First Impressions of Anna

Finally, we meet the title character! Although Tolstoy and I started off on the wrong foot when I read his rather self-pitying portrayal of Levin being humiliated by the "city folk," he more than made up for it with his introduction of Anna. How many novelists are brave enough to make their heroines full-figured, unconventionally beautiful mothers? Anna isn't a love goddess fresh off the train to conquer Moscow, but (at first impression) a perfectly believable woman. It isn't until second glance that you notice what sets her apart: her alert gray eyes, her grace and poise, and the brilliant soul overflowing her body. Quite the contrast to some other novels (and film adaptations...) I know. Step aside, air-headed blonde princesses - time for a grown-up to take the role!

The Food of the Anglia

To help portray the garishness of the surroundings of Levin and Stiva's dinner (pgs 33-39), Tolstoy gives us a intricate menu of lavish foodstuffs: turbot with Beaumarchais sauce, capons a l'estragon, Flensburg oysters, soup "printaniere," and Chablis wine. Of course, to the 21st century reader, turbot has about as much meaning as 28 roubles from Tolstoy's time. Here are some translations of the foods that Levin and Stiva enjoyed (or didn't).

Turbot with beaumarchais:

The turbot (tur-but) is a "delicately-flavored" flatfish (much like halibut) with bright white flesh. Beaumarchais remains a mystery...

Capons a l'estragon:

A capon (ready for this?) is a castrated male chicken. Invented by the Romans, the method of producing capons is actually illegal in England, due to concerns about animal cruelty. Basically, the testes of the rooster are completely removed through an abdominal incision, in order to slow the rooster's metabolism and produce a more docile, easier-to-fatten bird. The meat of a capon is supposed to be less stringy and more juicy than that of a normal bird. A l'estragon means "with tarragon," an essential French cooking herb.

Flensburg oysters:

Flensburg is a German port, well-known in the past for its fisheries. Oysters, of course, are a "rich man's indulgence" - and, interestingly enough, are renowned for their supposed aphrodisiacal qualities. Sweet rolls for dessert, Stiva?

Soup "printaniere":

Clear soup with various spring greens, i.e. asparagus, pearl onions...

Chablis wine:

A very dry white wine, much like Chardonnay

And 28 roubles equals about $0.89 today, but obviously was a princely sum in the late 1800s.

Prince Stiva Oblonsky: Likable Lady's Man, or Conceited Pollyanna?

Ladies love him, his friends envy him, his servants fawn over him, and his governesses, well, let's just say they can't resist him...but, what about you? Do you find Stiva an amiable representative of a quaint aristocracy, or do you resent the hypocriticalness/irony of a liberal Russian prince in the 1870s?

And let the Tolstoy begin...

"All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"

Chances are, even if you discover that you loath Leo Tolstoy, you'll make it to this sentence in Anna Karenina. I think that perhaps Tolstoy himself must have come from an unhappy family to give us this line - it sounds a little bit like an outsider's perspective on familial bliss, doesn't it?

According to NovelGuide.com, AK follows the tribulations and triumphs of three separate families, throughout its bulk (and when I say bulk, I mean BULK. If you have a copy of AK on hold from the library, let me prepare you for a bit of a shock...it's not exactly a light read [sorry, couldn't resist]. But I'm sure we can make it through together...in about 2 months). So, I would expect there should be plenty of opportunities for conversation and debate on AK - and its relevance to today's unhappy families - as we read. (Check in about every week or so for new posts).

My edition is about 850 pages long (I've got the lovely - and easy-to-read - translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, which I highly recommend. You can get it on Amazon.com right now for $6-$11), so I will allow about 20-30 pages daily to finish it in under two months. Every hundred pages or so, I will publish a new post on whatever interests me in the days' reading. Please check in as you read, so you can blog about your own thoughts as you delve into Tolstoy's vision of 19th century Russia. If you have a post of your own that you would like published (other than comments on my posts), or any questions, please e-mail them to me at blogmistress@hotmail.com. For blogging (adding comments on my posts), just click comments at the bottom of each article, and follow the prompts. I believe you can comment anonymously; however, you can follow this blog much more easily by clicking (what else!) follow and using a Google e-mail address. And that should be it! I can't wait to start...

Anna Karenina

Some people say Anna Karenina is the single greatest novel ever written, which makes about as much sense to me as trying to determine the world's greatest color. But there is no doubt that Anna Karenina, generally considered Tolstoy's best book, is definitely one ripping great read. Anna, miserable in her loveless marriage, does the barely thinkable and succumbs to her desires for the dashing Vronsky. I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that 19th-century Russia doesn't take well to that sort of thing.

-- Amazon.com reviewer

Ground Rules

Hello fellow bibliophiles, be you blithe or saturnine. Welcome to The Blithe Bibliophiles Book Club (or the BBBC for short), where a group of students - most of them in their teens, but we don't discriminate against more mature abecedarians - reads the classics, in a completely random order prescribed by...me. If you join now, at the beginning (please do!), here is how the BBBC will work:

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I will reveal each new book as I finish the one before (starting with Anna Karenina). I will list, with the book, the amount of time I'll try to read it in (and you with me, if you'd like) and a short description, including what interests me about it. Then, as I read the book, I will post my thoughts on what I'm reading every week or so. You have the choice of which books you'd like to read, and, when you read them, you can post your comments and thoughts as part of the discussion...just like a "real" book club, only whenever you want. You could even post in your jammies, eating chocolate ice cream if that's what you want...makes no difference to me.

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Sound interesting? I think so, and I'd love it if you'd join. (Even if you think Anna Karenina is the most boring book ever written). Please feel free to add any input on any of my posts - I'd love some ideas on how to make this work better.