Summary
In Moscow, Levin and Kitty await the birth of their child.
Kitty notes how anxious and wary Levin is in the city compared to
the countryside. He dislikes the men’s club and its attendant socializing but
has few other ways to pass the time. In her condition, Kitty rarely
goes out. On one occasion, however, she does leave the house and
encounters Vronsky, whom she addresses calmly, pleased at her ability
to master her former romantic feelings for him.
Levin is uncomfortably aware of the expenses of city life,
noting that the cost of his city servants’ uniforms could pay for
two summer workers on his farm. He meets the scholars Katavasov
and Metrov and discusses his book on Russian agriculture with them.
Metrov is agreeable but understands agricultural issues solely in
terms of capital and wages, ignoring the cultural factors that are
central to Levin’s thinking. Levin concludes that intellectual advancement
can come only from each scholar following his own ideas to the end.
He leaves to visit Lvov, the diplomat husband of Kitty’s sister
Natalie. Lvov complains about the studying required to keep up with
his children’s education, which he supervises.
Levin then goes to a concert and hears an orchestral piece
based on Shakespeare’s King Lear. Levin dislikes
the piece’s random connection of disparate moods, and the audience’s
enthusiastic applause perplexes him. Later, at a reception, Levin
discusses a recently concluded trial and finds himself repeating
words that he heard someone else say the day before. Then Levin
goes to the club, where he enjoys lewd and drunken conversation
with Stiva, Vronsky, and others, laughing so loudly that others
turn to look. Levin decides he likes Vronsky. Stiva asks Levin whether
he likes the gentlemen’s club—their “temple of idleness”—and notes
how lazy some of the members are. Levin gambles and loses forty
rubles. Stiva suddenly proposes a surprise visit to Anna, whom Levin
has never met. Levin agrees. Stiva explains Anna’s loneliness in
Moscow, saying that she passes her time writing a children’s book
and assisting in the education of the daughter of an impoverished
English family.
Stiva and Levin reach Anna’s home, where Levin immediately notices
Mikhailov’s portrait of her. Anna delights Levin with her sincerity,
beauty, and intelligence. The two discuss a variety of topics in
an easy and familiar way, and Levin is amazed by Anna’s grace and
facility in conversation. Levin asks why Anna supports the English
girl but not Russian schoolchildren. Anna replies that she only
loves this particular girl, and love is paramount. On parting, Anna
tells Levin that she does not wish Kitty to forgive her, for forgiveness
would be possible only if Kitty were to live through the same nightmare
Anna has experienced. Levin blushes and agrees to tell Kitty.
Levin returns home, aware of his fascination with and
attraction to Anna. He tells Kitty he has met Anna, and Kitty jealously
provokes a quarrel. Meanwhile, Anna, alone, wonders why Vronsky
is colder to her than Levin. When Vronsky returns, she chastises
him for preferring his male friends to her. Vronsky notes the clear
hostility in her tone. Anna speaks vaguely and ominously about a
disaster she is nearing and about her fear of herself.
Surprising even himself, Levin grows accustomed to his
expensive and superficial city life. One night, Kitty awakens him
with news that her labor has begun. Levin is dazed, aware only of
her suffering and the need to alleviate it. He picks up the doctor,
frustrated by delays. During the long labor, Levin becomes convinced
that Kitty will die during childbirth. When the doctor announces
that the birth has taken place, Levin can hardly believe he has
a son. Kitty is fine, but the sight of the red, shrieking infant
makes Levin feel a bizarre mix of pity and revulsion.
