, poetic inner world that appears in her every movement. Kitty expects a lot from this ball: she is sure that during the mazurka Vronsky will explain himself to her. Unexpectedly, she notices how Vronsky is talking with Anna: in each of their glances, an irresistible attraction to each other is felt, each word decides their fate. Kitty leaves in despair. Anna Karenina returns home to Petersburg; Vronsky follows her.

Blaming himself alone for the failure of the matchmaking, Levin returns to the village. Before leaving, he meets with his older brother Nikolai, who lives in cheap rooms with a woman he took from a brothel. Levin loves his brother, despite his irrepressible nature, which brings a lot of trouble to himself and those around him. Seriously ill, lonely, drinking, Nikolai Levin is fascinated by the communist idea and the organization of some kind of locksmith artel; this saves him from self-contempt. A meeting with his brother exacerbates the shame and dissatisfaction with himself, which Konstantin Dmitrievich experiences after the matchmaking. He calms down only in his family estate Pokrovsky, deciding to work even harder and not allow himself luxury - which, however, had not been in his life before.

The usual life in St. Petersburg, to which Anna returns, causes her disappointment. She had never been in love with her husband, who was much older than her, and had only respect for him. Now his company becomes painful for her, she notices the slightest of his shortcomings: too big ears, the habit of cracking his fingers. Nor does her love for her eight-year-old son Seryozha save her. Anna is trying to regain her peace of mind, but she fails - mainly because Alexei Vronsky is trying to get her location in every possible way. Vronsky is in love with Anna, and his love is intensified because an affair with a lady of high society makes his position even more brilliant. Despite the fact that his whole inner life is filled with passion for Anna, outwardly Vronsky leads the usual, cheerful and pleasant life of a guards officer: with the Opera, the French theater, balls, horse races and other pleasures. But their relationship with Anna is too different in the eyes of others from easy secular flirting; strong passion causes general condemnation. Alexey Aleksandrovich Karenin notices the attitude of the world to his wife's romance with Count Vronsky and expresses his displeasure to Anna. Being a high-ranking official, “Aleksey Alexandrovich lived and worked all his life in the spheres of service, dealing with reflections of life. And every time he encountered life itself, he pulled away from it.” Now he feels himself in the position of a man standing above the abyss.

Karenin's attempts to stop his wife's irresistible desire for Vronsky, Anna's attempts to restrain herself, are unsuccessful. A year after the first meeting, she becomes Vronsky's mistress - realizing that now they are connected forever, like criminals. Vronsky is burdened by the uncertainty of relations, persuades Anna to leave her husband and join her life with him. But Anna cannot decide on a break with Karenin, and even the fact that she is expecting a child from Vronsky does not give her determination.

During the races, which are attended by all the high society, Vronsky falls from his horse Frou-Frou. Not knowing how serious the fall is, Anna expresses her despair so openly that Karenin is forced to immediately take her away. She announces to her husband about her infidelity, about disgust for him. This news produces on Alexei Alexandrovich the impression of a diseased tooth pulled out: he finally gets rid of the suffering of jealousy and leaves for Petersburg, leaving his wife at the dacha awaiting his decision. But, having gone through all the possible options for the future - a duel with Vronsky, a divorce - Karenin decides to leave everything unchanged, punishing and humiliating Anna with the requirement to observe the false appearance of family life under the threat of separation from her son. Having made this decision, Alexey Alexandrovich finds enough calmness to give himself over to reflections on the affairs of the service with his characteristic stubborn ambition. The decision of her husband causes Anna to burst into hatred for him. She considers him a soulless machine, not thinking that she has a soul and the need for love. Anna realizes that she is driven into a corner, because she is unable to exchange her current position for the position of a mistress who left her husband and son and deserves universal contempt.

The remaining uncertainty of relations is also painful for Vronsky, who in the depths of his soul loves order and has an unshakable set of rules of behavior. For the first time in his life, he does not know how to behave further, how to bring his love for Anna into line with the rules of life. In the event of a connection with her, he will be forced to retire, and this is also not easy for him: Vronsky loves regimental life, enjoys the respect of his comrades; besides, he is ambitious.

The life of three people is entangled in a web of lies. Anna's pity for her husband alternates with disgust; she cannot but meet with Vronsky, as Alexey Alexandrovitch demands. Finally, childbirth occurs, during which Anna almost dies. Lying in childbed fever, she asks for forgiveness from Alexei Alexandrovich, and at her bedside he feels pity for his wife, tender compassion and spiritual joy. Vronsky, whom Anna unconsciously rejects, experiences burning shame and humiliation. He tries to shoot himself, but is rescued.

Anna does not die, and when the softening of her soul caused by the proximity of death passes, she again begins to be burdened by her husband. Neither his decency and generosity, nor touching concern for a newborn girl does not relieve her of irritation; she hates Karenin even for his virtues. A month after her recovery, Anna goes abroad with retired Vronsky and her daughter.

Living in the countryside, Levin takes care of the estate, reads, writes a book on agriculture and undertakes various economic reorganizations that do not find approval among the peasants. The village for Levin is "a place of life, that is, joys, suffering, work." The peasants respect him, forty miles away they go to him for advice - and they strive to deceive him for their own benefit. There is no deliberateness in Levin's attitude towards the people: he considers himself a part of the people, all his interests are connected with the peasants. He admires the strength, meekness, justice of the peasants and is irritated by their carelessness, slovenliness, drunkenness, and lies. In disputes with his half-brother Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev, who came to visit, Levin proves that zemstvo activities do not benefit the peasants, because they are not based either on knowledge of their true needs, or on the personal interest of the landowners.

Levin feels his merging with nature; he even hears the growth of spring grass. In the summer, he mows with the peasants, feeling the joy of simple labor. Despite all this, he considers his life idle and dreams of changing it to a working, clean and common life. Subtle changes are constantly taking place in his soul, and Levin listens to them. At one time it seems to him that he has found peace and forgotten his dreams of family happiness. But this illusion crumbles to dust when he learns about Kitty's serious illness, and then sees her herself, going to her sister in the village. The feeling that seemed dead again takes possession of his heart, and only in love does he see an opportunity to unravel the great mystery of life.

In Moscow, at a dinner at the Oblonskys, Levin meets Kitty and realizes that she loves him. In a state of high spirits, he proposes to Kitty and receives consent. Immediately after the wedding, the young people leave for the village.

Vronsky and Anna are traveling through Italy. At first, Anna feels happy and full of the joy of life. Even the knowledge that she is separated from her son, that she has lost her honorable name and that she has become the cause of her husband's misfortune, does not overshadow her happiness. Vronsky is lovingly respectful towards her, he does everything to ensure that she is not burdened by her position. But he himself, despite his love for Anna, feels longing and grabs at everything that can give his life significance. He starts painting, but having enough taste, he knows his mediocrity and soon becomes disillusioned with this occupation.

Upon returning to St. Petersburg, Anna clearly feels her rejection: they do not want to accept her, acquaintances avoid meeting her. Insults from the world poison Vronsky's life, but, busy with her experiences, Anna does not want to notice this. On Seryozha's birthday, she secretly goes to him and, finally seeing her son, feeling his love for herself, she realizes that she cannot be happy apart from him. In despair, in irritation, she reproaches Vronsky for falling out of love with her; it costs him great efforts to calm her down, after which they leave for the village.

The first time of married life turns out to be difficult for Kitty and Levin: they hardly get used to each other, charms are replaced by disappointments, quarrels - reconciliations. Family life seems to Levin like a boat: it is pleasant to look at sliding on water, but it is very difficult to rule. Unexpectedly, Levin receives news that brother Nikolai is dying in the provincial town. He immediately goes to him; despite his protests, Kitty decides to go with him. Seeing his brother, experiencing tormenting pity for him, Levin still cannot rid himself of the fear and disgust that the nearness of death arouses in him. He is shocked that Kitty is not at all afraid of the dying man and knows how to behave with him. Levin feels that only the love of his wife saves him in these days from horror and himself.

During Kitty's pregnancy, which Levin learns about on the day of her brother's death, the family continues to live in Pokrovsky, where relatives and friends come for the summer. Levin cherishes the spiritual closeness that he has established with his wife, and is tormented by jealousy, fearing to lose this closeness.

Dolly Oblonskaya, visiting her sister, decides to visit Anna Karenina, who lives with Vronsky on his estate, not far from Pokrovsky. Dolly is struck by the changes that have taken place in Karenina, she feels the falsity of her current way of life, especially noticeable in comparison with her former liveliness and naturalness. Anna entertains guests, tries to take care of her daughter, reading, setting up a village hospital. But her main concern is to replace Vronsky with herself for everything that he left for her sake. Their relationship is becoming more and more tense, Anna is jealous of everything that he is fond of, even of the Zemstvo activities, which Vronsky is engaged in mainly in order not to lose his independence. In the fall, they move to Moscow, waiting for Karenin's decision on a divorce. But, offended in his best feelings, rejected by his wife, finding himself alone, Alexei Alexandrovich falls under the influence of the well-known spiritualist, Princess Myagkaya, who persuades him, for religious reasons, not to give the criminal wife a divorce.

In the relationship between Vronsky and Anna there is neither complete discord nor agreement. Anna accuses Vronsky of all the hardships of her position; attacks of desperate jealousy are instantly replaced by tenderness; quarrels break out every now and then. In Anna's dreams, the same nightmare is repeated: some peasant leans over her, mutters meaningless French words and does something terrible to her. After a particularly difficult quarrel, Vronsky, contrary to Anna's wishes, goes to visit his mother. In complete dismay, Anna sees her relationship with him as if by a bright light. She understands that her love is becoming more and more passionate and selfish, and Vronsky, without losing his love for her, is still weighed down by her and tries not to be dishonorable towards her. Trying to achieve his repentance, she follows him to the station, where she suddenly remembers the man crushed by the train on the day of their first meeting - and immediately understands what she needs to do. Anna throws herself under the train; her last vision is of a mumbling peasant. After that, “the candle, under which she read a book full of anxieties, deceptions, grief and evil, flared up with a brighter light than ever, illuminated for her everything that had previously been in darkness, crackled, began to fade and went out forever.”

Life becomes hateful for Vronsky; he is tormented by an unnecessary, but indelible remorse. He leaves as a volunteer for the war with the Turks in Serbia; Karenin takes his daughter to her.

After Kitty's birth, which became a deep spiritual shock for Levin, the family returns to the village. Levin is in painful disagreement with himself - because after the death of his brother and the birth of his son he cannot resolve for himself the most important questions: the meaning of life, the meaning of death. He feels that he is close to suicide, and is afraid to walk around with a gun so as not to shoot himself. But at the same time, Levin notices: when he does not ask himself why he lives, he feels in his soul the presence of an infallible judge, and his life becomes firm and definite. Finally, he understands that the knowledge of the laws of good, given personally to him, Levin, in the Gospel Revelation, cannot be grasped by reason and expressed in words. Now he feels himself able to put an undeniable sense of goodness into every minute of his life.