Bk. 1, Pt. 1, Ch. 11 (1 of 2): Vera! Vera! Vera!

The first part of chapter 11 focuses on the unbeloved Rostov child, Vera. Since it is one of the few sections devoted to her, this episode is dedicated to Vera. 

 As Countess Rostova is prepared to “hold court,” tête-à-tête, with Anna Drubestkoya, they both notice Vera is in the vicinity. In cold words, the Countess tells her daughter that she is not wanted and should have realized it before the mother had to say so. Vera deals with the rejection superficially but likely internalizes the rejection. After a diplomatic response, she quietly leaves.

Vera retreats to more private quarters in her family’s mansion. She stumbles upon her younger siblings with their love interests – Nikolai & Sonya and Natasha & Boris. They are a merry quartet and Vera disturbs their enjoyment. Vera notices her brother Nikolai is writing poetry for Sonya with Vera’s ink set. She takes it and chastises him for always using her things. Vera tells the group that their open affection in front of the guests was embarrassing and undignified. This is likely a case of Vera's bitterness by reason of the lack of any warm feelings being sent her way.

Young Natasha takes up the defense of the group and ultimately tells her sister that it seems Vera’s only goal is to make life more miserable for everyone. It is revealed that Vera has an officer interested in her, Lt. Alphonse Berg, who is of German-Russian decent and in the Russian service. The implication is that whatever feelings stem from Lt. Berg, they are more transactional as opposed to true love. Insults are traded about everyone’s propriety but Natasha gets the knife in the deep by telling her sister that Vera has never been loved by anyone. 

Vera’s disposition eventually just gets the kids to leave as they announce their nickname for Vera – Madame de Genlis (the historic: Stéphanie Félicité de Genlis). This is quite an interesting and obscure reference.  It also shows the author’s and characters' knowledge and respect for French culture. Madame de Genlis was ahead of her time. She was a Royal tutor, a harp virtuoso, a prolific writer, even penning a novel over 1,200 pages - Les Chevaliers du cygne ou la cour de Charlemagne. 

The length of her novel may have caused Tolstoy to give her a nod. Madame de Genlis was slammed in the press, and public opinion was often less than kind toward her, mainly for undertaking ambitious pursuits that what were thought to be a man’s province. In fostering education for herself and young royals, as well as having a demeanor that wasn’t ingratiating, aristocrats as far away as Moscow knew Madame de Genlis well-enough to use her as an insult. This was Vera, somewhat rejected, but perhaps because she was ahead of her time in that she was not a placeholder for traditional feminine virtue.