# Pavel Petrovitch Kirsanov — Fathers and Children character guide > Pavel Petrovitch Kirsanov in Fathers and Children by Ivan Turgenev. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Pavel, Pavel Petrovitch, Kirsanov, Pavel Kirsanov **First appearance:** 0003-iv ## Snapshot An immaculate aristocrat whose marble collars and English manners are a monument to a life he no longer has. ## Who they are Pavel Petrovitch presides over Maryino with exquisite fingernails and a cold, deliberate courtesy that Bazarov finds absurd and Arkady finds touching. He once turned women's heads and ruined himself for one of them; now he paces the dining room at supper, sipping wine he does not need, defending principles he cannot quite name. His duel-in-waiting with Bazarov is the novel's sharpest collision between two kinds of pride. ## Relationships ### [Yevgeny Bazarov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/yevgeny_bazarov) _rivalry_ A bitter ideological and personal antagonism between the aristocratic traditionalist and the nihilist, culminating in a duel. ### [Nikolai Petrovitch Kirsanov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/nikolai_petrovitch_kirsanov) _family_ Two brothers bound by deep affection and mutual respect, despite Pavel's condescension toward Nikolai's modern ideas. ### [Fenitchka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/fenitchka) _psychological_ A tense, unspoken attraction from Pavel toward Fenitchka, mingled with jealousy and a sense of forbidden longing. ### [Arkady Kirsanov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/arkady_kirsanov) _family_ A respectful nephew-uncle relationship, though Arkady is caught between his admiration for his uncle and his loyalty to Bazarov. ### [Yevgeny Bazarov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/yevgeny_bazarov) _rivalry_ A bitter ideological and personal antagonism between the aristocratic traditionalist and the nihilist, culminating in a duel. ### [Nikolai Petrovitch Kirsanov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/nikolai_petrovitch_kirsanov) _family_ Two brothers bound by deep affection and mutual respect, despite Pavel's condescension toward Nikolai's modern ideas. ### [Fenitchka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/fenitchka) _psychological_ A tense, unspoken attraction from Pavel toward Fenitchka, mingled with jealousy and a sense of forbidden longing. ### [Fenitchka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/fenitchka) _psychological_ A tense, unspoken attraction from Pavel toward Fenitchka, mingled with jealousy and a sense of forbidden longing. ### [Nikolai Petrovitch Kirsanov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/nikolai_petrovitch_kirsanov) _family_ Two brothers bound by deep affection and mutual respect, despite Pavel's condescension toward Nikolai's modern ideas. ### [Arkady Kirsanov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/arkady_kirsanov) _family_ A respectful nephew-uncle relationship, though Arkady is caught between his admiration for his uncle and his loyalty to Bazarov. ### [Yevgeny Bazarov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/yevgeny_bazarov) _rivalry_ A bitter ideological and personal antagonism between the aristocratic traditionalist and the nihilist, culminating in a duel. ## In the story ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/i) Nikolai's elder brother, mentioned in the backstory as having been an officer in the Guards and living with Nikolai in Petersburg. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/iv) Greets the newcomers with aristocratic elegance, refuses to shake Bazarov's hand, and later sits brooding alone in his study late into the night. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/v) Pavel questions Arkady about Bazarov and engages in a debate about nihilism, showing his disdain for the new ideas. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/vi) Irritated by Bazarov's nonchalance and rudeness, he challenges Bazarov's views on Germans, science, and art, feeling insulted by the younger man's attitude. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/vii) His tragic love story with Princess R. is detailed, explaining his current cynical and aristocratic demeanor. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/viii) Visits Fenitchka in her rooms, asks for green tea and to see the baby; later returns to his study and lies on the sofa in despair. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/x) Detests Bazarov, engages in a fierce ideological debate defending aristocracy and principles, accuses Bazarov of insulting the Russian people. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/xi) Meets Nikolai Petrovitch in the garden, notices his distress, and later walks alone, but remains incapable of dreaming. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/xxii) Shows some agreeable excitement at the return of the young men; offers calm advice to Nikolai about farm troubles. ### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/xxiii) Witnesses Bazarov kissing Fenitchka and withdraws silently; maintains a cold, aristocratic demeanor toward Bazarov. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/xxiv) Challenges Bazarov to a duel, is wounded in the leg, and afterward reflects on his life, feeling like a dead man. ### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/chapters/xxviii) Leaves for Dresden after the farewell dinner; lives abroad, holds Slavophil views, is elegant but life is a burden to him. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters/pavel_petrovitch_kirsanov - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fathers_and_children_se/characters