February 19, 2008 - Tolstoy on Denial, and Fishing. - 0 Comments

"How many times during his eight years of happy life with his wife, looking at other people's unfaithful wives and deceived husbands, had Alexei Alexandrovich said to himself: 'How can one let it come to that? How can one not undo this ugly situation?' But now, when the disaster had fallen on his head, he not only did not think of how to undo the situation, but did not want to know about it at all --- did not want to know precisely because it was too terrible, too unnatural."

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"After the doctor's departure, Sergei Ivanovich expressed a wish to go to the river with a fishing rod. He liked fishing and seemed to take pride in being able to like such a stupid occupation."

- Tolstoy (trans. P&V), Anna Karenina, 1878