Anna Karenina

The next morning, Vronsky heads to the train station to meet his mother arriving from Petersburg. On the steps, he runs into Oblonsky, who's there to meet his sister coming on the same train. This is one of those pivotal moments in literature where fate is quietly setting up disaster, and no one sees it coming. Oblonsky immediately starts teasing Vronsky - you look so happy, you must be in love! He's picked up on Vronsky's contentment from visiting the Shtcherbatskys' (meaning Kitty). Vronsky doesn't confirm or deny it. Then Oblonsky mentions he's meeting 'a pretty woman' - his sister Anna Karenina. Here's the irony: Vronsky barely remembers her. When Oblonsky says her name, Vronsky has only a vague recollection of something 'stiff and tedious' about the name Karenina. He thinks he's met her before but isn't even sure. Oblonsky starts praising Anna's husband Alexey Alexandrovitch Karenin - he's celebrated, remarkable, a splendid man who might get a big appointment. Vronsky's response? 'Not in my line.' He couldn't care less. The conversation is so casual, so light. They talk about having supper Sunday. They discuss Levin. Vronsky has been feeling particularly drawn to Oblonsky lately because Oblonsky connects to Kitty in his mind. Then the train is signaled. In a few minutes, Vronsky's whole life will change. What makes this chapter brilliant is how Tolstoy shows us how ordinary moments contain the seeds of catastrophe. Vronsky is content, thinking about Kitty, casually dismissing this Karenin fellow he doesn't even know. He has absolutely no idea that in minutes he'll meet the woman who will consume his entire existence. The 'stiff and tedious' name will become everything. This is how life works - disaster doesn't announce itself with trumpets. It walks in on a random Tuesday morning while you're making small talk about supper plans.