War and Peace. Genre features, history of creation

The problem of the genre form of War and Peace, and in connection with this the genre tradition that is connected with War and Peace, is one of the most difficult in academic literary criticism. Naturally, in school teaching, a language teacher also experiences significant difficulties here. Today, the most experienced literature teacher, our regular author Lev Iosifovich Sobolev, offers his approaches to working with the eternal book.

We are printing a chapter from his research - a guide to “War and Peace” intended for schoolchildren, teachers, and students, which is being prepared for release in the new series “Slow Reading” by Moscow State University Publishing House.

Let us remember: a genre is a historically established, stable, repeating type of work; according to M.M. Bakhtin, genre is the memory of literature. We easily understand the differences between the poems of Tibulla, Batyushkov and, for example, Kibirov; it is more difficult to understand what we read in all three poets elegies, that is, in their poems we find regrets about losses, sadness over irretrievable joys or longing for unrequited love. But it is precisely these motives that make the elegy an elegy, it is they that remind us of the continuity of the poetic movement, of the “wandering dreams of other people’s singers” - the “blessed legacy” left to poets and readers.

On September 30, 1865, Tolstoy writes in his Diary: “There is poetry of a novelist<...>in a picture of morals built on a historical event - Odyssey, Iliad, 1805.” Let us pay attention to the series in which Tolstoy’s work (“The Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Five”) falls: these are two Homeric poems, the most indisputable example of the epic genre.

Gorky’s recording of Tolstoy’s confession about “War and Peace” is known: “Without false modesty, it’s like the Iliad” [ Bitter. T. 16. P. 294]. In 1983, in the magazine “Comparative Literature” [T. 35. No. 2] the article “Tolstoy and Homer” was published (authors F.T. Griffiths, S.J. Rabinowitz). The article contains several interesting comparisons: Andrei is a warrior, like Achilles; According to the authors, Tolstoy’s book begins with the predominance of Prince Andrei, then interest shifts to Pierre (corresponds to Odysseus, whose main goal is to return home); then, on the last pages of the first part of the Epilogue, Nikolenka Bolkonsky’s dream takes us back to the beginning of the book - again the center of interest shifts to the warrior (future) - the son of Prince Andrei. Pierre's seven years with the seductress Helen correspond to the seven years that Odysseus spent in captivity (at first voluntary, then, like Pierre, not of his own free will) by Calypso. And even the fact that Odysseus puts on the rags of a beggar in order to return to Ithaca unrecognized finds correspondence in Pierre’s dressing in common clothes (when the hero remains in Moscow with the goal of killing Napoleon). Unfortunately, the authors do not take into account the important work of G.D. Gacheva “The Content of Artistic Forms” [M., 1968], where there are significant comparisons of “War and Peace” with the “Iliad”.

Tolstoy, as Gachev writes, “of course, did not set out to write an epic. On the contrary, he in every possible way distinguished his work from all the usual genres...” [ Gachev. P. 117]. In March 1868, in Bartenev’s “Russian Archive,” Tolstoy published an article “A few words about the book “War and Peace”,” in which he states: “What is “War and Peace”? This is not a novel, still less a poem, even less a historical chronicle. “War and Peace” is what the author wanted and could express in the form in which it was expressed.” In confirmation of the genre uniqueness of his book, the author refers to the peculiarity of Russian literature in general: “The history of Russian literature since the time of Pushkin not only presents many examples of such a deviation from the European form, but does not even give a single example of the opposite. Starting from Gogol’s “Dead Souls” to Dostoevsky’s “House of the Dead,” in the new period of Russian literature there is not a single artistic prose work that is slightly beyond mediocrity, which would fit completely into the form of a novel, poem or story.”

It seems to me that the key to the genre uniqueness of War and Peace should be found in the rough preface to the book: “...between those semi-historical, semi-public, semi-exalted great characters of the great era, the personality of my hero receded into the background, and in the foreground came, with equal interest to me, both young and old people, both men and women of that time.”[PSS-90. T. 13. P. 55] . Tolstoy stopped writing a book about one hero (or two, three) - and “tried to write the history of the people” [ PSS-90. T. 15. P. 241]. And in the Diary there is an entry: “The epic kind becomes natural to me.”

In the article “Epic and Romance” M.M. Bakhtin characterizes the genre epics three features: “1) the subject of the epic is the national epic past, the “absolute past”, in the terminology of Goethe and Schiller; 2) the source of the epic is national tradition (and not personal experience and free fiction growing on its basis); 3) the epic world is separated from modernity, that is, from the time of the singer (the author and his listeners), by an absolute epic distance” [ Bakhtin–2000. P. 204]. The word “epic”, as we know, has many meanings: epic is a type of literature (along with lyrics and drama); epic - epic genre, epic (here this concept is contrasted not with lyrics or drama, but with novel and story). Let's see how much “War and Peace” meets the characteristics of an epic, as Bakhtin defines them (in the book “Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics” Bakhtin notes that the application of the term “epic” to “War and Peace” has become customary [ Bakhtin–1979. pp. 158–159]).

Let's start with the “national epic past,” the “heroic past,” as Bakhtin writes. It is hardly necessary to prove that the year 1812, “when<...>we spanked Napoleon I” [“Decembrists”], and became such a “heroic past” for Tolstoy. Moreover, Tolstoy's theme is the people in the face of danger, when the question of whether to exist or not is being decided. Tolstoy chooses the climax in the life of the “swarm” (or gradually comes to it); That’s why 1825 could not become the subject of an epic, but 1812 (like the post-reform era in “Who Lives Well in Rus',” the revolution and Civil War in “Quiet Don” and “The Red Wheel”) did. The year 1812 affected the deep foundations of existence - but, as already noted, the 1860s, the time of writing “War and Peace,” were such a special time - when, in the words of Konstantin Levin, “everything turned upside down and is just settling down.”

Gachev wrote about two forms (methods) of uniting people - the people and the state. It is their relationship that gives rise to an epic situation: he sees such a situation in the Iliad (Achilles against Agamemnon) and in War and Peace (Kutuzov against Alexander). In a crisis situation, the state must feel “its complete dependence on the natural course of life and natural society. The state must become dependent on the people, their free will:<...>Will he give his consent, trust, will he forget the feuds and will he take “God’s” weapon in his hands - the shield of Achilles or the first club he comes across? [ Gachev. P. 83]. This reasoning is confirmed, among other things, by reading Tolstoy’s sources - in particular, the stories of the Patriotic War written by A.I. Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky and M.I. Bogdanovich. The main character of these descriptions is Alexander I, which, of course, is understandable and does not need explanation; what Tolstoy’s Alexander looks like is a separate topic, but in any case, it is not his will or character, or firmness, or generosity that determines the course of the war. Kutuzov, like Achilles, was called upon to save the state by which he was insulted, “was in retirement and disgrace”; called “not by order of the authorities, but by the will of the people” [ Gachev. P. 119]. It is Tolstoy’s Kutuzov, as a true man of the epic, who is “entirely complete and complete” [ Bakhtin–2000. P. 225]; It is hardly necessary to stipulate that the real Kutuzov could have been (and, apparently, was) completely different and that besides Kutuzov in War and Peace there are many heroes who are not at all complete and incomplete.

It is clear that Tolstoy could not and did not intend to write an epic like the Iliad - after all, twenty-seven centuries lay between them. Therefore, the attitude towards the “national tradition” (the second condition of the epic, according to Bakhtin) was not and could not be the same as in the times of Homer or Virgil (“the reverent attitude of the descendant,” Bakhtin calls it [P. 204]); a substitute for national tradition, historical descriptions, are treated by Tolstoy and disputed precisely as false, but pathetic products of positive science that claim to be true (cf.: “the legend of the past is sacred” [ Bakhtin–2000. P. 206]).

But the epic distance - the third feature of the epic, as Bakhtin describes it - is clearly revealed in Tolstoy’s already quoted preface: from 1856 (modern times) to 1825; then - to 1812 and further - to 1805, when the character of the people was to be revealed in the era of “our failures and our shame.” Why didn’t Tolstoy bring his story not only to 1856 (as he had intended), but even to 1825? Epic time is not so much a specific event as the time of being in general; It’s not so much “then” as it is “always”. The time boundaries of the epic are always blurred - “the epic is indifferent to the formal beginning,” writes Bakhtin, “so any part can be formalized and presented as a whole” [ Bakhtin–2000. P. 223].

Another hallmark of an epic is its extraordinary breadth of scope: it’s not just about the number of characters, although the crowd scenes in War and Peace are unlike anything similar in previous literature; rather, we should talk about the universality of the epic, about its desire to cover the maximum space - the many “stage venues” of the book are connected with this: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Braunau, Otradnoye, Bald Mountains, Mozhaisk, Smolensk... At the same time, for the epic there is no main and secondary - no hierarchy; like a child, the epic is interested in everyone and everything: and the maid of honor Peronskaya (the author considers it necessary to tell us that her “old, ugly body” was just as “perfumed, washed, powdered” and just as “carefully washed behind the ears”, like the Rostovs [Vol. 2. Part 3. Chapter XIV]), and a military doctor, “in a bloody apron and with bloody small hands, in one of which he held a cigar between the little finger and thumb (so as not to stain it)” [T. . 3. Part 2. Ch. XXXVII], and the fact that the captain from Denisov’s detachment has “narrow, light eyes”, which he constantly “narrows” or “squints” [T. 4. Part 3. Ch. VI, VIII]. It is important not only that “War and Peace” is not focused on one hero - in this book, in general, the very division of heroes into main and secondary ones seems very conventional; Another thing is more important - the desire to convey the fullness of existence, when every detail (“and the more random, the more true”) appears as part of an inexhaustible whole - human existence. The same is true for a single episode; as Bocharov accurately noted, the episode “ delays the course of action and attracts our attention on my own, as one of the countless manifestations of life that Tolstoy teaches us to love” [ Bocharov–1963. P. 19]. That is why, probably, “this book stands out in our memory as separate vivid images” [ Ibid.] that in War and Peace there is no novelistic subordination of each episode to the revelation of the character of an individual hero or the revelation of an idea; That “coupling of thoughts”, about which Tolstoy N.N. wrote. Strakhov, or the “conjugation” (remember, in Pierre’s Mozhaisk dream - “it is necessary to conjugate”?) of everything with everything is characteristic of the epic.

The book begins with the appearance of Pierre, a young man without a family; his search - including the search for his true family - will form one of the plots of War and Peace; the book ends with the dream of Nikolenka Bolkonsky, an orphan; his dreams are the possibility of continuing the book; in fact, it does not end, just as life does not end. And, probably, the appearance of his father, Prince Andrei, in Nikolenka’s dream is also important: Tolstoy’s book is written about the fact that there is no death - remember, after the death of Prince Andrei, Tolstoy gives in quotation marks, that is, as the thoughts of Natasha Rostova, the questions: “Where is he gone? Where is he now?..” This is how the philosophy of this book is expressed in the composition of “War and Peace”: the affirmation of the eternal renewal of life, that “general law” that inspired Pushkin’s late lyrics.

Tolstoy could not help but take into account the experience of the previous European and Russian novel - and sophisticated psychological analysis for many readers constitutes the most important aspect of his book. In “War and Peace” “human fate” (novel beginning) and “people's fate” (epic beginning) are “combined into one organic whole (in Pushkin’s words)” [ Lesskis. P. 399]. The new genre name was justified by A.V. Chicherin in the book “The Emergence of the Epic Novel” [Kharkov. 1958; 2nd ed.: M., 1975]. It caused and continues to cause disagreement (for example, G.A. Lesskis suggested considering “War and Peace” an idyll [ Lesskis. P. 399], and B.M. Eikhenbaum saw in the book the features of “an ancient legend or chronicle” [ Eikhenbaum–1969. P. 378]), but if we understand it not as “purely evaluative, laudable, not expressing anything other than the “epic breadth” of coverage of the reflected socio-historical phenomena,” as characterized by E.N. Kupriyanov this term Chicherin [ Kupriyanova. P. 161], but as a name for an epic that includes several novel lines, it may well work. It is significant that in Tolstoy’s book the novel can come into conflict with the epic: thus, Prince Andrei, with his ambitious dreams before the Battle of Austerlitz, ready to sacrifice those closest to him for a moment of glory, hears the coachman teasing Kutuzov’s cook named Titus: ““ Titus, and Titus? “Well,” answered the old man. “Titus, go thresh.” “Low reality” here clearly opposes the hero’s high dreams - but it is she who turns out to be right; this is, perhaps, the voice of the epic itself, of life itself, which (in the form of the high sky) will soon reveal the lies of the Napoleonic dreams of the novel hero.

I will cite Bakhtin’s deep and, in my opinion, very important thought:

“The novelization of literature is not at all the imposition of an alien genre canon on other genres. After all, the novel doesn’t have such a canon at all.<...>Therefore, the novelization of other genres does not mean their subordination to alien genre canons; on the contrary, this is their liberation from everything conventional, deadened, stilted and lifeless that hinders their own development, from everything that turns them next to the novel into some kind of stylization of outdated forms” [ Bakhtin–2000. P. 231].

It is no coincidence that in “War and Peace” we find the following reasoning from Tolstoy:

“The ancients left us examples of heroic poems in which the heroes constitute the entire interest of history, and we still cannot get used to the fact that for our human time a story of this kind has no meaning” [T. 3. Part 2. Ch. XIX].

And although Gachev wittily brings “War and Peace” closer to the “Iliad” - he quite convincingly compares the behavior of Nikolai Rostov during the Bogucharov rebellion with the way Odysseus deals with Thersites, and then likens Kutuzov to the same Odysseus, who disdains the sophistry of Thersites, at the council in Fili : “with power, force, knowing its right, will - Kutuzov and Odysseus solve the situation” [ Gachev. pp. 129–136], even Tolstoy is beyond the power to resurrect the Iliad in all its completeness and simplicity. Genre - point of view on the world; It is hardly possible in the 19th century AD to look at the world as it was seen in the 8th century BC.

Contemporaries felt the genre unfamiliarity of “War and Peace” and, with few exceptions, did not accept it. P.V. Annenkov in a generally sympathetic article “Historical and aesthetic issues in the novel by gr. L.N. Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” having listed many episodes that fascinated him, asks: “Isn’t all this, in fact, a magnificent spectacle, from beginning to end?” - but then he remarks: “Yes, but while it was happening , the novel, in the literal sense of the word, did not move, or, if it did, it did so with incredible apathy and slowness.” “But where is he, this novel, where did he put his real business - the development of a private incident, his “plot” and “intrigue”, because without them, no matter what the novel does, it will still seem idle a novel to which its own and real interests are alien,” writes the critic [ Annenkov. pp. 44–45]. One can give many examples of the rejection by critics (and therefore by readers) of the genre features of Tolstoy’s book: “We call the work of Count L.N. Tolstoy's novel only to give him some name; but War and Peace, in the strict sense of the word, is not a novel. Don’t look for an integral poetic concept in it, don’t look for unity of action: “War and Peace” is just a series of characters, a series of pictures, sometimes military, sometimes on the battlefield, sometimes everyday, in the living rooms of St. Petersburg and Moscow” [gaz. "Voice". 1868. No. 11. P. 1 (“Bibliography and journalism.” Without signature)]. Responding to the first three volumes, the critic of “The Russian Invalid” (A. I-n) wrote about “War and Peace”: “This is a calm epic written by a poet-artist who brings out living faces in front of you, analyzes their feelings, describes them actions with the dispassion of Pushkin's Pimen. Hence the advantages and disadvantages of the novel” [Journal and bibliographic notes. "War and Peace". Essay by Count L.N. Tolstoy. 3 volumes. M., 1868 // Russian invalid. 1868. No. 11]. The shortcomings will be discussed in some detail. “War and Peace cannot be the Iliad,” writes the critic, “and Homer’s attitude towards heroes and life is impossible.” Modern life is complex - and “it is impossible with the same calmness and self-pleasure to describe the delights of hound hunting along with the virtues of the dog Karai, and the majestic beauty, and the ability of the scoundrel Anatole to control himself, and the toilet of the young ladies going to the ball, and the suffering of the Russian soldier dying of thirst and hunger in the same room with the decomposed dead, and such a terrible massacre as the Battle of Austerlitz” [ Ibid.]. As we see, the critic fully felt the genre uniqueness of Tolstoy’s book - and did not want to accept this originality.

All this was written before the end of the book - the last volumes caused even greater complaints: “His novel, in our opinion, still remained not completely finished, despite the fact that half of the characters in it died, and the rest were legally married to each other. It’s as if the author himself was tired of messing around with his surviving heroes of the novel, and he, hastily, somehow made ends meet in order to quickly launch into his endless metaphysics” [Petersburgskaya Gazeta. 1870. No. 2. P. 2]. However, N. Solovyov noted that Tolstoy’s book is “some kind of poem-novel, a new form and as consistent with the ordinary course of life as it is limitless, like life itself. “War and Peace” cannot simply be called a novel: a novel should be much more definite in its boundaries and more prosaic in content: a poem, as a freer fruit of inspiration, is not subject to any restraint” [ Solovyov. P. 172]. A reviewer of the Birzhevye Vedomosti, ahead of future researchers of the War and Peace genre, wrote: “... Count Tolstoy’s novel could in some respects be considered an epic of the great people’s war, which has its own historians, but far from having its own singer” (and This review reveals a comparison of War and Peace with the Iliad).

However, the sensitive Strakhov, the first and probably the only one of his contemporaries to speak about the unconditional genius of Tolstoy’s new work, defined its genre as a “family chronicle,” and in the last article about “War and Peace” he wrote that it is “an epic in modern forms art" [ Strakhov. P. 224, 268].

Literature

PSS–90 - Tolstoy L.N. Full collection cit.: In 90 volumes. M., 1928–1958.

Annenkov - Annenkov P.V. Historical and aesthetic issues in the novel by gr. L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace” // Roman L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace” in Russian criticism. L., 1989.

Bakhtin–1979 - Bakhtin M.M. Problems of Dostoevsky's poetics. M., 1979.

Bakhtin–2000 - Bakhtin M.M. Epic and novel. St. Petersburg, 2000.

Bocharov–1963 - Bocharov S.G. L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”. M., 1963.

Gachev - Gachev G.D. Content of artistic forms. M., 1968.

Gorky - Gorky M. Full collection cit.: In 25 vols. M., 1968–1975.

Kupriyanova - Kupriyanova E.N. On the issues and genre nature of L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” // Russian literature. 1985. No. 1.

Lesskis - Lesskis G.A. Leo Tolstoy (1852–1869). M., 2000.

Solovyov - Solovyov N.I. War or peace? // Roman L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace” in Russian criticism. L., 1989.

Strakhov - Strakhov N.N. War and Peace. Essay by Count L.N. Tolstoy. Volumes I, II, III and IV // Roman L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace” in Russian criticism. L., 1989.

Shklovsky–1928 - Shklovsky V.B. Material and style in Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”. M., 1928.

Eikhenbaum–1969 - Eikhenbaum B.M. Features of chronicle style in literature of the 19th century // Eikhenbaum B.M. About prose. L., 1969.

The novel as a literary genre is the creation of modern literature.

Distinctive features of the novel:

• depiction of a person in complex life processes,
• multi-linearity of the plot, covering the fate of a number of characters,
• greater volume compared to other epic forms.

In the foreground are images of ordinary people, their personal fate, events of private life and reflection in them of the events of the era, the holistic social world that gave birth to them. Typically, works in the novel genre take place in the writer’s contemporary reality (with the exception of historical and fantasy texts) or events of the recent past.

Genre originality in Tolstoy's novel

The novel "War and Peace" is a work that is extremely complex in terms of genre.

Like a historical novel

On the one hand, the writer talks about historical events of the past (the wars of 1805-1807 and 1812).

From this point of view, War and Peace could be called .

Specific historical figures act in it (Alexander 1, Napoleon, Kutuzov, Speransky), but history for Tolstoy is not an end in itself. When starting to write a work about the Decembrists, the writer, as he himself said, could not help but turn to the Patriotic War of 1812, and then to the war of 1805-1807 (“the era of our shame”). History in “War and Peace” is the basis that allows us to reveal the characters of people in an era of great national upheaval, to convey the philosophical reflections of the author himself about global issues of humanity - issues of war and peace, the role of the individual in history, the laws of the historical process, etc. .

Therefore, in terms of genre, “War and Peace” goes beyond just a historical novel.

Like a family novel

On the other hand, one can include "War and Peace" to a family novel: Tolstoy traces the fates of several generations of noble families (Rostov, Bolkonsky, Bezukhov, Kuragin). But the fates of these people are inextricably linked with large-scale historical events in Russia. In addition to these heroes, there are a huge number of characters in War and Peace who are not directly related to the fate of the heroes.

Appearance of images on the pages of the novel:

• merchant Ferapontov, a Moscow lady who left Moscow “with a vague consciousness that she was not Bonaparte’s servant,”
• militias who put on clean shirts in front of Borodin,
• soldier of the Raevsky battery,
• partisans Denisov and many others

takes the novel beyond the family genre.

Like a social novel

"War and Peace" can be called social novel. Tolstoy is concerned with issues related to the structure of society.

The writer shows his ambiguous attitude towards the nobility in the description of the St. Petersburg and Moscow nobility, their attitude, for example, to the War of 1812. No less important for the author are the relations between nobles and serfs. These relationships are ambiguous, and Tolstoy cannot help but talk about this (peasant partisan detachments and the behavior of Bogucharov’s peasants). In this regard, we can say that the writer’s novel does not fit into this genre framework.

Like a philosophical novel

Leo Tolstoy is known not only as a writer, but also as a philosopher. Many pages of the work are devoted to universal philosophical problems. Tolstoy consciously introduces his philosophical reflections into the novel; they are important to him in connection with the historical events that he describes. First of all, these are the writer’s arguments about the role of the individual in history and the patterns of historical events. The writer's views can be called fatalistic: he argues that it is not the behavior and will of historical figures that determine the course of historical events. Historical events are made up of the actions and wills of many people. For a writer, Napoleon seems funny,

“like a child riding in a carriage, pulling the fringe and thinking that he is driving the carriage.”

And great is Kutuzov, who understands the spirit of the events taking place and does what needs to be done in a specific situation.

Tolstoy's thoughts on war are noteworthy. As a humanist, he rejects war as a way to resolve conflicts, war is disgusting, it is similar to hunting (no wonder Nikolai Rostov, running away from the French, feels like a hare being hunted by hunters), Andrei Bolkonsky speaks to Pierre about the anti-human essence of war before the Battle of Borodino. The writer sees the reasons for the Russian victory over the French in the spirit of patriotism, which gripped the entire nation and helped stop the invasion.

Like a psychological novel

Tolstoy is a master and psychological prose. In-depth psychologism and mastery of the subtlest movements of the human soul are an undoubted quality of a writer.

From this point of view, “War and Peace” can be classified as a psychological novel. It is not enough for Tolstoy to show the characters of people in action; he needs to explain the psychology of their behavior, to reveal the internal reasons for their actions. This is the psychologism of Tolstoy's prose.

All of these features allow scientists to define the genre of “War and Peace” like an epic novel.

The large-scale nature of the events described, the global nature of the problems, the huge number of characters, the social, philosophical, and moral aspects make this novel a unique work in terms of genre.

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Returning with his family to Russia. Involuntarily, I moved from the present to 1825... But even in 1825, my hero was already a mature, family man. To understand him, I needed to be transported to his youth, and his youth coincided with... the era of 1812... If the reason for our triumph was not accidental, but lay in the essence of the character of the Russian people and troops, then this character should have been expressed even more clearly in the era failures and defeats..." So Lev Nikolaevich gradually came to the need to begin the story in 1805.

The main theme is the historical fate of the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812. The novel features more than 550 characters, both fictional and historical. L.N. Tolstoy portrays his best heroes in all their spiritual complexity, in a continuous search for truth, in the pursuit of self-improvement. These are Prince Andrei, Pierre, Natasha, and Princess Marya. Negative heroes lack development, dynamics, and movements of the soul: Helen, Anatole.

The writer's philosophical views are of utmost importance in the novel. Journalistic chapters precede and explain the artistic description of events. Tolstoy's fatalism is associated with his understanding of the spontaneity of history as “the unconscious, general, swarm life of humanity.” The main idea of ​​the novel, according to Tolstoy himself, is “the thought of the people.” The people, in Tolstoy's understanding, are the main driving force of history, the bearer of the best human qualities. The main characters go on their way to the people (Pierre on the Borodino field; “our prince” - the soldiers called Bolkonsky). Tolstoy's ideal is embodied in the image of Platon Karataev. The female ideal is in the image of Natasha Rostova. Kutuzov and Napoleon are the moral poles of the novel: “There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth.” “What does it take to be happy? Quiet family life... with the opportunity to do good to people” (L.N. Tolstoy).

L.N. Tolstoy returned to work on the story several times. At the beginning of 1861, he read chapters from the novel “The Decembrists,” written in November 1860 - early 1861, to Turgenev and reported work on the novel to Alexander Herzen. However, the work was postponed several times, until in 1863-1869. The novel War and Peace was not written. For some time, Tolstoy perceived the epic novel as part of a narrative that was supposed to end with the return of Pierre and Natasha from Siberian exile in 1856 (this is what is discussed in the 3 surviving chapters of the novel “The Decembrists”). Attempts to work on this plan were made by Tolstoy for the last time in the late 1870s, after the end of Anna Karenina.

The novel "War and Peace" was a great success. An excerpt from the novel entitled “1805” appeared in Russky Vestnik in 1865. In 1868, three of its parts were published, which were soon followed by the remaining two (four volumes in total).

Recognized by critics all over the world as the greatest epic work of new European literature, War and Peace amazes from a purely technical point of view with the size of its fictional canvas. Only in painting can one find some parallel in the huge paintings of Paolo Veronese in the Venetian Doge's Palace, where hundreds of faces are also painted with amazing clarity and individual expression. In Tolstoy's novel all classes of society are represented, from emperors and kings to the last soldier, all ages, all temperaments and throughout the entire reign of Alexander I. What further enhances its dignity as an epic is the psychology of the Russian people it gives. With amazing insight, Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy portrayed the moods of the crowd, both the highest and the most base and brutal (for example, in the famous scene of the murder of Vereshchagin).

Everywhere Tolstoy tries to capture the spontaneous, unconscious beginning of human life. The whole philosophy of the novel boils down to the fact that success and failure in historical life depend not on the will and talents of individual people, but on the extent to which they reflect in their activities the spontaneous background of historical events. Hence his loving attitude towards Kutuzov, who was strong, first of all, not in strategic knowledge and not in heroism, but in the fact that he understood that purely Russian, not spectacular and not bright, but the only true way in which it was possible to cope with Napoleon. Hence Tolstoy’s dislike for Napoleon, who so highly valued his personal talents; hence, finally, the elevation to the degree of the greatest sage of the humblest soldier Platon Karataev for the fact that he recognizes himself exclusively as a part of the whole, without the slightest claim to individual significance. Tolstoy's philosophical or, rather, historiosophical thought mostly permeates his great novel - and this is what makes it great - not in the form of reasoning, but in brilliantly captured details and whole pictures, the true meaning of which is not difficult for any thoughtful reader to understand.

In the first edition of War and Peace there was a long series of purely theoretical pages that interfered with the integrity of the artistic impression; in later editions these discussions were highlighted and formed a special part. However, in “War and Peace” Tolstoy the thinker was far from being reflected in all of his aspects and not in his most characteristic aspects. There is not here what runs like a red thread through all of Tolstoy’s works, both those written before “War and Peace” and those later - there is no deeply pessimistic mood.

In Tolstoy's later works, the transformation of the graceful, gracefully flirtatious, charming Natasha into a blurry, sloppily dressed landowner, completely absorbed in caring for her home and children, would have made a sad impression; but in the era of his enjoyment of family happiness, Tolstoy elevated all this to the pearl of creation.

Tolstoy later became skeptical of his novels. In January 1871, Lev Nikolaevich sent Fet a letter: “How happy I am... that I will never write verbose rubbish like “War” again.”

On December 6, 1908, L.N. Tolstoy wrote in his diary: “People love me for those trifles - “War and Peace”, etc., which seem very important to them.”

In the summer of 1909, one of the visitors to Yasnaya Polyana expressed his delight and gratitude for the creation of War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Tolstoy replied: “It’s the same as if someone came to Edison and said: “I respect you very much because you dance the mazurka well.” I attribute meaning to completely different books.”

However, it is unlikely that Lev Nikolaevich really denied the importance of his previous creations. To a question from the Japanese writer and philosopher Tokutomi Rock (English) Russian in 1906, which of his works he loves most, the author answered: "Novel "War and Peace"". Thoughts based in the novel are also heard in Tolstoy’s later religious and philosophical works.

There were also different versions of the title of the novel: “1805” (an excerpt from the novel was published under this title), “All’s well that ends well” and “Three Times”. Tolstoy wrote the novel over the course of 6 years, from 1863 to 1869. According to historical information, he rewrote it by hand 8 times, and the writer rewrote individual episodes more than 26 times. Researcher E.E. Zaidenshnur counts 15 options for the beginning of the novel. There are 569 characters in the work.

The manuscript collection of the novel amounts to 5202 sheets.

Tolstoy's sources

When writing the novel, Tolstoy used the following scientific works: the academic history of the war by academician A. I. Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, the history of M. I. Bogdanovich, “The Life of Count Speransky” by M. Korf, “Biography of Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov” by M. P. Shcherbinin, about Freemasonry - Karl Hubert Lobreich von Plumenek, about Vereshchagin - Ivan Zhukov; from French historians - Thiers, A. Dumas Sr., Georges Chambray, Maximelin Foy, Pierre Lanfré. As well as a number of testimonies from contemporaries of the Patriotic War: Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Napoleon Bonaparte, Sergei Glinka, Fedor Glinka, Denis Davydov, Stepan Zhikharev, Alexey Ermolov, Ivan Liprandi, Fedor Korbeletsky, Krasnokutsky, Alexander Grigor evich, Vasily Perovsky, Ilya Radozhitsky, Ivan Skobelev , Mikhail Speransky, Alexander Shishkov; letters from A. Volkova to Lanskaya. From French memoirists - Bosset, Jean Rapp, Philippe de Segur, Auguste Marmont, “Memorial of Saint Helena” by Las Cases.

From fiction, Tolstoy was tangentially influenced by the Russian novels by R. Zotov “Leonid or Features from the Life of Napoleon I”, M. Zagoskin - “Roslavlev”. Also, British novels - William Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's "Aurora Floyd" - according to the memoirs of T. A. Kuzminskaya, the writer directly indicated that the character of the main character of the latter resembles Natasha.

Central characters

• Graph Pierre (Peter Kirillovich) Bezukhov.
• Graph Nikolai Ilyich Rostov (Nicolas)- eldest son of Ilya Rostov.
• Natasha Rostova (Natalie)- the Rostovs’ youngest daughter, married to Countess Bezukhova, Pierre’s second wife.
• Sonya (Sofya Alexandrovna, Sophie)- niece of Count Rostov, brought up in the count's family.

• Bolkonskaya Elizaveta (Liza, Lise)(nee Meinen), wife of Prince Andrei
• Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky- an old prince, according to the plot - a prominent figure in Catherine's era. The prototype is L. N. Tolstoy’s maternal grandfather, a representative of the ancient Volkonsky family.
• Prince Andrey Nikolaevich Bolkonsky(French André) - son of the old prince.
• Princess Maria Nikolaevna(French Marie) - daughter of the old prince, sister of Prince Andrei, married Countess Rostova (wife of Nikolai Ilyich Rostov). The prototype can be called Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya (married Tolstoy), mother of L. N. Tolstoy
• Prince Vasily Sergeevich Kuragin- a friend of Anna Pavlovna Sherer, spoke about children: “My children are a burden to my existence.” Kurakin, Alexey Borisovich - a probable prototype.
• Elena Vasilievna Kuragina (Ellen)- daughter of Vasily Kuragin. The first, unfaithful wife of Pierre Bezukhov.
• Anatol Kuragin- the youngest son of Prince Vasily, a reveler and a libertine, tried to seduce Natasha Rostova and take her away, a “restless fool” in the words of Prince Vasily.
• Dolokhova Marya Ivanovna, mother of Fyodor Dolokhov.
• Dolokhov Fedor Ivanovich, her son, officer of the Semenovsky regiment I, 1, VI. at the beginning of the novel, he was an infantry officer of the Semenovsky Guards Regiment - a leader of revelries, later one of the leaders of the partisan movement. Its prototypes were the partisan Ivan Dorokhov, the duelist Fyodor Tolstoy the American and the partisan Alexander Figner.
• Platon Karataev is a soldier of the Absheron regiment who met Pierre Bezukhov in captivity.
• Captain Tushin- captain of the artillery corps, who distinguished himself during the Battle of Shengraben. Its prototype was artillery staff captain Ya. I. Sudakov.
• Vasily Dmitrievich Denisov- friend of Nikolai Rostov. Denisov’s prototype was Denis Davydov.
• Maria Dmitrievna Akhrosimova- a friend of the Rostov family. The prototype of Akhrosimova was the widow of Major General Ofrosimov Nastasya Dmitrievna. A. S. Griboyedov almost portraiturely portrayed her in his comedy “Woe from Wit.”

There are 559 characters in the novel. About 200 of them are historical figures.

Plot

The novel has an abundance of chapters and parts, most of which have plot completeness. Short chapters and many parts allow Tolstoy to move the narrative in time and space and thus fit hundreds of episodes into one novel.

Volume I

The actions of Volume I describe the events of the war in alliance with Austria against Napoleon in -1807.

1 part

The action begins with a reception at the close Empress Anna Pavlovna Scherer, where we see the entire high society of St. Petersburg. This technique is a kind of exposition: here we are introduced to many of the most important characters in the novel. On the other hand, the technique is a means of characterizing “high society,” comparable to “Famusov’s society” (A. S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit”), immoral and deceitful. All those who come are looking for benefit for themselves in the useful contacts that they can make with Scherer. So, Prince Vasily is concerned about the fate of his children, for whom he is trying to arrange a profitable marriage, and Drubetskaya comes in order to persuade Prince Vasily to intercede for her son. An indicative feature is the ritual of greeting an unknown and unnecessary aunt (French: ma tante). None of the guests know who she is and don’t want to talk to her, but they cannot break the unwritten laws of secular society. Against the colorful background of Anna Scherer’s guests, two characters stand out: Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov. They are opposed to high society, just as Chatsky is opposed to “Famus society.” Most of the conversations at this ball are devoted to politics and the coming war with Napoleon, who is called the "Corsican monster." Moreover, most of the dialogues between guests are conducted in French.

Despite his promises to Bolkonsky not to go to Kuragin, Pierre goes there immediately after Andrei’s departure. Anatol Kuragin is the son of Prince Vasily Kuragin, who causes him a lot of inconvenience by constantly leading a riotous life and spending his father’s money. After his return from abroad, Pierre constantly spends his time in the company of Kuragin along with Dolokhov and other officers. This life is completely unsuitable for Bezukhov, who has an exalted soul, a kind heart and the ability to become a truly influential person and benefit society. The next “adventures” of Anatole, Pierre and Dolokhov end with the fact that they got hold of a live bear somewhere, scared the young actresses with it, and when the police came to appease them, they “caught a policeman, tied him with his back to the bear and let the bear into the Moika; the bear is swimming, and the policeman is on it.” As a result, Pierre was sent to Moscow, Dolokhov was demoted to soldiery, and the matter with Anatole was somehow hushed up by his father.

From St. Petersburg the action moves to Moscow on the name day of Countess Rostova and her daughter Natasha. Here we meet the entire Rostov family: Countess Natalya Rostova, her husband Count Ilya Rostov, their children: Vera, Nikolai, Natasha and Petya, as well as the Countess’s niece Sonya. The situation in the Rostov family is contrasted with Scherer’s reception: everything here is simpler, sincere, kinder. Here two love lines begin: Sonya and Nikolai Rostov, Natasha and Boris Drubetskoy.

Sonya and Nikolai are trying to hide their relationship from everyone, since their love cannot lead to anything good, because Sonya is Nikolai’s second cousin. But Nikolai goes to war, and Sonya cannot hold back her tears. She sincerely worries about him. Natasha Rostova sees the conversation between her second cousin and at the same time best friend with her brother, as well as their kiss. She also wants to love someone, so she asks for a frank conversation with Boris and kisses him. The holiday continues. It is also attended by Pierre Bezukhov, who here meets the very young Natasha Rostova. Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova arrives - a very influential and respected woman. Almost everyone present fears her for the courage and harshness of her judgments and statements. The holiday is in full swing. Count Rostov dances his favorite dance - “Danila Kupora” with Akhrosimova.

At this time, in Moscow, the old Count Bezukhov, the owner of a huge fortune and Pierre’s father, lies dying. Prince Vasily, being a relative of Bezukhov, begins to fight for the inheritance. In addition to him, the Mamontov princesses also lay claim to the inheritance, who, together with Prince Vasily Kuragin, are the count’s closest relatives. Princess Drubetskaya, Boris’s mother, also intervenes in the struggle. The matter is complicated by the fact that in his will the count writes to the emperor with a request to legitimize Pierre (Pierre is the illegitimate son of the count and without this procedure cannot receive an inheritance) and bequeaths everything to him. Prince Vasily's plan is to destroy the will and divide the entire inheritance between his family and the princesses. Drubetskaya's goal is to receive at least a small part of the inheritance in order to have money to outfit her son as he goes to war. As a result, a struggle unfolds for the “mosaic briefcase” in which the will is kept. Pierre, coming to his dying father, again feels like a stranger. He doesn't feel comfortable here. He feels both saddened by his father's death and uneasy by the amount of attention he received.

The next morning, Napoleon, on the day of the anniversary of his coronation, in a happy mood, having examined the sites of the upcoming battle and waiting for the sun to finally emerge from the fog, gives the order to the marshals to begin business. Kutuzov, on the other hand, is in an exhausted and irritable mood that morning. He notices the confusion in the allied troops and waits for all the columns to gather. At this time, he hears shouts and cheers from his army behind him. He walked a couple of meters away and squinted to see who it was. It seemed to him that it was a whole squadron, in front of which were galloping two riders on a black and red anglicized horse. He realized that it was Emperor Alexander and Franz with his retinue. Alexander, who galloped up to Kutuzov, sharply asked the question: “Why aren’t you starting, Mikhail Larionovich?” After a short dialogue and disagreement from Kutuzov, it was decided to begin the operation.

Having driven about half a mile, Kutuzov stopped at an abandoned house, at the fork of two roads that went down the mountain. The fog lifted, and the French were visible two miles away. One Adjutant noticed a whole squadron of enemies below on the mountain. The enemy appears much closer than previously thought, and, hearing close shooting, Kutuzov’s retinue rushes to run back, where the troops had just passed by the emperors. Bolkonsky decides that the long-awaited moment has come, and the matter has come to him. Jumping off his horse, he rushes to the banner that had fallen from the ensign’s hands and, picking it up, runs forward shouting “Hurray!”, in the hope that the frustrated battalion will run after him. And, indeed, one after another the soldiers overtake him. Prince Andrei is wounded and, exhausted, falls on his back, where only the endless sky opens before him, and everything that was before becomes empty, insignificant and without any meaning. Bonaparte, after a victorious battle, circles the battlefield, giving the last orders and examining the remaining dead and wounded. Among the others, Napoleon sees Bolkonsky lying on his back and orders him to be taken to the dressing station.

The first volume of the novel ends with Prince Andrei, among other hopelessly wounded, surrendering to the care of the residents.

Volume II

The second volume can truly be called the only “peaceful” one in the entire novel. It depicts the lives of the characters between 1806 and 1812. Most of it is devoted to the personal relationships of the characters, the theme of love and the search for the meaning of life.

1 part

The second volume begins with Nikolai Rostov’s arrival home, where he is joyfully greeted by the entire Rostov family. His new military friend Denisov comes with him. Soon, a celebration was organized at the English Club in honor of the hero of the military campaign, Prince Bagration, which was attended by all the high society. Throughout the evening, toasts were heard glorifying Bagration, as well as the emperor. No one wanted to remember the recent defeat.

Pierre Bezukhov, who has changed a lot after his marriage, is also present at the celebration. In fact, he feels deeply unhappy, he began to understand the real face of Helen, who is in many ways similar to her brother, and he is also beginning to be tormented by suspicions about his wife’s betrayal with the young officer Dolokhov. By coincidence, Pierre and Dolokhov find themselves sitting opposite each other at the table. Dolokhov’s defiantly impudent behavior irritates Pierre, but the last straw is Dolokhov’s toast “to the health of beautiful women and their lovers.” All this was the reason that Pierre Bezukhov challenges Dolokhov to a duel. Nikolai Rostov becomes Dolokhov's second, and Nesvitsky becomes Bezukhov's second. The next day at 9 o'clock in the morning Pierre and his second arrive in Sokolniki and meet Dolokhov, Rostov and Denisov there. Bezukhov's second is trying to persuade the parties to reconcile, but the opponents are determined. Before the duel, it becomes clear that Bezukhov is unable to even hold a pistol properly, while Dolokhov is an excellent duelist. The opponents disperse and, on command, begin to move closer. Bezukhov shoots first, and the bullet hits Dolokhov in the stomach. Bezukhov and the audience want to interrupt the duel due to a wound, but Dolokhov prefers to continue and takes careful aim, but bleeds and shoots wide. Rostov and Denisov take away the wounded man. In response to Nikolai’s questions about Dolokhov’s well-being, he begs Rostov to go to his adored mother and prepare her. Having gone to carry out the assignment, Rostov learns that Dolokhov lives with his mother and sister in Moscow, and, despite his almost barbaric behavior in society, is a gentle son and brother.

Pierre's worry about his wife's relationship with Dolokhov continues. He reflects on the past duel and increasingly asks himself the question: “Who is right, who is wrong?” When Pierre finally sees Helen “face to face,” she begins to swear and laugh contemptuously at her husband, taking advantage of his naivety. Pierre says that it’s better for them to break up, and in response he hears a sarcastic agreement, “... if you give me a fortune.” Then for the first time the breed of his father is reflected in Pierre’s character: he feels the passion and charm of rage. Grabbing a marble board from the table, he swings at Helen, shouting “I’ll kill you!” She, frightened, runs out of the room. A week later, Pierre gives his wife power of attorney for most of his fortune and goes to St. Petersburg.

After receiving news of the death of Prince Andrei at the Battle of Austerlitz in Bald Mountains, the old prince receives a letter from Kutuzov, which states that it is actually unknown whether Andrei really died, because he was not named among the fallen officers found on the battlefield. From the very beginning, Liza, Andrei’s wife, is told absolutely nothing by her relatives, so as not to hurt her. On the night of the birth, the cured Prince Andrei unexpectedly arrives. Lisa cannot bear childbirth and dies. On her dead face Andrei reads a reproachful expression: “What have you done to me?”, which subsequently does not leave him for a very long time. The newborn son is given the name Nikolai.

During Dolokhov's recovery, Rostov became especially friendly with him. And he becomes a frequent guest in the Rostov family’s house. Dolokhov falls in love with Sonya and proposes to her, but she refuses him because she is still in love with Nikolai. Before leaving for the army, Fedor arranges a farewell party for his friends, where he not quite honestly beats Rostov for 43 thousand rubles, thus taking revenge on him for Sonya’s refusal.

Vasily Denisov spends more time in the company of Natasha Rostova. Soon he proposes to her. Natasha doesn't know what to do. She runs to her mother, but she, having thanked Denisov for the honor, does not give consent, because she considers her daughter to be too young. Vasily apologizes to the countess, saying goodbye that he “adores” her daughter and their entire family, and the next day he leaves Moscow. Rostov himself, after his friend’s departure, stayed at home for another two weeks, waiting for money from the old count to pay all 43 thousand and receive a receipt from Dolokhov.

part 2

After his explanation with his wife, Pierre goes to St. Petersburg. In Torzhok at the station, while waiting for horses, he meets a Freemason who wants to help him. They start talking about God, but Pierre is an unbeliever. He talks about how much he hates his life. The Mason convinces him otherwise and persuades Pierre to join their ranks. Pierre, after much thought, is initiated into the Freemasons and after that he feels that he has changed. Prince Vasily comes to Pierre. They talk about Helen, the prince asks him to return to her. Pierre refuses and asks the prince to leave. Pierre leaves a lot of money for alms to the Masons. Pierre believed in uniting people, but later became completely disillusioned with it. At the end of 1806, a new war with Napoleon began. Scherer receives Boris. He took an advantageous position in the service. He doesn't want to remember the Rostovs. Helen shows interest in him and invites him to her place. Boris becomes a close person for the Bezukhov family. Princess Marya replaces Nikolka's mother. The child suddenly falls ill. Marya and Andrey argue about how to treat him. Bolkonsky writes them a letter about his supposed victory. The child is recovering. Pierre became involved in charity work. He agreed with the manager everywhere and began to take care of business. He began to live his old life. In the spring of 1807 Pierre went to St. Petersburg. He stopped by his estate - everything is fine there, everything is the same, but there is chaos all around. Pierre visits Prince Andrei, they begin to talk about the meaning of life and Freemasonry. Andrei says that he began to experience an internal revival. Rostov is tied to the regiment. The war resumes.

Part 3

Prince Bolkonsky, eager to take revenge on Anatole for his action, leaves to join the army with him. And although Anatole soon returned to Russia, Andrei remained at headquarters and only after some time returned to his homeland in order to see his father. A trip to Bald Mountains to see his father ends in a strong quarrel and Andrei's subsequent departure to the Western army. While in the Western army, Andrei was invited to the Tsar for a military council, at which each general, proving his one and only correct decision regarding military operations, entered into a tense dispute with the others, in which nothing was accepted except the need to send the Tsar to the capital , so that his presence would not interfere with the military campaign.

Meanwhile, Nikolai Rostov receives the rank of captain and, together with his squadron, as well as with the entire army, retreats. During the retreat, the squadron was forced to fight, where Nikolai showed particular courage, for which he was awarded the St. George Cross and received special encouragement from the army leadership. His sister Natasha, while in Moscow at that time, was very ill, and this illness, which almost killed her, is a mental illness: she worries very much and reproaches herself for betraying Andrei out of frivolity. On the advice of her aunt, she begins to go to church early in the morning and pray for atonement for her sins. At the same time, Pierre visits Natasha, which kindles in his heart a sincere love for Natasha, who also experiences certain feelings for him. The Rostov family receives a letter from Nikolai, where he writes about his award and the progress of the hostilities.

Nikolai's younger brother Petya, already 15 years old, has long been jealous of his brother's successes, is going to enter military service, informing his parents that if he is not allowed in, he will leave on his own. With a similar intention, Petya goes to the Kremlin in order to get an audience with Emperor Alexander and personally convey to him his request for a desire to serve his fatherland. Although, however, he was never able to achieve a personal meeting with Alexander.

Representatives of wealthy families and various merchants gather in Moscow to discuss the current situation with Bonaparte and allocate funds to help fight him. Count Bezukhov is also present there. He, sincerely wanting to help, donates a thousand souls and their salaries to create a militia, the purpose of which was the entire meeting.

Part 2

At the beginning of the second part, various arguments are given about the reasons for Napoleon's defeat in the Russian campaign. The main idea was that the various kinds of events that accompanied this campaign were just a random coincidence of circumstances, where neither Napoleon nor Kutuzov, having no tactical plan for the war, left all events to their own devices. Everything happens as if by accident.

Old Prince Bolkonsky receives a letter from his son, Prince Andrei, in which he asks for his father's forgiveness and reports that it is unsafe to remain in the Bald Mountains since the Russian army is retreating, and advises him with Princess Marya and little Nikolenka to go inland. Having received this news, the servant of the old prince, Yakov Alpatych, was sent from the Bald Mountains to the nearest district town of Smolensk in order to find out the situation. In Smolensk, Alpatych meets Prince Andrei, who gives him a second letter to his sister with a similar content to the first. Meanwhile, in the salons of Helen and Anna Pavlovna in Moscow, the same sentiments remain and, as before, in the first of them glory and honor are exalted to Napoleon’s actions, while in the other there are patriotic sentiments. Kutuzov at that time was appointed commander-in-chief of the entire Russian army, which was necessary after the unification of its corps and conflicts between the commanders of individual divisions.

Returning to the story of the old prince, one cannot help but notice that he, neglecting his son’s letter, chose to stay on his estate, despite the advancing French, but he suffered a blow, after which he, together with his daughter, Princess Marya, set off towards Moscow . On the estate of Prince Andrei (Bogucharovo), the old prince was no longer destined to survive the second blow. After the death of the master, his servants and daughter - Princess Marya - became hostages of their own situation, finding themselves among the rebellious men of the estate who did not want to let them go to Moscow. Fortunately, Nikolai Rostov’s squadron was passing nearby, and in order to replenish the supplies of hay for the horses, Nikolai, accompanied by his servant and deputy, visited Bogucharovo, where Nikolai bravely defended the princess’s intentions and escorted her to the nearest road to Moscow. Afterwards, both Princess Marya and Nikolai recalled this incident with loving trepidation, and Nikolai even had the intention of marrying her later.

Prince Andrei, at Kutuzov’s headquarters, meets Lieutenant Colonel Denisov, who eagerly tells him about his plan for a partisan war. After asking permission personally from Kutuzov, Andrei is sent to the active army as a regiment commander. At the same time, Pierre also goes to the site of the future battle, meeting first Boris Drubetsky at the headquarters, and then Prince Andrei himself, not far from the position of his troops. During the conversation, the prince talks a lot about the gravity of war, that it succeeds not from the wisdom of the commander, but from the desire of the soldiers to stand to the last.

The final preparations for the battle are underway - Napoleon indicates the disposition and gives orders that, for one reason or another, will never be carried out.

Pierre, like everyone else, was raised in the morning by the cannonade heard on the left flank and, wanting to take a personal part in the battle, ends up at the Raevsky redoubt, where he spends his time indifferently and, by a fortunate coincidence, leaves him about ten minutes before his surrender to the French. Andrei's regiment stood in reserve during the battle. An artillery grenade falls not far from Andrei, but out of pride he does not fall to the ground like his colleague, and receives a severe wound in the stomach. The prince is taken to the hospital tent and placed on the operating table, where Andrei meets his long-time offender, Anatoly Kuragin. A shrapnel hit Kuragin in the leg, and the doctor was just busy cutting it off. Prince Andrei, remembering the words of Princess Marya and being himself on the verge of death, mentally forgave Kuragin.

The battle was over. Napoleon, having not achieved victory and having lost a fifth of his army (the Russians lost half of their army), was forced to give up his ambitions to continue to advance, since the Russians were fighting for life and death. For their part, the Russians also did not take any action, remaining on the lines they occupied (in Kutuzov’s plan an offensive was planned for the next day) and blocking the path to Moscow.

Part 3

Similar to the previous parts, the first and second chapters present the author’s philosophical reflections on the reasons for the creation of history and the actions of the Russian and French troops during the Patriotic War of 1812. At Kutuzov’s headquarters there are heated debates on the topic: should we defend Moscow or retreat? General Bennigsen advocates for the protection of the capital and, if this enterprise fails, he is ready to blame Kutuzov for everything. One way or another, the commander-in-chief, realizing that there is no longer any strength left to defend Moscow, decides to surrender it without a fight. But given that the decision was made only the other day, all of Moscow was already intuitively preparing for the arrival of the French army and the surrender of the capital. Rich landowners and merchants left the city, trying to take with them as much property as possible on carts, although this is the only thing whose price did not fall, but increased in Moscow due to the latest news. The poor burned and destroyed all their property so that the enemy would not get it. Moscow was engulfed in a stampede, which did not please the Governor-General, Prince Rastopchin, whose orders were supposed to convince the people not to leave Moscow.

Countess Bezukhova, upon returning from Vilna to St. Petersburg, having the direct intention of forming a new party for herself in the world, decides that it is necessary to settle the final formalities with Pierre, who, by the way, also felt burdened in his marriage to her. She writes a letter to Pierre in Moscow, where she asks for a divorce. This letter was delivered to the addressee on the day of the battle on the Borodino field. After the battle, Pierre himself wanders for a long time among the mutilated and exhausted soldiers. There he quickly fell asleep. The next day, upon returning to Moscow, Pierre was summoned by Prince Rostopchin, who, with his previous rhetoric, appeals to stay in Moscow, where Pierre learns that most of his fellow Masons have already been arrested, and they are suspected of distributing French proclamations. Upon returning to his home, Pierre receives news of Helene's request to give the go-ahead for the divorce and of the death of Prince Andrei. Pierre, trying to rid himself of these abominations of life, leaves the house through the back entrance and never appears at home again.

In the Rostov house, everything goes on as usual - the collection of things is sluggish, because the count is accustomed to putting everything off until later. Petya stops with them on his way, and as a military man, he retreats further beyond Moscow with the rest of the army. Meanwhile, Natasha, accidentally meeting a convoy with wounded on the street, invites them to stay at their house. One of these wounded turns out to be her ex-fiancé, Andrei (the message to Pierre was erroneous). Natasha insists on removing the property from the carts and loading them with the wounded. Already moving through the streets, the Rostov family with convoys of the wounded notices Pierre, who, in the clothes of a commoner, was thoughtfully walking down the street, accompanied by some old man. Natasha, already knowing by that moment that Prince Andrei was traveling in the wagon train, began to take care of him herself at every stop and rest stop, without leaving a single step from him. On the seventh day, Andrei felt better, but the doctor continued to assure those around him that if the prince did not die now, he would die later in even greater pain. Natasha asks Andrei for forgiveness for her frivolity and betrayal. By that time, Andrei had already forgiven her and assured her of his love.

By that time, Napoleon had already come close to Moscow and, looking around it, rejoices that this city submitted and fell at his feet. He mentally imagines how he will implant the idea of ​​​​true civilization and make the boyars remember their conqueror with love. However, upon entering the city, he is very upset by the news that the capital has been abandoned by most of the inhabitants.

Depopulated Moscow plunged into unrest and theft (including from government officials). A crowd of dissatisfied people gathered in front of the city government. Mayor Rastopchin decided to distract her by handing over Vereshchagin, sentenced to hard labor, who was detained with Napoleonic proclamations and branded as a traitor and the main culprit in the abandonment of Moscow. By order of Rastopchin, the dragoon hit Vereshchagin with a broadsword, and the crowd joined in the massacre. Moscow at that time had already begun to fill with smoke and tongues of fire, like any abandoned wooden city, it had to burn.

Pierre comes to the conclusion that his entire existence was necessary only to kill Bonaparte. At the same time, he unwittingly saves the French officer Rambal from an old madman (the brother of his friend the Freemason), for which he was awarded the title of friend of the Frenchman and had a long conversation with him. The next morning, having slept, Pierre went to the western entrance to the city with the goal of killing Napoleon with a dagger, although he could not do this, since he was 5 hours late for his arrival! Frustrated, Pierre, wandering through the streets of the already lifeless city, came across the family of a minor official, whose daughter was supposedly locked in a burning house. Pierre, being not indifferent, went in search of the girl and after her successful rescue, he gave the girl to a woman who knew her parents (the official’s family had already left the place where Pierre met them in a desperate situation).

Inspired by his action and seeing French marauders on the street who were robbing a young Armenian woman and an elderly old man, he pounced on them and began to strangle one of them with frantic force, but was soon captured by a cavalry patrol and taken prisoner as a suspect in arson in Moscow.

Volume IV

Part 1

On August 26, the very day of the Battle of Borodino, Anna Pavlovna had an evening dedicated to reading the letter from the Right Reverend. The news of the day was the illness of Countess Bezukhova. There was talk in society that the Countess was very ill; the doctor said that it was a chest illness. The next day after the evening, an envelope was received from Kutuzov. Kutuzov wrote that the Russians did not retreat and the French lost much more than we did. By the evening of the next day, some terrible news happened. One of them was the news about the death of Countess Bezukhova. On the third day after Kutuzov’s report, news of the surrender of Moscow to the French spread. Ten days after leaving Moscow, the sovereign received the Frenchman Michaud (Russian at heart) sent to him. Michaud conveyed to him the news that Moscow had been abandoned and turned into a conflagration.

A few days before the Battle of Borodino, Nikolai Rostov was sent to Voronezh to buy horses. Provincial life in 1812 was the same as always. The society gathered at the governor's. No one in this society could compete with the Cavalier-Hussar of St. George. He had never danced in Moscow, and even there it would have been indecent for him, but here he felt the need to surprise. The whole evening Nikolai was busy with a blue-eyed blonde, the wife of one of the provincial officials. Soon he was informed about the desire of one important lady, Anna Ignatievna Malvintseva, to meet the savior of her niece. Nikolai, when talking with Anna Ignatievna and mentioning Princess Marya, often blushes and experiences a feeling that is incomprehensible to him. The governor's wife confirms that Princess Marya is a profitable match for Nicholas and starts talking about matchmaking. Nikolai ponders her words, remembers Sonya. Nikolai tells the governor’s wife his heartfelt desires, says that he really likes Princess Bolkonskaya and that his mother has told him about her more than once, since she will be a profitable partner for paying off the Rostovs’ debts, but there is Sonya, with whom he is bound by promises. Rostov arrives at Anna Ignatievna’s house and meets Bolkonskaya there. When she looked at Nikolai, her face changed. Rostov saw this in her - her desire for good, humility, love, self-sacrifice. The conversation was the simplest and most insignificant between them. They meet shortly after the Battle of Borodino, in a church. The princess received news of her brother's injury. A conversation takes place between Nikolai and the princess, after which Nikolai realizes that the princess has settled deeper in his heart than he foresaw. Dreams about Sonya were fun, but dreams about Princess Marya were scary. Nikolai receives a letter from his mother and Sonya. In the first, the mother talks about the fatal wound of Andrei Bolkonsky and that Natasha and Sonya are caring for him. In the second, Sonya says that she refuses the promise and says that Nikolai is free. Nikolai informs the princess about Andrei’s condition and escorts her to Yaroslavl, and a few days later he leaves for the regiment. Sonya's letter to Nikolai was written from Trinity. Sonya hoped for the recovery of Andrei Bolkonsky and had the hope that if the prince survived, he would marry Natasha. Then Nikolai will not be able to marry Princess Marya.

Meanwhile, Pierre is captured. All the Russians who were with him were of the lowest rank. Pierre and 13 others were taken to the Crimean Ford. Until September 8, before the second interrogation, there were the most difficult days in Pierre’s life. Pierre was interrogated by Davout and was sentenced to death. The criminals were placed, Pierre stood sixth. The execution failed, Pierre was separated from the other defendants and left in the church. There Pierre meets Platon Karataev (about fifty years old, a pleasant and melodious voice, the peculiarity of his speech is spontaneity, he never thought about what he was talking about). He knew how to do everything, was always busy, sang songs. Often said the opposite of what he said before. He loved to talk and spoke well. For Pierre, Platon Karataev was the personification of simplicity and truth. Plato knew nothing by heart except his prayer.

Soon Princess Marya arrived in Yaroslavl. She is greeted by the sad news that two days ago Andrey became worse. Natasha and the princess become closer and spend their last days near the dying Prince Andrei.

Part 2

Part 3

Petya Rostov, on behalf of the general, ends up in Denisov’s partisan detachment. Denisov's detachment, together with Dolokhov's detachment, organize an attack on the French detachment. In the battle, Petya Rostov dies, the French detachment is defeated, and Pierre Bezukhov is released among the Russian prisoners.

Part 4

Natasha and Maria are having a hard time with the death of Andrei Bolkonsky, on top of everything comes the news of the death of Petya Rostov, Countess Rostova falls into despair, from a fresh and cheerful fifty-year-old woman she turns into an old woman. Natasha constantly looks after her mother, which helps her find the meaning of life after the death of her lover, but at the same time she herself weakens both physically and mentally. A series of losses brings Natasha and Marya closer together, and eventually, at the insistence of Natasha’s father, they return to Moscow together.

Epilogue

Part 1

Seven years have passed since 1812. Tolstoy discusses the activities of Alexander I. He says that the goal was achieved and after the last war of 1815, Alexander is at the pinnacle of possible human power. Pierre Bezukhov marries Natasha Rostova in 1813, and thereby brings her out of depression, which was caused, in addition to the death of her brother and Andrei Bolkonsky, also by the death of her father.

After the death of his father, Nikolai Rostov becomes aware that the inheritance he received consists entirely of debts ten times greater than the most negative expectations. Relatives and friends asked Nikolai to renounce the inheritance. But he accepts the inheritance with all the debts; it was impossible to go to the army, because the mother was already holding on to her son. Nikolai's situation became worse and worse. At the beginning of winter, Princess Marya arrived in Moscow. The first meeting between the princess and Nicholas was dry. Therefore, she did not dare to visit the Rostovs again. Nikolai came to the princess only in the middle of winter. Both were silent, occasionally glancing at each other. The princess did not understand why Nikolai was doing this to her. She asks him: “Why, Count, why?” The princess begins to cry and leaves the room. Nikolai stops her... Nikolai marries Princess Marya Bolkonskaya in the fall of 1814, at the age of three he fully repays all debts to creditors by borrowing 30 thousand from Pierre Bezukhov and moving to Bald Mountains, where he became a good gentleman and owner; in the future, he tries to use all his strength to buy back his personal estate, which was sold immediately after his father’s death. In 1820, Natasha Rostova already had three daughters and one son. There was no longer that fire of revival in her face; only a strong, beautiful, fertile female was visible. Rostova did not like society and did not appear there. On December 5, 1820, everyone gathered at the Rostovs, including the Denisovs. Everyone was expecting Pierre's arrival. After his arrival, the author describes life in one and a second family, the life of completely different worlds, conversations between husband and wife, communication with children and the dreams of the characters.

Part 2

The author analyzes the cause-and-effect relationships between the events that took place in the political arena of Europe and Russia from 1805 to 1812, and also conducts a comparative analysis of the large-scale movement “from West to East and from East to West.” He, considering individual emperors, commanders, generals, abstracting from them the people themselves and, as a consequence, the army of which it consisted, raising questions about will and necessity, genius and chance, tries to prove the contradictions in the analysis of the system of old and new history with the goal complete destruction of the laws on which history as a whole is based.

Lesson 3.

The novel “War and Peace” is an epic novel:

issues, images, genre

Target: introduce the history of the creation of the novel, reveal its originality.

During the classes

Lesson-lecture by teacher, students take notes.

I. Recording the epigraph and plan:

1. The history of the creation of the novel “War and Peace.”

2. Historical background and problems of the novel.

3. The meaning of the title of the novel, characters, composition.

“All passions, all moments of human life,

from the cry of a newborn baby to the last flash

the feelings of a dying old man - all the sorrows and joys,

accessible to man - everything is in this picture!

Critic N. Strakhov

II. Lecture material.

The novel “War and Peace” is one of the most patriotic works in Russian literature of the 19th century. K. Simonov recalled: “For my generation, who saw the Germans at the gates of Moscow and at the walls of Stalingrad, reading “War and Peace” at that period of our lives became an forever remembered shock, not only aesthetic, but also moral...” It was “War and Peace”. "peace" became during the war years the book that most directly strengthened the spirit of resistance that gripped the country in the face of an enemy invasion... "War and Peace" was the first book that came to our minds then, during the war."

The first reader of the novel, the wife of the writer S.A. Tolstaya, wrote to her husband: “I’m rewriting War and Peace and your novel lifts me up morally, that is, spiritually.”

What can be said about L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” based on the statements heard?

1. The history of the creation of the novel.

Tolstoy worked on the novel War and Peace from 1863 to 1869. The novel demanded from the writer maximum creative output, full exertion of all spiritual forces. During this period, the writer said: “Every day of labor you leave a piece of yourself in the inkwell.”

A story on a modern theme, “The Decembrists,” was originally conceived; only three chapters remain of it. S. A. Tolstaya notes in her diaries that at first L. N. Tolstoy was going to write about the Decembrist who returned from Siberia, and the action of the novel was supposed to begin in 1856 (amnesty of the Decembrists, Alexander II) on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. In the process of work, the writer decided to talk about the uprising of 1825, then pushed back the beginning of the action to 1812 - the time of childhood and youth of the Decembrists. But since the Patriotic War was closely connected with the campaign of 1805-1807. Tolstoy decided to start the novel from this time.

As the plan progressed, there was an intense search for the title of the novel. The original, “Three Times,” soon ceased to correspond to the content, because from 1856 to 1825 Tolstoy moved further and further into the past; Only one time was in the spotlight - 1812. So a different date appeared, and the first chapters of the novel were published in the magazine “Russian Messenger” under the title “1805”. In 1866, a new version emerged, no longer concretely historical, but philosophical: “All’s well that ends well.” And finally, in 1867 - another title where the historical and philosophical formed a certain balance - “War and Peace”.

The writing of the novel was preceded by a huge amount of work on historical materials. The writer used Russian and foreign sources about the War of 1812, carefully studied the archives, Masonic books, acts and manuscripts of the 1810-1820s in the Rumyantsev Museum, read the memoirs of contemporaries, family memoirs of the Tolstoys and Volkonskys, private correspondence from the era of the Patriotic War, met I talked with people who remembered 1812 and wrote down their stories. Having visited and carefully examined the Borodino field, he compiled a map of the location of Russian and French troops. The writer admitted, talking about his work on the novel: “Wherever historical figures speak and act in my story, I did not invent, but used material from which I accumulated and formed a whole library of books during my work” (see diagram in Appendix 1).

2. Historical background and problems of the novel.

The novel "War and Peace" tells about the events that took place during three stages of Russia's struggle with Bonapartist France. Volume 1 describes the events of 1805, when Russia fought in alliance with Austria on its territory; in the 2nd volume - 1806-1811, when Russian troops were in Prussia; Volume 3 - 1812, Volume 4 - 1812-1813. Both are dedicated to a broad depiction of the Patriotic War of 1812, which was fought by Russia on its native soil. In the epilogue, the action takes place in 1820. Thus, the action in the novel covers fifteen years.

The basis of the novel is historical military events, artistically translated by the writer. We learn about the war of 1805 against Napoleon, where the Russian army acted in alliance with Austria, about the battles of Schöngraben and Austerlitz, about the war in alliance with Prussia in 1806 and the Peace of Tilsit. Tolstoy depicts the events of the Patriotic War of 1812: the passage of the French army across the Neman, the retreat of the Russians into the interior of the country, the surrender of Smolensk, the appointment of Kutuzov as commander-in-chief, the Battle of Borodino, the council in Fili, the abandonment of Moscow. The writer depicts events that testify to the indestructible power of the national spirit of the Russian people, which suppressed the French invasion: Kutuzov’s flank march, the Battle of Tarutino, the growth of the partisan movement, the collapse of the invading army and the victorious end of the war.

The range of problems in the novel is very wide. It reveals the reasons for the military failures of 1805-1806; the example of Kutuzov and Napoleon shows the role of individuals in military events and in history; pictures of guerrilla warfare are painted with extraordinary artistic expressiveness; reflects the great role of the Russian people, who decided the outcome of the Patriotic War of 1812.

Simultaneously with the historical problems of the era of the Patriotic War of 1812, the novel also reveals current issues of the 60s. 19th century about the role of the nobility in the state, about the personality of a true citizen of the Motherland, about the emancipation of women, etc. Therefore, the novel reflects the most significant phenomena of the political and social life of the country, various ideological movements (Freemasonry, legislative activity of Speransky, the emergence of the Decembrist movement in the country). Tolstoy depicts high-society receptions, entertainment of secular youth, ceremonial dinners, balls, hunting, Christmas fun of gentlemen and servants. Pictures of transformations in the village by Pierre Bezukhov, scenes of the rebellion of Bogucharovsky peasants, episodes of indignation of urban artisans reveal the nature of social relations, village life and city life.

The action takes place either in St. Petersburg, then in Moscow, then in the Bald Mountains and Otradnoe estates. Military events - in Austria and Russia.

Social problems are resolved in connection with one or another group of characters: images of representatives of the masses who saved their homeland from the French invasion, as well as images of Kutuzov and Napoleon. Tolstoy poses the problem of the masses and individuals in history; the images of Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky - the question of the leading figures of the era; with the images of Natasha Rostova, Marya Bolkonskaya, Helen - touches on the women's issue; images of representatives of the court bureaucratic horde - the problem of criticism of rulers.

3. The meaning of the novel's title, characters and composition.

Did the heroes of the novel have prototypes? Tolstoy himself, when asked about this, answered negatively. However, researchers later established that the image of Ilya Andreevich Rostov was written taking into account family legends about the writer’s grandfather. The character of Natasha Rostova was created on the basis of studying the personality of the writer’s sister-in-law Tatyana Andreevna Bers (Kuzminskaya).

Later, many years after Tolstoy’s death, Tatyana Andreevna wrote interesting memoirs about her youth, “My Life at Home and in Yasnaya Polyana.” This book is rightly called “the memoirs of Natasha Rostova.”

In total there are over 550 people in the novel. Without so many heroes, it was not possible to solve the task that Tolstoy himself formulated as follows: “Capture everything,” that is, to give the broadest panorama of Russian life at the beginning of the 19th century (compare with the novels “Fathers and Sons” by Turgenev, “What is to be done? "Chernyshevsky, etc.). The very sphere of communication between the characters in the novel is extremely wide. If we remember Bazarov, then he is mainly given in communication with the Kirsanov brothers and Odintsova. Tolstoy's heroes, be it A. Bolkonsky or P. Bezukhov, are given in communication with dozens of people.

The title of the novel figuratively conveys its meaning.

“Peace” is not only a peaceful life without war, but also that community, that unity to which people should strive.

“War” is not only bloody battles and battles that bring death, but also the separation of people, their enmity. The title of the novel implies its main idea, which was successfully defined by Lunacharsky: “The truth lies in the brotherhood of people, people should not fight each other. And all the characters show how a person approaches or departs from this truth.”

The antithesis contained in the title determines the grouping of images in the novel. Some heroes (Bolkonsky, Rostov, Bezukhov, Kutuzov) are “people of peace” who hate not only war in its literal sense, but also the lies, hypocrisy, and selfishness that divide people. Other heroes (Kuragin, Napoleon, Alexander I) are “people of war” (regardless, of course, of their personal participation in military events, which brings disunity, enmity, selfishness, criminal immorality).

The novel has an abundance of chapters and parts, most of which have plot completeness. Short chapters and many parts allow Tolstoy to move the narrative in time and space and thereby fit hundreds of episodes into one novel.

If in the novels of other writers a large role in the composition of images was played by excursions into the past, unique backstories of the characters, then Tolstoy’s hero always appears in the present tense. The story of their life is given without any temporal completeness. The narrative in the epilogue of the novel ends at the outbreak of a whole series of new conflicts. P. Bezukhov turns out to be a participant in secret Decembrist societies. And N. Rostov is his political antagonist. Essentially, you can start a new novel about these heroes with an epilogue.

4. Genre.

For a long time they could not determine the genre of “War and Peace”. It is known that Tolstoy himself refused to define the genre of his creation and objected to calling it a novel. It's just a book - like the Bible.

“What is “War and Peace”?

This is not a novel, still less a poem, even less a historical chronicle.

“War and Peace” is what the author wanted and could express

in the form in which it was expressed

L. N. Tolstoy.

“... This is not a novel at all, not a historical novel, not even a history-

A historical chronicle is a family chronicle... it’s a true story, and a family true story.”

N. Strakhov

“...an original and multifaceted work, “combining

an epic, a historical novel and a right essay.”

I. S. Turgenev

In our time, historians and literary scholars have called “War and Peace” as an “epic novel.”

“Novel” features: plot development, in which there is a beginning, development of action, climax, denouement - for the entire narrative and for each storyline separately; interaction of the environment with the character of the hero, the development of this character.

Signs of an epic - theme (the era of major historical events); ideological content - “the moral unity of the narrator with the people in their heroic activities, patriotism... glorification of life, optimism; complexity of the composition; the author’s desire for a national-historical generalization.”

Some literary scholars define War and Peace as a philosophical and historical novel. But we must remember that history and philosophy in the novel are only components. The novel was not created to recreate history, but as a book about the life of an entire people, a nation, artistic truth was created. Therefore, this is an epic novel.

III. Checking the notes (key points on the questions).

Homework.

1. Retelling of the lecture and textbook materials p. 240-245.

2. Choose a topic for an essay on the novel “War and Peace”:

a) Why can Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky be called the best people of their time?

b) “The Club of the People’s War.”

c) The real heroes of 1812

d) Court and military “drones”.

e) Favorite heroine of L. Tolstoy.

f) What do Tolstoy’s favorite heroes see as the meaning of life?

g) Spiritual evolution of Natasha Rostova.

h) The role of a portrait in creating an image - a character.

i) The character’s speech as a means of characterizing him in the novel.

j) Landscape in the novel “War and Peace”.

k) The theme of true and false patriotism in the novel.

l) Mastery of psychological analysis in the novel “War and Peace” (using the example of one of the characters).

3. Prepare for the conversation on Volume I, Part 1.

a) Salon of A.P. Scherer. What are the hostess and the visitors of her salon like (their relationships, interests, views on politics, behavior, Tolstoy’s attitude towards them)?

b) P. Bezukhov (chap. 2-6, 12-13, 18-25) and A. Bolkonsky 9th chapter. 3-60 at the beginning of the path and ideological quest.

c) Entertainment for secular youth (evening at Dolokhov’s, chapter 6).

d) The Rostov family (characters, atmosphere, interests), chapters 7-11, 14-17.

e) Bald Mountains, the estate of General N.A. Bolkonsky (character, interests, activities, family relationships, war), ch. 22-25.

f) What is different and common in the behavior of people at the Rostovs’ name day and in the house in Bald Mountains compared to the Scherer salon?

5. Individual task. Message “Historical commentary” on the contents of the novel “War and Peace” (Appendix 2).

Annex 1

L. N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace.” History of creation.

Conclusion:“I tried to write the history of the people.”

1857 - after a meeting with the Decembrists, L.N. Tolstoy conceived a novel about one of them.

1825 - “Involuntarily, I moved from the present to 1825, the era of my hero’s errors and misfortunes.”

1812 - “To understand my hero, I need to travel back to his youth, which coincided with the glorious era of 1812 for Russia.”

1805 - “I was ashamed to write about our triumph without describing our failures and our shame.”

Conclusion: A huge amount of material has accumulated about the historical events of 1805-1856. and the concept of the novel changed. The events of 1812 were at the center, and the Russian people became the hero of the novel.

Appendix 2

Historical commentary to volume I of the novel “War and Peace.”

In the first volume of the epic novel “War and Peace,” the action takes place in 1805.

In 1789, at the time of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte (in his homeland, the island of Corsica, his surname was pronounced Buanaparte) was 20 years old, and he served as a lieutenant in a French regiment.

In 1793, a counter-revolutionary uprising supported by the English fleet occurred in Toulon, a port city on the Mediterranean Sea. The revolutionary army besieged Toulon from land, but could not take it for a long time, until the unknown captain Bonaparte appeared. He laid out his plan for taking the city and carried it out.

This victory made 24-year-old Bonaparte a general, and hundreds of young men began to dream of their Toulon.

Then there were 2 years of disgrace, until 1795 there was a counter-revolutionary uprising against the Convention. They remembered the young, decisive general, called him, and he, with complete fearlessness, shot a huge crowd in the middle of the city from cannons. The following year, he led the French army operating in Italy, walked along the most dangerous road through the Alps, defeated the Italian army in 6 days, and then the selected Austrian troops.

Returning from Italy to Paris, General Bonaparte was greeted as a national hero.

After Italy there was a trip to Egypt and Syria to fight the British on the territory of their colonies, then a triumphant return to France, the destruction of the gains of the French Revolution and the post of first consul (from 1799).

In 1804 he proclaimed himself emperor. And shortly before the coronation he committed another cruelty: he executed the Duke of Enghien, who belonged to the French royal house of Bourbon.

Promoted by the revolution and having destroyed its conquests, he is preparing a war with the main enemy - England.

In England they also made preparations: they managed to conclude an alliance with Russia and Austria, whose combined troops moved west. Instead of landing in England, Napoleon had to meet them halfway.

Russia's military actions against France were caused primarily by the tsarist government's fear of the “revolutionary infection” spreading throughout Europe.

However, under the Austrian fortress of Braunau, an army of forty thousand under the command of Kutuzov was on the verge of disaster due to the defeat of the Austrian troops. Fighting off the advanced units of the enemy, the Russian army began to retreat in the direction of Vienna to join forces coming from Russia.

But French troops entered Vienna before Kutuzov’s army, which faced the threat of destruction. It was then that, fulfilling Kutuzov’s plan, General Bagration’s four-thousandth detachment accomplished a feat near the village of Shengraben: he stood in the way of the French and made it possible for the main forces of the Russian army to escape from the trap.

The efforts of the Russian commanders and the heroic actions of the soldiers ultimately did not bring victory: on December 2, 1805, in the battle of Austerlitz, the Russian army was defeated.