Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy (1877)
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Complete Guide: 239 chapter summaries • Character analysis • Key quotes • Discussion questions • Modern applications • 100% free
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Book Overview
Anna Karenina tells the story of a Russian aristocrat who sacrifices everything for a forbidden passion—and pays a price that reveals exactly how society decides which transgressions it will punish and which it will forgive. Set against the glittering backdrop of 1870s St. Petersburg and Moscow, Tolstoy weaves two parallel lives. Anna Karenina, beautiful and vivid, abandons her respectable marriage for Count Vronsky, a man who embodies everything her cold husband is not. What begins as liberation hardens into exile: cut off from her son, shunned by the society that once adored her, Anna watches the love that freed her slowly devour her from within. Jealousy replaces passion. Obsession replaces intimacy. And the woman who dared to want more finds herself wanting nothing but relief from wanting. Running alongside Anna's unraveling is Konstantin Levin, an idealistic landowner who stumbles through his own search for meaning. Levin doesn't burn—he fumbles. He fails at philosophy, politics, and romantic love before finding something steadier: meaning built through honest work, family, and hard-won spiritual acceptance. Where Anna flames and shatters, Levin quietly endures. The contrast is Tolstoy's real argument. He isn't condemning passion or praising duty. He's dissecting the architecture of the self—showing how different inner structures, one dependent on external validation, one rooted in something quieter and more durable, can lead to radically different fates. What's really going on: Tolstoy traces how passion becomes obsession, how society punishes women for the same acts it overlooks in men, how jealousy destroys the very love it tries to protect, and how the desperate search for transcendent meaning can lead to both profound wisdom and devastating ruin. This is Tolstoy at his most psychologically penetrating—a novel that doesn't warn us against love, but against losing yourself completely in the pursuit of it, until the life you chose becomes the one thing you can no longer bear.
Why Read Anna Karenina Today?
Classic literature like Anna Karenina offers more than historical insight—it provides roadmaps for navigating modern challenges. What's really going on, each chapter reveals practical wisdom applicable to contemporary life, from career decisions to personal relationships.
Skills You'll Develop Reading This Book
Beyond literary analysis, Anna Karenina helps readers develop critical real-world skills:
Critical Thinking
Analyze complex characters, motivations, and moral dilemmas that mirror real-life decisions.
Emotional Intelligence
Understand human behavior, relationships, and the consequences of choices through character studies.
Cultural Literacy
Gain historical context and understand timeless themes that shaped and continue to influence society.
Communication Skills
Articulate complex ideas and engage in meaningful discussions about themes, ethics, and human nature.
Major Themes
Key Characters
Levin
Protagonist seeking purpose
Featured in 190 chapters
The peasant workers
Levin's teachers and companions
Featured in 80 chapters
Kitty
Absent but influential presence
Featured in 35 chapters
Anna Karenina
Family peacemaker and mediator
Featured in 27 chapters
The peasants
Working-class teachers
Featured in 27 chapters
Count Vronsky
The obvious choice
Featured in 19 chapters
Vronsky
Conflicted lover
Featured in 16 chapters
Fyodor
Peasant mentor figure
Featured in 13 chapters
Kitty Shcherbatsky
Conflicted protagonist
Featured in 10 chapters
Anna
Absent catalyst
Featured in 10 chapters
Key Quotes
"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
"Stepan Arkadyich could not think of his wife without remorse."
"He could not at this date repent of the fact that he, a handsome, susceptible man of thirty-four, was not in love with his wife, the mother of five living and two dead children, and only a year younger than himself."
"His wife! Only yesterday she had been a young woman, and now she was the mother of five living and two dead children."
"Everything was in confusion in the Oblonskys' house."
"Stepan Arkadyevitch was a truthful man in his relations with himself."
"You must not forget that you have a heart, that you are a woman, that you are a mother."
"I know the world, I know how such things are looked at. You think it's terrible, but it's not terrible at all."
"She could not be his wife while remaining in relations with that woman."
"The position was the more agonizing because she could not hate him."
"Kitty did not speak, not because she had nothing to say, but because she did not want to reveal her thoughts to her mother."
"The mother was pleased with Vronsky's attentions to her daughter, but the father was not altogether satisfied."
Discussion Questions
1. Why are the servants confused about what to do in the Oblonsky house, and what does this tell us about how one person's actions affect everyone around them?
From Chapter 1 →2. Stiva wakes up thinking about pleasant dinner parties while his wife won't speak to him. What does this contrast reveal about how some people handle the consequences of their actions?
From Chapter 1 →3. What does Stepan focus on when he wakes up - his wife's pain or his own discomfort? What does this tell us about his character?
From Chapter 2 →4. Why do you think Stepan genuinely can't understand why his affair hurt Dolly so deeply? What has shaped this blindness?
From Chapter 2 →5. What specific justifications does Oblonsky give himself for why his affair wasn't really that bad?
From Chapter 3 →6. Why can't Oblonsky truly understand why Dolly is so upset, even though he feels sorry?
From Chapter 3 →7. What specific arguments does Anna use to convince Dolly to forgive Stiva, and why are they effective?
From Chapter 4 →8. Why does Anna feel so strongly about keeping this marriage together, and what does this reveal about her own values?
From Chapter 4 →9. What specific options does Dolly face after discovering her husband's affair, and what would each choice cost her?
From Chapter 5 →10. Why does Russian law give fathers custody of children in divorce, and how does this law shape Dolly's decision-making?
From Chapter 5 →11. What are the different reasons Kitty's parents give for preferring each suitor, and how do these reasons reflect their own values?
From Chapter 6 →12. Why does Kitty feel disconnected from the dinner conversation even though it's about her future?
From Chapter 6 →13. What specific thoughts keep Dolly awake, and how does her mind jump between different concerns throughout the night?
From Chapter 7 →14. Why does betrayal make Dolly question not just her husband, but her own judgment and memories of their entire relationship?
From Chapter 7 →15. What two different types of men is Kitty choosing between, and what does each one offer her?
From Chapter 8 →For Educators
Looking for teaching resources? Each chapter includes tiered discussion questions, critical thinking exercises, and modern relevance connections.
View Educator Resources →All Chapters
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
The Oblonsky household is in complete chaos. Stepan Arkadyich (Stiva) has been caught cheating on his wife Dolly with their former French governess, a...
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky wakes up on his study couch after a fight with his wife Dolly, who discovered his affair with their former French governess....
Chapter 3: Chapter 3
When he was dressed, Stepan Arkadyevitch 'sprinkled some scent on himself, pulled down his shirt-cuffs, distributed into his pockets his cigarettes, p...
Chapter 4: Chapter 4
Darya Alexandrovna, in a dressing jacket, 'and with her now scanty, once luxuriant and beautiful hair fastened up with hairpins on the nape of her nec...
Chapter 5: Chapter 5
Dolly Oblonsky sits in her children's nursery, overwhelmed and heartbroken after discovering her husband's affair with their former French governess. ...
Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Kitty Shcherbatsky sits at her family's dinner table, but she might as well be on another planet. Her parents discuss her two suitors like she's a pri...
Chapter 7: Chapter 7
On arriving in Moscow by a morning train, Levin 'had put up at the house of his elder half-brother, Koznishev. After changing his clothes he went down...
Chapter 8: Chapter 8
Kitty Shcherbatsky sits at her window, watching the street below and wrestling with conflicted feelings about two very different suitors. Count Vronsk...
Chapter 9: Chapter 9
At four o'clock, conscious of his throbbing heart, Levin 'stepped out of a hired sledge at the Zoological Gardens, and turned along the path to the fr...
Chapter 10: Chapter 10
When Levin went into the restaurant with Oblonsky, 'he could not help noticing a certain peculiarity of expression, as it were, a restrained radiance,...
Chapter 11: Chapter 11
Kitty Shcherbatsky sits at her dressing table, torn between two very different suitors who represent two different futures. Count Vronsky, the dazzlin...
Chapter 12: Chapter 12
Kitty Shcherbatsky attends a ball that will change everything for her. She's convinced tonight is the night Count Vronsky will propose, and she's alre...
Chapter 13: Chapter 13
The evening has arrived. Kitty feels like a soldier before battle, heart pounding, thoughts racing. She knows tonight is her turning point - both Levi...
Chapter 14: Chapter 14
After Kitty refuses Levin's proposal, the awkward moment is interrupted by the princess entering the room. Seeing their disturbed faces and realizing ...
Chapter 15: Chapter 15
After the painful scene with Levin, Kitty tells her mother everything. At first she feels validated - she received a proposal! She acted rightly by re...
Chapter 16: Chapter 16
Now we get inside Vronsky's head, and it's revealing. He's never had a real home life - his mother was a notorious society woman famous for her many l...
Chapter 17: Chapter 17
The next morning, Vronsky heads to the train station to meet his mother arriving from Petersburg. On the steps, he runs into Oblonsky, who's there to ...
Chapter 18: Chapter 18
This is it. The moment that will destroy two lives and alter everyone around them. Vronsky follows the guard to meet his mother's carriage. At the doo...
Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Anna arrives at the Oblonskys' house and finds Dolly in the little drawing room with her white-headed fat son who looks just like his father. The boy ...
Chapter 20: Chapter 20
Anna spends the entire day at the Oblonskys' house, deliberately receiving no visitors even though word of her arrival has spread and people want to c...
Chapter 21: Chapter 21
Dolly emerges from her room for evening tea with the adults. Oblonsky doesn't come out - he must have left through another door, probably avoiding the...
Chapter 22: Chapter 22
Kitty Shcherbatsky attends her first major ball, and it becomes a night that will change everything. She arrives expecting Vronsky to propose, having ...
Chapter 23: Chapter 23
Vronsky and Kitty waltz together several times. After the first waltz, Kitty barely has time to speak to her mother and Countess Nordston before Vrons...
Chapter 24: Chapter 24
Levin leaves the Shtcherbatskys' house thinking 'there is something in me hateful, repulsive.' This is Levin at his most self-lacerating. He walks tow...
Chapter 25: Chapter 25
Levin finds his brother Nikolay in a terrible state. Nikolay is clearly sick - consumptive, painfully thin, with a wracking cough that shakes his whol...
Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Levin leaves Moscow in the morning and reaches home by evening. The train journey gives him time to think - he talks to neighbors about politics and r...
Chapter 27: Chapter 27
Levin sits alone in his big, old-fashioned house. It's a house far too large for one person, and he knows heating and using the whole place is stupid,...
Chapter 28: Chapter 28
The morning after the ball, Anna sends her husband a telegram saying she's leaving Moscow immediately. She tells Dolly the plans have changed in a ton...
Chapter 29: Chapter 29
Anna sits in her train compartment leaving Moscow and her first thought is relief: "Come, it's all over, and thank God!" She tells herself that tomorr...
Chapter 30: Chapter 30
The train arrives at the station in a raging snowstorm. Everything is covered with snow - the carriages, posts, people, scaffolding. The wind swoops d...
Chapter 31: Chapter 31
Vronsky hasn't even tried to sleep all night. He sits in his armchair on the train, staring straight ahead or scanning people who get in and out. He l...
Chapter 32: Chapter 32
Anna arrives home and the first person to meet her is her son Seryozha. He dashes down the stairs despite the governess's call, and with desperate joy...
Chapter 33: Chapter 33
Alexey Alexandrovitch comes back from his meeting at four o'clock, but as often happens, he doesn't come to see Anna. He goes straight to his study to...
Chapter 34: Chapter 34
Vronsky returns to Moscow from Petersburg, going to his large set of rooms in Morskaia which he'd left to his friend Petritsky. Petritsky is a young l...
Chapter 35: Chapter 35
At the end of winter, a consultation is being held at the Shtcherbatsky house about Kitty's health and what should be done to restore her failing stre...
Chapter 36: Chapter 36
Soon after the doctor leaves, Dolly arrives. She knows there's a consultation about Kitty today, and despite being "only just up after her confinement...
Chapter 37: Chapter 37
Dolly goes into Kitty's little room - a pretty, pink room full of knick-knacks in vieux saxe, "as fresh, and pink, and white, and gay as Kitty herself...
Chapter 38: Chapter 38
The chapter opens with an explanation of Petersburg high society's structure. "The highest Petersburg society is essentially one: in it everyone knows...
Chapter 39: Chapter 39
Vronsky is telling a story to someone (likely Betsy, given the previous chapter): "This is rather indiscreet, but it's so good it's an awful temptatio...
Chapter 40: Chapter 40
Princess Betsy drives home from the theater without waiting for the last act. She barely has time to go to her dressing-room, powder her long pale fac...
Chapter 41: Chapter 41
Steps are heard at the door. Princess Betsy, knowing it's Madame Karenina, glances at Vronsky. "He was looking towards the door, and his face wore a s...
Chapter 42: Chapter 42
Alexey Alexandrovitch Karenin has seen nothing striking or improper in the fact that his wife was sitting with Vronsky at a table apart, in eager conv...
Chapter 43: Chapter 43
Anna comes in with hanging head, playing with the tassels of her hood. "Her face was brilliant and glowing; but this glow was not one of brightness; i...
Chapter 44: Chapter 44
From that time, a new life begins for Alexey Alexandrovitch and his wife. But it's a strange, hollow new life. Nothing special happens outwardly. "Ann...
Chapter 45: Chapter 45
This is one of the most important chapters in the novel - Anna and Vronsky have just become lovers. "That which for Vronsky had been almost a whole ye...
Chapter 46: Chapter 46
In the early days after returning from Moscow, whenever Levin remembers the disgrace of his rejection, he shudders and grows red. But he tells himself...
Chapter 47: Chapter 47
Levin puts on his big boots and, for the first time, a cloth jacket instead of his fur cloak, and goes out to look after his farm. He steps over strea...
Chapter 48: Chapter 48
Levin rides up to his house "in the happiest frame of mind" and hears a bell ring at the entrance. "Yes, that's someone from the railway station," he ...
Chapter 49: Chapter 49
The chapter is about a hunting expedition. "The place fixed on for the stand-shooting was not far above a stream in a little aspen copse. On reaching ...
Chapter 50: Chapter 50
On the way home, Levin asks all the details of Kitty's illness and the Shtcherbatskys' plans. "And though he would have been ashamed to admit it, he w...
Chapter 51: Chapter 51
Stepan Arkadyevitch goes upstairs "with his pocket bulging with notes, which the merchant had paid him for three months in advance. The business of th...
Chapter 52: Chapter 52
Although all Vronsky's "inner life was absorbed in his passion, his external life unalterably and inevitably followed along the old accustomed lines o...
Chapter 53: Chapter 53
On the day of the races at Krasnoe Selo, Vronsky comes early to eat beefsteak in the regimental messroom. "He had no need to be strict with himself, a...
Chapter 54: Chapter 54
Vronsky is staying in "a roomy, clean, Finnish hut, divided into two by a partition. Petritsky lived with him in camp too." They're at a military camp...
Chapter 55: Chapter 55
The temporary stable is a wooden shed near the race course where Vronsky's mare has been taken. "He had not yet seen her there. During the last few da...
Chapter 56: Chapter 56
The rain "did not last long, and by the time Vronsky arrived, his shaft-horse trotting at full speed and dragging the trace-horses galloping through t...
Chapter 57: Chapter 57
Vronsky "had several times already, though not so resolutely as now, tried to bring her to consider their position, and every time he had been confron...
Chapter 58: Chapter 58
When Vronsky "looked at his watch on the Karenins' balcony, he was so greatly agitated and lost in his thoughts that he saw the figures on the watch's...
Chapter 59: Chapter 59
There were "seventeen officers in all riding in this race. The race course was a large three-mile ring of the form of an ellipse in front of the pavil...
Chapter 60: Chapter 60
The external relations of Alexey Alexandrovitch and his wife "had remained unchanged. The sole difference lay in the fact that he was more busily occu...
Chapter 61: Chapter 61
Anna was "upstairs, standing before the looking-glass, and, with Annushka's assistance, pinning the last ribbon on her gown when she heard carriage wh...
Chapter 62: Chapter 62
When Alexey Alexandrovitch "reached the race-course, Anna was already sitting in the pavilion beside Betsy, in that pavilion where all the highest soc...
Chapter 63: Chapter 63
Everyone was "loudly expressing disapprobation, everyone was repeating a phrase someone had uttered—'The lions and gladiators will be the next thing,'...
Chapter 64: Chapter 64
The novel shifts to a completely different storyline. "In the little German watering-place to which the Shtcherbatskys had betaken themselves" - Kitty...
Chapter 65: Chapter 65
It was "a wet day; it had been raining all the morning, and the invalids, with their parasols, had flocked into the arcades." Everyone at the spa has ...
Chapter 66: Chapter 66
The princess learns Varenka's backstory: "Madame Stahl, of whom some people said that she had worried her husband out of his life, while others said i...
Chapter 67: Chapter 67
Kitty made "the acquaintance of Madame Stahl too, and this acquaintance, together with her friendship with Varenka, did not merely exercise a great in...
Chapter 68: Chapter 68
Before the end of the spa treatment, "Prince Shtcherbatsky, who had gone on from Carlsbad to Baden and Kissingen to Russian friends—to get a breath of...
Chapter 69: Chapter 69
The prince "communicated his good humor to his own family and his friends, and even to the German landlord in whose rooms the Shtcherbatskys were stay...
Chapter 70: Chapter 70
This begins Part Three. "Sergey Ivanovitch Koznishev wanted a rest from mental work, and instead of going abroad as he usually did, he came towards th...
Chapter 71: Chapter 71
Early in June, "Agafea Mihalovna, the old nurse and housekeeper, in carrying to the cellar a jar of mushrooms she had just pickled, slipped, fell, and...
Chapter 72: Chapter 72
Do you know, I've been thinking about you," said Sergey Ivanovitch." He wants to discuss Levin's civic responsibilities. "It's beyond everything what'...
Chapter 73: Chapter 73
The personal matter that absorbed Levin during his conversation with his brother was this. Once in a previous year he had gone to look at the mowing, ...
Chapter 74: Chapter 74
After lunch Levin "was not in the same place in the string of mowers as before, but stood between the old man who had accosted him jocosely, and now i...
Chapter 75: Chapter 75
Mashkin Upland was mown, the last row finished, the peasants had put on their coats and were gaily trudging home. Levin got on his horse and, parting ...
Chapter 76: Chapter 76
Stepan Arkadyevitch "had gone to Petersburg to perform the most natural and essential official duty—so familiar to everyone in the government service,...
Chapter 77: Chapter 77
Towards the end of May, everything had "been more or less satisfactorily arranged, she received her husband's answer to her complaints of the disorgan...
Chapter 78: Chapter 78
On the drive home, "as Darya Alexandrovna, with all her children round her, their heads still wet from their bath, and a kerchief tied over her own he...
Chapter 79: Chapter 79
Kitty writes to me that there's nothing she longs for so much as quiet and solitude," Dolly said after the silence that had followed." They're discuss...
Chapter 80: Chapter 80
In the middle of July the elder of the village on Levin's sister's estate, about fifteen miles from Pokrovskoe, came to Levin to report on how things ...
Chapter 81: Chapter 81
The load was "tied on. Ivan jumped down and took the quiet, sleek horse by the bridle. The young wife flung the rake up on the load, and with a bold s...
Chapter 82: Chapter 82
The chapter shifts to Karenin and reveals a surprising secret: "None but those who were most intimate with Alexey Alexandrovitch knew that, while on t...
Chapter 83: Chapter 83
As he neared Petersburg, Alexey Alexandrovitch not only adhered entirely to his decision, but was even composing in his head the letter he would write...
Chapter 84: Chapter 84
Though Anna had obstinately and with exasperation contradicted Vronsky when he told her their position was impossible, at the bottom of her heart she ...
Chapter 85: Chapter 85
All the rooms of the summer villa were full of porters, gardeners, and footmen going to and fro carrying out things. Cupboards and chests were open; t...
Chapter 86: Chapter 86
The croquet party Princess Tverskaya (Betsy) has invited Anna to "was to consist of two ladies and their adorers. These two ladies were the chief repr...
Chapter 87: Chapter 87
They heard "the sound of steps and a man's voice, then a woman's voice and laughter, and immediately thereafter there walked in the expected guests: S...
Chapter 88: Chapter 88
In spite of Vronsky's "apparently frivolous life in society, he was a man who hated irregularity. In early youth in the Corps of Pages, he had experie...
Chapter 89: Chapter 89
Vronsky's life "was particularly happy in that he had a code of principles, which defined with unfailing certitude what he ought and what he ought not...
Chapter 90: Chapter 90
Petritsky comes to fetch Vronsky: "Your _lessive_ lasted a good time today. Well, is it over?" The financial reckoning is done. "It is over," answered...
Chapter 91: Chapter 91
It was "six o'clock already, and so, in order to be there quickly, and at the same time not to drive with his own horses, known to everyone, Vronsky g...
Chapter 92: Chapter 92
On Monday there was "the usual sitting of the Commission of the 2nd of June. Alexey Alexandrovitch walked into the hall where the sitting was held, gr...
Chapter 93: Chapter 93
The night spent by Levin on the haycock "did not pass without result for him. The way in which he had been managing his land revolted him and had lost...
Chapter 94: Chapter 94
In the Surovsky district "there was no railway nor service of post horses, and Levin drove there with his own horses in his big, old-fashioned carriag...
Chapter 95: Chapter 95
Sviazhsky "was the marshal of his district. He was five years older than Levin, and had long been married. His sister-in-law, a young girl Levin liked...
Chapter 96: Chapter 96
A landowner complains: "If I'd only the heart to throw up what's been set going ... such a lot of trouble wasted ... I'd turn my back on the whole bus...
Chapter 97: Chapter 97
Levin "was insufferably bored that evening with the ladies; he was stirred as he had never been before by the idea that the dissatisfaction he was fee...
Chapter 98: Chapter 98
The carrying out of Levin's plan "presented many difficulties; but he struggled on, doing his utmost, and attained a result which, though not what he ...
Chapter 99: Chapter 99
At the end of September the timber had been carted for building the cattleyard on the land that had been allotted to the association of peasants, and ...
Chapter 100: Chapter 100
Running halfway down the staircase, Levin caught a sound he knew, a familiar cough in the hall. But he heard it indistinctly through the sound of his ...
Chapter 101: Chapter 101
Levin "had long before made the observation that when one is uncomfortable with people from their being excessively amenable and meek, one is apt very...
Chapter 102: Chapter 102
The Karenins, husband and wife, "continued living in the same house, met every day, but were complete strangers to one another." They maintain the fac...
Chapter 103: Chapter 103
When he got home, Vronsky found there a note from Anna. She wrote, "I am ill and unhappy. I cannot come out, but I cannot go on longer without seeing ...
Chapter 104: Chapter 104
You met him?" she asked, when they had sat down at the table in the lamplight. "You're punished, you see, for being late." She's teasing but there's a...
Chapter 105: Chapter 105
Alexey Alexandrovitch, after meeting Vronsky on his own steps, drove, as he had intended, to the Italian opera." Karenin encounters Vronsky leaving hi...
Chapter 106: Chapter 106
The waiting-room of the celebrated Petersburg lawyer was full when Alexey Alexandrovitch entered it." The lawyer is famous, his office crowded with cl...
Chapter 107: Chapter 107
Alexey Alexandrovitch had gained a brilliant victory at the sitting of the Commission of the 17th of August, but in the sequel this victory cut the gr...
Chapter 108: Chapter 108
The next day was Sunday. Stepan Arkadyevitch went to the Grand Theater to a rehearsal of the ballet, and gave Masha Tchibisova, a pretty dancing-girl ...
Chapter 109: Chapter 109
Alexey Alexandrovitch, on coming back from church service, had spent the whole morning indoors. He had two pieces of business before him that morning;...
Chapter 110: Chapter 110
It was past five, and several guests had already arrived, before the host himself got home. He went in together with Sergey Ivanovitch Koznishev and P...
Chapter 111: Chapter 111
Pestsov liked thrashing an argument out to the end, and was not satisfied with Sergey Ivanovitch's words, especially as he felt the injustice of his v...
Chapter 112: Chapter 112
Everyone took part in the conversation except Kitty and Levin." They're silent while others debate. "At first, when they were talking of the influence...
Chapter 113: Chapter 113
Connected with the conversation that had sprung up on the rights of women there were certain questions as to the inequality of rights in marriage impr...
Chapter 114: Chapter 114
When they rose from table, Levin would have liked to follow Kitty into the drawing-room; but he was afraid she might dislike this, as too obviously pa...
Chapter 115: Chapter 115
When Kitty had gone and Levin was left alone, he felt such uneasiness without her, and such an impatient longing to get as quickly, as quickly as poss...
Chapter 116: Chapter 116
The streets were still empty. Levin went to the house of the Shtcherbatskys. The visitors' doors were closed and everything was asleep." He arrives to...
Chapter 117: Chapter 117
The 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 w...
Chapter 118: Chapter 118
Unconsciously going over in his memory the conversations that had taken place during and after dinner, Alexey Alexandrovitch returned to his solitary ...
Chapter 119: Chapter 119
After the conversation with Alexey Alexandrovitch, Vronsky went out onto the steps of the Karenins' house and stood still, with difficulty remembering...
Chapter 120: Chapter 120
The mistake made by Alexey Alexandrovitch in that, when preparing for seeing his wife, he had overlooked the possibility that her repentance might be ...
Chapter 121: Chapter 121
Karenin returns to Anna's room after Betsy leaves, and the atmosphere is suffocating with unspoken hatred. Anna has been crying, and when her husband ...
Chapter 122: Chapter 122
Stepan Arkadyevitch (Stiva) arrives at the Karenins' just as Princess Betsy is leaving, and they have a hushed conversation in the corner of the drawi...
Chapter 123: Chapter 123
Stepan Arkadyevitch walks into Karenin's room with unusual solemnity, feeling an unfamiliar sense of embarrassment - perhaps his conscience telling hi...
Chapter 124: Chapter 124
Vronsky's suicide attempt nearly killed him - the wound was dangerous though it didn't touch his heart, and for days he hovered between life and death...
Chapter 125: Chapter 125
Part Five begins with wedding preparations in full swing - but it's complicated. Princess Shtcherbatskaya thinks it's impossible to have the wedding b...
Chapter 126: Chapter 126
On his wedding day, following Russian custom, Levin doesn't see Kitty and instead has a bachelor dinner with three friends: his brother Sergey, Profes...
Chapter 127: Chapter 127
The church is packed for Levin and Kitty's wedding. Crowds throng outside, peering through windows. More than twenty carriages line the street. Inside...
Chapter 128: Chapter 128
'They've come!' 'She looks more dead than alive!' the crowd comments as Levin walks with Kitty into the church. Guests whisper about the shirt delay. ...
Chapter 129: Chapter 129
All Moscow is at the wedding - friends, relations, gaily dressed women and men in white ties. During the ceremony there's 'an incessant flow of discre...
Chapter 130: Chapter 130
The beadle spreads pink silk before the lectern. The choir sings, bass and tenor in response. The priest points the bridal pair to the pink silk rug. ...
Chapter 131: Chapter 131
Vronsky and Anna have been traveling Europe for three months - Venice, Rome, Naples. They've arrived at a small Italian town to stay awhile. At their ...
Chapter 132: Chapter 132
Anna feels 'unpardonably happy' in this first period of emancipation. Her husband's unhappiness doesn't poison her happiness - that memory is too awfu...
Chapter 133: Chapter 133
The old palazzo - carved ceilings, frescoes, mosaic floors, yellow curtains, vases, fireplaces, gloomy rooms hung with pictures - confirms Vronsky's '...
Chapter 134: Chapter 134
Mihailov was working when Vronsky and Golenishtchev's cards arrived. He'd been at his big picture. At home he raged at his wife for not putting off th...
Chapter 135: Chapter 135
Entering the studio, Mihailov scans his visitors, notes Vronsky's expression and jaws. His artistic sense unceasingly collects materials. He rapidly f...
Chapter 136: Chapter 136
Anna, Vronsky, and Golenishtchev visit the artist Mihailov's studio. While viewing his paintings, they suddenly cry out in delight over a small pictur...
Chapter 137: Chapter 137
Mihailov paints Anna's portrait, and from the fifth sitting it impresses everyone—especially Vronsky—with both its resemblance and its characteristic ...
Chapter 138: Chapter 138
Levin had been married three months. "He was happy, but not at all in the way he had expected to be. At every step he found his former dreams disappoi...
Chapter 139: Chapter 139
They had just come back from Moscow and were glad to be alone. He sat at the writing-table in his study, working. She wore "the dark lilac dress she h...
Chapter 140: Chapter 140
A peaceful domestic scene—Levin comes upstairs to find Kitty having tea with Agafea Mihalovna, reading letters from Dolly. The servant's affectionate ...
Chapter 141: Chapter 141
They arrive at a provincial hotel that pretends to be modern but is actually filthy—"with astounding rapidity transformed into filthy taverns with a p...
Chapter 142: Chapter 142
Levin "could not look calmly at his brother; he could not himself be natural and calm in his presence." He smells the awful odor, sees the dirt and di...
Chapter 143: Chapter 143
"Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." Levin thinks of this biblical text as he watches his wife t...
Chapter 144: Chapter 144
The next day Nikolay receives the sacrament and extreme unction. His "great eyes, fastened on the holy image," express "such passionate prayer and hop...
Chapter 145: Chapter 145
From the moment Karenin understood "from his interviews with Betsy and with Stepan Arkadyevitch that all that was expected of him was to leave his wif...
Chapter 146: Chapter 146
"Alexey Alexandrovitch had forgotten the Countess Lidia Ivanovna, but she had not forgotten him." At his "bitterest moment of his lonely despair she c...
Chapter 147: Chapter 147
"The Countess Lidia Ivanovna had, as a very young and sentimental girl, been married to a wealthy man of high rank, an extremely good-natured, jovial,...
Chapter 148: Chapter 148
"The levee was drawing to a close. People met as they were going away, and gossiped of the latest news, of the newly bestowed honors and the changes i...
Chapter 149: Chapter 149
Karenin arrives at Countess Lidia's boudoir. She gives him Anna's letter, "breathing hard and flushing crimson." "I don't think I have the right to r...
Chapter 150: Chapter 150
Seryozha returns home rosy and cheerful from his walk, the day before his birthday. He eagerly asks the hall-porter Kapitonitch about the "bandaged cl...
Chapter 151: Chapter 151
While waiting for his father's lesson, Seryozha dreams of his mother. His favorite occupation during walks is searching for her—every dark-haired woma...
Chapter 152: Chapter 152
Anna and Vronsky return to Petersburg and stay in separate hotel rooms—already a sign of their precarious position. Vronsky visits his family, who pol...
Chapter 153: Chapter 153
Anna returned to Petersburg for one reason: to see her son Seryozha. She's obsessed over it since Italy, building it up in her mind until it's become ...
Chapter 154: Chapter 154
The tutor Vassily Lukitch realizes the lady with Seryozha is Anna—the mother who abandoned her family. He's torn between duty and compassion, but hear...
Chapter 155: Chapter 155
Anna returns to her hotel room in shock. She sits staring at a clock, unable to process what just happened. "Yes, it's all over, and I am again alone....
Chapter 156: Chapter 156
Vronsky returns home to find Anna gone—she left without telling him where. When she finally returns, she's brought Princess Oblonskaya and is acting s...
Chapter 157: Chapter 157
Vronsky experiences something new: anger toward Anna, almost hatred, for refusing to understand her position. He can't tell her what he's thinking—tha...
Chapter 158: Chapter 158
The Levins' house is packed with summer guests. Dolly and her children are staying because her own estate is in ruins. Kitty's mother (the old princes...
Chapter 159: Chapter 159
The ladies gather on the terrace after dinner for sewing, knitting baby clothes, and making jam. But there's drama: Kitty has introduced a new method ...
Chapter 160: Chapter 160
Kitty is glad to be alone with Levin—she noticed the "shade of mortification" on his face when he arrived at the terrace and got no answer about what ...
Chapter 161: Chapter 161
Varenka, in her white kerchief and surrounded by children, is "visibly excited at the possibility of receiving a declaration from the man she cared fo...
Chapter 162: Chapter 162
"Varvara Andreevna, when I was very young, I set before myself the ideal of the woman I loved and should be happy to call my wife. I have lived throug...
Chapter 163: Chapter 163
During the children's tea, everyone sits on the balcony "and talked as though nothing had happened," though they all—especially Sergey and Varenka—kno...
Chapter 164: Chapter 164
Levin returns only when summoned for supper. On the stairs, Kitty asks: "Kostya, stop, what's the matter?" But "he strode ruthlessly away to the dinin...
Chapter 165: Chapter 165
Before the ladies are up, the wagonette and trap are ready. Laska the dog, "aware since early morning that they were going shooting," sits excitedly w...
Chapter 166: Chapter 166
Stepan Arkadyevitch outlines their hunting plan: drive to Gvozdyov (fifteen miles), shoot grouse and snipe in the marshes, spend the night, then tackl...
Chapter 167: Chapter 167
They arrive at the main marsh too early, still hot from Veslovsky's eager driving. Levin secretly wants to ditch Veslovsky and hunt freely. Oblonsky f...
Chapter 168: Chapter 168
They arrive at the peasant's hut where Veslovsky sits laughing, getting his muddy boots pulled off. He raves about the peasants' hospitality—the bread...
Chapter 169: Chapter 169
Levin wakes at earliest dawn and tries waking his companions. Vassenka lies on his stomach, one stocking-clad leg thrust out, sleeping so soundly he w...
Chapter 170: Chapter 170
The sportsman's saying proves true: missing the first shot means bad luck; making it means luck. Levin's day turns gloriously lucky. At ten o'clock, ...
Chapter 171: Chapter 171
Next morning, Levin visits Veslovsky's room. They walk the garden, visit stables, do gymnastics. In the drawing-room, Veslovsky approaches pregnant Ki...
Chapter 172: Chapter 172
After escorting Kitty upstairs, Levin visits Dolly, who's scolding Masha. He needs advice but arrives at an unlucky moment. "I've been alone in the g...
Chapter 173: Chapter 173
'Darya Alexandrovna carried out her intention and went to see Anna.' Despite family objections and social scandal, Dolly decides to visit Anna at her ...
Chapter 174: Chapter 174
Dolly's carriage reaches Vronsky's estate. The coachman pulls up four horses near peasants working in a rye field. The clerk shouts for directions. A ...
Chapter 175: Chapter 175
'Anna looked at Dolly's thin, care-worn face, with its wrinkles filled with dust from the road,' and was sorry to see how her sister-in-law has aged a...
Chapter 176: Chapter 176
Dolly's visit to Anna continues. They talk with the complicated intimacy of sisters-in-law who've lived through so much. Anna shows off her beautiful ...
Chapter 177: Chapter 177
Anna brings Dolly to the terrace where Princess Varvara sits embroidering. "Here's Dolly for you, princess, you were so anxious to see her." Princess...
Chapter 178: Chapter 178
More of Dolly's visit. The conversations grow more honest and painful. Anna begins revealing the reality beneath the beautiful surface—her anxiety abo...
Chapter 179: Chapter 179
Anna finds Dolly home and looks intently, questioning silently about her talk with Vronsky. "It's dinner time. I'm reckoning on the evening. Now I wan...
Chapter 180: Chapter 180
The visit continues with increasing emotional exposure. Anna's defenses crumble and she admits her desperation. She's trapped—can't go back, can't mov...
Chapter 181: Chapter 181
Anna reveals even more painfully honest details about her situation with Vronsky. The glamorous affair has become a cage. Her confession to Dolly serv...
Chapter 182: Chapter 182
Vronsky and Anna spend the whole summer and part of winter in the country, taking no steps toward divorce. They understand they won't go anywhere, but...
Chapter 183: Chapter 183
After Dolly's departure, Anna is left alone with her thoughts. The visit has stirred up everything she tries to suppress—her losses, her insecurity, h...
Chapter 184: Chapter 184
Anna's mood darkens further after Dolly leaves. The temporary distraction of a visitor is gone, leaving her face-to-face with her anxieties about Vron...
Chapter 185: Chapter 185
Anna's jealousy and paranoia continue to grow. She can't stop her anxious thoughts even though she recognizes they're irrational. The chapter depicts ...
Chapter 186: Chapter 186
Levin struggles with profound spiritual questions about life's meaning and purpose, wrestling with doubts that have plagued him since his brother's de...
Chapter 187: Chapter 187
Anna's mental state continues deteriorating. The beautiful estate feels like a prison. Vronsky's absences, once tolerable, now feel like abandonment. ...
Chapter 188: Chapter 188
Vronsky hosts dinner for the newly elected marshal and successful party. He'd come to elections partly from boredom, partly to show Anna his right to ...
Chapter 189: Chapter 189
Before Vronsky's departure, Anna resolved to control herself. But his cold glance wounded her, destroying her peace. In solitude, she reaches her usu...
Chapter 190: Chapter 190
Anna's despair deepens. She tries to distract herself but nothing works. Her thoughts circle obsessively around Vronsky—where is he, what is he doing,...
Chapter 191: Chapter 191
The pattern continues—Anna's paranoid thoughts alternating with moments of forced calm. She tries to read, to occupy herself, but her mind always retu...
Chapter 192: Chapter 192
Levin working his estate, finding temporary satisfaction in physical farm work. His hands in the soil, sweat on his brow—this feels real in a way phil...
Chapter 193: Chapter 193
Anna considers her options and realizes she has none. She can't go back to Karenin, can't marry Vronsky (he won't divorce), can't see her son, can't e...
Chapter 194: Chapter 194
Anna's thoughts turn darker. She begins contemplating death as the only solution. Not actively planning suicide yet, but entertaining it as possibilit...
Chapter 195: Chapter 195
The suicidal thoughts intensify. Anna's mind keeps returning to death as the answer—it would hurt Vronsky (making him feel remorse), reunite her with ...
Chapter 196: Chapter 196
Anna's final mental deterioration continues. She's beyond rational thought now, lost in a dark maze of obsession and despair. Small things feel like c...
Chapter 197: Chapter 197
Levin managing harvest work. The urgency of bringing in crops before weather turns demands his full attention. The chapter shows how practical demands...
Chapter 198: Chapter 198
Anna's final train journey begins. She's in a dissociated, dreamlike state—seeing everything through the fog of her despair. The sights along the rail...
Chapter 199: Chapter 199
Levin's crisis deepens as he recognizes that all his intellectual efforts have led nowhere. He's no closer to understanding life's meaning than when h...
Chapter 200: Chapter 200
Levin finds himself in a state of spiritual crisis as he grapples with questions about the meaning of life and his place in the world. Despite his mat...
Chapter 201: Chapter 201
Anna makes the fatal decision. The chapter leading to her death shows her in a dissociated state—observing herself from outside, feeling that events a...
Chapter 202: Chapter 202
Levin finds himself in a state of profound spiritual awakening as he contemplates his newfound understanding of life's meaning. The revelation that ca...
Chapter 203: Chapter 203
Levin stands in his study, overwhelmed by the weight of everything that has happened. The news of Anna's death hits him like a physical blow, bringing...
Chapter 204: Chapter 204
Levin finds himself completely transformed by his spiritual awakening, but struggles to translate this inner change into his daily life. He discovers ...
Chapter 205: Chapter 205
More estate work and practical concerns. Levin manages workers, plans plantings, handles the endless details of agricultural life. The chapter shows h...
Chapter 206: Chapter 206
Levin finds himself alone with his thoughts after Kitty falls asleep, wrestling with the profound questions that have consumed him since his brother's...
Chapter 207: Chapter 207
Levin finds himself caught between two worlds as he tries to balance his philosophical conversations with educated visitors and his deep connection to...
Chapter 208: Chapter 208
After Anna's death, the consequences ripple outward. Vronsky is devastated, consumed by guilt and grief. The chapter shows how her suicide achieves wh...
Chapter 209: Chapter 209
More aftermath of Anna's suicide. Others learn of her death and react variously—shock, pity, sanctimony, relief. Society that condemned her alive now ...
Chapter 210: Chapter 210
After Anna's death, the focus shifts to the larger political context. Russia is involved in the Slavic wars, volunteers are gathering, nationalism is ...
Chapter 211: Chapter 211
More of the political/historical context. Vronsky, devastated by Anna's death, finds purpose in joining the war effort as a volunteer. The chapter sho...
Chapter 212: Chapter 212
The chapter continues exploring Russia's involvement in the Slavic conflicts. Different characters have different views—some see it as holy cause, oth...
Chapter 213: Chapter 213
Approaching the breakthrough, Levin is at his most desperate. He hides ropes, avoids guns, fears he'll kill himself at any moment. Yet his life contin...
Chapter 214: Chapter 214
Back to Levin's story, some time after Anna's death. Life continues for those not directly touched by tragedy. Levin is still grappling with his philo...
Chapter 215: Chapter 215
Levin continues his intellectual and spiritual struggle. He reads, thinks, questions, but can't find answers through reason alone. The chapter shows h...
Chapter 216: Chapter 216
More political and social debates about the war, the volunteers, the nation's direction. Characters argue about whether Russia should intervene in the...
Chapter 217: Chapter 217
Levin's quest continues with increasing urgency. He's intellectually honest enough to admit reason hasn't solved his existential despair. The chapter ...
Chapter 218: Chapter 218
Levin throws himself into physical labor with his peasants, finding a profound peace that has eluded him for months. As he works alongside them cuttin...
Chapter 219: Chapter 219
The political arguments continue. Tolstoy explores how people convince themselves their opinions represent universal truth, when really they represent...
Chapter 220: Chapter 220
More of Levin's philosophical searching. He's reading widely, thinking deeply, but feeling further from answers. The chapter emphasizes the paradox: t...
Chapter 221: Chapter 221
Levin continues to disagree with the prevailing enthusiasm for the Slavic cause. He questions whether the war really represents the people's will or j...
Chapter 222: Chapter 222
The debates grow more intense. Levin's refusal to support the fashionable cause irritates others, especially Sergey Ivanovitch. The chapter explores t...
Chapter 223: Chapter 223
Levin wrestles with profound questions about life's meaning as he walks through his estate, feeling the weight of mortality and purpose. Despite his m...
Chapter 224: Chapter 224
More political tension as Levin persists in questioning the Slavic cause. Others see his skepticism as almost treasonous—how can he not support Russia...
Chapter 225: Chapter 225
Levin struggles with deep philosophical questions about meaning, mortality, and morality. Every intellectual approach fails. The chapter is part of To...
Chapter 226: Chapter 226
The final sections leading to Levin's spiritual breakthrough. The political debates recede as Levin's personal quest returns to focus. He's still torm...
Chapter 227: Chapter 227
Just before the breakthrough. Levin is in deep existential crisis, close to suicide despite his happy family life. The chapter emphasizes the paradox:...
Chapter 228: Chapter 228
Anna's final moments arrive as she stands on the train platform, overwhelmed by the chaos in her mind and the impossibility of her situation. The nois...
Chapter 229: Chapter 229
These doubts fretted and harassed Levin, growing weaker or stronger but never leaving him. He read and thought, 'and the more he read and the more he ...
Chapter 230: Chapter 230
When Levin thought what he was and what he was living for, 'he could find no answer to the questions and was reduced to despair, but he left off quest...
Chapter 231: Chapter 231
The day Sergey Ivanovitch came to Pokrovskoe was one of Levin's most painful days. It was 'the very busiest working time, when all the peasantry show ...
Chapter 232: Chapter 232
Levin strode along the highroad, 'absorbed not so much in his thoughts (he could not yet disentangle them) as in his spiritual condition, unlike anyth...
Chapter 233: Chapter 233
Levin remembered a scene with Dolly and her children. The children, left to themselves, began cooking raspberries over candles and squirting milk with...
Chapter 234: Chapter 234
Levin looked before him and saw a herd of cattle, then his trap with Raven in the shafts, and the coachman who drove up to the herd. He heard the ratt...
Chapter 235: Chapter 235
'Do you know, Kostya, with whom Sergey Ivanovitch traveled on his way here?' said Dolly, doling out cucumbers and honey to the children. 'With Vronsky...
Chapter 236: Chapter 236
Sergey Ivanovitch, being practiced in argument, did not reply but turned the conversation to another aspect. 'Oh, if you want to learn the spirit of t...
Chapter 237: Chapter 237
The old prince and Sergey Ivanovitch got into the trap and drove off; the rest of the party hastened homewards on foot. But the storm-clouds, 'turning...
Chapter 238: Chapter 238
During the whole of that day, 'in the extremely different conversations in which he took part, only as it were with the top layer of his mind, in spit...
Chapter 239: Chapter 239
Going out of the nursery and being alone, Levin went back to the thought with something not clear. Instead of going into the drawing-room, 'he stopped...
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Anna Karenina about?
Anna Karenina tells the story of a Russian aristocrat who sacrifices everything for a forbidden passion—and pays a price that reveals exactly how society decides which transgressions it will punish and which it will forgive. Set against the glittering backdrop of 1870s St. Petersburg and Moscow, Tolstoy weaves two parallel lives. Anna Karenina, beautiful and vivid, abandons her respectable marriage for Count Vronsky, a man who embodies everything her cold husband is not. What begins as liberation hardens into exile: cut off from her son, shunned by the society that once adored her, Anna watches the love that freed her slowly devour her from within. Jealousy replaces passion. Obsession replaces intimacy. And the woman who dared to want more finds herself wanting nothing but relief from wanting. Running alongside Anna's unraveling is Konstantin Levin, an idealistic landowner who stumbles through his own search for meaning. Levin doesn't burn—he fumbles. He fails at philosophy, politics, and romantic love before finding something steadier: meaning built through honest work, family, and hard-won spiritual acceptance. Where Anna flames and shatters, Levin quietly endures. The contrast is Tolstoy's real argument. He isn't condemning passion or praising duty. He's dissecting the architecture of the self—showing how different inner structures, one dependent on external validation, one rooted in something quieter and more durable, can lead to radically different fates. What's really going on: Tolstoy traces how passion becomes obsession, how society punishes women for the same acts it overlooks in men, how jealousy destroys the very love it tries to protect, and how the desperate search for transcendent meaning can lead to both profound wisdom and devastating ruin. This is Tolstoy at his most psychologically penetrating—a novel that doesn't warn us against love, but against losing yourself completely in the pursuit of it, until the life you chose becomes the one thing you can no longer bear.
What are the main themes in Anna Karenina?
The major themes in Anna Karenina include Identity, Class, Personal Growth, Human Relationships, Social Expectations. These themes are explored throughout the book's 239 chapters, offering insights into human nature and society that remain relevant today.
Why is Anna Karenina considered a classic?
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is considered a classic because it offers timeless insights into love & romance and morality & ethics. Written in 1877, the book continues to be studied in schools and universities for its literary merit and enduring relevance to modern readers.
How long does it take to read Anna Karenina?
Anna Karenina contains 239 chapters with an estimated total reading time of approximately 28 hours. Individual chapters range from 5-15 minutes each, making it manageable to read in shorter sessions.
Who should read Anna Karenina?
Anna Karenina is ideal for students studying classic fiction, book club members, and anyone interested in love & romance or morality & ethics. The book is rated advanced difficulty and is commonly assigned in high school and college literature courses.
Is Anna Karenina hard to read?
Anna Karenina is rated advanced difficulty. Our chapter-by-chapter analysis breaks down complex passages, explains historical context, and highlights key themes to make the text more accessible. Each chapter includes summaries, character analysis, and discussion questions to deepen your understanding.
Can I use this study guide for essays and homework?
Yes! Our study guide is designed to supplement your reading of Anna Karenina. Use it to understand themes, analyze characters, and find relevant quotes for your essays. However, always read the original text—this guide enhances but doesn't replace reading Leo Tolstoy's work.
What makes this different from SparkNotes or CliffsNotes?
Unlike traditional study guides, Amplified Classics shows you why Anna Karenina still matters today. Every chapter includes modern applications, life skills connections, and practical wisdom—not just plot summaries. Plus, it's 100% free with no ads or paywalls.
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Each chapter includes our Intelligence Amplifier™ analysis, showing how Anna Karenina's insights apply to modern challenges in career, relationships, and personal growth.
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