Search Results for: war and peace
The Sum of These Infinitesimals: Some Concluding Thoughts about War and Peace
At the beginning of Book Three of War and Peace, Tolstoy writes about the laws of historical movement: “Only by taking an infinitesimally small unit for observation (the differential of history, that is, the individual tendencies of men) and attaining to … Continue reading
Filed under Classics, Russian Literature
Part of that Enormous Whole: Battle Scenes in War and Peace
The cinematic nature of Tolstoy’s scenes, especially those involving battle, has been widely noted. His ability to give us an overall perspective of the war as a whole as well as up close and personal views of battle through the eyes of specific … Continue reading
Filed under Classics, Russian Literature
What do we Live For?: The Character of Pierre in War and Peace
I find myself both repulsed and intrigued by Tolstoy’s character of Pierre in War and Peace. He is the pampered, illegitimate son of Count Bezukhov and when the old count dies Pierre inherits his vast fortune. What disgusts me about … Continue reading
Filed under Classics, Russian Literature
The Kingdom of This World: Why Men Fight in War and Peace
As I am making my way through War and Peace, I can’t help but notice the similarities of theme, narrative techniques and even characters between Tolstoy’s epic and Homer’s Iliad. I was glad to see in Steiner’s essay Tolstoy or … Continue reading
Filed under Classics, Russian Literature
Flinging Open the Doors of Perception: My Initial Thoughts on War and Peace
George Steiner, in his book Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, writes: “Great works of art pass through us like storm-winds, flinging open the doors of perception, pressing upon the architecture of our beliefs with their transforming powers.” Having read the first few … Continue reading
Filed under Classics, Russian Literature
thebookbindersdaughter.com 