Anna Karenina, Part 7, Chapter 20 summary

Part 7, Chapter 20 of 239 · 7 min to read the chapter

In Chapter 20, Stepan Arkadyevitch finds relief from family worries, debt, and aging in Petersburg, where fashionable society excuses the pleasures he enjoys. During a visit to Princess Betsy Tverskaya, Princess Myakaya tells him that Karenin and Countess Lidia Ivanovna rely on a clairvoyant whose advice may determine his sister's fate.

What happens

Petersburg restores Stepan Arkadyevitch's spirits by freeing him from the family and financial worries he feels in Moscow.
Bartnyansky laughs at Stepan Arkadyevitch's debts and describes his own much larger debts as compatible with comfortable living.
Stepan Arkadyevitch feels younger and compares his experience with Prince Pyotr Oblonsky's account of renewed energy abroad.
His joking flirtation with Princess Betsy Tverskaya becomes uncomfortable, but Princess Myakaya's arrival interrupts it.
Princess Myakaya defends his sister and criticizes Karenin's closeness to Lidia Ivanovna and Landau.
After hearing about an evening invitation, Princess Myakaya explains Landau's supposed powers and influence over the divorce question.