Translation by Rosemary Edmonds (1954)
I. The Opening Sentence (Part One, Ch. 1)
All happy families are alike but an unhappy family is unhappy after its own fashion
II. The Ball Scene (Part One, Ch. 23)
If Anna smiled he smiled in reply
If she grew thoughtful he looked serious
Some supernatural force drew Kitty's eyes to Anna’s face
She was charming in her simple black gown her rounded arms were charming with their bracelets charming the firm neck with the string of pearls charming the unruly curls charming the graceful easy movements of her little hands and feet charming the lovely animated face bur in that charm there was something terrible and cruel
III. The Seduction Scene (Part 2, Ch. 11)
he felt what a murderer must feel when he sees the body he has robbed of life
the body he had robbed of life was their love the first stage of their love
there was something frightful and revolting in the recollection of what had been paid for by this terrible price of shame
shame at her spiritual nakedness crushed her and infected him
but in spite of the murderer’s horror before the body of his victim that body must be hacked to pieces and hidden and the murderer must make use of what he has obtained by his crime
and as with fury and passion the murderer throws himself upon the body and drags it and hacks at it so he covered her face and shoulders with kisses
IV. The Suicide (Part 7, Ch. 31)
she wanted to fall half-way between the wheels of the front truck which was drawing level with her
but the red bag which she began to pull from her arm delayed her and it was too late: the truck had passed
she must wait for the next
a sensation similar to the feeling she always had when bathing before she took the first plunge seized her and she crossed herself
the familiar gesture brought back a whole series of memories of when she was a girl and of her childhood and suddenly the darkness that had enveloped everything for her lifted and for an instant life glowed before her with all its past joys
but she did not take her eyes off the wheels of the approaching second truck
and exactly at the moment when the space between the wheels drew level with her she threw aside the red bag and drawing her head down between her shoulders dropped on her hands under the truck and with a light movement as though she would rise again at once sank on to her knees
at the same instant she became horror-struck at what she was doing
where am i
what am 1 doing
why
she tried to get up to throw herself back but something huge and relentless struck her on the head and dragged her down on her back
god forgive me everything she murmured feeling the impossibility of struggling
a little peasant muttering something was working at the rails
and the candle by which she had been reading the book filled with trouble and deceit sorrow and evil flared up with a brighter light illuminating for her everything that before had been enshrouded in darkness flickered grew dim and went out for ever