Chapter XVII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Youth and Idealism

  Nina's cynical and frivolous attitude contrasts with her underlying disappointment, illustrating the collapse of youthful idealism in the face of war and societal decay.

• Revolution and Disillusionment

  Nina's dialogue and Durward's reflections capture the pervasive disillusionment with the war and the old order, foreshadowing revolutionary change.

• The Role of the Observer

  Durward explicitly positions himself as a recorder of individual stories against the backdrop of public events, emphasizing the observer's perspective.

Characters to notice

• Vera Michailovna

  Visits Durward twice, kind and good but no longer confiding.

• Nina Michailovna

  Visits Durward with flowers and fruit, chattering about cinemas and the upcoming Masquerade; expresses deep disillusionment with the war and Russia.

• M. Durward

  The narrator, recovering from illness and venturing out into Petrograd; reflects on the intertwining of public and private history.

• Jerry Lawrence

  Meets Durward on Nevski Prospect; apologizes for not visiting and invites him to dinner.

• Boris Nicolaievitch Grogoff

  Mentioned by Nina as someone like whom men might save Russia, but she scoffs at the idea.

• Nicholas Markovitch

  Mentioned by Nina in her list of those who would fight if the country belonged to many.

• Uncle Alexei

  Mentioned by Nina in her list of those who would fight if the country belonged to many.

• Baron Wilderling

  Mentioned by Lawrence as the old man he lives with; described as having a point of view of his own.

Key passages

• “I cannot quite frankly dissever the two. At the Front, a year and a half before, I had discovered how intermingled the souls of individuals and the souls of countries were, and how permanent private history seemed to me and how transient public events; but whether that was true or no before, it was now most certain that it was the story of certain individuals that I was to record⁠—the history that was being made behind them could at its best be only a background.”

  Durward reflects that private lives and national events are deeply intertwined, and he sees his role as documenting personal stories rather than the fleeting public history.

  Durward's narrative philosophy: the personal is more enduring than the political.

• “I seemed to step into a city ablaze with a sinister glory. If that appears melodramatic I can only say that the dazzling winter weather of those weeks was melodramatic.”

  Durward describes Petrograd as having a dangerous, theatrical beauty, matching the dramatic winter weather.

  The city's atmosphere mirrors the impending upheaval.