All the characters of the epic novel can be quite unambiguously divided into two camps, or two worlds - "alive" and "dead". The action in the novel unfolds in two parallel planes - the plane of "peace" and the plane of "war". For each of the planes, the author chooses certain differentiations of heroes, the belonging to the “dead” or “living” principle is determined.
When describing the world, the dominant criterion on the basis of which the characters are contrasted is the attitude towards the family, towards children. In a "dead" world, where everything is subordinated to the only goal, which is to increase one's own fortune by any means, marriage is only one of the possible means. For no one belonging to this camp is it difficult to step over the family, as well as over other moral foundations. In this regard, the image of Helen is the most striking. The only purpose for which she married Pierre Bezukhov, the heir to the entire fortune of Count Bezukhov, was to receive part of the inheritance. Breaking up with her husband and getting more than half of his wealth is the logical conclusion of the intrigue she built.
As an example of the absolute insignificance of moral principles for representatives of the “dead” world, one can cite the scene of the “fight” for the mosaic briefcase of the dying Count Bezukhov. Drubetskaya, equally striving to win the "fight" by any means.
A completely opposite attitude to moral values reigns in the "living" world. For its representatives, the family, children are the highest ideal, become the true goal of human life. The Rostov family is most indicative in this respect, the atmosphere in which - love and complete mutual understanding - is directly opposite to the intrigues, envy and anger in the Kuragin family. The Rostov House is open to everyone, and anyone who comes to them will be received with due kindness and cordiality. It is no coincidence that after returning from the front, Nikolai Rostov goes to his parents' house. The difference between the attitude towards children in the families of the Kuragins and the Rostovs is also characteristic. The only desire of Prince Vasily is to quickly get rid of the "calm fool" Hippolyte and the "restless fool" Anatole, while also increasing his fortune. On the contrary, for the Rostovs, children are of great value and no child can be unloved.
But in addition to the plane of the world in the novel, there is a plane of war, where the characters appear in a completely different hypostasis. The main criterion in this plane, according to which people are divided into "camps", Tolstoy chooses the attitude towards the Motherland, the manifestation of patriotism.
The “living” world is the world of true patriots, whose feelings towards the Motherland are completely sincere and genuine. Andrei Bolkonsky is not guided by any other considerations than thoughts about defending the Fatherland when he tries to resist the general panic and retreat at Austerlitz. Prince Andrei does not think about promotion or awards, he obeys only his own sense of duty. The complete opposite of Andrei Bolkonsky is Boris Drubetskoy. He sees his main task not as the defense of the Fatherland, but as a promotion, and not by merits on the battlefield, but by flattery, hypocrisy, and sycophancy towards the authorities. For him, the fate of people means nothing, he is ready to sacrifice them for the sake of his own promotion and presentation for a reward.
The Rostovs show patriotism in a slightly different form. Nicholas cannot kill a man, no matter which side he is on, but when retreating from Moscow, the Rostovs sacrifice their own property to save the wounded. Berg behaves in a completely different way. Taking advantage of the general distress and confusion, he manages to acquire a "chiffonier" for a negligible price, and this "deal" becomes the subject of his pride.
True patriotism is also demonstrated by heroes who do not belong to any of the worlds and act only in the plane of war, but also opposed to the "dead" camp. The most indicative in this respect is the feat of Captain Tushin, and especially his perception of his heroism. Tushin did not even think about the heroic essence of his act - on the contrary, he is trying to justify himself and asks for help from Andrei Bolkonsky. According to Tolstoy, a true patriot does not even notice the fact that he accomplishes a feat - for him it is only a duty to the Motherland, devoid of any heroic flair. Under this definition, the feat of both the Tushin battery and the Raevsky battery, accomplished by the most ordinary, unremarkable people, fits.
Thus, the reception of antithesis is the basis for building a system of images of the novel and characterizing the main characters.
In fact, antithesis, the opposition of two worlds - "dead" and "alive" - forms the basis of the work, determines its structure. And, building the novel on the principle of antithesis, Leo Tolstoy debunks the "dead" world, shows its inconsistency and affirms the human and Christian ideals that guide the "living" world.
Artistic features of the novel "War and Peace"
1. Mastery of composition. The composition of the novel is striking in its complexity and harmony. The novel develops many storylines. These storylines often intersect and intertwine. Tolstoy traces the fate of individual heroes (Dolokhov, Denisov, Julie Karagina) and entire families (Rostovs, Bolkonskys, Kuragins).
The complex interweaving of human relations, the complex feelings of people, their personal, family, social life are revealed on the pages of the novel along with the depiction of great historical events. One way or another, a person is captured by these events.
A distinctive feature of the composition of "War and Peace" is that the writer constantly transfers the action from one place to another, moves from events associated with one line to events associated with another line, from private destinies to historical paintings. Now we are at the Bolkonsky estate, now in Moscow, in the Rostovs' house, now in the St. Petersburg secular salon, now at the theater of operations.
This transfer of actions is far from accidental and is determined by the author's intention. Due to the fact that the reader sees different events occurring simultaneously in different areas, he compares them, compares them and thus understands their true meaning more deeply. Life appears before us in all its fullness and diversity.
In order to sharpen the features of certain events and characters, the writer often resorts to the method of contrast. This is expressed both in the very title of the novel "War and Peace", and in the system of images, and in the arrangement of chapters.
Tolstoy contrasts the corrupted life of the Petersburg aristocracy with the life of the people. The contrast is contained both in the image and individual heroes (Natasha Rostova and Helen Bezukhova, Andrei Bolkonsky and Anatole Kuragin, Kutuzov and Napoleon), and in the description of historical events (Battle of Austerlitz - Battle of Borodino).
2. Psychological analysis. In the novel, we find the deepest psychological analysis, manifested in the author's narration, in the transmission of the characters' internal monologues, in "eavesdropping on thoughts." Psychologism also affects dreams as a form of reproduction of emotional experiences, subconscious processes. One of the psychologists found in the novel 85 shades of eye expression and 97 shades of a human smile, which helped the writer to reveal the variety of emotional states of the characters. Such attention to the slightest shades of the movement of the human soul was a real discovery of L.N. Tolstoy and was called the disclosure method "dialectics of the soul".
3. Portraits of heroes. Psychological characteristics are portraits of heroes, whose function is to give a visible image of a person. The peculiarity of the portrait characteristics of the characters in the novel is that it is usually woven from details, one of which is persistently repeated (Princess Mary's radiant eyes, Helen's smile the same for everyone, Liza Bolkonskaya's short lip with a mustache, etc.)
4. Landscape descriptions. An equally important role is played by landscape descriptions that help to understand the situation in which the hero lives and acts (the hunting scene at the Rostovs), his state and train of thought (the sky of Austerlitz), the nature of his experiences (double meeting of Prince Andrei with the oak), the emotional world of the hero (moonlight night in Otradnoye). Tolstoy's pictures of nature are given not by themselves, but in the perception of his characters.
It is impossible to overestimate the significance of the novel - the epic "War and Peace", which for all time remains a great work of Russian classical literature.
Essay plan
1. Introduction. Tolstoy's innovation.
2. The main part. Plot-compositional features of the work.
— The principle of antithesis is the basis of the composition of the novel.
- The principle of "linkages" at the heart of the development of the plot. Character system, artistic time and artistic space.
- A chronicle of the life of three families in the novel.
- Depiction of historical events as the basis for the development of the plot. Tie.
- The Battle of Borodino is the climactic scene of the novel.
- Interchange.
- Author's digressions and their role in the work.
- as a "monologic" novel.
3. Conclusion. Artistic originality of "War and Peace".
In the novel "War and Peace", which combines the features of the novel and the folk-historical epic, L.N. acts as an innovative artist. And the unusualness of the work was noted by the contemporary writer of criticism. So, P.V. Annenkov noted the absence of traditional, dominant intrigue in Tolstoy. The plot and composition of "War and Peace" were determined by the historical theme of the work, and the philosophical understanding of events, and the nature of the conflict underlying the development of the action. Let's try to consider the plot and compositional features of the epic novel.
Critics noted that the composition of the work is based on the principle of antithesis. Tolstoy opposes war and peaceful life, the characters - Kutuzov and Napoleon, who are a kind of poles to which all the other characters of the novel gravitate. Secular society (the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer), with its "set" of false life values, is opposed to the best people from the nobility (Prince Andrei, Pierre Bezukhov), who are characterized by the search for the meaning of life; the Russian people, honest "warriors-workers" are depicted against the backdrop of careerist officers. Inner beauty in the novel is opposed to external (Princess Marya and Helen), living, genuine life is opposed to false (Natasha and Helen). Contrastingly compared in the novel are the types of human natures - emotional and ideological. So, the Bolkonsky family embodies the intellectual and rational principle, the Rostov family embodies the emotional and intuitive.
The very movement of the plot in the novel is due to the principle of "linkages" (L.N. Tolstoy), which leaves the impression of a mosaic of events. There are several storylines in the work, five hundred and fifty nine characters, among which there are real historical figures, fictional heroes, and nameless characters (“the general who ordered”). The artistic time and artistic space of "War and Peace" are extensive. The content of the novel covers a large period - from 1805 to 1820. From Russia, the action is transferred to Prussia, Austria, Poland, from Smolensk to Moscow, from St. Petersburg to the countryside. Before us are the emperor’s palace, the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, the mansion of the dying Count Bezukhov, the Rostovs’ estate in Otradnoye, the Bolkonsky’s house in Bogucharovo, a peasant’s hut in Fili, the fields of Austerlitz, Shengraben and Borodino battles, camping tents of soldiers.
In the center of the novel lies a chronicle of the life of three noble families - the Rostovs, Bolkonskys and Kuragins. At the same time, in the life of each of the families there are culminating events. Thus, the episodes depicting Natasha's passion for Anatole, her refusal to Prince Andrei Tolstoy, was assessed as "the most difficult place and knot of the whole novel." So did the readers. “The main interest of the book, as a novel,” wrote V.F. Odoevsky, - begins with this climax. And he added: "A curious denouement." However, the author himself noted that in the novel "the death of one person only aroused interest in other persons, and marriage seemed mostly the plot, and not the denouement of interest." The death of Count Bezukhov, the marriage of Pierre to Helen, the failed courtship of Prince Vasily - thus, important initial, but not defining plot points of the work. At the same time, the personal life of the heroes is inextricably linked with the most important historical events of the era.
The flow of private life in the novel organically merges with the historical plot. “Three main historical events form the pivotal line of the plot development. The plot is 1805, the beginning of the war with Napoleon, the period, the main events of which are the battles of Austerlitz and Shengraben.<…>These events of the first military stage precede the epic of the people's war of 1812 and serve as the beginning of the further development of the lives of the heroes - Andrei Bolkonsky, Nikolai Rostov, Dolokhov and others. 1812, the battle of Borodino is the climax of the novel.
The battle of Borodino and the abandonment of Moscow is a whole epoch in the spiritual development of the heroes, a kind of focus in which their destinies converge. It is with this event that the formation of new qualities in them, new views on the world and society is connected. Through the test of fire, suffering, death, all the main characters of the novel are carried out. Shortly before the Battle of Borodino, the old man Bolkonsky dies, and Princess Marya takes his death hard. 1812 changes a lot in the life of Pierre Bezukhov. This is a period of restoring spiritual integrity, introducing him to the “general”, affirming in his soul his sense of the harmony of life. An important role here was played by Pierre's visit to the Rayevsky battery during the Battle of Borodino and his stay in French captivity. Being on the Borodino field, among the endless roar of cannons, the smoke of shells, the screech of bullets, the hero experiences a feeling of horror, mortal fear. The soldiers seem to him strong and courageous, they have no fear, no fear for their lives. The very patriotism of these people, seemingly unconscious, comes from the very essence of nature, their behavior is simple and natural. And Pierre wants to become "just a soldier", to free himself from the "burden of the external person", from everything artificial, superficial. Faced with the people's milieu for the first time, he keenly feels the falsity and insignificance of the secular-conventional world, he feels the fallacy of his former views and attitudes. The Battle of Borodino becomes fateful for Prince Andrei. In battle, he is seriously wounded, after which he is operated on. Here the hero again feels the proximity of death, and a turning point occurs in his worldview. After suffering, he feels "a bliss that he has not experienced for a long time." His heart is filled with a feeling of Christian love that he had not experienced before, he finally overcomes his vanity, selfishness, aristocratic prejudices. He feels pity and compassion when he sees the wounded Anatole lying next to him. “Compassion, love for brothers, for those who love us, hate us, love for enemies - yes, that love that God preached on earth ...” - all this is suddenly revealed to Prince Andrei. Bolkonsky dies, and his death becomes the greatest grief for Princess Marya and Natasha. Finally, the Battle of Borodino becomes a turning point in the development of the historical theme, symbolizing the victory of Russia.
The denouement of the novel is the victory over Napoleon, the defeat of the French and the emergence of new ideas in Russian society. These events determine the personal destinies of the heroes, without obscuring, however, the writer's human personality. historical events are shown by Tolstoy through the prism of various destinies and characters.
An important role in the novel is played by the author's digressions, which reveal Tolstoy's philosophical and religious-ethical views, his thoughts about the historical process. The philosophical problems of the author's digressions are the structure of the world and the place of a person in it, the role of the individual in history, the relationship between freedom and necessity in the fate of a person, true and false values in life. In the novel, Tolstoy reveals his views on the war of 1812, on its participants. These views are based on historical fatalism (personality does not play a role in the historical process). History, according to the writer, is a movement of huge human masses (Tolstoy considered the Russian people to be the main character of the novel, noting that he most of all valued "people's thought" in "War and Peace"). The compositional role of author's digressions is different. Thus, in the third part, the author discusses the war of 1812 as a people's war of liberation, and this digression plays the role of a kind of generalization of the artistic chapters. The introduction of the author's journalistic and philosophical reasoning "expands the boundaries of the narrative and at the same time combines the historical, philosophical novel and the psychological "essay on morals" into one organic whole.
It is worth noting that the author's voice “reignedly dominates the novel. The author is omniscient, he rises above the characters and events to an unattainable height. According to M. Bakhtin's definition, Tolstoy's novel is "monologic" (in contrast to Dostoevsky's "polyphonic" or "polyphonic" novel)."
Thus, once again we note the artistic originality of "War and Peace". Tolstoy created a work that organically combines the features of an epic, a historical novel, a chronicle, an essay on morals, generously saturating it with philosophical problems and psychological analysis. The novel does not have a single intrigue, we see several storylines, each of which is correlated with the most important historical events of the era. Life in Tolstoy is presented in all its diversity. All these artistic properties made the novel a masterpiece of world literature.
1. See: Fortunatov N.M., Krasnov G.V. Roman L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace": Commentary. Electronic version. www.rvb.ru
2. Bychkov S.P. Decree. op., p. 199.
3. Lion P.E., Lokhova N.M. Decree. op., p. 342.
4. Bychkov S.P. Decree. op., p. 201.
5. Ibid, p. 342.
Genre
Tolstoy's work connects own traits novel And epics.
As you know, the basis of the novel is fate before the whole individual, and the epic is a work in which fate is comprehended whole nation. Tolstoy combined both principles in his work - both epic and romantic.
The main thing in the work of Tolstoy is heroic theme of the people. It is she who defines the meaning of "War and Peace" as epics. Recreation of grandiose historical events, pictures of great battles, primarily the Battle of Borodino, majestic landscape, extensive historical and philosophical digressions of the author reveal the features of "War and Peace" as epics.
"War and Peace" contains traditions works of ancient Russian literature, in particular military story. The motive of the nationwide feat in the name of the salvation of the Russian land brings together the work of Tolstoy with "The Tale of Igor's Campaign".
Moscow Theme also appears in "War and Peace" as epic theme. Tolstoy draws closer to the people's consciousness in relation to Moscow as the heart of Russia.
At the same time, it is important for Tolstoy the novelist to comprehend the formation and development of the personalities of individual heroes in their independent existence.
originality"War and Peace" as a novel is that it has not one or two main characters, but many heroes linked by personal destinies.
"War and Peace" has features of the historical novel. It tells about real historical events and persons.
The originality of "War and Peace" lies here in the fact that the paintings of the era of the Napoleonic wars are not the background of the narrative, but independent element of the composition. Let us recall the significance of the images of Kutuzov, Bagration, Napoleon, Alexander I in Tolstoy's work.
"War and Peace" also has family romance features. Here are told family history Rostovs, Bolkonskys, Kuragins.
It's novel philosophical, in which Tolstoy comprehends the most general issues(life and death, the meaning of human existence, the philosophy of history).
This and psychological a novel marked by the writer's close attention to the inner world of the characters.
"War and Peace" as a novel and "War and Peace" as an epic are closely related. The general course of the narrative in Tolstoy's work is determined by the development of historical events. According to the exact observation of A.A. Saburov, climax of historical narrative- the story of the heroic feat of the people in the war of 1812 - is at the same time the decisive moment of the interweaving of the destinies of individual heroes in their highest development.
Composition
Narration – the most important element of the composition"War and Peace". It has in the novel, in accordance with the classification proposed by A.A. Saburov, many varieties; this is, in particular, a historical documentary narrative, a narrative based on fiction, a narrative that recreates the processes of the mental life of the characters; Of particular note here are such forms of narration as epistolary(for example, Marya Bolkonskaya's correspondence with Julie Karagina) and diary(diary of Pierre Bezukhov, diary of Countess Marya Rostova) varieties of narration.
In addition to the narrative, the most important elements of the composition of "War and Peace" are the author's descriptions And reasoning.
stage episode – the main element of the composition of "War and Peace". It consists of stage dialogue And copyright remarks. Stage episodes in their sequence form narrative flow. Between the stage episodes there are other compositional elements - the author's narration, as well as descriptions and reasoning.
In "War and Peace" many storylines.
Two main storylines given in the very title of the novel. The first part of the first volume refers mainly to the theme of the world. It serves as an exposition of the main storylines of the work. Here, pictures are drawn of the life of the social circles to which the most important heroes belong. Tolstoy depicts the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, introduces the reader to Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, shows the life of Moscow, the Rostov family, the dying Count Bezukhov, then takes the reader to Lysy Gory. The first transition from peace to war is marked by the line between the first and second parts of the first volume of the novel. In the second part of the first volume, the heroic theme of the people is outlined, which will be developed in the third and fourth volumes.
The second volume is almost entirely devoted to peace, the third volume to war. Starting from the third volume, the themes of war and peace are constantly intertwined. The personal life of the heroes is included in the flow of events in 1812. In the fourth volume, the theme of war is on the wane, the theme of peace again begins to dominate.
Within the two main lines, the line of war and the line of peace, the novel highlights private story lines. Let's call some of them. This is the theme Petersburg nobility, the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, the circle of Prince Vasily Kuragin and Helen, the circle of Anatole Kuragin and Dolokhov. These are storylines connected with destinies Andrei Bolkonsky And Pierre Bezukhov. This Rostov family line.
Separate story lines reflect the fate Natasha Rostova And Nicholas Rostov. Let's also call the storyline associated with life in the Bald Mountains, with the history of the old Prince Bolkonsky, with the fate of Princess Marya. In addition, we note lines of Kutuzov and Bagration, Napoleon and the French, and freemasonry theme.
Transition from one storyline to another is carried out, as a rule, according to principle of antithesis. Antithesis – the most important compositional technique in War and Peace.
important in Tolstoy's novel acquires scenery. Landscape in Tolstoy is always an element of a large and integral picture of life.
An important place in the composition of "War and Peace" is occupied by author's digressions - historical, journalistic, philosophical. So, at the beginning of the third volume, Tolstoy considers the question of the role of the individual in history. An important role is played by the author's reflections before describing the Battle of Borodino. At the beginning of the third part of the fourth volume, a digression about the originality of guerrilla warfare is of particular interest. A significant part of the epilogue is occupied by the philosophical digressions of the author. Copyright digressions enhance the epic beginning"War and Peace".
"Dialectics of the soul" (principles and means of psychological analysis)
The term "dialectics of the soul" was introduced into Russian criticism by N.G. Chernyshevsky. In a review of Tolstoy's early works, Chernyshevsky noted that the writer was most concerned with "the mental process itself, its forms, its laws, dialectics of the soul to be expressed in a definitive term.
"Dialectics of the soul", according to Chernyshevsky, is direct depiction of the "mental process".
In addition, there is also a broader understanding of the "dialectics of the soul"."Dialectics of the Soul" general principles and specific means of psychological analysis in the works of Tolstoy.
Consider some general principles"dialectics of the soul" in "War and Peace".
Tolstoy portrays the inner world of man is in constant motion, in contradictory development.“People are rivers, man is a fluid substance,” wrote Tolstoy. This thesis can be illustrated by the example of the spiritual quests of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov. Heroes are constantly looking for the meaning of life, their inner world is constantly changing. The depiction of the state of mind of Andrei and Pierre is an important aspect of the “dialectics of the soul”.
We also note Tolstoy's interest in turning points, crisis moments in a person's spiritual life. The inner world of Tolstoy's heroes is often revealed precisely at such moments (Pierre in Torzhok, Andrei Bolkonsky under the sky of Austerlitz).
The most important feature of Tolstoy's psychologism is close connection of external events with the internal life of the characters. Let us note, for example, the significance of such events as the birth of a child and the death of his wife for Andrei Bolkonsky. Let us recall the role of the war of 1812 in the spiritual life of the heroes.
We also note some specific means and methods psychological analysis in Tolstoy.
The main means of psychological analysis in Tolstoy's novel is internal monologue. Let's give examples.
After a break with his wife and a duel with Dolokhov, being in a difficult state of mind, Pierre leaves Moscow and goes to St. Petersburg. Stopping at the post station in Torzhok, the hero sadly reflects on his life: “What's wrong? What well? What should you love, what should you hate? Why live, and what am I? What is life, what is death? What power governs everything?
Carried away by Anatole Kuragin, Natasha is in a state of mental confusion. "My God! I died! she said to herself. How could I let this happen?
Being seriously wounded, Andrei Bolkonsky reflects on his new view of the world. “Yes, a new happiness has opened up to me, inalienable from a person,” he thought, lying in a half-dark, quiet hut and looking ahead with feverishly open, stopped eyes. “Happiness, which is outside the material forces, outside the material external influences on a person, the happiness of one soul, the happiness of love!”
Sometimes the character's internal monologue turns into "mindflow", that is a chain of memories, impressions, logically unrelated to each other. For example, Tolstoy conveys the inner state of Nikolai Rostov during his first battle on the Enns River: “There is so much happiness in me alone and in this sun, and here ... groans, suffering, fear and this ambiguity, this haste ... Here again shouting something, and again everyone ran somewhere back, and I run with them, and here it is, here it is, death, above me, around me ... A moment - and I will never see this sun, this water , this gorge.<...>“And the fear of death and a stretcher, and the love of the sun and life - everything merged into one painfully disturbing impression.”
An important means of psychological analysis in Tolstoy is monologues And dialogues heroes. Communicating with each other, Tolstoy's heroes often share their innermost thoughts. For example, the words of Andrei Bolkonsky addressed to Pierre sometimes take on the character of a confession. At the beginning of the first volume, Andrei Bolkonsky explains to his friend why he goes to war: “For what? I don't know. So it is necessary. Besides, I'm going... I'm going because this life I'm leading here, this life, is not for me!”
Let's take another example. In a conversation with Andrey on the ferry, Pierre expresses his opinion about the meaning of life: “This is what I know, and I know for sure, that the pleasure of doing good is the only true happiness of life.”
An important means of psychological analysis are also letters heroes. Let us cite as an example the correspondence between Princess Marya Bolkonskaya and Julie Karagina. The letter of Princess Marya reveals the spiritual world of a Christian girl, her sincere faith in God and selfless love for her neighbor. On the other hand, the discussions about the newfangled mystical teachings that we find in Julie's letter seem empty and full of secular mannerisms.
An essential means of revealing the inner world of the hero can also be called diary. A vivid example is the diary that Pierre kept during the period of passion for Freemasonry. By the way, there is an autobiographical moment here: from 1847 until the end of his days, Tolstoy himself kept a diary, which became the writer's creative laboratory. In Pierre's diary we find the hero's innermost thoughts about life and death. It reflects his emotional experiences, dreams, memories. We also note diary Countess Marya Rostova, fragments of which are given at the end of the work.
Dream- a special means of psychological analysis in the novel "War and Peace". Of particular note Pierre's two dreams. One of them he saw in Mozhaisk after the Battle of Borodino, the other - in captivity. These dreams have a symbolic meaning.
The dream that Pierre saw in Mozhaisk conveys a sense of belonging to the "common life", the consciousness of the need to subordinate one's freedom to the Divine will. Pierre is seized by the idea of conjugation of everything that exists in the moral being of man.
An important moment in Pierre's spiritual life is another dream - a dream about a globe, seen by the hero in captivity. In this dream, Pierre comes to the feeling that life is God. The meaning of human existence is to love life, to love God. But it is more difficult and blissful to love this life in one's own suffering. The image of the globe, which appeared in a dream to Pierre, symbolizes the unity of the individual with the world and with God.
We also note dream of Nikolenka Bolkonsky at the end of the novel.
An important means of psychological analysis in the novel "War and Peace" is the image discrepancies between the internal state of the hero and the external manifestation of this state.
For example, Nikolai Rostov, having lost a huge amount of money in cards to Dolokhov, cheekily informs his father about this, although in his heart he feels like the last scoundrel.
Let's take another example. After the break with Natasha, Andrei Bolkonsky talks with Pierre about politics, but in his heart he continues to experience this gap. At the same time, Pierre feels that his friend's thoughts are not at all about politics.
Tolstoy in his work, as a rule, does not give detailed psychological portraits of the characters. Hence the special meaning psychological detail. Usually, it's a recurring detail.
Let's give examples. The radiant eyes of Princess Marya Bolkonskaya reflect the depth of her faith in God and selfless love for her neighbor. The cold look of Dolokhov testifies to the selfishness and cruelty of the hero. The bare shoulders of Helen Kuragina are a detail that emphasizes the lack of spirituality of the heroine with her outward beauty.
Often the internal state of the hero is transmitted through description of nature.
For example, the sky of Austerlitz is a symbol of eternity, against which the vanity of his dreams of glory becomes clear to Andrei Bolkonsky.
Two encounters with an old oak convey Andrei's state of mind before and after his first meeting with Natasha Rostova. Andrei Bolkonsky, looking at the old and gnarled oak, sadly thinks about the bygone youth, about the meaninglessness of the present.
In Otradnoye, the hero involuntarily overheard Natasha's nightly conversation with Sonya, imbued with the joy of life, the optimism emanating from Natasha. On the way home, Prince Andrei is overwhelmed by a feeling of joy at the sight of a green old oak tree. In the soul of the hero, faith in the possibility of earthly happiness is revived again.
Let's draw conclusions. Tolstoy appears in the novel "War and Peace" as a writer-psychologist. The image of the inner world of a person in constant motion, contradictory development, interest in turning points, crises in the spiritual life of a person, the close connection of external events with the inner life of the characters are the most important principles of the “dialectic of the soul”.
Tolstoy uses in his work such means of psychological analysis as internal monologue, monologue-confession, dialogue, letters, dreams, diary entries. The writer depicts the discrepancy between the internal state of the hero and the external manifestation of this state, conveys the movements of the hero's soul through descriptions of nature. An important role in the psychological characteristics of the characters is played by a recurring detail.
Questions and tasks
1. Where and when was Leo Tolstoy born? What class did he belong to? Tell us about the writer's childhood, his upbringing and education. The writings of which philosopher were of particular interest to the future writer? What idea of this philosopher was close to the young Tolstoy? What role did his diary play in Tolstoy's life and work? In what period of his life did he lead him? Tell us about Tolstoy's participation in the Caucasian War and in the defense of Sevastopol. In what year and in what magazine was the first story from Tolstoy's autobiographical trilogy published? What was her name? What side of Tolstoy's writing talent was already evident in his first story? Name two other works from this trilogy. What works of Tolstoy were devoted to the defense of Sevastopol? What theme becomes the main one in the Sevastopol essays and then one of the leading ones in the novel "War and Peace"? What topics are comprehended by the writer in the novel "Family Happiness" and in the story "Cossacks"? What significance did these themes have in Tolstoy's subsequent work? What major work does Tolstoy create in the 1860s, and what is his main idea? How is this idea conceptualized in Anna Karenina, Tolstoy's central work of the 1870s? What was the turning point in Tolstoy's worldview at the end of the 1870s? What are the most significant works written by Tolstoy after the fracture?
2. What is the originality of Tolstoy's understanding of the problems of his contemporary era in "War and Peace"? Outline the main themes of the novel. What "worlds" did the writer recreate in his work? Formulate the main ideas of Tolstoy, embodied in War and Peace, and comment on them. Why does not the idea of the natural being of man become an absolute moral ideal in Tolstoy? How is the idea of the spiritual unity of Russian people comprehended in the novel? What is the difference between Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in understanding this idea?
3. What is the originality of the embodiment of the “folk thought” in the novel “War and Peace” in comparison with the works about the Russian people of other writers - Tolstoy's contemporaries? What did the writer understand by the word "people"? What facets of this concept are revealed in "War and Peace"? How is “folk thought” related to the genre of the work? What aspects of "people's thought" does Tolstoy comprehend in his novel?
4. How did Tolstoy's fatalism manifest itself in the comprehension of historical events? How, in what words does the writer formulate his understanding of the role of the individual in history? What criterion does Tolstoy introduce into the evaluation of historical figures? What episodes describing Kutuzov and Napoleon reveal the author's position in relation to these persons? What conclusions does Tolstoy draw about Kutuzov and Napoleon?
5. What is the meaning of Tolstoy's opposition of the war of 1805-1807 to the war of 1812? How does the writer portray the Shengraben and Austerlitz battles? Name the most important episodes of these battles and comment on them.
6. Tell us about the episodes of the war of 1812 preceding the battle of Borodino, and about their interpretation by Tolstoy. What is the meaning of the author's digression immediately preceding the story of the Battle of Borodino? Tell us about the impressions of Pierre Bezukhov on the eve of the battle. What is the meaning of the two episodes describing Kutuzov and Napoleon before the battle - a prayer service to the Smolensk Icon of Our Lady and the posing of the French emperor in front of the portrait of his son? How does Tolstoy paint the morning landscape before the battle? What episode in the depiction of the Battle of Borodino is central? How are ordinary soldiers and Pierre described in this episode? How does Tolstoy portray Napoleon and Kutuzov during the battle? What pictures show the cruelty, unnaturalness of war? What conclusions does Tolstoy make about the results of the Battle of Borodino?
7. Why can the abandonment of Moscow be called a high epic topic? How does Tolstoy paint an autumn landscape at the moment of leaving the ancient capital? What is the symbolic meaning of the picture of the burning of Moscow?
8. With what metaphor does Tolstoy define the partisan movement? How does Tolstoy draw its participants? From what side does Tolstoy show the people in the face of Tikhon Shcherbaty? In what episodes did the humanity of the partisans, ordinary Russian soldiers, appear in relation to the French?
9. What aspects of the Russian national character are revealed in the image of Platon Karataev? What is the basis of the worldview of this character, his attitude towards others? How does the figure of Karataev correlate with the figure of Napoleon in the ideological content of the novel? What can you say about Plato's speech? What role did Plato play in the life of Pierre Bezukhov?
10. Name other representatives of the common people in the novel "War and Peace", briefly describe them. What ideological load does the depiction of Bogucharov's rebellion carry in Tolstoy's work?
11. What layers of the Russian nobility does Tolstoy depict in the novel "War and Peace"? On the example of what characters does the writer show the highest Petersburg society? What exactly does Tolstoy denounce in the representatives of high society? How does Tolstoy draw "golden youth"? What is the ambiguity of the image of Dolokhov? In what way is Freemasonry shown in the novel? What are the highest administrative and diplomatic circles in the image of Tolstoy? Stop at the images of Speransky and Bilibin.
12. What is the originality of the life of the Moscow nobility, the Rostov family and their environment? How is the life of Muscovites fundamentally different from high-society life in St. Petersburg? What characters of Moscow residents does Tolstoy create in his novel?
13. Tell us about the life of the local nobility on the example of the Rostovs and Bolkonskys. What is the peculiarity of the estate life of each of these families?
14. What is the symbolic meaning of the image of the dying Count Bezukhov? What role does the image of Emperor Alexander I play in the novel? From which side does Tolstoy show it?
15. What was the meaning of “family thought” for Tolstoy? Why was the problem of the family so relevant in the 1860s? What was Tolstoy's position regarding the family in the public disputes of that time? What is the originality of the family world of the Rostovs and Bolkonskys? What traits bring these two families together? What is the identity of each of them? Why is it difficult to even call the Kuragins a family? Why can the Kuragin family be considered escheat? How does Tolstoy portray young families in the novel? How is the ideal of a woman-mother related to the theme of the family in Tolstoy?
16. List the most significant female images in the novel "War and Peace". Tell us in detail about Natasha Rostova and Princess Marya Bolkonskaya. What features bring together and what distinguishes these two heroines? How do the images of Vera Rostova, Sonya, Julie Karagina compare with them? What is Helen Bezukhova shown by Tolstoy? Briefly describe Anna Pavlovna Sherer, Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, Andrei Bolkonsky's wife Lisa, as well as female characters from the people.
17. In what does Tolstoy see the meaning of the spiritual quests of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov? What are the heroes looking for in their lives? What are they striving for? Name the main stages of the spiritual quest of Andrei and Pierre, comment on them. What spiritual values does each of the characters acquire: Andrei - before his death, Pierre - in the epilogue of the novel? What role does the content of Nikolenka Bolkonsky's dream at the end of the work play in understanding the results of the spiritual quest of the two characters?
18. Tell us what role nature plays in War and Peace. How does Tolstoy's thought about the natural being of man relate to the theme of nature? Determine the main functions of descriptions of nature. Name and comment on several landscapes in the novel.
19. Analyze the genre originality of War and Peace. How does the work combine the features of the novel and the epic? What other literary genres do we observe here?
20. Consider the composition of "War and Peace". What types of storytelling can you point out here? What is the main compositional element of "War and Peace"? What does it consist of? Name and comment on the main plot and thematic lines of Tolstoy's novel. What role do descriptions of nature play in the work, author's digressions? Give examples of author's digressions of different content.
21. Which of the Russian critics first used the term "dialectics of the soul"? What did he understand by this? Is the concept of "dialectics of the soul" considered more broadly?
Name and comment on the main principles of Tolstoy in depicting the inner world of a person.
List the means of psychological analysis used by Tolstoy in War and Peace. Give examples from the text of the novel.
22. Make a detailed outline plan
