Princess Varvara

Family: Vronsky circle · Role: visitor · First appears: PART FIVE · Chapter 32

In chapter 156, Princess Varvara accompanies Anna, who says, “Why so? I’m not going alone. Princess Varvara has gone to dress, she is going with me.” By chapter 174, Darya Alexandrovna, who has long known Princess Varvara as her husband’s aunt, does not respect her. In Petersburg, Princess Varvara becomes essential to Anna as a chaperon, appearing when one is needed to help with the difficulty of Anna’s position.

In chapters 176–178, Stepan Arkadyevitch’s opinion of Princess Varvara is known, while Katerina Pavlovna is described as her rival: Stiva says Princess Varvara’s aim is to prove her superiority over her. She had always cared more for Katerina Pavlovna than for her sister, yet Anna’s former friends do not count Princess Varvara among them. At Moscow in chapter 198, Princess Varvara leaves Anna, considering her situation a breach of propriety.

Relationship record

Life events

Princess Varvara becomes Anna’s essential chaperon and helps alleviate her difficult position.(PART SIX · Chapter 19 · 📍 Petersburg)
- With: Anna
- “In Petersburg there was a moment when a chaperon was absolutely essential for me. Then she turned up.”
Princess Varvara leaves Anna Arkadyevna, considering her situation a breach of propriety.(PART SEVEN · Chapter 9 · 📍 Moscow)
- With: Anna
- “That fool Princess Varvara, even she has left her, considering this a breach of propriety.”

PART FIVE · Chapter 32

with Anna (Princess Varvara is accompanying Anna to the theater.) “Why so? I’m not going alone. Princess Varvara has gone to dress, she is going with me.”

PART SIX · Chapter 17

with Darya Alexandrovna (Princess Varvara was the aunt of Darya Alexandrovna’s husband and a longstanding acquaintance.) “Princess Varvara was her husband’s aunt, and she had long known her, and did not respect her.”
patron: Vronsky (Princess Varvara was financially dependent on Vronsky.) “But that she should now be sponging on Vronsky, a man who was nothing to her, mortified Dolly on account of her kinship with her husband.”
with Vronsky (They were members of the same excursion party.) “They were Vronsky with a jockey, Veslovsky and Anna on horseback, and Princess Varvara and Sviazhsky in the char-à-banc. They had gone out to look at the working of a new reaping machine.”
with Vassenka Veslovsky (They were members of the same excursion party.) “They were Vronsky with a jockey, Veslovsky and Anna on horseback, and Princess Varvara and Sviazhsky in the char-à-banc. They had gone out to look at the working of a new reaping machine.”
with Darya Alexandrovna (Princess Varvara is Darya Alexandrovna’s husband's aunt.) “Princess Varvara was her husband’s aunt, and she had long known her, and did not respect her.”

PART SIX · Chapter 19

rivals with Katerina Pavlovna “Stiva says the whole aim of her existence is to prove her superiority over Auntie Katerina Pavlovna: that’s all true;”
with Anna (Princess Varvara served as Anna’s chaperone.) “In Petersburg there was a moment when a chaperon was absolutely essential for me. Then she turned up.”
with Stepan Arkadyevitch (interaction) “Princess Varvara—you know her, and I know your opinion and Stiva’s about her.”

PART SIX · Chapter 20

siblings with Katerina Pavlovna “she had always cared more for her than her sister Katerina Pavlovna”

PART SIX · Chapter 21

friends with Anna (Former friendship is explicitly attributed to Anna and Princess Varvara.) “You have come to see us, you, the only woman of Anna’s former friends—I don’t count Princess Varvara—but I know that you have done this not because you regard our position as normal, but because, understanding all the difficulty of the position, you still love her and want to be a help to her.”

PART SIX · Chapter 22

with Vassenka Veslovsky (Veslovsky offered Princess Varvara his arm.) “Veslovsky was before Tushkevitch in offering his arm to Princess Varvara”
with Tushkevitch (Tushkevitch was not the person who escorted Princess Varvara; the sentence establishes the contrast with Veslovsky's escort.) “so that Tushkevitch with the steward and the doctor walked in alone.”

PART SIX · Chapter 31

with Anna (Anna described Princess Varvara as a hindrance while she was ill and alone.) “Princess Varvara is no help, but a hindrance.”

PART SIX · Chapter 32

friends with Anna “Walks, conversation with Princess Varvara, visits to the hospital, and, most of all, reading—reading of one book after another—filled up her time.”

PART SEVEN · Chapter 9

with Anna (Princess Varvara has withdrawn from Anna.) “That fool Princess Varvara, even she has left her, considering this a breach of propriety.”

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Extracted from the original text of Anna Karenina. Made with Rho MD.