Chapter 61
Anna is dressing for the races when Karenin arrives earlier than ex...
Anna was upstairs, standing before the looking-glass, and, with Annushka’s assistance, pinning the last ribbon on her gown when she heard carriage wheels crunching the gravel at the entrance. “It’s too early for Betsy,” she thought, and glancing out of the window she caught sight of the carriage and the black hat of Alexey Alexandrovitch, and the ears that she knew so well sticking up each side of it. “How unlucky! Can he be going to stay the night?” she wondered, and the thought of all that might come of such a chance struck her as so awful and terrible…
Public-domain chapter text, formatted for reading.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Audit One Polite Script
Choose one recurring interaction where everyone stays courteous but leaves tense. Write three columns: what gets said, what gets avoided, and who absorbs the cost.
Consider:
- •Identify one phrase you use to keep the peace when you actually feel alarmed
- •Note whether a child, junior colleague, or dependent person is carrying the emotional fallout
- •Draft one truthful sentence that keeps respect but names reality
Journaling Prompt
Describe a moment when your body reacted strongly during a polite exchange. What truth was your body signaling that your words did not express?
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
You Might Also Like
Lessons from Anna Karenina
Theme-by-theme analyses that connect this book to modern life skills.
Balancing Passion and Responsibility
Follow Seryozha's birthday visit, Karenin's public face, and the divorce that never arrives, and count what desire costs other people.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisFinding Authentic Meaning
Walk the mowing with Levin, then sit through Kitty's imperfect household, and see a life that does not need an audience.
6 chapters·Explore Analysis
Deep diving the literary elements.
