Anna Karenina, Part 2, Chapter 6 summary
Part 2, Chapter 6 of 239 · 8 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 6, Princess Betsy receives guests after the theater, and their strained polite conversation gives way to gossip about clothes, relationships, and the Karenins. Princess Myakaya challenges the attacks on Anna and dismisses Alexey Alexandrovitch’s reputation for intelligence, while Vronsky arrives and admits his preference for entertainment considered less respectable than opera.
What happens
- Princess Betsy leaves the theater early and welcomes guests into a drawing room where they form two conversational groups.
- Attempts at clever, harmless conversation stall, and both groups turn to personal gossip.
- Princess Myakaya entertains the company by contrasting an expensive dinner sauce with her own inexpensive one.
- Guests suggest that Anna changes after Moscow and associate her with Alexey Vronsky.
- Princess Myakaya defends Anna against criticism and calls Alexey Alexandrovitch a fool despite his public reputation.
- Vronsky arrives and praises the opéra bouffe, prompting Princess Myakaya to question society’s standards of respectable entertainment.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Princess Myakaya challenges the guests’ authority to condemn Anna. Her defense turns their insinuations back toward their own position.
Quick check
How does Princess Myakaya respond to gossip about Anna?
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