Book 2 Part 5 Chapter 9 (Chapter 151 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Mock description of the opera. The intoxication of success. Anatol Kuragin. Gossip. Pierre appears. The second act. Natasha sits in Ellen's box. The ballet. Duport.
Briggs: The opera. Anatole and Pierre. Natasha meets Helene. Dancing of Duport.
Maude: The opera described. Anatole and Pierre arrive. Natasha makes Helene's acquaintance. Duport dances

Translation:

IX.

On the stage was a flat board in the middle, from the sides was a standing dyed picture, depicting woods, behind was a stretched canvas on boards. In the middle of the scene were sitting girls in red corsages and white skirts. One, very thick, in a silk white dress, sat on a particularly low stool, to which was glued green cardboard. They all sang something. When they finished their song, a girl in white came up to the booth of the prompter, and to her came up a man in silk, close-fitting, trousers on thick legs, with a feather and dagger and began to sing and conduct their hands.

The man in covered trousers sang alone, then she sang. Then both fell silent, played music, and the man began to sort through the fingers of the hand of the girl in the white dress, obviously biding more tact, so that to start his party together with her. They sang together, and all in the theater began to smack and to shout, but the man and woman on stage, which depicted lovers, began smiling and conducting hands, bowing.

After sitting in this serious mood which found Natasha, all this was wild and surprising to her. She could not follow behind the underway opera, could not even hear the music: she saw only the colored cardboard and weirdly dressed up men and women, in bright light weirdly moving, speaking and singing; she knew that all this must be to the present, but all this was so pretentiously false and unnatural that she became ashamed for the actors, then it was funny for her. She looked around herself, at the faces of the spectators, looking for in them that same feeling of ridicule and perplexity which was in her; but all faces were attentive to that what was happening on stage and expressed mock, as it seemed to Natasha, delight. "This must be so needed!" thought Natasha. She alternately looked around at these ranks of anointed heads in the seats, then at the naked women in the lodges, in particular at her neighbor Elen, who, completely undressed, with a quiet and calm smile, not lowering her eyes, watched the scene, feeling the vivid light spilling throughout the hall and warming the crowd with the hot air. Natasha little-by-little began to come into the for a long time not tested by her state of intoxication. She did not remember, what she was and where she was and what before she had done. She watched and thought, and the strangest thought suddenly, without communication, flashed into her head. Then to her came the idea to jump onto the ramp and to sing that aria which sang the actress, then she wanted to hook onto the fan of the near from her sitting old man, then bend over to Elen and tickle her.

In one of the minutes, when on the stage all fell silent, expecting the beginning of the aria, creaked the entrance door of the parterre, on that side where was the lodge of the Rostovs, and sounded the steps of belated men. "Here is Kuragin!" whispered Shinshin. Countess Bezuhova smilingly turned around to the incoming. Natasha looked by the direction of the eyes of Countess Bezuhova and saw an unusually beautiful adjutant, with a self-confident and together courteous look suitable to their lodge. This was Anatole Kuragin, whom she for a long time saw and noticed at the Petersburg ball. He was now in an adjutant uniform with one epaulette and a shoulder insignia. He was walking in a restrained, well done gait, which would have been funny, if he would not have been so good by himself and if on his beautiful face would not have had such an expression of good-natured contentment and fun. Despite that the action was going, he, not in a hurry, a little rattling his spurs and saber, smoothly and high carried his perfumed beautiful head, was walking by the carpet corridor. Looking at Natasha, he came up to his sister, placed his hand in a drenched glove at the edge of her lodge, shook his head and bending over asked something, pointing to Natasha.

— Very, very much a sweetheart!537 — he said, obviously about Natasha, as not so many heard it, how much was understood by the movement of his lips. Then he passed to the first row and sat down beside Dolohov, friendly and carelessly pushing the elbow of this Dolohov, with which he so ingratiatingly turned to the other. He, funnily winking, smiled at him and rested his foot on the ramp.

— How similar are brother and sister! — said the count. — And how good are both!

Shinshin in an undertone started telling the count some story of intrigue of Kuragin in Moscow, to which Natasha listened to because of how he said about her “charmante” (sweetheart).

The first act was over, in the seats all got up, jumbled up and began to walk and exit.

Boris came into the lodge of the Rostovs, very simply accepted congratulations and, lifting his eyebrows, with an absent-minded smile, delivered to Natasha and Sonya the request of his bride for them to be at her wedding, and got out. Natasha with a fun and coquetry smile talked with him and congratulated Boris, whom she had fallen in love with before, on this marriage. In this condition of intoxication, in which she was found, all seemed simple and natural.

Naked Elen sat beside her and equally to all smiled; and exactly so the same smiled at Natasha and Boris.

The lodge of Elen filled and surrounded with parties of the parterre of the most noble and smart men, whom, it seemed, were vying and wanted to show to all that they were familiar with her.

Kuragin all this intermission stood with Dolohov ahead at the ramps, looking at the lodge of the Rostovs. Natasha knew that he spoke about her, and this delivered her pleasure. She even turned so for him was visible her profile, by her concepts, her most profitable position. Before the beginning of the second act in the seats appeared the figure of Pierre, who still from arrival had not seen the Rostovs. His face was sad, and he had become more fat since the last time Natasha had seen him. He, nobody noticing, passed to the first ranks. Anatole came up to him and had begun to speak something to him, looking and pointing at the lodge of the Rostovs. Pierre, seeing Natasha, revived and hastily, by the rows, went to their lodge. Coming up to them, he leaned on and smilingly for long spoke with Natasha. In the time of her conversation with Pierre, Natasha heard in the lodge of Countess Bezuhova a male voice and for some reason recognized that this was Kuragin. She looked around and met with his eyes. He almost smilingly watched her eyes with such an admiring, affectionate look that it seemed weird to be so close from him, so to look at him as confidently as him, and not be familiar with him.

In the second act were pictures depicting monuments and was a hole in the canvas depicting the moon, and lampshades on the ramp were raised, and began to play bass pipes and double bass, and right and left exited many people in black robes. People began to wave hands, and in their hands were some kind of daggers; then came running some more people and they began to drag away that damsel, who was before in white, but now was in a blue dress. They did not drag her away right away, but for long with her sang, but then now dragged her away, and backstage stroked three times something metallic, and all became on their knees and sang a prayer. A few times all this action was interrupted by the enthusiastic screaming of the spectators.

In the time of this act Natasha any time, as she looked at the parterre, saw Anatole Kuragin, with his thrown arm across the backrest of the chair and watching her. To her it was nice to see that he was so captivated by her, and it did not come into her head that in this was something evil.

When the second act was over, Countess Bezuhova got up, turned to the lodge of the Rostovs (her chest was completely naked), and with a gloved finger beckoned to herself the old count, and not turning attention to the entering to her in the lodge, beginning kindly smilingly speaking with him.

— Yes introduce me already with your adorable daughters, — she said. — All the city shouts about them, but I do not know them.

Natasha got up and sat down by the magnificent countess. Natasha so pleasantly was praised by this brilliant beauty that she blushed from pleasure.

— I now also want to become a Muscovite, — said Elen. — and how are you not ashamed to bury such pearls in the village!

Countess Bezuhova, by justice, had a reputation of a charming woman. She could speak that which she did not think, and in particular the flattering, completely simply and naturally.

— No, sweet count, you let me make your daughters. I though now am here not for a long time. And you too. I will try to amuse you. I still in Petersburg heard much about you, and wanted to know you, — she said to Natasha with her monotonously beautiful smile. — I heard about you from my prepared page— Drubetskoy, — you have heard, he marries, — and from his friend prepares a husband — Bolkonsky, Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, — she said with special emphasis, alluding by this that she knew his relationship to Natasha. She asked, so that to better become acquainted, to allow one of the young ladies to sit the remaining part of the performance in her lodge, and Natasha went over to her.

In the third act was on the stage presented a palace, at which burned many candles and were hanged pictures, depicting knights with beards. In the middle were standing, probably, a tsar and tsarina. The tsar waved his right hand, and, apparently shyly, badly sang something, and sat down on a crimson throne. The girl, formerly first in white, then in blue, now was dressed in only a shirt with disbanded hair and stood about the throne. She about something sadly sang, turned to tsarina; but the tsar strictly waved his hand, and from the sides came out men with naked feet and women with naked feet, and all began to dance together. Then the violins started playing very thinly and funnily, one of the girls with naked thick feet and thin hands, separated from the others, walked away for backstage, mended her corsage, exited in the middle and began to jump and soon beat one foot about the other. All in their seats clapped hands and screamed bravo. Then one man became in the corner. In the orchestra started playing louder on cymbals and pipes, and this one man with naked feet began to jump very high and mince his feet. (This man was Duport, receiving 60 thousand a year for this art.) All in the seats, in the lodges and gallery began to smack and to shout with all their forces, and the man stopped and began to smile and bow at all parties. Then danced still others, with naked feet, men and women, then again one of the tsars shouted something under the music, and all began to sing. Yet suddenly making a storm, in the orchestra was heard chromatic scales and the chords of the reduced sevenths, and all ran and dragged again one from the presence for backstage, and the curtain lowered. Again between the spectators rose a terrible noise and crackle, and all with enthusiastic faces began to shout:

— Duport! Duport! Duport!

Natasha now did not find this strange. She with pleasure, happily smiling, watched around herself.

— Whether it is not true that Duport is delightful?538 — said Elen turning to her.

— Oh, yes,539 — answered Natasha.

537 Mais charmante! (Charming!)

538 N’est ce pas qu’il est admirable — Duport? (Isn't he admirable - Duport?)

539 Oh, oui, (Oh, yes,)

Time: See previous chapter

Locations: See previous chapter
Mentioned: the country, St. Petersburg, Moscow (also Muscovite)

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: The description of the opera theater, but of course Tolstoy has very little interest in the opera itself: "They were all singing something."

"She (Natasha) was unable to follow the course of the opera; she could not even hear the music: she saw only painted cardboard and strangely dressed-up men and women, who moved, talked, and sang strangely in the
bright light; she knew what it was all supposed to represent, but it was all so pretentiously false and unnatural that she first felt embarrassed for the performers, and then found them ridiculous."

"That must be how it's supposed to be!" she thought."

Tolstoy describes Helene as "totally undressed".

Anatole enters. Shinshin seems to help drive Natasha's interest in him, but most important for Natasha is that Anatole is clearly interested in her. Helene with the adjective "bare" attached to her and then later "her bosom was
now completely bared". "She was able to say what she did not think, and especially to flatter, with perfect simplicity and naturalness." Pierre enters, looking worse than the last time he was seen.

Tolstoy stops to describe the opera in a most bare-bones parodic way. The chapter ends with the third description and Natasha accepting it as if it is no longer strange, Tolstoy using it as her conversion in a way.

Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):

Natasha

Countess Ellen Bezukhaya (also “sister”)

Shinshin

Anatol Kuragin (also “brother”)

Dolokhof (for some reason Dole calls him “Lopukhof” once.)

Count Rostof (“count” and “old count”)

Boris Drubetskoi

Sonya

Pierre

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky

(Also the different men and women in the opera itself, with Duport being the only one named, and the little old man Natasha thinks abut tapping with her fan.)

Abridged Versions: No break in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 9.

Fuller: The first few paragraphs, which describe the stage and the opera, are removed, getting straight to Natasha. The Boris section is removed. The second description of the opera is removed, as is the third and the
discussion of Duport. No break.

Komroff: The first couple of paragraphs, which is the description of the opera, is removed. Pierre gets a little time here and the second act description of the opera is also removed. The third act description and the discussion
of Duport is also removed. Line break.

Kropotkin: The beginning of the chapter, such as the opera description and Natasha’s reaction to the opera is removed, starting with “At one time”. This brings Anatol in quicker. The second act description, the description of
Ellen is also removed. Chapter 5 ends at “and Natasha went”, cutting the rest of the opera description and the discussion of Duport.

Bromfield: The description of the opera is a little harsher, pointed out badly painted pictures and bad singing. The Duport section is not here. No break.
Simmons: Chapter 9: We skip directly to Kuragin entering, removing a lot of the opera description. Duport's dancing is also removed.

Additional Notes: Garnett “Louis-Antoine Duport (1781-1853), a French dancer and acquaintance of Mademoiselle Georges.”

Hadji Murat (Alpin) Page 79: “After dinner Nikolai went to the ballet, where hundreds of naked women marched about in body stockings.”

Resurrection: Chapter 39: The description of the service is Tolstoy using alienation and "making strange" to ridicule the church service (the two big church services in War and Peace are the soldiers kneeling at the icon and Natasha's experience in the church). I'll quote some highlights: "These prayers were in old Slavonic - difficult enough to understand at any time but made still more incomprehensible by the rapidity with which they were read and sung. They consisted mainly of supplications for the well-being of the emperor and his family" "the subdeacon read several verses from the Acts of the Apostles in such a strange tense voice that it was impossible to understand a thing, and the priest read very distinctly the passage fro the Gospel according to St Mark wherein we are told how christ, being risen from the dead before flying up to heaven to sit on the right hand of his father, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of who he had cast several devils...." "the most important operation was when the priest picked up a napkin in both hands and rhythmically and smoothly waved it over the saucer and the golden cup. This was supposed to be the moment when the bread and wine turned into flesh and blood, and therefore this part of the service was performed with the utmost solemnity." "it was a very good thing to glorify the Virgin Mary who had given birth to Christ without impairing her virginity and so was worthy of greater honour than some kind of cherubim and greater glory than some kind of seraphim." "the priest, anxious to console the unfortunate prisoners, added another service to the ordinary one This special service consisted in the priest taking his stance in front of an image in gilt (with a black face and black hands) illuminated by a dozen wax candles, of the very same God he had been eating" He sings a long song ("This continued for a very long time")

Bayley (Page 16): The first is Tolstoy’s marvelous sense, which can also be extremely comic, of the

solipsistic nature of human experience. Things seem wonderful and strange to the narrator, he is filled

with a sense of the importance of what he is seeing and feeling”