What Is to Be Done? · Chapter
XVII: A Letter from Ekaterina Vasílyevna Pólozova explained
Katerina Vasílyevna writes to Paulina about her discovery of a sewing cooperative run by Viéra Pavlovna Kirsánova.
What happens
Katerina Vasílyevna writes to Paulina about her discovery of a sewing cooperative run by Viéra Pavlovna Kirsánova. She describes her visit to the shop, the living and working conditions of the seamstresses, and the economic principles behind the cooperative, which allow for better quality of life and efficiency. Kirsánof provides a financial breakdown showing how the system benefits the workers.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the dramatic climax because the speaker articulates a decisive psychological reversal: she…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Utopian Socialism
The sewing cooperative is a concrete example of utopian socialist ideals, with collective ownership, shared expenses, and improved living standards for the workers.
- Women's Emancipation
Viéra Pavlovna's leadership of the cooperative and Katerina's enthusiasm to start her own shop highlight women's agency and economic independence.
Characters to notice
- Katerina Vasílyevna
The letter writer, who enthusiastically describes her visit to Viéra Pavlovna's sewing shop and plans to establish a similar one.
- Viéra Pavlovna
The founder of the sewing cooperative, who shows Katerina around and explains the workings of the shop.
- Aleksandr Matvéitch Kirsánof
Viéra Pavlovna's husband, who provides a financial analysis of the cooperative's advantages.
Key passages
“I have been so delighted with an absolute novelty which I have lately discovered, and to which I am now devoting all my energies, that I want to describe it to you.”
Katerina is thrilled about a new discovery she has made and is dedicating herself to it, wanting to share it with Paulina.
Katerina's excitement introduces the sewing cooperative as a transformative project.
“With this system there are double receipts, and the profits are used to twice as great advantage.”
Under this cooperative system, income is doubled and profits are utilized much more efficiently.
Kirsánof explains the economic superiority of the cooperative model.
