Summary
All happy families are alike; each unhappy
family is unhappy in its own way.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Confusion reigns in the Oblonsky household in Moscow.
Stiva Oblonsky has been unfaithful to his wife, Dolly, with their
children’s former governess. Stiva is distraught but not overly
remorseful. Dolly, meanwhile, is devastated and refuses to leave
her rooms. The servants advise Stiva to apologize repeatedly, predicting
that Dolly will calm down. Stiva finally visits Dolly, begging her
to remember their nine years of marriage. Dolly is inconsolable,
telling her husband he is disgusting and a total stranger to her.
Stiva goes to his office. His job is respectable and comfortable, thanks
to his charm and good connections. He receives a surprise visit
from an old friend, Konstantin Levin, who lives in the country. Stiva
introduces Levin to his business partners, saying that Levin is active
in the zemstvo, his village administrative board.
Levin reveals that he has quit his post on the board, and tells
Stiva that he has an important matter to discuss. They arrange to
meet for dinner. Stiva guesses the matter has something to do with
his sister-in-law, Kitty Shcherbatskaya, with whom he knows Levin
is in love.
While in Moscow, Levin stays with his half-brother, Koznyshev, whose
philosophical mindset sometimes perplexes Levin. The brothers discuss
Levin’s plan to visit their estranged and sickly third brother,
Nikolai, who is back in Moscow with a girlfriend. Koznyshev advises
Levin not to go, saying Levin cannot help Nikolai, who wishes to
be left alone.
Levin goes to the skating rink at the Zoological Gardens,
where he is sure he will find the charming Kitty. She is at the
rink, as expected. Levin and Kitty enjoy one another’s company together
on the ice until Levin confesses that he feels more confident whenever Kitty,
a less accomplished skater, leans on him for support. Kitty’s mood
suddenly darkens, and she sends Levin away. Levin grows upset and
goes off glumly to his dinner with Stiva.
Over the luxurious meal, Levin confesses to Stiva his
passionate love for Kitty. Stiva encourages Levin to be hopeful
but warns him of a rival for her affections, an officer named Alexei
Vronsky. Stiva then discusses his own problematic infatuation with
his children’s governess. Levin gently chastises Stiva for his behavior,
but Stiva laughingly calls Levin a moralist.
Kitty’s mother, Princess Shcherbatskaya, weighs the relative
merits of Vronsky and Levin as suitors. She is disconcerted by Levin’s awkwardness
and generally favors Vronsky. But the Princess is also aware that
young Russian noblewomen of the new generation prefer to choose
their husbands for themselves rather than submit to their parents’
arrangements.
