Tanya

Also known as: Tanitchka · Family: Oblonsky · Role: eldest girl · First appears: PART ONE · Chapter 3

Tanya, also known as Tanitchka and the eldest girl of the Oblonsky family, appears in chapter 3 as Stepan Arkadyevitch’s favorite child, running to embrace him and laughing at the scent of his whiskers. Her voice is heard with Grisha’s outside the door, and she is expected to go for a walk with Miss Hoole. By chapter 19, Darya Alexandrovna takes her in her arms and kisses her, appreciating how Tanya is remembered among the children.

In chapter 20, Tanya is with Anna, who gives her the ring she is pulling from her finger. During St. Peter’s week in chapter 77, she goes with Darya Alexandrovna and the other children to receive the sacrament; later, at lunch, she secretly carries her tart to Grisha despite his punishment. At the same time, she behaves like a grown-up and looks after Aliosha, Lily, and Nikolinka. In chapter 79, however, she and Grisha fight violently, with Tanya pulling his hair while he strikes her.

By chapter 140, Darya Alexandrovna takes Tanya and Grisha to a children’s ball, where Tanya is dressed as a French marquise. In chapter 234, she climbs into the trap and calls Levin “Uncle Kostya,” announcing that her mother, grandfather, Sergey Ivanovitch, and someone else are coming.

Relationship record

Life events

• Darya Alexandrovna took the children to receive the sacrament after nearly a year’s absence.(PART THREE · Chapter 8 · 📍 church)
  • With: Darya Alexandrovna Aliosha Lily Grisha Nikolinka
  • “On the Sunday in St. Peter’s week Darya Alexandrovna drove to mass for all her children to take the sacrament.”
• Tanya secretly gave Grisha her tart, sharing it with him despite his punishment.(PART THREE · Chapter 8 · 📍 drawing-room)
  • With: Grisha
  • “On the pretext of wanting to give some dinner to her dolls, she had asked the governess’s permission to take her share of tart to the nursery, and had taken it instead to her brother.”
• Tanya and Grisha fight violently, shattering Darya Alexandrovna’s pride in her children.(PART THREE · Chapter 10)
  • With: Grisha Darya Alexandrovna
  • “Tanya was pulling Grisha’s hair, while he, with a face hideous with rage, was beating her with his fists wherever he could get at her.”

PART ONE · Chapter 3

• parent: Stepan Arkadyevitch “The little girl, her father’s favorite, ran up boldly, embraced him, and hung laughingly on his neck, enjoying as she always did the smell of scent that came from his whiskers.”
• siblings with Grisha “Two childish voices (Stepan Arkadyevitch recognized the voices of Grisha, his youngest boy, and Tanya, his eldest girl) were heard outside the door.”
• with Miss Hoole (They are to go for a walk together.) “She did not say we must do our lessons, but she said we were to go for a walk with Miss Hoole to grandmamma’s.”