Chapters 1–34
Anna Karenina is a long, intricately structured novel divided into eight parts, each consisting of a series of short chapters. It begins with one of the most famous lines in literature: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” This statement sets the tone for the complex plot that follows.
The novel opens in the home of Prince Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky, known more commonly as Stiva. His household is in chaos, because Stiva has been unfaithful to his wife Darya Alexandrovna (Dolly). Dolly is devastated by her discovery of a note that proves without doubt that her husband is an adulterer. Deeply troubled by the situation, Stiva remains oddly unremorseful, a man with a passion for amorous adventure that he cannot control. To his mind, his behavior is perfectly natural, so he finds the family pressure to apologize to his wife. When he does finally visit Dolly in her room, Stiva is rejected openly despite his admonitions to remember the good times in their marriage. Hopeful that another woman might influence his wife more positively, Stiva asks his married sister, Anna Karenina, to come from her home in St. Petersburg and convince Dolly not to leave Stiva.
Heading off to his office, Stiva is met by an old friend, Konstantin Levin, who has just resigned his position within the zemstvo (village administrative committee) and has come to the city to discuss an important matter with his friend. Stiva surmises that the discussion will focus on Levin’s love for Ekaterına Shcherbatsky (Kitty).
During his stay in Moscow, Levin stays with his half-brother Sergei Koznyshev, whose philosophic view of the world has often put him at odds with his family. The brothers discuss Levin’s intentions to reconnect with their estranged, and now sickly, brother Nikolai, despite Sergei’s admonition that Nikolai wishes to be left alone.
Going to the skating rink at Moscow’s Zoological Gardens, Levin searches for Kitty, who often ventures there for exercise. After finding her, the two spend time together skating until Kitty’s mood suddenly changes, and she sends the now confused Levin away. Unsure of what has happened, Levin heads off to dinner with Stiva hoping to find the cause of Kitty’s dramatic change in mood. Levin finds out from Stiva that a military officer named Count Alexei Vronsky is also competing for Kitty’s affections. The two men then turn to a discussion of Stiva’s situation with Dolly. Levin voices his displeasure with his old friend, which Stiva dismisses almost nonchalantly as the expected response of a moralist.
Meanwhile, Kitty’s mother, Princess Shcherbatsky (known only as the Old Princess), considers the benefits and detriments of Levin or Vronsky as potential matches for her daughter. Relieved that no choice has been made, she is also keenly aware that the new generation of aristocratic women are turning away from the long held tradition of having their marriages arranged by their parents. Levin steps boldly forward, visiting Kitty one evening with a marriage proposal. Acknowledging her affection for him, Kitty declines his offer, telling him that it is Vronsky that she loves. Levin is devastated, a feeling that is exacerbated when he later meets his rival and finds that he is impressed by Vronsky.
Vronsky and Stiva cross paths at the train station. The former is there to meet his mother who is arriving from St. Petersburg, and the latter is there to meet Anna. When the train arrives, Vronsky greets his mother, who introduces him to Anna. The connection between Anna and Vronsky is immediate, based as much on personality and intellect as sexual energy. When the group leaves the train station, a worker is run over by a train and killed. A debate follows about whether the incident was accidental or a suicide. To Anna the point is moot because the death is “a bad omen” of things to come.
Upon meeting with Dolly, Anna convinces her sister-in-law that Stiva is suffering intense regret because of his betrayal. She also convinces Dolly that Stiva is capable of moving beyond what she calls his infatuation. People like Stiva “may be unfaithful,” she explains, “but their hearth and wife are sacred to them.”
With Dolly and Stiva reconciled, the household’s focus turns to an upcoming ball (dance party). At the ball, Vronsky sees Anna for the second time. She is dressed beautifully in a black gown. Although Vronsky dances often with Kitty, she is stunned when, for the final mazurka (a Polish folk dance) of the evening, he instead chooses Anna as his partner.
Although the status of the relationship between Kitty and Vronsky is the focus of much discussion within the Oblonsky home, it is Anna who struggles most profoundly with the presence of the young army officer in her life. Torn between her growing attraction to Vronsky, her concern with Kitty’s opinion of her, and her own sense of loyalty to her family in St. Petersburg, Anna decides to return home. On her way there, she is immediately relieved to leave the soldier behind, but at the same time she is tormented by doubt and anxiousness. Later, when Anna realizes that Vronsky has followed her to St. Petersburg, she is overwhelmed by a combination of excitement and pride. Although Anna is unable to sleep after she discovers Vronsky’s intentions, there is “nothing unpleasant or gloomy” in the “reveries that filled her imagination.” Thus, Anna is forced to acknowledge that there is “something joyful, burning, and exciting” about her feelings for Vronsky.
Upon arriving in St. Petersburg, Vronsky is introduced to Anna’s husband, Alexei Karenin. Watching the couple together, and noticing the absence of passion between Anna and her husband, the officer is certain that Karenin does not love his wife. Based on this belief, Vronsky makes arrangements to attend the various social and cultural events that Anna attends.
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