1. Consider how this novel engages with Russias wars with the French? The graphic descriptions of injuries suffered and the reality of the common soldiers life in battle are used in this novel to the extent that the senselessness of war is evoked. This is made particularly convincing with the initial patriotic desire of characters …
Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born in 1828 into a wealthy family at Yasnaya Polyana in the Tulin province. Both of his parents died before he reached the age of 10. He went on to study Oriental languages and law at Kazan University. In 1851, he joined an artillery regiment and served in the Crimean …
“Just as in the clock the result of the complex action of innumerable wheels and pulleys is merely the slow and regular movement of the hand marking the time, so the result of all the complex human activities of these 160,000 Russian and French – of all their passions, hopes, regrets, humiliations, sufferings, outbursts of …
Freewill and Pre-destination Throughout the course of this novel, the themes of freewill and pre-destination are examined. The argument is, do people make their own decisions, or are their lives already decided (that is, pre-destined)? These contrasting philosophies are studied in relation to war and also, more broadly, in terms of the choices men and …
The burning of Moscow This historical fact is also used symbolically to represent the strength of the Russian populace in the face of occupation. This act is embraced as a decision to avoid submission to the enemy. It is given a seal of approval in that the enemies are refused complicity in their actions. The …
Alexander I: The Emperor of Russia appears infrequently, but is often referred to by several characters in patriotic terms. Anatole Kuragin: Anatole is the son of Prince Vasili and is rumoured to have had a close relationship with his sister, Hlne. He is a minor character, but his flirtation and attempt to elope with Natasha …
Summary The Second Epilogue offers an extended examination of the laws of history and also argues that we do not understand the meaning of the word power. A military organization is likened to a cone: the more actions a man performs in the military, the less he commands. The part played by the French in …
Summary The First Epilogue begins in 1820 (seven years after Book Fifteen) and looks back over the intervening period. The reader is told of Pierre and Natashas marriage in 1813 and of how her father, Count Rostov, dies the same year. Rostov makes a return from Paris on the news of this death and assumes …
Book FifteenSummary This final Book of the main novel offers a movement towards closure. The news of Petyas death reaches the Rostovs and Princess Maria and Natasha have formed bonds since they both nursed Prince Andrei until his death. They decide to go to Moscow at the end of January. Chapter IV examines the principal …
Summary Book Fourteen begins with a discussion of how the Russians do not keep to the rules of war in this period, and how Napoleon has complained about this. Guerilla warfare is considered to be a major tactic employed by the Russians. The spirit of the troops is also referred to and how this has …
