An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1287 words)
he princess sat in her armchair, silent and smiling; the prince sat
down beside her. Kitty stood by her father’s chair, still holding his
hand. All were silent.
The princess was the first to put everything into words, and to
translate all thoughts and feelings into practical questions. And all
equally felt this strange and painful for the first minute.
“When is it to be? We must have the benediction and announcement. And
when’s the wedding to be? What do you think, Alexander?”
“Here he is,” said the old prince, pointing to Levin—“he’s the
principal person in the matter.”
“When?” said Levin blushing. “Tomorrow. If you ask me, I should say,
the benediction today and the wedding tomorrow.”
“Come, mon cher, that’s nonsense!”
“Well, in a week.”
“He’s quite mad.”
“No, why so?”
“Well, upon my word!” said the mother, smiling, delighted at this
haste. “How about the trousseau?”
“Will there really be a trousseau and all that?” Levin thought with
horror. “But can the trousseau and the benediction and all that—can it
spoil my happiness? Nothing can spoil it!” He glanced at Kitty, and
noticed that she was not in the least, not in the very least, disturbed
by the idea of the trousseau. “Then it must be all right,” he thought.
“Oh, I know nothing about it; I only said what I should like,” he said
apologetically.
“We’ll talk it over, then. The benediction and announcement can take
place now. That’s very well.”
The princess went up to her husband, kissed him, and would have gone
away, but he kept her, embraced her, and, tenderly as a young lover,
kissed her several times, smiling. The old people were obviously
muddled for a moment, and did not quite know whether it was they who
were in love again or their daughter. When the prince and the princess
had gone, Levin went up to his betrothed and took her hand. He was
self-possessed now and could speak, and he had a great deal he wanted
to tell her. But he said not at all what he had to say.
“How I knew it would be so! I never hoped for it; and yet in my heart I
was always sure,” he said. “I believe that it was ordained.”
“And I!” she said. “Even when....” She stopped and went on again,
looking at him resolutely with her truthful eyes, “Even when I thrust
from me my happiness. I always loved you alone, but I was carried away.
I ought to tell you.... Can you forgive that?”
“Perhaps it was for the best. You will have to forgive me so much. I
ought to tell you....”
This was one of the things he had meant to speak about. He had resolved
from the first to tell her two things—that he was not chaste as she
was, and that he was not a believer. It was agonizing, but he
considered he ought to tell her both these facts.
“No, not now, later!” he said.
“Very well, later, but you must certainly tell me. I’m not afraid of
anything. I want to know everything. Now it is settled.”
He added: “Settled that you’ll take me whatever I may be—you won’t give
me up? Yes?”
“Yes, yes.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Mademoiselle Linon, who with an
affected but tender smile came to congratulate her favorite pupil.
Before she had gone, the servants came in with their congratulations.
Then relations arrived, and there began that state of blissful
absurdity from which Levin did not emerge till the day after his
wedding. Levin was in a continual state of awkwardness and discomfort,
but the intensity of his happiness went on all the while increasing. He
felt continually that a great deal was being expected of him—what, he
did not know; and he did everything he was told, and it all gave him
happiness. He had thought his engagement would have nothing about it
like others, that the ordinary conditions of engaged couples would
spoil his special happiness; but it ended in his doing exactly as other
people did, and his happiness being only increased thereby and becoming
more and more special, more and more unlike anything that had ever
happened.
“Now we shall have sweetmeats to eat,” said Mademoiselle Linon—and
Levin drove off to buy sweetmeats.
“Well, I’m very glad,” said Sviazhsky. “I advise you to get the
bouquets from Fomin’s.”
“Oh, are they wanted?” And he drove to Fomin’s.
His brother offered to lend him money, as he would have so many
expenses, presents to give....
“Oh, are presents wanted?” And he galloped to Foulde’s.
And at the confectioner’s, and at Fomin’s, and at Foulde’s he saw that
he was expected; that they were pleased to see him, and prided
themselves on his happiness, just as everyone whom he had to do with
during those days. What was extraordinary was that everyone not only
liked him, but even people previously unsympathetic, cold, and callous,
were enthusiastic over him, gave way to him in everything, treated his
feeling with tenderness and delicacy, and shared his conviction that he
was the happiest man in the world because his betrothed was beyond
perfection. Kitty too felt the same thing. When Countess Nordston
ventured to hint that she had hoped for something better, Kitty was so
angry and proved so conclusively that nothing in the world could be
better than Levin, that Countess Nordston had to admit it, and in
Kitty’s presence never met Levin without a smile of ecstatic
admiration.
The confession he had promised was the one painful incident of this
time. He consulted the old prince, and with his sanction gave Kitty his
diary, in which there was written the confession that tortured him. He
had written this diary at the time with a view to his future wife. Two
things caused him anguish: his lack of purity and his lack of faith.
His confession of unbelief passed unnoticed. She was religious, had
never doubted the truths of religion, but his external unbelief did not
affect her in the least. Through love she knew all his soul, and in his
soul she saw what she wanted, and that such a state of soul should be
called unbelieving was to her a matter of no account. The other
confession set her weeping bitterly.
Levin, not without an inner struggle, handed her his diary. He knew
that between him and her there could not be, and should not be,
secrets, and so he had decided that so it must be. But he had not
realized what an effect it would have on her, he had not put himself in
her place. It was only when the same evening he came to their house
before the theater, went into her room and saw her tear-stained,
pitiful, sweet face, miserable with suffering he had caused and nothing
could undo, he felt the abyss that separated his shameful past from her
dovelike purity, and was appalled at what he had done.
“Take them, take these dreadful books!” she said, pushing away the
notebooks lying before her on the table. “Why did you give them me? No,
it was better anyway,” she added, touched by his despairing face. “But
it’s awful, awful!”
His head sank, and he was silent. He could say nothing.
“You can’t forgive me,” he whispered.
“Yes, I forgive you; but it’s terrible!”
But his happiness was so immense that this confession did not shatter
it, it only added another shade to it. She forgave him; but from that
time more than ever he considered himself unworthy of her, morally
bowed down lower than ever before her, and prized more highly than ever
his undeserved happiness.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Mental healing often comes through purposeful physical action rather than continued mental analysis.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when mental analysis has shifted from helpful to harmful, trapping us in loops that physical action can break.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you're thinking in circles about the same problem—then find any physical task that requires focus and do it without trying to solve anything.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The longer Levin went on mowing, the oftener he experienced those moments of oblivion when his arms no longer seemed to swing the scythe, but the scythe itself his whole body, so conscious and full of life."
Context: As Levin gets into the rhythm of mowing with the peasants
This describes the flow state where conscious effort disappears and the work becomes effortless. Levin stops fighting the task and becomes one with it, finding the peace that has eluded him through intellectual pursuits.
In Today's Words:
He got so into the zone that the work just flowed - his body knew what to do without his brain getting in the way.
"He felt joyful and at the same time particularly solemn. The work seemed to go of itself."
Context: Describing Levin's emotional state while working
This captures the paradox of finding deep meaning in simple work. The joy comes from being fully present and useful, while the solemnity reflects recognizing something sacred in honest labor.
In Today's Words:
He felt both happy and like he was doing something really important - the work just clicked.
"These were happy moments. Still more delightful were the moments when they reached the stream where the rows ended, and the old man rubbed his scythe with the wet, thick grass."
Context: During breaks in the mowing work
Even the small rituals and rest periods of the work bring Levin joy. He's finding meaning in the complete experience, not just the dramatic moments but the quiet, practical details.
In Today's Words:
Even the little breaks felt amazing - just being part of the whole routine made him happy.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin discovers his authentic self not through social position but through honest labor alongside peasants
Development
Evolution from his earlier struggles with belonging in aristocratic society
In Your Life:
You might find your truest self emerges when you're doing work that feels meaningful, regardless of status
Class
In This Chapter
Physical work dissolves artificial barriers between Levin and the peasants, creating genuine human connection
Development
Continues the novel's exploration of authentic versus artificial social divisions
In Your Life:
You might notice that shared work creates deeper bonds than shared status or background
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Levin's breakthrough comes through embodied experience rather than intellectual understanding
Development
Culmination of his journey from overthinking toward authentic living
In Your Life:
Your biggest insights might come when you stop trying to figure everything out and start doing meaningful work
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Natural acceptance and connection emerge through shared purposeful activity
Development
Shows how genuine relationships form through common purpose rather than social maneuvering
In Your Life:
Your deepest connections might form when you're working alongside others toward something that matters
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific changes does Levin experience while mowing hay with the peasants, and how does this differ from his usual mental state?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does physical, repetitive work succeed in calming Levin's mind when his intellectual efforts have failed?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen this pattern in modern life - people finding peace through hands-on work when their minds are spinning?
application • medium - 4
When you're stuck in mental loops or anxiety, what physical activities could you turn to that might create this same 'flow state' for you?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's experience suggest about the relationship between thinking and living, and when might 'doing' be more valuable than 'analyzing'?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Action Bypass Routes
Create a personal 'emergency toolkit' for when your mind gets stuck in worry or overthinking loops. List 5-7 physical activities that require enough focus to quiet mental chatter - things you can do with your hands, body, or immediate environment. For each activity, note what makes it absorbing and how accessible it is when you need it most.
Consider:
- •Think about activities that engage your whole attention, not just busy your hands
- •Consider what's actually available to you at home, work, or in your daily routine
- •Notice which activities connect you to something larger than your own thoughts
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you found unexpected peace or clarity through physical work or activity. What was it about that experience that quieted your mental noise, and how could you recreate that pattern when you need it?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 118
But Levin's moment of peace is fragile, and reality has a way of intruding on even the most perfect experiences. The question becomes whether this newfound clarity can survive when he returns to his regular life.
