Translation by Aylmer and Louise Maude (1922-23)
I. The Opening Sentence (Part One, Ch. 1)
all happy families resemble one another but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way
II. The Ball Scene (Part One, Ch. 23)
anna smiled and the smile passed on to him
she became thoughtful and he became serious
some supernatural power attracted kitty’s eyes to anna’s face
she looked charming in her simple black dress: her full arms with the bracelets her firm neck with the string of pearls round it her curly hair now disarranged every movement of her small feet and hands her handsome animated face everything about her was enchanting bur there was something terrible and cruel in her charm
III. The Seduction Scene (Part 2, Ch. 11)
he felt what a murderer must feel when looking at the body he has deprived of life
the body he had deprived of life was their love the first period of their love
there was something frightful and revolting in the recollection of what had been paid for with this terrible price of shame
the shame she felt at her spiritual nakedness communicated itself to him
but in spite of the murderer’s horror of the body of his victim that body must be cut in pieces and hidden away and he must make use of what he has obtained by the murder
then as the murderer desperately throws himself on the body as though with passion and drags it and hacks it so vronsky 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 little red handbag which she began to take off her arm delayed her and then it was too late
the middle had passed her, she was obliged to wait for the next truck
a feeling seized her like that she had experienced when preparing to enter the water in bathing and she crossed herself
the familiar gesture of making the sign of the cross called up a whole series of girlish and childish memories and suddenly the darkness that obscured everything for her broke and life showed itself to her for an instant with all its bright past joys
but she did not take her eyes off the wheels of the approaching second truck
and at the very moment when the midway point between the wheels drew level she threw away her red bag and drawing her head down between her shoulders threw herself forward on her hands under the truck and with a light movement as if preparing to rise again immediately dropped on her knees
and at the same moment she was horror-struck at what she was doing
where am i
what am i doing
why
she wished to rise to throw herself back hut something huge and relentless struck her on the head and dragged her down
god forgive me everything she said feeling the impossibility of struggling
a little peasant muttering something was working at the rails
the candle by the light of which she had been reading that book filled with anxieties deceptions grief and evil flared up with a brighter light than before lit up for her all that had before been dark flickered began to grow dim and went out for ever