In which Oblonsky reads the newspapers...
We learn that the only beliefs Oblonsky favors are those that suit his comfort. I feel like we all favor beliefs that result in maximum luxary. But the narrator makes a point of spelling out just how incredibly fickle Oblonsky is. References to Bentham and Mill are dropped. Oblonsky's a utilitarian, I guess. Maybe a parody of utilitarian. I'd call him a hedonist at heart -- there doesn't seem to be much depth to this fella so far. Rich Russian aristocrat with a plumb life who smiles at his good digestion. Hope his wife murders him, or gives him a reason to feel real pain. Maybe that's what Tolstoy wants me to think.
We meet two of his five children:
-Tanya, daughter
-Grisha, son
He prefers Tanya to Grisha but tries to hide it. The boy knows his pa doesn't care for him, though.
We learn that he has no hope of rekindling his relationship with his wife. Because, well, "it was impossible to restore their relations because it was impossible to render her attractive and capable of exciting love."
We learn that there's a timber sale that needs to go down, and it will require Oblonsky to reconcile with his wife. He doesn't like the thought of this incentive biasing his decision.
She's lost her utility, I guess!
However, ole Oblonsky knows he has to confront this mess sooner or later. The chapter ends with him walking to his wife's room.
Stray thoughts:
-This is my first Tolstoy novel. People always name-check Tolstoy as a difficult read. He doesn't seem too difficult on a sentence-by-sentence level. Much easier than Dostoyevsky. I guess it's just the sheer size of his novels that intimidates?
Actually, maybe I just have a really good translation. I'm reading the Maude Translation, by the way.
-Will the Liberal vs Conserative party fight become a major theme of the novel? Or was it just to give us a view of how shallow Oblonsky is?
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