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1995
Anna Karenina: Tolstoy's Polemic with Madame
Bovary
Priscilla Meyer
Wesleyan University, pmeyer@wesleyan.edu
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Recommended Citation
Priscilla Meyer. "Anna Karenina: Tolstoy's Polemic with Madame Bovary" Russian Review 54.2 (1995): 243-259.
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's Polemic w ith
Ma da me Bova ry
PRISCILLA MEYER
D id
Tolstoy
in ten d a
dia logue
w ith Fla ubert's Ma da me
Bova ry
w h en h e w rote
A n n a Ka ren in a ? Boris Eikh en ba um
a grees
w ith th e Fren ch critics w h o foun d tra ces
of
Tolstoy's study
of Fren ch litera ture in A n n a
Ka ren in a ,
th ough
h e
emph a sizes
th e
complexity
of
Tolstoy's struggle
w ith th e tra dition of th e "love" n ovel.'
George
Stein er
lon g a go
con cluded th a t "a ll th a t ca n be sa id is th a t A n n a Ka ren in a w a s
w ritten in some a w a ren ess of its
predecessor."2
But th e eviden ce of th a t a w a ren ess
is so a bun da n t a n d
suggestive
th a t it is w orth
exa min in g
th e
possibility
of a more
deta iled dia lectic th a n Eikh en ba um a n d Stein er
suppose.3
Tolstoy
a rrived in Pa ris on 21
Februa ry
1857. Less th a n a mon th
ea rlier,
on 29
Ja n ua ry,
Fla ubert a n d th e editors of La Revue de Pa ris h a d been ta ken to court for
"outra ge
to
public
a n d
religious
mora ls a n d to
mora lity."4
Th e defen da n ts w ere a c-
quitted
of a ll
ch a rges,
w h ich verdict w a s a n n oun ced on 7
Februa ry.5 Tolstoy
a lludes
to n on e of th is in h is
dia ry, n otin g
on th e
da y
of h is
a rriva l,
"spen t
a lot of
mon ey,
I w ould like to th a n k
my
w on derful
collea gues
Mich a el
D a n a h y (Roma n ce La n gua ges)
a n d Susa n n e
Fusso
(Russia n )
for th eir
pa in sta kin g rea din gs
of th e dra ft of th is a rticle.
1Boris
Eikh en ba um,
Lev Tolstoi.
Semidesia tye gody (Len in gra d, 1960),
152. He
quotes
S. de
Pirelee's "L6on Tolstoi"
(Ma demoiselle
19
[1911])
a s a n
exa mple
of
judgmen ts w idesprea d
in th e Fren ch
press
th a t A n n a Ka ren in a "ma kes on e reca ll" Ma da me
Bova ry.
2
George Stein er, Tolstoy
or
D ostoevsky (Lon don , 1959),
48.
3
Oth er critics h a ve
rejected
th is
possibility.
Severa l Fren ch
opin ion s
a re collected in Litera turn oe
n a sledstvo,
2 vols.
(Moscow , 1965).
For
exa mple,
Roma in Rolla n d: "Th e effect of
Tolstoy's
a rt does n ot
depen d
on
stylistic
con triva n ce a s does Fla ubert's"
(p. 189);
A n dre
Ma urois,
"Wh a t does
Tolstoy
ow e
to
Ba lza c,
Fla ubert? He rea d
th em,
but it does n ot seem to us th a t h e lea rn ed
w ritin g tech n ique
from
th em. His rea lism does n ot resemble th a t of our n a tura lists ....
Elega n t litera ry
devices in th e
spirit
of
Fla ubert a re
foreign
to h im"
(p. 219-20);
a n d Jea n Ja ures:
"Tolstoy
is most con cern ed w ith mora l
prob-
lems. You ca n n ot
compa re
h im in th is
respect
w ith
Ba lza c, Sa n d, Fla ubert,
Zola .... Fla ubert ca res most
a bout a rtistic
form,
but feels a scorn ful
pity
for th e
un h a ppy
a n d
grey
h uma n ra ce!"
(p. 580)
A ll un a t-
tributed tra n sla tion s a re min e.
4Herbert
Lottma n ,
Fla ubert
(Lon don : Meth uen , 1989),
137. A ll da tes a re in New
Style.
5
Ibid,
139.
Th eRussia n
Review ,
vol.
54, A pril 1995, pp.
243-59
Copyrigh t
1995 Th e Oh io Sta te
Un iversity
Press
244 Priscilla
Meyer
sa w
a bsolutely n oth in g.
D ia rrh ea ."6 In Pa ris h e
spen t
a lot of time w ith
Turgen ev,
w en t
frequen tly
to th e
opera ,
a n d a dmired th e
ma n y pla ys
of Moliere h e a tten ded.
He a lso rea d a lot of Ba lza c-Cousin e
Bette,
a s w ell a s th e forew ord to th e Com6die
Huma in e,
w h ich h e fin ds
"petty
a n d
a rroga n t" (10 A pril 1857)
a n d is
disgusted by
Ba lza c's
"depra vity" (20 A pril).
A t th e time th a t
Tolstoy
w a s
revilin g Ba lza c,
Mich el
Levy brough t
out Ma da me
Bova ry
in book form
(in
mid-A pril),
w h ich w a s follow ed
by
a
flurry
of
review s,
in Sa in te-Beuve's
regula r Mon da y
column for Le Mon iteur
Un iversel,
a n d in a ll th e
ma jor journ a ls;7
la ter th ere w ere
respon ses by George Sa n d,
Ba udela ire a n d
ma n y
oth ers. Fifteen th ousa n d
copies
of th e n ovel w ere sold in tw o
mon th s. A s Fra n cis
Steegmuller put it,
"sin ce th e dea th of
Ba lza c,
n o n ovel h a d so
impressed
th e
public."8
But
Tolstoy sa ys n oth in g
a bout a ll th is in h is dia ries. In
fa ct,
h e w h o
sa ys
so
much a bout so
ma n y th in gs
over so
ma n y
deca des
sa ys
a lmost
n oth in g
a bout Fla u-
bert's n ovel. Wh en G. A . Rusa n ov
spen t
tw o
da ys ta lkin g
a bout litera ture w ith h im
in
A ugust 1883,
Fla ubert is men tion ed: "Ma da me
Bova ry
T. h a d
forgotten ,
but h e
remembers th a t w h en h e rea d
it,
h e h a d 'liked it.' "9
Forgotten
it!
Tolstoy did, h ow ever, express
h is a dmira tion for Fla ubert
yea rs
la ter. In a n in -
terview w ith a Fren ch
journ a list
in
1904,
h e sa id:
On e of
my
most fa vorite w riters is
your in compa ra ble
Fla ubert. Th ere is a
truly ma gn ificen t a rtist, stron g, exa ct, h a rmon ious, full-blooded, perfect.
His
style
is filled w ith th e
purest bea uty.
Ca n on e
sa y
th is of
ma n y
w riters?10
Furth ermore, Tolstoy's libra ry
con ta in ed a
copy
of th e Russia n tra n sla tion of Ma -
da me
Bova ry publish ed
in Biblioteka dlia ch ten iia in 1858. 1
In terestin gly,
it h a d been
torn out of th e
journ a l
a n d boun d
togeth er
w ith
Sh a kespea re's Oth ello,12 suggestin g
th a t
Tolstoy
did in deed rea d Fla ubert's n ovel in th e con text of th e
a dultery question
th a t so
occupied
h im in th e
ea rly
1870s.13
Th e
gen re
of th e n ovel of
a dultery w a s,
of
course, w idesprea d
in
Europea n
lit-
era ture of th e n in eteen th
cen tury,
a n d its
represen ta tives n a tura lly
sh a re
ma n y
fea -
tures:
n ota bly,
it is th e fa te of a dulteresses eith er to
go
ma d or, more
often ,
to
die,
by
disea se
(Na n a gets sma llpox),
or in ch ildbirth , or
th ey
a re murdered. A dulterous
ma les die on th e ba ttlefield,
in a tra in cra sh ,
in exile. A ch ild often serves a s a source
6Lev Nikola evich Tolstoi, Poln oe sobra n ie soch in en ii (PSS),
90 vols.
(Moscow , 1928-58),
47:113.
Future cita tion s to th e PSS w ill be
given by
volume a n d
pa ge
n umber in th e text.
7
Lottma n , Fla ubert, 140.
8
Fra n cis
Steegmuller,
Fla ubert a n d Ma da me
Bova ry (Lon don , 1947),
286.
9Quoted
in N. N. Gusev, Letopis'
zh izn i i tvorch estva L. N.
Tolstogo
1828-1890
(Moscow ,
1958),
561.
Tolstoy did, h ow ever, commen t on
rea din g Turgen ev's
tra n sla tion of Fla ubert's Th eCa th olic
Legen d
of
Sa in t Julia n th e
Hospita ller
in Vestn ik
Evropy:
in a letter to Stra kh ov
(22
A pril 1877), Tolstoy
ca lled
th e ta le "a n a bomin a tion "
("merzost"')
a n d
"disgustin g
filth "
("vozmutitel'n a ia
ga dost"')
(Gusev,
Le-
topis' zh izn i,
472).
But in a la ter letter to Stra kh ov
(1881),
h e ca lled A n n a Ka ren in a "merzost'" a s w ell
(ibid., 63, 61).
10
George
Hen ri Bourdon ,
"En 6couta n t Tolstoi," le
Figa ro,
15 Ma rch , 1904. Quoted
in Litera turn oe
n a sledstvo 2:21.
"
Biblioteka dlia ch ten iia , 1858, n o. 8:1-222.
12
V. F.
Bulga kova , ed., Biblioteka L'va Nikola evich a
Tolstogo
v Ia sn oi
polia n e (Moscow ,
1975),
pt.
2,
n o. 3558.
"See Eikh en ba um, Lev Tolstoi, pt. 2, ch a p.
4.
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's
Polemic w ith Ma da me
Bova ry
of
gra ce.14
A s
Ton y
Ta n n er
puts
it in
A dultery
a n d th e
Novel,
th e
problem
of a w om-
a n 's role in
ma rria ge
becomes a
pa ra digm
for th e
problems
crea ted
by in terrela tin g
pa ttern s,
of w h ich
ma rria ge
is th e media tor th a t
a ttempts
to h a rmon ize th e
n a tura l,
th e
fa milia l,
th e
socia l,
th e
religious
a n d th e tra n scen den ta l rea lms.15
Certa in ly
th is
describes con cern s of both Fla ubert's a n d
Tolstoy's
n ovels a n d could a ccoun t for
some of th e simila rities of
plot
lin e: a w oma n in h er tw en ties w ith a
youn g
ch ild is
ma rried to a ma n sh e fin ds dull
(a n d
w h o becomes ludicrous a n d
pitiful
in h er
eyes
on ce
betra yed);
sh e ta kes a
pa ssion a te
lover a n d th e
rela tion sh ip
deteriora tes in to
sen sua lity,
in
pa rt
due to its illicit n a ture. Th e w omen
begin
to
ima gin e
th e declin e
of th eir lovers'
a rdor;
w ith Emma it is h er secon d lover w h o
brin gs
out h er fea rs of
losin g
h im-like
A n n a ,
Emma becomes more a n d more
dema n din g, in crea sin g
h er
lover's a lien a tion . Both Leon 's a n d
Vron sky's
moth ers
oppose
th eir son s' lia ison s-
th ey
a re
jeopa rdizin g
th eir ca reers. Th e a dulteress tries to be ever more
ph ysica lly
a llurin g
but becomes
jea lous
a n d
despera te
a s sh e feels sh e is
losin g
h er lover. With
n oth in g mea n in gful left,
sh e commits suicide in a momen t of
fren zy.
Th e n ovel
pa sses
judgmen t
on h er-sh e h a s broken both divin e a n d h uma n
la w ,
but sh e h a s our
sym-
pa th y
in a smuch a s w e a re ma de to con sider
society's complicity
in th e a dulteress's
un resolva ble dilemma . A s Ta n n er
puts
it,
"th e ten sion betw een la w a n d
sympa th y
. . h olds th e
grea t bourgeois
n ovel
togeth er."16
Wh ile
ma rria ge brin gs h a rmon y
in
Sh a kespea re's myth ologized society,
in
n in eteen th -cen tury society ma rria ge
is th e
myth ology
w h ich th e n ovel of
a dultery demyth ologizes.
No doubt it is th is
fa irly
ela bora te a n d
precise
set of
pa ra llels
th a t h a s led
ma n y
critics to
n ote,
en
pa ssa n t,
certa in simila r fea tures betw een th e tw o n ovels-th e w h ole
description
of th e declin e in th e
rela tion sh ips
betw een Emma a n d Leon a n d A n n a
a n d
Vron sky,
for
exa mple.17
But n on e of th em h a s
proposed
a n overa ll
rela tion sh ip
of A n n a Ka ren in a to Ma da me
Bova ry. Stein er,
for a ll h is in itia l disa vow a l th a t n o
more ca n be
sa id,
seems to be
n ursin g
a
suspicion :
h e w rites th a t A n n a 's
in a bility
to
focus on
rea din g
h er book on th e tra in ride h ome to
Petersburg
"seems to derive
directly
from
Tolstoy's
remembra n ce of Ma da me
Bova ry."
He
h edges
h is bets: w h en
A n n a
sudden ly
n otices th e
a bsurdity
of Ka ren in 's ea rs a t th e
sta tion ,
Stein er
queries:
"Is th is n ot
Tolstoy's
version of Emma
Bova ry's discovery
th a t Ch a rles ma kes un -
couth n oises w h ile
ea tin g?'18
It is w orth
pursuin g
Stein er's
specula tion
th a t
Tolstoy in corpora tes
remembered
deta ils of Fla ubert's n ovel in to A n n a Ka ren in a . Th e tw o sets Stein er men tion s ca n n ot
be sa id to be cen tra l in th emselves. Given th e exten sive
con gruen ce
of th e n ovels'
plots,
it w ould be
un likely
th a t th ese w ould be th e
on ly
deta ils to
correspon d
in over
eigh t
h un dred
(En glish )
pa ges.19
Th ere a re rema rka ble
pa ra llels
betw een th e tw o
n ovels n ot
on ly
in th eme a n d
plot lin e,
but in ch a ra cter
description ,
motifs a n d cen tra l
emblems.
4
Judith
A rmstron g,
Th eNovel
of A dultery (Lon don , 1976), ch a p. 3, esp.
121-37.
"Ton y
Ta n n er, A dultery
a n d th eNovel
(Ba ltimore, 1979),
15-17.
6
Ibid.,
14.
See
A rmstron g,
Novel
of A dultery,
11-112.
18Stein er, Tolstoy
or
D ostoevsky,
67.
9
Cita tion s from both n ovels w ill be dra w n from th e
En glish
tra n sla tion s: Ma da me
Bova ry,
tra n s.
A la n Russell
(Ha rmon dsw orth : Pen guin , 1950);
a n d A n n a
Ka ren in a ,
tra n s.
Rosema ry
Edmon ds
(Ha r-
mon dsw orth :
Pen guin , 1954).
245
246 Priscilla
Meyer
HEROINES
Th ere a re severa l simila rities in
a ppea ra n ce
betw een Emma a n d
A n n a , th ough th ey
ma y ca rry
differen t
mea n in gs
in th e
text;
it w ill be
possible
to in fer w h a t
Tolstoy
migh t
be
suggestin g by
th ese
pa ra llels
on ce
th ey
a re sketch ed out. Emma
surprises
Rodolph e by bein g
"turn ed out like a Pa risia n !"
(p. 143);
h er
elega n ce
of dress a n d
ma n n er is rema rked
by
a ll
th rough out
th e book. Sh e h a s a "bird-like trea d" a n d da rk
h a ir
(p. 120).
A t h er fa th er's
fa rm,
th e w in d ruffles
"stra y w isps
of h a ir a t th e
n a pe
of h er n eck"
(p. 30).
Her
eyes
a re "ma de to look bla ck"
by
h er
"lon g curvin g
la sh es"
(p. 148). D urin g
h er
rela tion sh ip
w ith
Rodolph e,
Emma is
repea tedly
described w ith
n a rrow ed
eyelids
or h a lf-closed
eyes.
Th ese fea tures w ill reca ll A n n a 's
elega n ce
of
figure, ligh t
trea d,
bla ck h a ir w ith "th e w illful little curls th a t
a lw a ys esca ped
. . .
on th e
n a pe
of h er n eck"
(p. 93),
a n d h er h a bit w h ich
grow s
a fter sh e en ters in to
a dultery
of
n a rrow in g
h er
eyes, squin tin g th rough
h er "th ick la sh es"
(p. 75).20
Th e brea k in th e h eroin es' lives is loca ted in a ba llroom scen e;21 th e Viscoun t's
ba ll a t La
Va ubyessa rd gives
Emma h er first
experien ce
of th e fa ta l ta ste for
luxury,
a ristocra cy
a n d
sen sua lity
sh e
a cquired
a t th e con ven t. It is emblema tized
by
th e
ciga r
ca se w ith th e
green
silk border th a t Ch a rles fin ds in th e roa d on th e
w a y
h ome
to Tostes. Th is
green
is rela ted to th e color of both of Emma 's lovers' coa ts: Ro-
dolph e
is
w ea rin g
a
"green
velvet frock coa t" w h en Emma first sees
h im,
a n d Leon
w ea rs a
green
coa t to h is
tryst
w ith Emma a t th e Rouen ca th edra l th a t lea ds to th e
in fa mous
ca rria ge
ride
(p. 140).
A n
elega n t
ba ll a lso determin es A n n a 's fa te: th ere
Vron sky
forsa kes
Kitty
for
h er. Th e ba ll scen es a re
n a tura lly
ch a ra cterized
by
th eir
luxuriousn ess,
w h ich in both
is in dica ted
by
h oth ouse
pla n ts:
it is w in ter in Moscow w h en
Kitty
w ea rs a rose in
h er h a ir a n d A n n a h a s
pa n sies
a t h er
w rist;
th e
la n din g
w ith th e mirror a t w h ich
Kitty
pa uses
is lin ed w ith
"grow in g pla n ts"
a n d th e sta irca se is "flow er-decked"
(pp. 91,
90).
Th e la dies a t La
Va ubyessa rd
w ea r in th eir h a ir
"forget-me-n ots, ja smin e,
pomegra n a te blossoms, w h ea tea rs or
corn flow ers,"
w h ile Emma ,
like
Kitty,
w ea rs a
rose in h er
ch ign on ;
th e
guests
a re served
pomegra n a tes
a n d
pin ea pple (pp. 63, 62).
Th e
elega n t foreign
in fluen ces in Moscow a re Fren ch or
En glish ,
w h ile A n n a w ea rs
Ven etia n la ce;
in Fra n ce th e old ch a tea u a t La
Va ubyessa rd
h a s been torn dow n a n d
a "modern
buildin g
in th e Ita lia n
style"
erected in its
pla ce (p. 59).
Emma 's fa ta l
da n ce is a sen sua l w a ltz w ith th e Viscoun t w h ich lea ves h er
dizzy
a n d
pa n tin g;
th e
w a ltz is th e
determin in g
da n ce for both A n n a a n d
Kitty
for it is th e da n ce th a t ma kes
Vron sky's preferen ce
for A n n a clea r to
Kitty.
A n n a sh a res a n oth er
determin in g
scen e w ith Emma : th e
opera .
Both Fla ubert
a n d
Tolstoy
ma in ta in a n iron ic dista n ce from th e
opera , describin g
it a s th e
meetin g
20
A n n a 's
squin t
h a s a lso been used to
suggest
a source forA n n a Ka ren in a in
George
Eliot's Mid-
dlema rch . See Edw in a Ja n n ie Blumberg, "Tolstoy
a n d th e
En glish
Novel: A Note on Middlema rch a n d
A n n a Ka ren in a ," Sla vic Review 30
(October 1971): 561-69. Blumberg
dra w s
pa ra llels
in
plot
a n d ch a r-
a cteriza tion
(dry
h usba n d drives
youn g
w ife in to
a dultery
w ith
youn germa n ; va ca tion in
Ita ly
w ith
portra it
pa in tin g,
a ma teurversus
profession a l).
Eliot's
Ma ggie
Tulliver
(Mill on th eFloss)
a s w ell a s
George
Sa n d's
epon ymous
In dia n a a re
un h a ppy
bla ck-h a ired ma rried w omen
tempted
to
a dultery. In terestin gly,
n on e of
th e motifs discussed in th e
presen t pa per
a re th ema tized in th ese n ovels.
21 Stein er
compa res
th e tw o ba ll scen es, too, con tra stin g
Fla ubert's iron ic dista n ce w h ich h e fin ds
a rtificia l to Tolstoy's usin g
n o
sin gle poin t
of view (Tolstoy or D ostoevsky, pp. 65-66).
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's
Polemic w ith Ma da me
Bova ry
pla ce
of th e best
society.
Fla ubert stresses th e
provin cia lism
of a udien ce a n d
per-
forma n ce of th e celebra ted ten or
La ga rdy,
w h o combin es
"in gredien ts
of th e h a ir-
dresser a n d torea dor"
(p. 235). Tolstoy
focuses on th e
h ypocrisy
a n d a ffecta tion of
th e
society con demn in g
A n n a for crimes
th ey
th emselves commit. Th e
performa n ce
by
Pa tti is
in ciden ta l;
but on e w on ders h ow
Tolstoy
selected th e
a ppa ren tly
ra n dom
bit of socia l ch itch a t w h ich closes th e scen e:
Vron sky's
frien d Stremov
sa ys
to
A n n a ,
"Th ere a re n o more ten ors. Le moule en est brise"
(p. 578).
Th e
opera
scen e deter-
min es Emma 's n ext a dulterous a ffa ir: from
bein g
in love w ith th e
legen d
of th e ten or
La ga rdy
sh e
begin s
to
ima gin e
h erself h is
mistress;
a t th a t
poin t
Leon
a ppea rs
in h er
box a n d h er
fa n ta sy
devolves to h im. Th e fa ilure of Emma 's secon d
a ttempt
to fin d
love lea ds to h er demise. For
A n n a ,
h er
even in g
a t th e
opera
revea ls
con clusively
th e
impossibility
of h er
position
in
society,
w h ich con tributes to h er fin a l
tra gedy.
Th ere a re more simila rities. For
exa mple,
th e
w a y
th eir h usba n ds summon th e
h eroin es to bed: Ch a rles
sa ys,
"Come
on , Emma ,
it's
time,"
w h ile sh e is
w a itin g
for
Rodolph e (p. 181);
Ka ren in comes in to A n n a 's room a t
midn igh t
in h is bedroom
slippers
a n d
sa ys,
'Time for bed
n ow ,"
w ith a
"specia l
smile,"
a n d
A n n a ,
th in kin g
of h ow
Vron sky
looked a t Ka ren in a t th e
sta tion ,
goes
in to th e bedroom w ith h er
usua l fire
"quen ch ed
or h idden fa r
a w a y" (p. 127).
We ca n a dd to Stein er's
soup-
slurpin g/ea rs-protrudin g pa ra llel
Ch a rles's
"stubby" fin gers
a n d Ka ren in 's h a bit of
cra ckin g
h is
kn uckles;
Ch a rles's "common " ma n n er a n d Ka ren in 's
peda n tic
on e
(p. 199).
Tolstoy
uses severa l motifs to ch a ra cterize A n n a th a t Fla ubert h a d used for
Emma .
Vron sky's
rela tion s w ith h is ra ce h orse Frou Frou a re
clea rly
mea n t to rela te
to h is a ffa ir w ith
A n n a ;
Emma 's a ffa ir w ith
Rodolph e begin s
w h en
th ey go ridin g
togeth er
on h is h orses. Th e h orses a n d h eroin es a re lin ked
by
a bird motif: In Tol-
stoy's n ovel,
a fter Frou Frou
fa lls,
sh e
begin s "flutterin g
on th e
groun d
. . . like a
w oun ded bird,"
w h ile A n n a in th e sta n ds is described a few
pa ges
la ter a s
"flutterin g
like a
ca ged
bird"
(pp. 218,
223).
Emma h a s a "bird-like
step,"
a n d sw a llow s da rt
by
w h en Emma comes to A bbe Bourn isien for
spiritua l guida n ce
(p.
120);
Ro-
dolph e's
h ouse h a s tw o "sw a llow -ta iled w ea th erva n es"
(p.
176);
a n d Emma 's drea ms
a re sa id to
"[drop]
in th e mud like w oun ded sw a llow s"
(p. 197).
Th us th e bird motif
con n ects th e h eroin es to th eir a dulterous
a ffa irs;
Fla ubert n a mes th e coa ch th a t ta kes
Emma to Rouen for h er
trysts
w ith Leon th e
Hiron delle,
w h ich mea n s "sw a llow " in
Fren ch .
A n n a a n d Emma sh a re a n oth er
motif-fog, h a ze,
mist. Wh en Emma ta kes Ro-
dolph e
a s h er first lover sh e is ecsta tic: "A
misty
blue
immen sity la y
a bout h er"
(p. 175).
Th e scen e of h er first
tryst
w ith
Rodolph e
is surroun ded
by mist,
from th e
"h a ze in th e
popla rs"
to Emma 's fea tures th a t a re discern ible "in a h a ze of blue"
th rough
h er blue veil
(pp. 171, 172)
;22 h er vision of
elopin g
w ith
Rodolph e
"h overed
22
Fla ubert a lso uses a blue h a ze in A
Simple
Hea rt. Th e
story
is a kin d of
complemen t
to Ma da me
Bova ry,
a s
Tolstoy's
la ter stories Th e Kreuzer Son a ta a n d Th e D evil a re to A n n a Ka ren in a . Fla ubert
w a n ted to a n sw erth e
ch a rge
th a t h ew a s in h uma n in h is n ovel w h en h ew rote th e
touch in g
ta le of Felicite's
truly
idea l loves. Her
religious
fervoris a ssocia ted w ith a blue cloud of in cen se
w h en ,
on h er
dea th bed,
Felicit6 a ch ieves th e
religious
exa lta tion th a t Emma h a d
on ly
imita ted. Felicit6 a ssocia tes
ciga r
smoke
w ith h er
n eph ew
beca use sh elea rn s h eis in Ha va n a . Th e motifs th a t h a d den oted
corrupt, empty sen sua lity
in Ma da me
Bova ry
a re used to con n ote idea l love in A
Simple
Hea rt.
247
248 Priscilla
Meyer
on th e h orizon ... in a h a ze of blue"
(p. 208).23
It is th e n a rra tor w h o ma kes th is
a ssocia tion ,
but A n n a h erself
spea ks
of th e blue
h a ze,
a ssocia tin g
it w ith th e in n o-
cen ce of first love:
"I remember th a t blue
h a ze,
like th e h a ze on th e moun ta in s in Sw itzerla n d.
Th a t h a ze w h ich
en velops everyth in g
a t th a t blissful time w h en ch ildh ood
is
just comin g
to a n en d a n d its
h uge merry
circle n a rrow s to a
pa th
w h ich
on e trea ds
ga ily yet
w ith drea d in to life's corridor" . . .
Kitty
smiled ...
"How did sh e
go th rough
it? How I sh ould like to kn ow th e w h ole roma n ce
of h er life!" sh e
th ough t, reca llin g
th e un roma n tic exterior of A n n a 's h us-
ba n d.
(p. 87)
Th e motif
a ppea rs a ga in
w h en
Kitty
rea lizes th e
grow in g
a ttra ction betw een A n n a
a n d
Vron sky
a t th e ba ll a n d "a mist
sprea d(s)
over h er soul"
(p. 96). Tolstoy
uses
th e blue h a ze for w h a t h e deems a
gen uin e
form of ecsta tic
love; by con tra st,
th e
violen t brea k of th e n a tura l order
th rough a dultery
h e a ssocia tes w ith th e
sh riekin g,
w h irlin g
sn ow storm
surroun din g
th e future lovers'
meetin g
on th e
pla tform, th ough
Vron sky's pursuit produces "joyful, glow in g
a n d
exh ila ra tin g"
vision s in A n n a sim-
ila r to Emma 's
deligh t
a t h er n ew role of a dulteress
(p. 119). Tolstoy
reserves
grey
mist for a n oth er kin d of bliss on Levin 's
esta te,
of w h ich more in a momen t.
Of
course,
th ese simila rities betw een A n n a a n d Emma
on ly
ma ke us more a w a re
of h ow
very
dissimila r
th ey
a re. Emma is
h opelessly
sh a llow a n d
selfish ,
a s is sh ow n
by
h er
rela tion sh ip
to h er
da ugh ter
Berth e. A n n a before h er a ffa ir w ith
Vron sky
is
in telligen t,
direct,
un preten tious
a n d a devoted moth er. Emma 's
dow n fa ll,
like Ta -
tya n a 's
in
Eugen e On egin ,
is ca used n ot
by rea din g
roma n tic
n ovels,
a s h er moth er-
in -la w
suggests,
but ra th er
by misrea din g th em,
iden tifyin g
w ith th eir h eroin es in a
pa rticula rly
sen sua l a n d in discrimin a te
w a y. A n n a , by
con tra st
(h ere
is Stein er's
pa r-
a llel
a ga in ),
is un a ble to rea d h er
En glish
n ovel on h er tra in ride h ome a fter
da n cin g
w ith
Vron sky.
"Sh e w a s too
ea ger
to live h erself. If sh e rea d h ow th e h eroin e of th e
n ovel n ursed a sick
ma n ,
sh e w a n ted to be
movin g
a bout a sickroom w ith n oiseless
trea d h erself"
(p. 115).
Wh en sh e does
iden tify,
it is to ma ke a n un con scious mora l
judgmen t:
Th e h ero of th e n ovel h a d
n ea rly
a tta in ed h is
En glish ma n 's
idea of
h a ppi-
n ess ... a n d A n n a w a s
w ish in g
sh e could
go
to th e esta te w ith
h im,
w h en
sh e
sudden ly
felt th a t h e must be
feelin g
a sh a med a n d th a t sh e w a s a sh a med
for th e sa me rea son .
(p. 115)
It is
on ly
th e trivia l
Betsy Tverska ya
a n d h er circle w h o rea d th e
w a y
Emma does
a n d
project role-pla yin g
on to A n n a .
Betsy reports
th a t Liza Merka lov "ra ves" a bout
A n n a ,
w h o is "like a rea l h eroin e out of a n ovel"
(p. 319).
A n d th is
suggests Tolstoy's
idea : Emma is con ceived
by
Fla ubert a s a n
imita tion ,
th e
product
of idees
reques,
of
un digested
clich es dra w n from a
h odgepodge
of lit-
era ture
(much
a s Ra zumikh in a ccuses Ra skoln ikov of
bein g
a
"tra n sla tion ").
A fter
Emma first en ters in to
a dultery,
"sh e remembered th e h eroin es of books sh e h a d
23
Ta n n ertra ces th e motif of
mist, fog
a n d
va pors, con n ectin g
it to th e
"fog
in Emma 's h ea d"
(A dul-
tery
a n d th e
Novel, 312-14).
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's
Polemic w ith Ma da me
Bova ry
249
rea d,
a n d th a t
lyrica l legion
of a dulteresses
bega n
to
sin g
in h er
memory
w ith
sisterly
voices th a t en ch a n ted h er"
(p. 175).
But
Tolstoy
w a n ts to con sider th e dilemma s fa ced
by
th e a dulteress a t th e
deep-
est level
possible,
a n d to do th a t h e crea tes a n
a ppea lin g, in telligen t h eroin e,
on e
w h o
rejects
th e
a ccepted pra ctice
of
deceivin g
h er h usba n d. A s is w ell
kn ow n ,
in h is
ea rly
dra fts of A n n a Ka ren in a
Tolstoy
described h is a dulteress a s
un a ttra ctive,
both
ph ysica lly
a n d
mora lly.
A s th e n ovel
evolved,
h e seems to h a ve iden tified w ith h er
n eed for
pa ssion a te
love
(to
w h ich h is
story
Th e D evil testifies so
vividly
th a t it w a s
on ly publish ed
a fter h is
dea th ,
in
1911),
a n d h er sta ture
grew
a s h is
sympa th y
in crea sed.24
It is
possible
to un dersta n d A n n a a s a n idea l version of Emma . Emma a dmires
a n d imita tes
luxury;
A n n a
a lrea dy
h a s it. Emma w a n ts a
pa ssion a te, a ristocra tic,
da sh in g
lover but fin ds
on ly
imita tion s of
on e;
A n n a
gets
Emma 's w ish in Vron sky.25
Emma w a n ts to be th e h eroin e of a
n ovel;
A n n a is seen a s on e
by
h er
peers.
Emma
fa n ta sizes
elopin g
to
Ita ly
w ith th e
pseudo-a ristocra t Rodolph e (w h o
clen ch es h is
teeth in
preda tory pa ssion );
A n n a a n d th e
truly
a ristocra tic
Vron sky (of
th e
"even ,"
"regula r" teeth )
do in fa ct
elope
to
Ita ly.
In th is
w a y, Tolstoy
isola tes a n d distills th e
mora l a n d
psych ologica l a spects
of
a dultery
for a
youn g
ma rried
w oma n ,
purifyin g
it of th e con cern w ith socia l sta tus a n d ma teria l
luxury
th a t obsess Emma a n d
positin g
a n
in telligen t,
self-a w a re h eroin e. Th e un fulfilled
youn g
w oma n w ith sma ll ch ild a n d
un in spirin g
h usba n d w h o ta kes a
pa ssion a te
lover a n d commits suicide is th e obvious
poin t
of
depa rture.
But
someth in g
more
complex
a n d
specific suggests
th a t
Tolstoy
h a d Ma da me
Bova ry
in min d w h ile
w ritin g
A n n a
Ka ren in a , someth in g
th a t in dica tes
a subtle
rea din g
a n d
rein terpreta tion
of Fla ubert's n ovel.
EMBLEMS
Much h a s been w ritten a bout th e
cen tra lity
of th e ra ilroa d to
Tolstoy's
n ovel.26 A n n a
a n d
Vron sky
meet a t th e sta tion w h ere a
pea sa n t
is killed
by
a
tra in ;
th eir un der-
sta n din g
is sea led
durin g
th e sn ow storm on th e
pla tform
on th e return
trip;
A n n a
th row s h erself un der a
tra in ;
a n d w e see
Vron sky
for th e la st time on h is
w a y
to w a r
ba ck a t th e Moscow sta tion w h ere it a ll
bega n .
Th e tra in from th e outset is a ssocia ted
w ith meta llic
cla n kin g,
w ith
in cipien t
roma n tic
pa ssion ,
a n d w ith th e
pea sa n t's
dea th
in w h ich A n n a sees a n omen . A n n a a n d
Vron sky
both drea m of a
dirty pea sa n t
w ith
a ma tted
bea rd, a n d, oddly,
in both th eir drea ms h e is
spea kin g
Fren ch .
Vron sky
"vividly
reca lled th e
pea sa n t a ga in
a n d th e
in compreh en sible
Fren ch w ords th e ma n
h a d
muttered,
a n d a ch ill of h orror ra n dow n h is
spin e" (p. 380).
In h er drea m A n n a
ca n ma ke out th e w ords "il fa ut le
ba ttre,
le
fer;
le
broyer,
le
petrir
. . ."
(p. 386).
24
Like
Ga ry
Sa ul Morson
("Prosa ics
a n d A n n a
Ka ren in a ," Tolstoy
Studies
Journ a l,
vol. 1
(1988):
pp. 1-12, p. 8),
I th in k th a t th e book con demn s
A n n a ,
but ra th er for h er brea ch of th e sa cra men t of
ma rria ge
th a n for th e
self-in dulgen ce
th a t Rich a rd Gusta fson bera tes h er for. See Rich a rd F.
Gusta fson ,
Leo
Tolstoy:
Residen t a n d
Stra n ger (Prin ceton :
Prin ceton
Un iversity Press, 1986), esp.
118-32.
25Judith
A rmstron g sa ys
th a t
Vron sky
is n ot a seducer "of th e
Rodolph e type" (Novel of
A dul-
tery, 84).
26See,
for
exa mple, Sydn ey Sch ulze,
Th e Structure
of
A n n a Ka ren in a
(A n n A rbor, 1982), 117-22;
a n d Elisa beth Sten bock-Fermor,
Th eA rch itecture
of
A n n a Ka ren in a
(Lisse,
Th e
Neth erla n ds, 1975), esp.
66-71.
250 Priscilla
Meyer
A n d a s A n n a fa lls to th e
ra ils,
"a little
pea sa n t mutterin g someth in g
w a s
w orkin g
a t
th e ra ils"
(p. 802).
Th e
grotesquen ess
of th e drea m h a s to do in
pa rt
w ith th e in -
con gruity
of th e
muzh ik,
th a t essen ce of
Russia n n ess, spea kin g
Fren ch .
Th rough out
th e n ovel th e
corrupt
ch a ra cters
spea k Fren ch ,
or th e in n ocen t on es a re distorted
by
h a vin g
to use Fren ch in
elega n t society, sta rtin g
w ith th e Ta ta r w a iter w h o tra n sla tes
Levin 's
soup
a n d ka sh a in to "ka sh a a la Russe"
(p. 47).
Like th e Fren ch
la n gua ge,
th e ra ilroa d is a n a rtificia l
foreign gra ft
on to Russia
ca usin g, a mon g
oth er
th in gs,
con cen tra tion in th e
cities,
a s Levin
sa ys.
Th e
city
in A n n a Ka ren in a is a ssocia ted
w ith
luxury
a n d
deba uch ery;
Levin h a s ca lled Moscow a
Ba bylon ,
a s th e Coun tess
Nordston
ta un tin gly
remin ds h im a t
Kitty's.
A n d Fla ubert does th e sa me w ith Rouen :
"th a t a n cien t Norma n
city la y outsprea d
ben ea th h er
eyes
like a n en ormous
metrop-
olis,
a
Ba bylon a w a itin g
h er"
(p. 274).
Th e Yon ville
priest
Bourn isien w a rn s
a ga in st
Emma 's
proposed trip
to th e
opera
in Rouen in
la n gua ge
close to
Tolstoy's
in Wh a t Is A rt?:
Wh ere
you
h a ve th ese
couples brough t togeth er
in luxurious
surroun din gs,
w ith a ll th e a dorn men t of
w orldly displa y,
th e ba rba rous
dressin g-up
. . .
a ll th a t must breed a certa in
la xity,
a n d
give
rise to un clea n
th ough ts,
im-
pure tempta tion s! (p. 229)
Th e Hiron delle is th e
con veya n ce
th a t ma kes
impure tempta tion s
a va ila ble to
Emma
Bova ry.
From th e
outset,
th e
ca rria ge
h a s omin ous
dimen sion s, ma rkin g key
momen ts in Emma 's declin e tow a rd suicide. Ch a rles a n d Emma a rrive in Yon ville
on th e Hiron delle to meet th e members of th e ca st a ssembled a t th e Lion d'or. Th e
Hiron delle
pa sses
a s Leon
brin gs
Emma a ca ctus a n d w h ile
Rodolph e begin s
h is
verba l seduction of Emma a t th e fa ir. Like th e
ra ilroa d,
th e Hiron delle is a ccom-
pa n ied by
th e "ra ttle of old iron "
(p. 340).
Ta n n er ma kes th is con n ection
too, n otin g
th a t iron is "a n
in explica bly
omin ous
pa rt
of
[Emma 's] surroun din gs."27
Th e ra ilroa d for A n n a is a ssocia ted w ith th e
Fren ch -spea kin g pea sa n t;
a n a n a l-
ogous figure
follow s Emma
a lon gside
th e Hiron delle:
Up
th e
h ill,
in th e midst of th e
ca rria ges, trudged
a n old
tra mp
w ith h is
stick. A ma ss of
ra gs
covered h is
sh oulders,
h is fa ce w a s h idden
by
a ba t-
tered bea ver h a t stuck on like a n in verted bow l. Wh en h e removed
th is,
h e
revea led w h ere h is
eyelids
sh ould h a ve been a
pa ir
of
ga pin g
h oles a ll
sta in ed w ith blood. Th e flesh w a s sh redded in to red
ribbon s, disch a rgin g
ma tter w h ich h a d
con gea led
in
green
sca bs dow n to h is n ose. His bla ck
n ostrils tw itch ed
con vulsively.
To a ddress
you,
h e th rew ba ck h is h ea d w ith
a n idiot
la ugh ;
a n d th en h is
gla ucous eyeba lls, rollin g
in
perpetua l motion ,
sh ot
up
tow a rds h is
temples
a n d kn ocked
a ga in st
th e
open
sore.
A s h e follow ed th e
ca rria ges
h e
sa n g
a little
son g:
"Wh en th e sun sh in es w a rm a bove
It turn s a ma iden 's
th ough ts
to love"
A n d th e rest of it w a s a ll birds a n d summertime a n d
green
lea ves.
(p.
278)
27
Ta n n er tra ces th e iron motif
(A dultery
a n d th e
Novel, 316-17), con n ectin g
th e
w h irrin g
of Bin et's
la th e a n d a
pa ssin g
ca rt "loa ded w ith iron rods"
(p. 303)
to th e Hiron delle.
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's
Polemic w ith Ma da me
Bova ry
251
Th e roma n tic
son g
is in
grotesque
con tra st to th e
revoltin g begga r,
like th e muzh ik
a n d th e
Fren ch -spea kin g
w orld. Th e h eroin es'
quests
for roma n tic love a re fa r re-
moved from th e
rea lity
of th e w orld a roun d th em. Th e h ea rt of both n ovels is con -
ta in ed in th is emblem of
a dulteress, con veya n ce
a n d
grotesque pea sa n t; compon en ts
of th e
ima ge ma p
th e n ovels' den ouemen ts.
A n n a , prompted by
th e dea th of th e
pea sa n t
un der th e
tra in ,
rea lizes
righ t a w a y
th a t it is a n omen . Emma too
begin s
to sen se
someth in g un ca n n y
w h en th e h ideous
begga r a ppea rs:
Sometimes h e w ould
a ppea r sudden ly
beh in d
Emma ,
w ith h is h ea d un cov-
ered. Sh e w ould
sprin g
ba ck w ith a
cry...
Often h e w ould th rust h is h a t in a t th e w in dow a s th e coa ch w a s
movin g
off, clin gin g
to th e footboa rd w ith h is oth er a rm a n d
gettin g spla sh ed by
th e w h eels. His
voice,
a t first a feeble
w h in e,
rose
sh rilly, ren din g
th e da rk-
n ess like a
pla in tive
uttera n ce of some obscure distress. Hea rd
th rough
th e
jin gle
of h orse
bells,
th e murmur of th e trees a n d th e
rumblin g
of th e
empty
ca rria ge,
it h a d a
suggestion
of remoten ess th a t
upset
Emma . It
pen etra ted
th e
very depth s
of h er
bein g
like a w h irlw in d in a n
a byss.
It
sw ept
h er
a w a y
in to th e va st
spa ces
of a limitless
mela n ch oly. How ever,
Hivert ... la sh ed
out a t th e blin d ma n w ith h is
w h ip.
It cut a cross h is
sores,
a n d h e
dropped
in th e mud w ith a h ow l of
pa in .28
Th e
jin glin g
h orse bells a re
pa rt
of a motif th a t culmin a tes in th e
tollin g
of th e
ch urch bells a t Emma 's
dea th , just
a s th e motifs of
cla n kin g
meta l
a ccompa n y
A n n a 's
tra jectory
tow a rd dea th . Th e muzh ik
rea ppea rs
a t A n n a 's
dea th ,
a n d it is
a mbiguous
w h eth er sh e sees h im in
rea lity,
or in h er
ima gin a tion :
Sh e tried to
get up,
to th row h erself
ba ck;
but
someth in g h uge
a n d relen tless
struck h er on th e h ea d a n d
dra gged
h er ba ck. "God
forgive
me
everyth in g!"
sh e
murmured, feelin g
th e
impossibility
of
strugglin g.
A little
pea sa n t
mut-
terin g someth in g
w a s
w orkin g
a t th e ra ils. A n d th e ca n dle
by
w h ich sh e h a d
been
rea din g
th e book filled w ith trouble a n d
deceit,
sorrow a n d
evil,
fla red
up
w ith a
brigh ter ligh t, illumin a tin g
for h er
everyth in g
th a t before h a d been
en sh rouded in
da rkn ess, flickered, grew dim,
a n d w en t out for ever.
(p.
802)
Emma 's
pea sa n t
a lso
rea ppea rs
a t h er dea th bed scen e
just
before th e da rkn ess:
Sudden ly
th ere w a s a
clumpin g
of sa bots on th e
pa vemen t outside,
th e
scra pin g
of a
stick,
a n d a voice ca me
up,
a h oa rse voice
sin gin g:
"Wh en th e sun sh in es w a rm
a bove,
It turn s a ma iden 's
th ough ts
to love."
Emma sa t
up
like a
corpse ga lva n ized,
h er h a ir
dish eveled,
h er
eyes fixed,
ga pin g.
"A ll a cross th e furrow s brow n
See Na n ette
go ben din g dow n ,
Ga th erin g up
w ith ca reful h a n d
Th e
golden
h a rvest from th e la n d."
"Th e blin d ma n !" sh e cried.
28Pa ge
278. I a m in debted to
A n uj
D esa i for h is observa tion s on th e
un ca n n y
dimen sion of th e
begga r.
252 Priscilla
Meyer
A n d Emma sta rted
la ugh in g,
a
gh a stly
fra n tic
despera te la ugh , fa n cyin g
sh e could see th e h ideous fa ce of th e
begga r risin g up
like a
n igh tma re
a mid
th e etern a l da rkn ess.
"Th e w in d it blew so h a rd on e
da y,
Her little
petticoa t
flew
a w a y!"
A con vulsion
flun g
h er dow n on th e ma ttress.... Sh e w a s n o more.
(p. 337)
II
Tolstoy bega n
h is n ovel w ith th e
a dultery story,
but w a s discon ten ted w ith it a n d set
it
a side,
even a fter
h a vin g
sen t it off to th e
prin ter. Gra dua lly
h e
provided
w h a t h e
ca lled th e n ovel's
"sca ffoldin g,"
th e
story
of Levin .29 Wh a t
"sca ffoldin g"
does h is
story provide,
a n d ca n a
rela tion sh ip
be foun d
h ere, too,
to Fla ubert's n ovel?
Wh en th e
poet
Fet rea d th e first in sta llmen t of A n n a
Ka ren in a ,
h e w rote
Tolstoy,
"Fools w ill
ca rry
on a bout Fla ubert's
rea lism,
but h ere
everyth in g
is idea l."30 From
th e
ca ta logue
of simila rities th a t
poin t
to differen ces betw een Fla ubert's n ovel a n d
Tolstoy's,
it
a ppea rs
th a t
Tolstoy
restores th e idea ls th a t Fla ubert sh ow s a re
bein g
lost. Both a uth ors seem to loca te th e formula tion of th ese idea ls in th e w ork of Jea n -
Ja cques
Roussea u.
Tolstoy
described h is devotion to Roussea u in 1901:
I h a ve rea d a ll of
Roussea u,
a ll
tw en ty volumes,
in cludin g
th e
D iction a ry
of
Music. I did better th a n a dore
h im,
I ma de a verita ble cult of h im: a t
fifteen ,
I w ore h is
portra it
a roun d
my
n eck like a
h oly ima ge.
I kn ew
pa ges
of h is
w ritin g by
h ea rt. I th in k th a t I could h a ve w ritten th em.31
Tolstoy
listed Roussea u's
Con fession s,
Emile,
a n d
Julie,
or th e New Heloise a bove
Push kin ,
Sch iller a n d
Gogol
on a list of a bout fifteen books th a t ma de a
big impres-
sion on h im betw een th e
a ges
of fourteen to
tw en ty.32
A t th e en d of h is
life, Tolstoy
w rote:
Roussea u h a s been
my
ma ster sin ce I w a s fifteen . Roussea u a n d th e Bible
h a ve been th e tw o
grea t
a n d ben eficen t in fluen ces of
my
life.
Quite
recen tly
I h a d occa sion to rerea d some of h is w orks a n d I felt th e sa me eleva tion of
th e
spirit
a n d a dmira tion a s w h en I rea d h im in
my
first
youth (1905).33
A fter h is
sta y
in Pa ris in
1857, Tolstoy
ma de a
pilgrima ge
to
Cla ren s,
"th e sa me
villa ge
w h ere Roussea u's Julie lived."34
A s Mila n Ma rkovitch h a s
n oted,
severa l of th e in ciden ts in A n n a Ka ren in a
ma y
h a ve th eir source in Julie: like
Levin ,
Wolma r w orks w ith h is
pea sa n ts, struggles
w ith
th e
question
of
fa ith , begin s
to lose some of h is
skepticism
w h en fa ced w ith th e
pos-
sibility
of h is w ife's dea th .35 With Roussea u's idea ls so much in
min d,
h ow
migh t
Tolstoy
h a ve rea d Ma da me
Bova ry?
29Tolstoy's developmen t
of
"podmostok"
is discussed in
Eikh en ba um,
Lev
Tolstoi,
167ff.
30Letterof 12
A pril
1869. Quoted in N. N.
Gusev,
L. N.
Tolstoi, ma teria ly
k
biogra fii
s 1870
po
1881
god (Moscow , 1963),
253.
31 Pa ul
Boyer,
Ch ez
Tolstoi,
le
Temps,
27
A ugust
1901.
32
PSS 66:67-68.
33 Quoted
in Mila n
Ma rkovitch , Jea n -Ja cques
Roussea u et Tolstoi
(Pa ris, 1928),
5.
34Letterto T. A .
Ergol'ska ia ,
18
Ma y 1857,
PSS 60:189.
35
See
Ma rkovitch ,
Roussea u et
Tolstoi, 48-50,
for furth er
pa ra llels.
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's
Polemic w ith Ma da me
Bova ry
Fla ubert
la mpoon s Roussea u, displa yin g
th e
degra da tion
of Roussea u's idea ls
th a t ta kes
pla ce
in
bourgeois
life. Ch a rles's first
w ife,
th e
scra w n y
w idow
D ubuc,
is
n a med
Heloise,
but is th e a n tith esis of eith er a roma n tic lover or a
w ifely idea l,
n eith er un e a n cien n e n or un e n ouvelle Heloise. Homa is in vokes a con fused version
of Roussea u's idea s a bout educa tion from Emile w h en h e
en coura ges
Ch a rles to
a gree
to Emma 's
pia n o
lesson s so th a t sh e ca n tea ch h er
da ugh ter:
"It's
my opin ion
th a t ch ildren
ough t
to be
ta ugh t by
th eir moth ers. It's a n idea of
Roussea u's,
still a
bit
n ew , perh a ps,
but on e th a t's boun d to
preva il
in th e
en d,
like moth er's milk a n d
va ccin a tion "
(p. 272).
Th e
lesson s,
of
course,
a re a cover for Emma 's a dulterous
trysts;
a n d th e n ovel sh ow s roma n tic litera ture to be th e source of h er ma la ise.36
A n oth er of Roussea u's view s tra vestied is th e
a rgumen t
h e ma kes
a ga in st
th e th ea ter
in Lettre d d'A lembert: Fla ubert
puts
it in th e mouth of th e
in a dequa te priest
Bour-
n isien ,
w h ere it is trivia lized but
proven
in some sen se to be va lid-Emma is cor-
rupted by goin g
to th e th ea ter.
Fla ubert sh ow s th e a bsen ce of Roussea u's idea ls in
con tempora ry
Fren ch life.
In Ma da me
Bova ry
Fla ubert a llow s h is rea der to in fer th e
possibility
of Roussea uia n
idea ls,
in
religion ,
in
a rt,
in true scien ce a n d in
n a ture, th rough
th eir
tra vesty by
th e
sh a llow ch a ra cters
(for exa mple,
Leon 's seduction of Emma
begin s
in th e
ca th edra l).
Th e
on ly pla ce
th ese idea ls a re
presen t
in
positive
form in th e n ovel is in th e
per-
fection of Fla ubert's verba l
medium,
over w h ich h e is fa med for
h a vin g a gon ized.
Not th e ch a ra cters but th e a uth or fin ds
mea n in g
in Ma da me
Bova ry,
a s in th is im-
person a l
evoca tion of n a tura l
bea uty
seen from th e h ill over Yon ville:
Th e w a ter
flow in g a lon g
beside th e
gra ss
ma kes a strea k of w h ite betw een
th e mea dow a n d th e
plow la n d,
a n d th e w h ole effect is th a t of a
la rge
ma n tle
sprea d
out before
you,
its
green
velvet colla r trimmed w ith a silver bra id.
(p.
82)
Th e
green
velvet th a t h a d betoken ed
luxury
a n d roma n ce for Emma a n d th a t Ch a rles
th erefore uses for Emma 's sh roud occurs in its
on ly pure
role in Fla ubert's
n a rra tion ;
h ere th e
green
velvet ca rries n o
preten sion s,
but ra th er fun ction s a s a
meta ph or
th a t
crea tes a
syn th esis
betw een ma n a n d n a ture in a rtistic
prose.
Ma n
pla n ts
th e mea dow
but God ma kes it
grow ;
th e
n ovelist,
"like God in th e
un iverse,"37
ma kes th e met-
a ph or
a n d divin e
in spira tion
a ssists it to
un ify
th e n ovel's levels of
mea n in g.
Wh ile Fla ubert lea ves th e
glories
of n a ture a n d h is ow n
description
of it
beyon d
th e ken of h is
ch a ra cters, Tolstoy
uses Levin a s
sca ffoldin g
to
in tegra te
th e idea ls
con ta in ed in Julie a n d Emile in to th e life of th e Russia n la n dow n er. Fla ubert's lo-
ca tion of
mea n in g
in h is ow n a rtistic
syn th esis is,
of
course,
a n tith etica l to
Tolstoy's
view s. But Fla ubert's
green
velvet fields a re th e
poin t
of
origin
in Levin 's
quest
for
mea n in g
a s w ell:
La st
yea r's gra ss grew green a ga in
a n d th e
youn g gra ss
th rust
up
its
tin y
36
Fla ubert sa id of Ma da me
Bova ry,
"It w a s in h a tred of rea lism th a t I un dertook th is book. But I
equa lly despise
th a t fa lse bra n d of idea lism w h ich is such a h ollow
mockery
in th e
presen t a ge."
See letter
to Ma da me
Roger
des
Gen ettes,
October or November
1856,
in Gusta ve
Fla ubert, Correspon den ce,
ed.
Eug6n e Pa squelle (Pa ris, 1900),
4:134.
37 A s Fla ubert
sa ys
h e sh ould
be, "presen t everyw h ere,
a n d visible n ow h ere"
(ibid., 2:155).
253
254 Priscilla
Meyer
bla des. . . . In visible la rks broke in to
son g
a bove th e
velvety green
fields
a n d th e ice-covered stubble-la n d. . . .
Sprin g
h a d
rea lly
come.
(p. 169)
Th is is th e
description
of
sprin g
on Levin 's
esta te, w h ere,
a fter
Kitty
h a s refused h is
offer of
ma rria ge,
Levin loca tes h is
h opes
for th e
future,
first w ith out
Kitty,
but
by
th e en d of th e
n ovel, togeth er
w ith h er. Like Levin 's econ omic
a n a lysis,
in w h ich
a griculture
is th e ba sis of a n a tion 's
w ea lth ,
h is
spiritua l a n a lysis
ba ses mora l exis-
ten ce in
w orkin g
h is la n d.
Th e scen e of Levin 's
joy
on th a t
sprin g morn in g brin gs togeth er
severa l motifs
th a t a re crucia l to both n ovels:
green , velvet,
h a ze a n d
ciga rs.
Wh ile a ll four motifs
depict
Emma 's mora l declin e
th rough out
Ma da me
Bova ry, Tolstoy redeploys
th em.
In th is scen e th e first th ree
con vey
th e
joy
of ma n 's
coopera tion
w ith n a ture w h ile
th e fourth is ma de to
tra vesty
th em a s w ell a s th e mora l vision a ssocia ted w ith Levin 's
fa rmin g.
Tolstoy
con tin ues th e
lon g description
of Levin 's
sprin g
w ith a n oth er "va st ex-
pa n se
of
smooth , velvety green ca rpet" sprea din g
before Levin a s h e
goes
a bout h is
esta te
pla n n in g
to
get
th e
ma n urin g
don e before th e first
pla n tin g (p. 173).
A n d th en
Oblon sky
a rrives: Levin "led h is
guest
in to th e
spa re bedroom,
w h ere
Oblon sky's
th in gs-h is ba g,
a
gun -ca se,
a n d a sa tch el for
ciga rs-w ere
a lso
brough t" (p. 176).
Ciga rs
a re ma de in to a motif in Ma da me
Bova ry con n otin g w orldlin ess,
luxury
a n d
sen sua lity:
th e
priest
h a s toba cco sta in s on h is
ch est; Rodolph e
smokes a
ciga r
a fter h e first seduces Emma in th e
w oods;
Emma
gives Rodolph e
a
ciga r
ca se
"just
like th e viscoun t's"
(p. 202);
Leon
ligh ts
a
ciga r w a itin g
for Emma a t th e ca th edra l
before th eir
ca rria ge
ride.
Ma rkin g
h er mora l
declin e,
Emma
goes
out on th e street
in Rouen w ith a
ciga rette
in h er mouth . Th e motif
origin a tes
in th e a foremen tion ed
viscoun t's
ciga r
ca se foun d on th e roa d a fter th e ba ll.38
In A n n a Ka ren in a toba cco
pla ys
a simila r role. A n n a h a s
a cquired
a tortoise-
sh ell
ciga r
ca se
by
th e time sh e meets
Levin ;
it con ta in s th e
ciga rettes
sh e n ow
smokes, tra cin g
h er declin e a s
ciga rettes
do Emma 's. Th e toba cco motif con n ects
h er
sen sua lity
to h er
broth er,
w h o
frequen tly
smokes
ciga rs.
He ca lls th em "th e crow n
a n d h a ll-ma rk of
plea sure" (p. 178).
He
ligh ts
on e a fter din n er a t Levin 's w h en h e
opin es
th a t "a
pretty
ma id is better th a n a n old n urse"
(p. 177).
It is
pa rt
of h is mora l
blin dn ess:
Oblon sky "en joyed
h is
n ew spa per,
a s h e did h is a fter-din n er
ciga r,
for th e
sligh t
h a ze it
produced
in h is bra in "
(p. 19).
Th is h a ze remin ds us of h is
sister, w h o,
a s w e h a ve
seen ,
a ssocia tes blue h a ze w ith
youn g
love. So it is emblema tic th a t Ob-
lon sky
sh ould a rrive a t Levin 's w ith a n en tire
sepa ra te
sa tch el for
ciga rs, w h ich ,
a ga in st
th e
ba ckgroun d
of th e tw ice-men tion ed
green
velvet
fields,
is
perceived by
th e rea der a s th eir a n tith esis. In th is
w a y,
th e
luxury
th a t Fla ubert h a s Emma a s-
socia te w ith th e Viscoun t's
green -trimmed ciga r
ca se is tra n sferred in A n n a Ka ren in a
to th e true source of
w ell-bein g,
th e w ell-ten ded fruit of Levin 's h on est toil.
Tolstoy,
like
Fla ubert,
uses th e motif cluster of
h a ze, green ,
velvet a n d
ciga rs.
But w h ile in Ma da me
Bova ry
a ll th ese motifs a re a ssocia ted w ith Emma 's descen t
in to
deba uch ery, Tolstoy
redistributes th em: Th e first th ree a re a llotted a n a ddition a l
38
Louise Colet must h a vebeen
referrin g
to th e motif w h en sh e
ga ve
Fla ubert a
jew eled
a n d in scribed
ciga r
h older. See Fra n ces
Steegmuller,
Fla ubert a n d Ma da me
Bova ry (Lon don , 1947),
300.
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's
Polemic w ith Ma da me
Bova ry
255
mea n in g
in a ssocia tion w ith Levin 's
esta te,
w h ile
Oblon sky
obtrudes
upon
th em w ith
h is ow n toba cco h a ze.39
In terestin gly,
th e dra fts for th is scen e do n ot combin e th e
"green "
w ith th e
"velvet,"
n or do
th ey
con ta in
Oblon sky's
sa tch el for
ciga rs.40
In -
stea d of th e
la tter, Tolstoy
h a s
on ly: "[Oblon sky's] elega n t th in gs-stra ps, suitca se,
ba g, gun -w ere
ca rried in ."41 La ter
Tolstoy ga ve Oblon sky
a
ciga r
ca se
("siga roch -
n itsa ")
w h ich
on ly
beca me a sa tch el
("sumka
dlia
siga r")
w h en h e
prepa red
th e first
edition of th e n ovel for
publica tion
a s a
sepa ra te
book.42 A n n a 's tortoise-sh ell
ciga r
ca se is a lso a bsen t from th e
publish ed
dra fts of th e scen e.43 Th e la te a ddition of th is
system
of deta ils
suggests
both th e
importa n ce
of th e motif for
Tolstoy
a n d h is a w a re-
n ess of Fla ubert's fa mous
ciga r
ca se.
On e la st motif focuses th e essen tia l differen ce betw een Fla ubert's a n d
Tolstoy's
n ovels: ma n ure. D mitri
Merezh kovsky
con n ects
Tolstoy's
love of ma n ure to Rous-
sea u in
Tolstoy
a s Ma n a n d A rtist: "Th e
idyllic perfume
of ma n ure moved a lmost to
tea rs . . . Jea n
Ja cques
Roussea u.
Leo, too,
loves its sa vour."44
Levin 's roma n tic
joy
a t th e
mystery
of
sprin g
in th e scen e is
coupled
w ith h is
con cern th a t th e
ma n urin g
be don e
properly,
a n d th e w ord "ma n ure" is
repea ted
th ree times in tw o
pa ges.
It is
perfectly
in
keepin g
w ith th e eleva tion of Levin 's soul
a n d our fresh a ma zemen t a t n a ture's mira culous self-ren ew a l.
Tolstoy emph a sizes
th e sa me
juxta position
th a t h a d
gotten
Wordsw orth a n d Push kin in to such trouble
yea rs
ea rlier,
th a t of th e
lofty
w ith th e
low ly.45
Fla ubert, too, pla ys
w ith th is
juxta position ,
a lso
usin g ma n ure,
but
emph a sizes
th e con tra st of th e
low ly
to th e
pseudo-eleva ted. Rodolph e begin s
h is seduction of
Emma a t th e
A gricultura l
Fa ir in Yon ville. He en tra n ces h er w ith ta lk of souls or-
da in ed to meet
by
Fa te
a ga in st
th e
coun terpoin t
of th e
speech es
from th e Fa ir's
tribun a l. Both lin es in th e
coun terpoin t
a re ma de
up
of h orren dous
clich es,
ea ch set
design ed
to
ma n ipula te
th eir a udien ce. Roma n tic love a n d
politica l
idea lism a re
equa lly
tra vestied:
39 In Th e
La dy of
th e Ca melia s th e motifs con n ote
opposites: (corrupt)
Pa ris in th e dista n ce is "in
th e mist"
(p. 110)
w h ile th e
cotta ge
in
Bougiva l
w h ere
Ma rguerite
return s to rura l in n ocen ce h a s "a
green
la w n , smooth a s velvet"
(p. 112).
A lexa n dre D uma s-fils, tra n s. Edmun d Gosse
(Guern sey:
A la n Sutton ,
1991).
Sa in te-Beuve a n d oth er review ers sa w Emma
Bova ry
a s a version of
Ma rguerite
Ga utier
(Steeg-
muller, Fla ubert a n d Ma da me
Bova ry, 297).
40
PSS 20:214,217. In th e dra ft forth e
lon g pa ra gra ph
a bout
sprin g (pa rt 2, ch a pter12),
mist
(tuma n )
is men tion ed on ce. In th e fin a l version it
a ppea rs
th ree times in a
w a y
th a t
emph a sizes
th e mira culous
a spect
of n a ture's rebirth . Th e dra ft uses both
green
a n d
velvet, but
sepa ra ted by
tw o
sen ten ces, w h erea s
th e fin a l version brea ks th e
pa ra gra ph
in to tw o section s, ea ch of w h ich combin e th em. See V Zh da n ov
a n d E. Za iden sh n ur, eds., A n n a Ka ren in a
(Moscow , 1970), 133, 136.
41
PSS 20:217.
42
Th e correction w a s ma dein
Tolstoy's h a n dw ritin g.
I a m
gra teful
to Ta tia n a
Georgievn a
Nikiforova
of th e
Tolstoy
museum a rch ive
(A ka demiia kh udozh estv)
in Moscow for h er
h elp
in
discoverin g
th is.
43
PSS 20:505-6.
44
D mitri
Merejkow sky,
Tolstoi a s Ma n a n d A rtist
(Lon don , 1902),
64.
45
Tolstoy
uses th e motif
a ga in
la ter in Th e D evil, a ssign in g
it th e
opposite mea n in g:
th e
ph osph a tes
th a t Irten ev h a s been
fertilizin g
th e fields w ith a re a ssocia ted w ith h is
pea sa n t
mistress w h o h a s born e
h im a ch ild, a
poin t
ma de
by
Elliott Mossma n in "Plus s'a ccuse, plus
s'excuse:
Tolstoy's
Con fession s"
(Pa per
delivered a t th e a n n ua l A TSEEL con ven tion , New
York,
D ecember
1992).
Th e motif th us ca rries
th e
opposition
betw een idea l w edded love to th e lust th a t un dermin es it. Th is
suggests
th a t in
Tolstoy's
crea tive
process,
A n n a 's
a dultery
becomes th e
n ecessa ry complemen t
to Levin 's w edded
bliss, servin g
to
purge it of th e illicit pa ssion
th a t
destroys
h er.
256 Priscilla
Meyer
"We, n ow , w h y
did w e meet? Wh a t turn of fa te decreed it?" ...
"Gen era l Prize!" cried th e Ch a irma n .
"Just
n ow ,
for
in sta n ce,
w h en I ca me to ca ll on
you
..."
"Mon sieur Bizet of
Quin ca mpoix."
"... h ow could I kn ow th a t I sh ould escort
you
h ere?" ...
"Ma n ure!"
(p.
161)
Ma n ure a n d fertilizers a re men tion ed th ree times in a s
ma n y pa ges
from th e Yon ville
tribun a l: "Work a bove a ll a t th e
improvemen t
of th e
soil,
a t
producin g
rich
fertilizers,
a t
breedin g
h orses, cow s, sh eep, pigs!" (les
ra ces
ch eva lin es, bovin es,
ovin es et
por-
cin es!) (p.
160/177).
Wh a t Fla ubert uses to mock
cyn ica l politica l exploita tion
of a bovin e
pea sa n try
Tolstoy
ma kes th e ba sis of Levin 's fa ith -Levin th in ks
joyfully
of h is future h erd of
cow s bred from Pa va even
durin g
h is
despa ir
over
Kitty's
refusa l. In
Tolstoy's
dra fts
for A n n a
Ka ren in a ,
Levin w a s to h a ve come to Moscow n ot to
propose
to
Kitty
but
to sh ow Pa va a t a n
a gricultura l
fa ir.
Oblon sky
w a s to h a ve met h im th ere
by ch a n ce,
in th e
compa n y
of on e of h is mistresses.46 Th us w e h a ve th e sa me
in tersplicin g
of th e
a dulterous
couple
w ith th e
a gricultura l
con cern s a s in Ma da me
Bova ry,
w ith th e sa me
redistribution of cen sure: w h ile Fla ubert mocks
both , Tolstoy
sh ow s th e
a gricultura l,
ma rked
by
th e ma n ure
motif,
to
embody
a n eleva ted mora l
idea l,
w h ile a dulterous
love is a
tra vesty
of th e idea l of ma rried love th a t is ba sed in n a ture.
Th us in A n n a Ka ren in a
Tolstoy
exa min es th e
question
of w h a t men live
by
in
order to con sider th e
problem
of
a dultery, return in g
to h is beloved Roussea u for a
ba sis. A n n a 's
grea t tra gedy
is th a t sh e is con demn ed
by
th e
very h on esty
th a t con -
stitutes Levin 's virtue: both ch a ra cters a dh ere to
Tolstoy's
Roussea uia n idea ls
by
refusin g
to a bide
by public opin ion
a n d
mea n in gless
socia l con ven tion . But w h ile
Levin flouts th e frivolous con ven tion s of
society,
h e comes to
a ccept
th e w isdom of
th ose rela ted to
God;
A n n a flouts both kin ds a n d is
repa id a ccordin gly.
Fla ubert does n ot ma ke th is
distin ction ;
th e villa in of h is n ovel is h is bete
n oir,
th e idee
reque,
th e
clich e,
th e un exa min ed
view ,
a n d a ll th e
da ma ge
it ca n do. Ma -
da me
Bova ry
en ds n ot w h en Emma
dies,
but a fter th e ch emist of
Yon ville,
Mon sieur
Homa is,
h a s received th e
Legion
d'h on n eur.
Homa is is th e ch ief
a gen t
of even ts in th e n ovel. He ta lks Ch a rles in to
performin g
th e
opera tion
on th e club-foot
Hippolyte
beca use h e h a s rea d a bout a n ew meth od
in th e
n ew spa pers.
Homa is ta lks Ch a rles in to
ta kin g
Emma to th e th ea ter in Rouen .
It is
a mon g
Homa is's ch emist
supplies
th a t Emma fin ds th e a rsen ic to kill h erself.
Fin a lly,
it is Homa is w h o tells th e blin d
begga r
to come to Yon ville so th a t Homa is
ca n
a pply
oin tmen t to h is
eyes,
w h ich culmin a tes in Homa is
h a vin g
h im
imprison ed.
Homa is a n d th e
pseudo-scien ce
h e
prea ch es
a re a
pa rody
of Him w h o w ould ma ke
th e la me w a lk a n d th e blin d see.
In A n n a Ka ren in a th e
person
w h o a cts a s
go-betw een
a s w ell a s
purveyor
of th e
a ccepted
view is
Oblon sky.
He
correspon ds
in
ma n y w a ys
to
Homa is,
a n d even h a s
th e sa me n umber of ch ildren
(six). Tolstoy
en dow s
Oblon sky
w ith
ma n y
lova ble ch a r-
a cteristics so th a t th e rea der ten ds to
a ccept
h im a s
un critica lly
a s
Oblon sky's
frien ds
46
PSS 20:52-57.
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's
Polemic w ith Ma da me
Bova ry
do,
but n on eth eless sh ow s h im to live w ith out
a n y
mora l ba sis for h is a ction s a n d to
la ck th e
ca pa city
for
in depen den t th ough t.47
Oblon sky
is a libera l w h o
gets
a ll h is
opin ion s
from th e
n ew spa pers:
A n d
a lth ough
h e w a s n ot
pa rticula rly
in terested in
scien ce,
a rt or
politics,
on a ll such
subjects
h e a dh ered
firmly
to th e view s of th e
ma jority,
a s ex-
pressed by
h is
pa per....
Th e Libera l
Pa rty sa id,
or ra th er
a ssumed,
th a t
religion
w a s
on ly
a curb on th e
illitera te;
a n d in deed
Oblon sky
could n ot
sta n d
th rough
even th e sh ortest ch urch service w ith out
a ch in g feet,
or
un dersta n d th e
poin t
of a ll th a t
drea dful, h igh -flow n
ta lk a bout th e oth er
w orld,
w h en life in th is w orld w a s
rea lly very plea sa n t. (p. 19)
Homa is a s a ma n of scien ce h a s n o use for
religion ,
a n d
con sta n tly
ba its Bour-
n isien . Homa is is a
ch emist,
w h ile
Oblon sky
is h ea d of a court
h ouse,
but th e la n -
gua ge describin g
h im sma cks of th e medica l:
Oblon sky
is sa id to a ct in
spite
of h imself
"'by
a reflex a ction of th e
bra in ,'
n ow
th ough t Oblon sky,
w h o h a d a
lea n in g
tow a rds
ph ysiology."48
He is sa id to "h a ve a ben eficen t a n d
jolly ph ysica l
effect" on th e
people
h e meets.49
Oblon sky
too a cts a s
go-betw een
in a ll th e
importa n t
in tera ction s of th e n ovel:50
h e summon s A n n a to
Moscow ; brin gs Kitty
a n d Levin
togeth er;
obta in s Ka ren in 's
con sen t for a
divorce;
a n d in troduces Levin to
A n n a ,
to men tion th e most
importa n t.
Homa is a n d
Oblon sky
a re lin ked
by
a sh ellfish motif. In Moscow
Oblon sky
ta kes
Levin to din n er
a ga in st
h is w ill a t a resta ura n t w h ose
elega n ce
seems to defile Levin 's
feelin gs
for
Kitty. Th ey
h a ve th ree dozen
oysters,
described so a s to
emph a size
Ob-
lon sky's sen sua lity:
"'Not
ba d,'
h e
sa id, tea rin g
th e
quiverin g oysters
from th eir
pea rly
sh ells w ith a silver fork a n d
sw a llow in g
th em on e a fter a n oth er. 'Not
ba d,'
h e
repea ted, turn in g
h is
dew y,
brillia n t
eyes
from Levin .. ."
(p. 48).
Homa is a rrives in Rouen a n d
dra gs
Leon off to a
lon g
lun ch a t a
preten tious
resta ura n t. Leon is in
despa ir
beca use h e kn ow s Emma is
w a itin g
for
h im,
but is
forced to listen to Homa is
"expoun d
immora l th eories on w omen "
(p. 290).
Red
lobster cla w s h a d la in over th e
edge
of th e
pla tter
a t La
Va ubyessa rd
a s
pa rt
of th e
a bun da n t
luxury; by
th e en d of th e
book,
via a series of
permuta tion s,
th e crusta cea n
motif,
like oth er motifs
con n otin g luxury,
h a s descen ded
a lon g
w ith Emma to become
a
ludicrously
defiled token of
elega n ce
a n d roma n ce:
[Homa is
a n d
Leon ]
could see in th e broa d
sun ligh t
a little foun ta in
gurglin g
in to a ma rble
ba sin ,
w h ere
a mon g
w a tercress a n d
a spa ra gus
th ree
torpid
lobsters w ere stretch ed out w ith some
qua ils lyin g
on th eir side a ll in a
h ea p.
(p.
290)
47
Ga ry
Sa ul Morson
a grees:
"Stiva is th e villa in of th e
book,
its
represen ta tive
of w h a t evil is"
("Prosa ics
a n d A n n a
Ka ren in a ," Tolstoy
Studies
Journ a l,
vol. 1
[1988]: pp. 1-12, p. 6)
a s does
D ostoevsky,
w h om h e cites.
48
Pa ge
15.
Refieksy golovn ogo mozga
is th e title of a book
by
Professor Sech en ov w h o ca rried on a
polemic
w ith a n oth er scien tist in th e
periodica ls Oblon sky
w ould h a ve rea d. See Louise a n d
A ylmer
Ma ude, tra n s.,
A n n a
Ka ren in a ,
2 vols.
(Lon don , 1939),
1:495.
49
Pa rt
1, ch a pter
5.
"Bylo
ch to-to,
fizich eski deistvova vsh ee druzh eliubn o i veselo n a
liudei,
vstre-
ch a vsh ikh sia s n im."
Rosema ry
Edmon ds tra n sla tes th is "a cts like a ton ic"
(p. 27).
Th e Ma udes h a ve
"h a d a
ph ysica l
effect on "
(1:17).
50Sch ulzea lso ma kes th is
poin t
(Structure
of
A n n a
Ka ren in a , 151).
257
258 Priscilla Meyer
Ma da me
Bova ry
closes w ith Homa is's rew a rd for h is destructive
meddlin g.
In
th e fin a l
pa rt
8 of A n n a Ka ren in a w e lea rn th a t
Oblon sky
h a s w on th e
post
a t
eigh t
th ousa n d rubles a
yea r
th a t h e h a s been
discreetly lobbyin g
for.51 He is to be
secreta ry
of th e committee of th e con solida ted
a gen cy
of credit ba la n ce of th e south ern ra il-
w a ys,
w h ich h e describes to Ka ren in in Homa is-like
journ a lese
a s "a n ew in stitution
of un doubted
utility" (p. 754).
Given th e role of
ra ilw a ys
in th e n ovel a n d Levin 's
view th a t th eir
prema ture prolifera tion
is detrimen ta l to
a griculture, Oblon sky's post
a n d th e en tire
a gen cy suggests
th a t its
utility
is
precisely dubious,
a n d th a t
Oblon sky's
ph ra se
is a
rea dy-ma de piece
of
h igh -flow n
obfusca tion . He is rew a rded w ith th e
post
for h is rea din ess to
employ
th e
rea dy-ma de ph ra se, idea , w a y
of life
un question in gly,
a lth ough
th e ra ilroa ds th a t w ill
supply
h im extra in come h a ve been th e mea n s of h is
sister's destruction .
Homa is
is,
of
course,
ma ster of th e
clich e,
w h ich h e a ssembles w ith demon ic
ra pidity
for th e a rticles h e w rites for th e loca l
n ew spa per,
th e Rouen Bea con . "'C'est
la la
question ,'
a s th e
pa per
w a s
sa yin g
th e oth er
da y,"
h e
pra ttles, h a vin g forgotten
th e irreleva n t
(to h im)
source of h is
ta g
lin e
(p. 221). Oblon sky quotes
Levin th e
sa me verses a bout a
youn g
ma n in love th a t h e la ter
repea ts
to
Vron sky
a s both a re
on th eir
w a y
to see
Kitty.52
In both
ca ses,
th ere is iron ic
mea n in g
for th e
rea der,
but
w h ile Homa is ca n n ot kn ow th a t Ha mlet's suicide
soliloquy perta in s
to
Emma ,
Ob-
lon sky
kn ow s th a t Levin a n d
Vron sky
a re
a ppa ren tly
both in love w ith th e sa me
w oma n .
If Emma 's
h istory
illustra tes th e
tra gic
results of
a ctin g
out h er
projective
rea d-
in g
of
roma n ces,
Homa is
displa ys
th e destruction ca used
by misa pplied ma teria lism,
embodied in h is
a poth eca ry's
fa ith in scien ce. Emma is a secon d-h a n d version of
Ch a tea ubria n d's
Ren e;
sh e deva lues h is roma n tic
quest
for a n idea l
by embodyin g
it
in
ta w dry rea lity. Homa is,
on th e oth er
h a n d, presen ts
th e
degra da tion
of Roussea u's
progressive
view s a n d of
En ligh ten men t
idea s. Emma is
guided by sen sua lity;
Ho-
ma is is un restra in ed
by a n y
mora l
prin ciple. Oblon sky
combin es th ese fea tures. A s
A n n a is th e best
possible
a dulteress,
h e is th e best
possible sen sua list,
en joyin g oys-
ters, w omen , h un tin g,
a n d h is frien ds w ith
a ppea lin g good h ea lth ,
en ergy
a n d bon -
h omie. But h e is n on eth eless th e
En emy;
h e
represen ts
th e destructive force of
Tolstoy's
n ovel,
for it is th is life force a n d sen sua l
a ppetite
th a t lea d A n n a to
go
a ga in st
h er mora l
prin ciples
a n d
precipita te
h er suicide.
Tolstoy's polemic
w ith
Europea n litera ture,
focused on th e "w oma n
question "
a n d th e n ovel of
a dultery, is,
a s Eiken ba um
w rote,
"a dia lectic
un ity,
th e result of a
complex
men ta l
process."53
Th a t
complexity
seems to h a ve in cluded a n
a ttempt
to
a pply
va lues a bsorbed from Roussea u to th e
problem
of
a dultery,
a n d th ese va lues
a ppea r
to h a ve been more
specifica lly
ela bora ted in
dia logue
w ith Fla ubert th a n h a s
been
supposed.
Th e
pa ra llels
betw een Ma da me
Bova ry
a n d A n n a Ka ren in a sh ow both a uth ors
to be con cern ed w ith th e declin e of ch erish ed
va lues;
emblema tized
by
th e a dulteress
51I
a m in debted to Ra ch el Trousda le for
poin tin g
out th is
pa ra llel.
2Push kin 's tra n sla tion of A n a creon 's
fifty-fifth
ode.
53Eikh en ba um,
Lev
Tolstoi,
152.
A n n a Ka ren in a :
Tolstoy's
Polemic w ith Ma da me
Bova ry
in th e
con veya n ce a ccompa n ied by
th e
grotesque pea sa n t
w ith h is
in a ppropria te
la n -
gua ge,
a
people
is sh ow n to
betra y
its ow n best n a ture a n d tra dition s
th rough
sh a llow
un dersta n din g
of th em. In stea d of Fla ubert's trivia l
h eroin e,
Tolstoy posits
th e best
possible
ca se,
but A n n a is n o less th a n Emma doomed
by
th e in h eren t con tra diction s
both of h er
society
a n d of
a dultery
itself.54
Tolstoy, th en , ma y
be sa id to be
restorin g
Roussea u's view s
by givin g
th em a
dign ity, freein g
th em from th e
pa rody
w ith w h ich Fla ubert
degra des
th em. Levin is
a true
Emile, lea rn in g
from h is ow n
experien ce
th e cost of
luxury,
th e
superiority
of
th in gs
ma de
by
on eself,
th e freedom to
en joy
bla ck brea d a n d n ot to be a sla ve to
public opin ion .55
In stea d of
a llow in g Oblon sky's
Homa is-like success to domin a te
pa rt
8, Tolstoy
rew a rds Levin w ith a son a n d a revela tion a bout th e n a ture of h uma n
existen ce. Th is is
Tolstoy's
a n tidote to
a dultery,
a n
evolvin g
a n sw er to th e
question
of h ow to live a
mea n in gful
life.
A n sw erin g
Fla ubert w ith
Roussea u, Tolstoy
is a ble to rein fuse idea lism in to th e
rea list n ovel w h ich h e felt h a d become
distressin gly
n a tura listic
(remember
h is re-
ma rks a bout
Ba lza c).
Wh ile th e roma n tics in sisted on th e
un a tta in a bility
of a Pla -
ton ic Idea l in th e rea l
w orld, Tolstoy
sh ow s a more A ristotelia n
possibility:
th e
con tin uous
a pproa ch
tow a rd th e idea l in th e
rea l;
th e
h oly
idea l of th e beloved ca n
be
tra n sformed, pa in fully
a n d
gra dua lly,
in to th e a ctua l
w ife,
a n d th e n ovel of a dul-
tery
in to a
profession
de
foi.
54
A s Sten bock-Fermor
puts it,
A n n a is
"en tra pped by
mista ken culture w ith its
ma ch in ery, da n ces,
provoca tive dresses,
a n d a ll th e a rtificia l comforts a n d socia l con ven tion s"
(A rch itecture of
A n n a
Ka ren in a , 70).
55
Jea n -Ja cques Roussea u,
Emile
(New York, 1974), 153-54,
163.
259