Anna Karenina, Part 7, Chapter 9 summary
Part 7, Chapter 9 of 239 · 5 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 9, Levin questions whether he should visit Anna while Stepan Arkadyevitch describes her delayed divorce, isolation, writing, and help for an English trainer’s family. At her home, Levin becomes absorbed in her portrait, then meets Anna herself and finds an appeal that the painting cannot convey.
What happens
- Leaving the club, Levin loses his comfortable mood and wonders what Kitty would think of his visit to Anna.
- Stepan Arkadyevitch explains that Anna’s divorce remains delayed by complications involving her son, leaving her socially isolated in Moscow.
- He praises her children’s manuscript and describes her personal care for an English trainer’s destitute family.
- They enter Anna’s home and learn that M. Vorkuev is with her in the study.
- Levin becomes absorbed in Anna’s portrait before she approaches and greets him, matching its beauty but adding living freshness.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Anna Karenina, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
In this chapter
What to notice
The sentence marks Levin’s shift from admiring an image to encountering Anna herself. It distinguishes painted perfection from the attraction of a living person.
Quick check
What delays Anna’s divorce, according to Stepan Arkadyevitch?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Anna Karenina, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
