"War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy is not just a classic novel, but a real heroic epic, the literary value of which is incomparable with any other work. The writer himself considered it a poem, where the private life of a person is inseparable from the history of the whole country.
It took Leo Tolstoy seven years to perfect his novel. Back in 1863, the writer more than once discussed plans to create a large-scale literary canvas with his father-in-law A.E. Bers. In September of the same year, the father of Tolstoy's wife sent a letter from Moscow, where he mentioned the writer's idea. Historians consider this date the official start of work on the epic. A month later, Tolstoy writes to his relative that all his time and attention is occupied by a new novel, over which he thinks like never before.
History of creation
The initial idea of the writer was to create a work about the Decembrists, who spent 30 years in exile and returned home. The starting point described in the novel was to be 1856. But then Tolstoy changed his plans, deciding to display everything from the beginning of the Decembrist uprising of 1825. And this was not destined to come true: the third idea of the writer was the desire to describe the young years of the hero, which coincided with large-scale historical events: the war of 1812. The final version was the period from 1805. The circle of heroes was also expanded: the events in the novel cover the history of many personalities who went through all the hardships of different historical periods in the life of the country.
The title of the novel also had several variants. The “working” name was “Three Pores”: the youth of the Decembrists during the Patriotic War of 1812; The Decembrist uprising of 1825 and the 50s of the 19th century, when several important events in the history of Russia took place at once - the Crimean War, the death of Nicholas I, the return of the amnestied Decembrists from Siberia. In the final version, the writer decided to focus on the first period, since writing a novel even on such a scale required a lot of effort and time. So instead of an ordinary work, a whole epic was born, which has no analogues in world literature.
Tolstoy devoted the entire autumn and early winter of 1856 to writing the beginning of War and Peace. Already at that time, he repeatedly tried to quit his job, because, in his opinion, it was not possible to convey the whole idea on paper. Historians say that in the writer's archive there were fifteen options for the beginning of the epic. In the process of work, Lev Nikolayevich tried for himself to find answers to questions about the role of man in history. He had to study many chronicles, documents, materials describing the events of 1812. The confusion in the writer’s head was caused by the fact that all information sources assessed both Napoleon and Alexander I in different ways. Then Tolstoy decided for himself to move away from the subjective statements of strangers and display in the novel his own assessment of events based on true facts. From diverse sources, he borrowed documentary materials, records of contemporaries, newspaper and magazine articles, letters from generals, archival documents of the Rumyantsev Museum.
(Prince Rostov and Akhrosimova Marya Dmitrievna)
Considering it necessary to go directly to the scene, Tolstoy spent two days in Borodino. It was important for him to personally go around the place where large-scale and tragic events unfolded. He even personally made sketches of the sun on the field during different periods of the day.
The trip gave the writer an opportunity to feel the spirit of history in a new way; became a kind of inspiration for further work. For seven years, the work was on a spiritual upsurge and "burning". The manuscripts consisted of more than 5200 sheets. Therefore, "War and Peace" is easy to read even after a century and a half.
Analysis of the novel
Description
(Napoleon before the battle in thought)
The novel "War and Peace" touches upon a sixteen-year period in the history of Russia. The starting date is 1805, the final date is 1821. More than 500 characters are “employed” in the work. These are both real-life people, and fictional writers to add color to the description.
(Kutuzov before the Battle of Borodino is considering a plan)
The novel intertwines two main storylines: historical events in Russia and the personal lives of the characters. Real historical figures are mentioned in the description of Austerlitz, Shengraben, Borodino battles; the capture of Smolensk and the surrender of Moscow. More than 20 chapters are devoted specifically to the battle of Borodino, as the main decisive event of 1812.
(In the illustration, an episode of the Ball by Natasha Rostova from the film "War and Peace" 1967.)
In opposition to "wartime", the writer describes the personal world of people and everything that surrounds them. Heroes fall in love, quarrel, reconcile, hate, suffer... In the confrontation between various characters, Tolstoy shows the difference in the moral principles of individuals. The writer is trying to tell that various events can change the worldview. One complete picture of the work consists of three hundred and thirty-three chapters of 4 volumes and another twenty-eight chapters placed in the epilogue.
First volume
The events of 1805 are described. In the "peaceful" part, life in Moscow and St. Petersburg is affected. The writer introduces the reader to the society of the main characters. The “military” part is the battles of Austerlitz and Shengraben. Tolstoy concludes the first volume with a description of how military defeats affected the peaceful life of the characters.
Second volume
(The first ball of Natasha Rostova)
This is a completely "peaceful" part of the novel, which touched upon the life of the characters in the period 1806-1811: the birth of Andrei Bolkonsky's love for Natasha Rostova; freemasonry of Pierre Bezukhov, the kidnapping of Natasha Rostova by Karagin, Bolkonsky's refusal to marry Natasha Rostova. The end of the volume is a description of a formidable omen: the appearance of a comet, which is a symbol of great upheavals.
Third volume
(In the illustration, an episode of the Borodino battle of their film "War and Peace" 1967.)
In this part of the epic, the writer refers to wartime: the invasion of Napoleon, the surrender of Moscow, the battle of Borodino. On the battlefield, the main male characters of the novel are forced to intersect: Bolkonsky, Kuragin, Bezukhov, Dolokhov ... The end of the volume is the capture of Pierre Bezukhov, who made an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Napoleon.
Fourth volume
(After the battle, the wounded arrive in Moscow)
The “military” part is a description of the victory over Napoleon and the shameful retreat of the French army. The writer also touches upon the period of the partisan war after 1812. All this is intertwined with the “peaceful” fates of the heroes: Andrei Bolkonsky and Helen pass away; love is born between Nikolai and Marya; think about living together Natasha Rostova and Pierre Bezukhov. And the main character of the volume is the Russian soldier Platon Karataev, in whose words Tolstoy tries to convey all the wisdom of the common people.
Epilogue
This part is devoted to describing the changes in the lives of the heroes seven years after 1812. Natasha Rostova is married to Pierre Bezukhov; Nicholas and Marya found their happiness; the son of Bolkonsky, Nikolenka, grew up. In the epilogue, the author reflects on the role of individuals in the history of the whole country, and tries to show the historical interconnections of events and human destinies.
The main characters of the novel
More than 500 characters are mentioned in the novel. The author tried to describe the most important of them as accurately as possible, endowing with special features not only of character, but also of appearance:
Andrei Bolkonsky - Prince, son of Nikolai Bolkonsky. Constantly looking for the meaning of life. Tolstoy describes him as handsome, reserved, and with "dry" features. He has a strong will. Dies as a result of a wound received at Borodino.
Marya Bolkonskaya - Princess, sister of Andrei Bolkonsky. Inconspicuous appearance and radiant eyes; piety and concern for relatives. In the novel, she marries Nikolai Rostov.
Natasha Rostova is the daughter of Count Rostov. In the first volume of the novel, she is only 12 years old. Tolstoy describes her as a girl of not very beautiful appearance (black eyes, big mouth), but at the same time "alive". Her inner beauty attracts men. Even Andrei Bolkonsky is ready to fight for his hand and heart. At the end of the novel, she marries Pierre Bezukhov.
Sonya
Sonya is the niece of Count Rostov. In contrast to her cousin Natasha, she is beautiful in appearance, but much poorer in spirit.
Pierre Bezukhov is the son of Count Kirill Bezukhov. A clumsy massive figure, kind and at the same time strong character. He can be harsh, or he can become a child. Interested in Freemasonry. He is trying to change the life of the peasants and influence large-scale events. Initially married to Helen Kuragina. At the end of the novel, he marries Natasha Rostova.
Helen Kuragin is the daughter of Prince Kuragin. Beauty, a prominent society lady. She married Pierre Bezukhov. Changeable, cold. Dies as a result of an abortion.
Nikolai Rostov is the son of Count Rostov and Natasha's brother. The successor of the family and the defender of the Fatherland. He took part in military campaigns. He married Marya Bolkonskaya.
Fedor Dolokhov is an officer, a member of the partisan movement, as well as a great swashbuckler and lover of ladies.
Counts of Rostov
The Rostov counts are the parents of Nikolai, Natasha, Vera, and Petya. A revered married couple, an example to follow.
Nikolai Bolkonsky - Prince, father of Marya and Andrei. In Catherine's time, a significant personality.
The author pays much attention to the description of Kutuzov and Napoleon. The commander appears before us as smart, unfeigned, kind and philosophical. Napoleon is described as a little fat man with an unpleasantly feigned smile. At the same time, it is somewhat mysterious and theatrical.
Analysis and conclusion
In the novel "War and Peace" the writer tries to convey to the reader the "people's thought". Its essence is that each positive hero has his own connection with the nation.
Tolstoy departed from the principle of telling a story in a novel in the first person. Evaluation of characters and events goes through monologues and author's digressions. At the same time, the writer leaves the reader the right to assess what is happening. A vivid example of this is the scene of the Battle of Borodino, shown both from the side of historical facts and the subjective opinion of the hero of the novel, Pierre Bezukhov. The writer does not forget about the bright historical figure - General Kutuzov.
The main idea of the novel lies not only in the disclosure of historical events, but also in the ability to understand that one must love, believe and live under any circumstances.
1. History of the creation of the novel:
Created by the author for seven years (1863-1869);
the idea of the novel changed several times, as evidenced by the names of early editions: "Three Pores", "Everything is good, it ends well", "1805";
Initially, the plot was to be based on the life story of the protagonist (Decembrist), who in 1856, together with his family, returns from exile;
to explain the reason for the hero's stay in Siberia, the author is forced to turn to the history of 1825;
the youth of the hero falls on 1812, from where Tolstoy intends to start the novel in a new way;
in order to tell about the victories of the Russian army in the war of 1812, Tolstoy considers it necessary to tell about the tragic pages of history that date back to 1805. “I was ashamed to write about our triumph without describing our failures and our shame.”
Thus, the idea of the novel was changed by Tolstoy several times and acquired the final version: “So, having returned from 1856 to 1805, from now on I intend to lead not one, but many heroines and heroes through the historical events of 1805, 1807, 1812, 1825 , 1856". L. N. Tolstoy
Turning to the events of the Patriotic War between Russia and Napoleon in 1812, the writer, contrary to official data, showed the true hero and defender of the Motherland not the tsar and his predecessors, but the Russian people. "I tried to write the history of the people",- noted the author. It is no coincidence that Tolstoy considered Lermontov's poem Borodino, which glorifies the heroism of Russian soldiers, to be the "seed" of his novel.
On its theme "War and Peace" - a historical novel. It conveys the most "smell and sound" of a distant era. Without violating the historical truth, the author connects the past with the exciting issues of the present.
Four volumes cover the events of 1805-1814. The epilogue takes the reader to the 1920s, when secret societies of the future Decembrists were born in Russia.
In the novel more 500 actors. Many of them have been traced over the course of a decade, appearing in a military setting and a peaceful home circle.
First two volumes tell about the wars with Napoleon, which were fought outside of Russia on the Austrian lands. The central episodes here are the Shengraben and Austerlitz battles. (1805 - 1807)
In the third and fourth volumes talks about Napoleon's invasion of Moscow and the expulsion of the French from Russia. Of particular importance here is the famous Battle of Borodino (1812) - the “knot”, the culmination of the entire novel, according to Tolstoy, “The Russians fought for their land, this increased their strength tenfold and determined our moral victory.”
Having shown the decisive role of the people in historical events of national significance, Tolstoy created a special genre of the novel, a realistic epic, grandiose in terms of the scope of life and the scale of the narrative.
2. Features of the genre.
"This is not a novel, 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.
In our time, historians and literary critics have called "War and Peace" as an epic novel.
The epic novel is a large, monumental form of epic literature, reflecting the process in its universality, "panoramic" depiction of events and human destinies.
Character traits:
a work of great volume;
multi-heroism;
an abundance of storylines.
3. The meaning of the title of the novel.
History of the creation of the novel.ppt
History of the creation of the novel.ppt
Man, according to Tolstoy, is the world itself. L.N. Tolstov in the novel is more interested in the inner world of the characters close to him. Describing their inner life, the author uses his favorite device "Dialectics of the Soul". The image of the inner world of a person is combined with the image of another world, of which his characters are a part. In the novel, we see a whole palette of worlds. This understanding of the world is associated with the image of the ball. The world - the ball appears as a closed sphere. It has its own laws, optional in other worlds. One world is often hostile to another.
The idea of the world is one of the main ones in the novel. From the world of an individual to universal unity with people, to unity with nature, with the Universe. And only such a person is truly happy
Roman L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" was not easy to write and required enormous efforts from the creator. As L.N. Tolstoy, "painful and joyful perseverance and excitement" accompanied him all seven long years of writing the novel. During the years of work on the work, Tolstoy practically did not keep a diary, making only rare notes in notebooks, and was not distracted by other ideas - all his energy and strength went into writing the novel "War and Peace". Back in 1856, Lev Nikolayevich was thinking of writing a grandiose work about a Decembrist who was returning home from exile. In 1861 Tolstoy read to I.S. Turgenev the first chapters of this work.
However, the writer soon moves from a story about the fate of one hero to a story about a whole generation of people who lived during the period of historical events that influenced the worldview of the Decembrists. “In 1856, I began to write a story with a well-known direction, a hero who was supposed to be a Decembrist, returning with his family to Russia. Involuntarily, I moved from the present to 1825, the era of the errors and misfortunes of my hero, and left what I had begun. (...) But the third time I stopped what I started ... If the reason for our triumph was not accidental, but also 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 of failures and defeats ... My task is to describe life and clashes of some persons in the period from 1805 to 1856. That is how L.N. Tolstoy comments on his creative searches, which, in the end, led him to create War and Peace. The official year of birth of the novel is considered to be 1863.
In 1867, the first chapters of L.N. Tolstoy. However, a year later, the author subjected them to severe editing. By that time, the novel did not yet have the title "War and Peace". Tolstoy refuses the first version of The Three Pores, since then the novel would open directly with the events of 1812. The second version of the title of the novel "Year 1805" did not correspond to the idea of the work. In 1866, the third version of “All is well that ends well” appears, but this name does not satisfy Tolstoy either, since it does not reflect the scale of the tragedy of the era depicted in the work. And only in 1867 Tolstoy stops at the title "War and Peace".
The last three years of intense creative and exhausting work on the work (1867-1869) led to the fact that "War and Peace" becomes a historical novel, a large-scale canvas "a picture of morals built on historical events", and the original idea about the history of the fate of generations is embodied in epic novel about the "history of the people". material from the site
The creative genius of Tolstoy was in constant search for the best, the most optimal. There is a legend that the wife of the writer S.A. Tolstaya rewrote War and Peace seven times. It is authentically known that Tolstoy created 15 variants of the beginning (beginnings) of the work, and the exact number of his editions is difficult to calculate. So, in the first completed edition, there is still no huge panorama of the Battle of Borodino, and the description of the battle takes only 7 pages. Later, Tolstoy adds to his novel both numerous philosophical digressions and a detailed story about the partisan war, introduces the image of Platon Karataev and other characters.
In December 1869, the last volume of the epic "War and Peace" was published. In fact, 13 long years have passed since Lev Nikolayevich realized his plan.
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The history of the creation of the novel "War and Peace"
The novel "War and Peace" by L.N. Tolstoy devoted seven years of intense and hard work. September 5, 1863 A.E. Bers, father of Sofya Andreevna, wife of L.N. Tolstoy, sent a letter from Moscow to Yasnaya Polyana with the following remark: "Yesterday we talked a lot about 1812 on the occasion of your intention to write a novel relating to this era." It is this letter that the researchers consider to be the "first accurate evidence" dating the beginning of L.N. Tolstoy over "War and Peace". In October of the same year, Tolstoy wrote to his relative: “I have never felt my mental and even all my moral forces so free and so capable of work. And I have this work. This work is a novel from the time of 1810 and the 20s, which has occupied me completely since autumn ... I am now a writer with all the strength of my soul, and I write and think, as I have never written and thought before. The manuscripts of "War and Peace" testify to how one of the world's largest creations was created: over 5,200 finely written sheets have been preserved in the writer's archive. From them you can trace the entire history of the creation of the novel.
Initially, Tolstoy conceived a novel about a Decembrist who returned after a 30-year exile in Siberia. The action of the novel began in 1856, shortly before the abolition of serfdom. But then the writer revised his plan and moved on to 1825 - the era of the Decembrist uprising. But soon the writer abandoned this beginning and decided to show the youth of his hero, which coincided with the formidable and glorious times of the Patriotic War of 1812. But Tolstoy did not stop there, and since the war of 1812 was inextricably linked with 1805, he began his entire work from that time. Having moved the beginning of the action of his novel half a century into the depths of history, Tolstoy decided to lead not one, but many heroes through the most important events for Russia.
Tolstoy called his idea - to capture in art form the half-century history of the country - "Three Pores". The first time is the beginning of the century, its first decade and a half, the youth of the first Decembrists who went through the Patriotic War of 1812. The second time is the 20s with their main event - the uprising on December 14, 1825. The third time is the 50s, the end of the Crimean War, unsuccessful for the Russian army, the sudden death of Nicholas I, the amnesty of the Decembrists, their return from exile and the time of waiting for changes in the life of Russia. At different stages of the work, the author presented his work as a wide epic canvas. Creating his "semi-fictional" and "fictional" heroes, Tolstoy, as he himself said, wrote the history of the people, looking for ways to artistically comprehend the "character of the Russian people."
However, in the process of working on the work, the writer narrowed the scope of his original idea and focused on the first period, touching only on the beginning of the second period in the epilogue of the novel. But even in this form, the idea of the work remained global in scope and demanded the exertion of all forces from the writer. At the beginning of his work, Tolstoy realized that the usual framework of the novel and historical story would not be able to accommodate all the richness of the content he had conceived, and he began to persistently look for a new artistic form, he wanted to create a literary work of a completely unusual type. And he succeeded. "War and Peace", according to L.N. Tolstoy is not a novel, not a poem, not a historical chronicle, this is an epic novel, a new genre of prose, which, after Tolstoy, became widespread in Russian and world literature.
During the first year of work, Tolstoy worked hard on the beginning of the novel. The author still could not choose a title for the work: he refused the first version of the title of the novel - "Three Pores", since in this case the story should have begun with the Patriotic War of 1812. Another version - "One thousand eight hundred and fifth year" - also did not correspond to the author's intention. In 1866, a new title of the novel appeared: "All is well that ends well", corresponding to the happy ending of the work. However, this option did not reflect the scale of the action, and was also rejected by the author. According to Tolstoy himself, many times he started and stopped writing his book, losing and gaining hope to express in it everything that he wanted to express. Fifteen variants of the beginning of the novel have been preserved in the writer's archive. The idea of the work was based on Tolstoy's deep interest in history, in philosophical and socio-political issues. The work was created in an atmosphere of passions boiling over the main issue of that era - the role of the people in the history of the country, about its fate. While working on the novel, Tolstoy sought to find the answer to these questions. Contrary to the writer's hopes for the imminent birth of his literary offspring, the first chapters of the novel began to appear in print only from 1867. And for the next two years, work on it continued. They were not yet entitled "War and Peace", moreover, they were subsequently subjected to severe editing by the author.
In order to truthfully describe the events of the Patriotic War of 1812, the writer studied a huge amount of materials: books, historical documents, memoirs, letters. "When I write historical," Tolstoy pointed out in the article "A few words about the book" War and Peace, "I like to be true to reality to the smallest detail." While working on the work, he collected a whole library of books about the events of 1812. In In the books of Russian and foreign historians, he found neither a true description of events, nor a fair assessment of historical figures.Some of them unrestrainedly praised Alexander I, considering him the winner of Napoleon, others exalted Napoleon, considering him invincible.
Rejecting all the works of historians who portrayed the war of 1812 as a war of two emperors, Tolstoy set himself the goal of truthfully highlighting the events of the great era and showed the liberation war waged by the Russian people against foreign invaders. From the books of Russian and foreign historians, Tolstoy borrowed only authentic historical documents: orders, orders, dispositions, battle plans, letters, etc. He introduced into the text of the novel the letters of Alexander I and Napoleon, which the Russian and French emperors exchanged before the start of the war of 1812 ; the disposition of the battle of Austerlitz, as well as the disposition of the battle of Borodino, compiled by Napoleon. The chapters of the work also include letters from Kutuzov, which confirm the characterization given to the field marshal by the author.
When creating the novel, Tolstoy used the memoirs of contemporaries and participants in the Patriotic War of 1812. The writer borrowed materials for scenes depicting Moscow, included important information about the actions of Russian troops during their foreign campaigns in the work. Tolstoy discovered a lot of valuable information about the stay of Russians in captivity by the French and the description of Moscow life at that time. While working on the work, Tolstoy also used materials from newspapers and magazines from the era of the Patriotic War of 1812. He spent a lot of time in the manuscript department of the Rumyantsev Museum and in the archives of the palace department, where he carefully studied unpublished documents (orders and instructions, reports and reports, Masonic manuscripts and letters from historical figures). In letters that were not intended for publication, the writer found precious details depicting the life and characters of his contemporaries in 1812. Tolstoy Decembrist domestic link
Tolstoy spent two days in Borodino. Having traveled around the battlefield, he wrote to his wife: "I am very pleased, very, - with my trip ... If only God would give health and tranquility, and I will write such a Battle of Borodino, which has never happened before." Between the manuscripts of "War and Peace" there is a sheet with notes made by Tolstoy at the time when he was on the Borodino field. "The distance is visible for 25 miles," he wrote, sketching the horizon line and noting where the villages of Borodino, Gorki, Psarevo, Semenovskoye, Tatarinovo are located. On this sheet, he noted the movement of the sun during the battle. While working on the work, Tolstoy unfolded these brief notes into unique pictures of the Battle of Borodino, full of movement, colors and sounds.
Finally, at the end of 1867, the final title of the work "War and Peace" appeared. In the manuscript, the word "peace" was written with the letter "i". "Explanatory dictionary of the Great Russian language" V.I. Dalia broadly explains the word "world": "The world is the universe; one of the lands of the universe; our earth, the globe, light; all people, the whole world, the human race; community, peasant society; gathering." Without a doubt, this is the symbolic understanding of this word that Tolstoy had. Over the course of seven years of hard work, which the writing of "War and Peace" required, the writer did not leave his spiritual uplift and creative burning, and that is why the work has not lost its significance to this day. More than a century has passed since the first part of the novel appeared in print, and people of all ages read War and Peace invariably - from young people to the elderly. During the years of work on the epic novel, Tolstoy stated that "the goal of the artist is not to undeniably resolve the issue, but to make you love life in countless, never exhausted all its manifestations." Then he admitted: "If I were told that what I am writing will be read by today's children in twenty years and will cry and laugh over it and love life, I would devote my whole life and all my strength to it." Many such works were created by Tolstoy. "War and Peace", dedicated to one of the bloodiest wars of the 19th century, but affirming the idea of the triumph of life over death, occupies an honorable place among them.
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Novel "War and Peace" L.N. Tolstoy devoted seven years of intense and hard work. September 5, 1863 A.E. Bers, father of Sofya Andreevna, wife of L.N. Tolstoy, sent a letter from Moscow to Yasnaya Polyana with the following remark: “Yesterday we talked a lot about 1812 on the occasion of your intention to write a novel relating to this era.” It is this letter that the researchers consider to be the “first accurate evidence” dating the beginning of the work of L.N. Tolstoy over "War and Peace". In October of the same year, Tolstoy wrote to his relative: “I have never felt my mental and even all my moral forces so free and so capable of work. And I have this job. This work is a novel from the time of 1810 and the 20s, which has completely occupied me since the autumn ... I am now a writer with all the strength of my soul, and I write and think, as I have never written and thought before.
The manuscripts of "War and Peace" testify to how one of the world's largest creations was created: over 5,200 finely written sheets have been preserved in the writer's archive. From them you can trace the entire history of the creation of the novel.
Initially, Tolstoy conceived a novel about a Decembrist who returned after a 30-year exile in Siberia. The action of the novel began in 1856, shortly before the abolition of serfdom. But then the writer revised his plan and moved on to 1825 - the era of the Decembrist uprising. But soon the writer abandoned this beginning and decided to show the youth of his hero, which coincided with the formidable and glorious times of the Patriotic War of 1812. But Tolstoy did not stop there, and since the war of 1812 was inextricably linked with 1805, he began his entire work from that time. Having moved the beginning of the action of his novel half a century into the depths of history, Tolstoy decided to lead not one, but many heroes through the most important events for Russia.
Tolstoy called his idea - to capture in art form the half-century history of the country - "Three pores". The first time is the beginning of the century, its first decade and a half, the youth of the first Decembrists who went through the Patriotic War of 1812. The second time is the 20s with their main event - the uprising on December 14, 1825. The third time is the 50s, the end of the Crimean War, unsuccessful for the Russian army, the sudden death of Nicholas I, the amnesty of the Decembrists, their return from exile and the time of waiting for changes in the life of Russia.
However, in the process of working on the work, the writer narrowed the scope of his original idea and focused on the first period, touching only on the beginning of the second period in the epilogue of the novel. But even in this form, the idea of the work remained global in scope and demanded the exertion of all forces from the writer. At the beginning of his work, Tolstoy realized that the usual framework of the novel and historical story would not be able to accommodate all the richness of the content he had conceived, and he began to persistently look for a new artistic form, he wanted to create a literary work of a completely unusual type. And he succeeded. "War and Peace", according to L.N. Tolstoy is not a novel, not a poem, not a historical chronicle, this is an epic novel, a new genre of prose, which, after Tolstoy, became widespread in Russian and world literature.
During the first year of work, Tolstoy worked hard on the beginning of the novel. According to the author himself, many times he started and stopped writing his book, losing and gaining hope to express in it everything that he wanted to express. Fifteen variants of the beginning of the novel have been preserved in the writer's archive. The idea of the work was based on Tolstoy's deep interest in history, in philosophical and socio-political issues. The work was created in an atmosphere of passions boiling over the main issue of that era - the role of the people in the history of the country, about its fate. While working on the novel, Tolstoy sought to find the answer to these questions.
In order to truthfully describe the events of the Patriotic War of 1812, the writer studied a huge amount of materials: books, historical documents, memoirs, letters. “When I write history,” Tolstoy pointed out in the article “A few words about the book“ War and Peace ”, “I like to be true to reality to the smallest detail.” While working on the work, he collected a whole library of books about the events of 1812. In the books of Russian and foreign historians, he did not find a true description of events, nor a fair assessment of historical figures. Some of them unrestrainedly praised Alexander I, considering him the winner of Napoleon, others exalted Napoleon, considering him invincible.
Rejecting all the works of historians who portrayed the war of 1812 as a war of two emperors, Tolstoy set himself the goal of truthfully highlighting the events of the great era and showed the liberation war waged by the Russian people against foreign invaders. From the books of Russian and foreign historians, Tolstoy borrowed only authentic historical documents: orders, orders, dispositions, battle plans, letters, etc. He included letters from Alexander I and Napoleon, which the Russian and French emperors exchanged before the start of the 1812 war, into the text of the novel; the disposition of the battle of Austerlitz, developed by General Weyrother, as well as the disposition of the battle of Borodino, compiled by Napoleon. The chapters of the work also include letters from Kutuzov, which confirm the characterization given to the field marshal by the author.
When creating the novel, Tolstoy used the memoirs of contemporaries and participants in the Patriotic War of 1812. So, from "Notes on 1812 by Sergei Glinka, the first warrior of the Moscow militia", the writer borrowed materials for scenes depicting Moscow during the war; in the “Works of Denis Vasilyevich Davydov” Tolstoy found the materials underlying the partisan scenes of “War and Peace”; in the "Notes of Alexei Petrovich Yermolov" the writer found a lot of important information about the actions of Russian troops during their foreign campaigns of 1805-1806. Tolstoy also discovered a lot of valuable information in the notes of V.A. Perovsky about his stay in captivity by the French, and in the diary of S. Zhikharev "Notes of a Contemporary from 1805 to 1819", on the basis of which the Moscow life of that time is described in the novel.
While working on the work, Tolstoy also used materials from newspapers and magazines from the era of the Patriotic War of 1812. He spent a lot of time in the manuscript department of the Rumyantsev Museum and in the archives of the palace department, where he carefully studied unpublished documents (orders and instructions, reports and reports, Masonic manuscripts and letters from historical figures). Here he got acquainted with the letters of the maid of honor of the imperial palace M.A. Volkova to V.A. Lanskoy, letters from General F.P. Uvarov and others. In letters that were not intended for publication, the writer found precious details depicting the life and characters of his contemporaries in 1812.
Tolstoy spent two days in Borodino. Having traveled around the battlefield, he wrote to his wife: "I am very pleased, very, - with my trip ... If only God would give health and tranquility, and I will write such a battle of Borodino as has never been." Between the manuscripts of "War and Peace" there is a sheet with notes made by Tolstoy at the time when he was on the Borodino field. “The distance is visible for 25 miles,” he wrote, sketching the horizon line and noting where the villages of Borodino, Gorki, Psarevo, Semenovskoye, Tatarinovo are located. On this sheet, he noted the movement of the sun during the battle. While working on the work, Tolstoy unfolded these brief notes into unique pictures of the Battle of Borodino, full of movement, colors and sounds.
Throughout the seven years of hard work that the writing of War and Peace required, Tolstoy did not leave his spiritual uplift and creative burning, and that is why the work has not lost its significance to this day. More than a century has passed since the appearance in print of the first part of the novel, and invariably "War and Peace" is read by people of all ages - from young people to the elderly. During the years of work on the epic novel, Tolstoy stated that "the goal of the artist is not to undeniably resolve the issue, but to make you love life in countless, never exhausted all its manifestations." Then he admitted: “If I were told that what I am writing will be read by today's children in twenty years and will cry and laugh over it and love life, I would devote my whole life and all my strength to it.” Many such works were created by Tolstoy. "War and Peace", dedicated to one of the bloodiest wars of the 19th century, but affirming the idea of the triumph of life over death, occupies an honorable place among them.
