The main problems of the novel are war and peace. Problem Relationship between individual and society

39. moral and philosophical problems of the novel "War and Peace".Philosophical problems of the novel . Philosophical problems of the novel. The main philosophical themes of the novel are: a person and his place in the world, a person’s place in history (the problem of personal free will and historical necessity: the problem of the role of an individual in history, the relationship of personal fate and historical perspective), the meaning of history (the root cause of historical events, in the first place wars, activity evaluation secret societies, including the Decembrists), existential problems (the meaning of human life), the concept of ethics: the definition of moral imperatives arising from such a picture of the world (the characters are thinking about how to become “quite good” (whose expression is this?) how to find harmony in life). These problems are found in the novel at all levels of the plot (“war” and “peace”, private destinies and the fate of Russia, thoughts and actions of fictional characters and the activities of real ones). historical figures) and at the supra-plot level (philosophical reasoning of Tolstoy). Since a very clear ethical system is constructed in the novel, at each of the above levels of the plot one can easily find negative and positive “poles” embodied in the characters (Kutuzov and Napoleon, Natasha and the “evil” Faith, etc.). World and Man. Man's place in the world. World unity. It is useful to compare Tolstoy's picture of the world with Dostoevsky's picture of the world. Dostoevsky recreates the Christian personacentric model of the world: separate person equal to the whole world, man is reunited with God through the God-man - Christ. The protagonist of Dostoevsky's work is a personality as such, it reflects the World. Therefore, Dostoevsky's heroes are, to some extent, symbolic figures embodying spiritual, metaphysical principles. Tolstoy recreates the pantheistic model of the world: man is just one of the elements of an endless evolutionary process, he is a grain of sand in a vast cosmic world. There is no concept of "God-man" here, and God is a philosophical synonym for the concepts of "whole life", "nature", "history", "the world as a whole", "all-unity". So, in the first place is the World, then a man. The formula heard by Pierre Bezukhov in his Moscow dream (“Life is everything. Life is God. Life is the continuous self-consciousness of the Divine”) refers to Eastern religious and philosophical traditions (for Christianity, the world is not the continuous self-consciousness of God, but its one-fold creation). It can be said that Dostoevsky rather depicts "the world in man", and Tolstoy - "man in the world". Tolstoy's man is, first of all, a particle of the big World - the family, the people, humanity, nature, the invisible historical process. Let us note, for example, that in Crime and Punishment, the comparison of humanity with an anthill suggests a pejorative character, while in Tolstoy’s philosophical digressions, the comparison of human communities with a swarm, hive or herd arises quite naturally and does not imply any negative meaning. If we compare two close in time writing a novel - "Crime and Punishment" and "War and Peace", then we will see similar issues, but considered from a fundamentally different parties. Both titles contain the idea of ​​polarity, the antithesis of positive and negative principles, but the title of Dostoevsky's novel indicates the individual inner world of the hero, and the title of Tolstoy's novel indicates the global scale of the depicted, the commonality and connection of many human destinies. The “Napoleonic” theme also looks different in these novels: for Dostoevsky it is an ethical question addressed to an individual (“Do you have the right to be Napoleon?”), while for Tolstoy it is rather a historiosophical question addressed to humanity (“Was there Napoleon a great man?"). Therefore, Napoleon becomes a character of Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky never wrote anything like a historical novel. All this does not mean that Tolstoy belittles the value of an individual human person: after all, it is understood that every person is a necessary part of the world, without which the world would be incomplete. In the novel Tolstoy often uses the symbolism of the part and the whole (the steps of the ladder and links of the chain in Pierre's "Masonic" monologue on the ferry in Bogucharov; the harmonic fusion of musical voices in the vision of Petya Rostov; a water ball consisting of individual drops in Pierre's dream, where the ball symbolizes the world, and the drops - human destinies; reasoning about the "personal" and "swarm" life of a person in one of the author's philosophical digressions; metaphors associated with a hive, swarm, herd (find them in the text of the novel); the argument that the invisible historical will is made up of "billions of wills"). All these symbols express the idea of ​​world "unity", in Tolstoy's understanding of it. Each element of a large whole is inalienable. In accordance with this picture of the world, the novel addresses the question of the role and place individual person in history, nature, society, state, people, family. This is the philosophical problematic of the novel. The meaning of the historical process. The role of personality in history. This theme in the novel is considered in detail for the first time in the historiosophical discourse on the causes of the war of 1812 (the beginning of the second and the beginning of the third parts of the third volume). This reasoning is polemically directed against the traditional concepts of historians, which Tolstoy considers a stereotype that requires rethinking. According to Tolstoy, the start of the war cannot be explained by someone's individual will (for example, by the will of Napoleon). Napoleon is objectively involved in this event as well as any corporal who goes to war that day. The war was inevitable, it began according to the invisible historical will, which is made up of "billions of wills." The role of the individual in history is practically negligible. The more people are connected with others, the more they serve "necessity", that is, their will is intertwined with other wills and becomes less free. Therefore, public and state figures are the least subjectively free. "The king is a slave of history." (How does this thought of Tolstoy manifest itself in the depiction of Alexander?) Napoleon is delusional when he thinks he can influence the course of events. “... The course of world events is predetermined from above, depends on the coincidence of all the arbitrariness of the people participating in these events, and ... the influence of Napoleons on the course of these events is only external and fictitious” (Chapter XXVIII of the second part of the third volume). Kutuzov is right in that he prefers to strictly follow an objective process, and not to impose his own line, "not to interfere" with what should happen. The novel ends with a formula of historical fatalism: “... it is necessary to renounce the non-existent freedom and recognize the imperceptible; us dependence.” Attitude to war. The war turns out not to be a duel between Napoleon and Alexander or Kutuzov, it is a duel between two principles (aggressive, destructive and harmonious, creative), which are embodied not only in Napoleon and Kutuzov, but also in characters appearing on other levels of the plot (Natasha, Platon Karataev and etc.). On the one hand, war is an event contrary to everything human, on the other hand, it is an objective reality that means personal experience for the heroes. Tolstoy's moral attitude to the war is negative (anti-war pathos was already felt in his autobiographical early military stories). For comparison:

Dostoevsky condemned only civil ("fratricidal") war, but he saw a positive meaning in international wars: the strengthening of patriotism, the heroic principle (see: F. M. Dostoevsky. "The Diaries of a Writer", chapter "Paradoxalist"). Note that Dostoevsky, unlike Tolstoy, never personally took part in military events. In peaceful life, a kind of “war” also takes place: between “war” (an aggressive beginning) and “peace” (a positive, harmonious beginning). Heroes representing a secular society, careerists - a kind of "little Napoleons" (Boris, Berg), as well as those for whom war is a place for the realization of aggressive impulses (nobleman Dolokhov, peasant Tikhon Shcherbaty) are condemned. These heroes belong to the sphere of "war", they embody the Napoleonic principle. The "personal" and "swarm" life of a person. It may seem that such a vision of the world is deeply pessimistic: the concept of freedom is denied, but then a person's life loses its meaning. Actually it is not. Tolstoy separates subjective and objective levels human life: a person is in a small circle of his biography (microcosm, "personal" life) and in a large circle world history(macrocosm, "swarm" life). A person is subjectively aware of his "personal" life, but cannot see what his "swarm" life consists of. At the “personal” level, a person is endowed with sufficient freedom of choice and is able to be responsible for his actions. A "swarm" life a person lives unconsciously. At this level, he himself cannot decide anything, his role will forever remain the one assigned to him by history. The ethical principle that follows from the novel is as follows: a person should not consciously relate to his “swarm” life, put himself in any relationship with history. Any person who tries to consciously participate in the general historical process and influence it is mistaken. The novel discredits Napoleon, who mistakenly believed that the fate of the war depended on him - in fact, he was a toy in the hands of an inexorable historical necessity. In reality, he was only a victim of a process started, as he thought, by himself. All the heroes of the novel, who tried to be Napoleons, sooner or later part with this dream or end badly. One example: Prince Andrei overcomes the illusions associated with state activities in Speransky's office (and rightly so, no matter how "progressive" Speransky is). People fulfill the law of historical necessity without knowing it, blindly, knowing nothing but their private goals, and only truly (and not in the "Napoleonic" sense) great people are able to renounce the personal, to be imbued with the goals of historical necessity, and this is the only way to become conscious guide higher will(example - Kutuzov). Ideal being is a state of harmony, agreement with the world, that is, a state of "peace" (in the sense: not war). To do this, personal life must be reasonably consistent with the laws of "swarm" life. Wrong existence - enmity with these laws, a state of "war", when the hero opposes himself to people, tries to impose his will on the world (this is the path of Napoleon). Positive examples in the novel are Natasha Rostova and her brother Nikolai (harmonious life, taste for it, understanding of its beauty), Kutuzov (the ability to be sensitive to the course of the historical process and take their reasonable place in it), Platon Karataev (this hero has a personal life practically dissolves in the “swarm”, as if he does not have his own individual “I”, but only a collective, national, universal “We”). Prince Andrei and Pierre Bezukhov at different stages of their life path sometimes they are likened to Napoleon, thinking that they can influence the historical process with their personal will ( ambitious plans Bolkonsky; Pierre's passion for Freemasonry first, and then for secret societies; Pierre's intention to kill Napoleon and become the savior of Russia), they acquire the correct view of the world after deep crises, emotional upheavals, and disappointments. Prince Andrei, after being wounded in the Battle of Borodino, died, having experienced a state of harmonious unity with the world. A similar state of enlightenment came to Pierre in captivity (let us note that in both cases, along with simple, empirical experience, the characters also receive mystical experience through a dream or vision). (Find it in the text.) However, it can be assumed that Pierre's ambitious plans will return again, he will be carried away by secret societies, although Platon Karataev might not have liked this (see Pierre's conversation with Natasha in the epilogue). In connection with the concept of "personal" and "swarm" life, the dispute between Nikolai Rostov and Pierre about secret societies is indicative. Pierre sympathizes with their activities (“Tugendbund is a union of virtue, love, mutual help; this is what Christ preached on the cross”), and Nikolai believes that “a secret society is therefore hostile and harmful, which can only give rise to evil,<...>if you form a secret society, if you begin to oppose the government, whatever it may be, I know that it is my duty to obey it. And tell me now Arakcheev to go at you with a squadron and chop - I won’t think for a second and go. And then judge as you wish. This dispute does not receive an unequivocal assessment in the novel; it remains open. You can talk about "two truths" - Nikolai Rostov and Pierre. We can sympathize with Pierre along with Nikolenka Bolkonsky. The epilogue ends with Nikolenka's symbolic dream about this conversation. Intuitive sympathy for the cause of Pierre is combined with dreams of the glory of the hero. It reminds youthful dreams Prince Andrei about "his Toulon", which were once debunked. Thus, in Nikolenka's dreams there is a "Napoleonic" beginning that is undesirable for Tolstoy - it is also in Pierre's political ideas. In this regard, the dialogue between Natasha and Pierre in Ch. XVI of the first part of the epilogue, where Pierre is forced to admit that Platon Karataev (the person with whom the main moral criteria are connected for Pierre) “would not approve” of his political activity, but would approve of “family life”. The true meaning of life. The final phrase in the novel provokes the reader to make a pessimistic conclusion about the meaninglessness of life. However internal logic plot of "War and Peace" (in which it is not by chance that the whole variety of human life experience is recreated: as A. D. Sinyavsky said, "the whole war and the whole world at once") says the opposite. The meaning of life exists, but many do not understand it, continuing to live by inertia or setting "Napoleonic" goals for themselves. The smartest thinking heroes novel (and the author himself along with them) say that the meaning of life is revealed under the condition of harmonious relations (unity, reconciliation) of a person with the world (with the people, with nature, with the "will of history"). The following example can be given: when Pierre tells Prince Andrei about Freemasonry and introduces him to the symbolism of the “stairs”, “chain links”, etc. (a conversation in Bogucharov), Bolkonsky replies that this is just a book “Herder’s teaching”, which is too abstract: "Life and death - that's what convinces." One could object to Prince Andrei: what he says is also rather abstract. However, throughout the course of the plot, Tolstoy gives the reader the opportunity to understand what is meant by this expression of Bolkonsky. The point is that the meaning of life can be perceived spontaneously and directly, through a specific life experience. First of all, these are experiences associated with the key moments of human life (“root situations of being”) - love, birth, death. So, the death of his wife and the birth of a son, love for Natasha constitute an inalienable life experience for Prince Andrei, but the final meaning of life is revealed to him only before death. Bolkonsky experienced the proximity of death twice - first near Austerlitz (and this also became milestone in his life), and then - near Moscow. (Reread the chapters that talk about the last days of the life of Prince Andrei. Pay attention to the symbolism of the “door” and the comparison of death with “awakening” (understanding of reality as a dream, and death as awakening is characteristic primarily of Eastern religious and philosophical systems.) For many heroes, the experience of the nearness of death turns out to be an important milestone in personal growth (the first battle of Nikolai Rostov, Pierre's stay on the Raevsky battery and in captivity). However, the moment of revelation is not necessarily associated with the proximity of death. Tolstoy shows all the drama of human experience and all its diversity: much is revealed in situations Everyday life(card loss of Nikolai Rostov), ​​when communicating with nature (recall the description of the hunt, the famous oak in Otradnoye, we also pay attention to frequent situations when the hero looks at the sky and thinks about the eternal: Pierre and the comet, Prince Andrei and the sky of Austerlitz, Natasha and starry night in Otradnoye), while communicating with people (the life of Nikolai Rostov in the regiment). (match two storylines: the story of Prince Andrei's disappointment in Napoleon and the story of Nikolai Rostov's disappointment in Alexander. What is the difference between the feelings of Bolkonsky and Rostov in relation to the "idol"? How does each of them perceive himself? What thoughts do they have about family and friends? How does disappointment happen? What are the psychological consequences of disappointment in the "idol" for each of the characters? Draw conclusions about the characters of Bolkonsky and Rostov.) For people of the egocentric type, life ultimately depreciates, comes down to fussy service to one's whims (an example of this is the Kuragin family). Some heroes are able to feel the fullness of being, the fullness of life with deep meaning in the simplest, everyday situations - first of all, these are Natasha and Nikolai Rostov (see the description of the ball, the hunting scene). Other heroes come to this feeling only through exceptional (extreme, crisis, "threshold") situations, or, as Tolstoy writes, "radical situations of being" (in the words of Prince Andrei: "Life and death - that's what convinces"). For Prince Andrei, an example of such an encounter with "life and death" is Austerlitz, the death of his wife Liza, and especially Borodino. For Pierre, this is a duel with Dolokhov, Borodino, and especially being in captivity after the execution of the arsonists, which struck the hero. Having survived such difficult moments, Prince Andrei and Pierre begin to better understand the meaning of life, or rather, to feel the fullness of life with meaning. Napoleon's Way. Napoleon is the embodiment of voluntarism and extreme individualism. He seeks to impose his will on the world (that is, on the vast masses of people), but this is impossible. The war began in accordance with the objective course of the historical process, but Napoleon thinks that he started the war. Having lost the war, he feels despair and confusion. The image of Napoleon in Tolstoy is not devoid of grotesque and satirical shades. Napoleon is characterized by theatrical behavior (see, for example, the scene with the "Roman King" in Chapter XXVI of the second part of the third volume), narcissism, vanity. The scene of the meeting between Napoleon and Lavrushka is expressive, wittily “thought-out” by Tolstoy in the wake of historical materials. Napoleon is the main emblem of the voluntaristic path, but many other heroes follow this path in the novel. They, too, can be likened to Napoleon (cf. "little Napoleons" - an expression from the novel). Vanity and self-confidence are characteristic of Bennigsen and other military leaders, the authors of all kinds of "dispositions" who accused Kutuzov of inaction. Many people secular society they are also spiritually similar to Napoleon, because they always live, as it were, in a state of “war” (secular intrigues, careerism, the desire to subordinate other people to their own interests, etc.). First of all, this applies to the Kuragin family. All members of this family aggressively interfere in the lives of other people, try to impose their will, use the rest to fulfill their own desires. Some researchers have pointed to a symbolic connection love story(the treacherous Anatole’s invasion of Natasha’s world) with the historical one (Napoleon’s invasion of Russia), especially since the episode on Poklonnaya Gora uses an erotic metaphor (“And from this point of view, he [Napoleon] looked at the eastern beauty [Moscow],<...>the certainty of possession excited and terrified him" - ch. XIX of the third part of the third volume). True and false in human life. One of the important ideological confrontations for Tolstoy in the novel "War and Peace" is Truth and Falsehood. The contrast between the true (genuine, natural) and the false (imaginary, artificial) is a pervasive motif of the novel. This opposition has the following important aspects. True and false communication between people. True communication presupposes naturalness and immediacy (“simplicity”). This is characteristic primarily of the Rostov family, as well as some other characters (Denisov, Marya Dmitrievna, Captain Tushin, Kutuzov, and others). "Simplicity" brings them closer to the people. False communication implies artificiality, it is communication by rules, it is feigned, theatrical, ultimately insincere and hypocritical. This is how it is customary to communicate in high society (the salon of Anna Pavlovna Sherer, the Kuragin family) and in political circles (Speransky). Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is initially inclined to live according to the rules of a secular society, but gradually these rules depreciate for him. Pierre Bezukhov first thinks about the deceitfulness of secular society after a duel with Dolokhov. For him, the "debauchery" and "evil" of the world are embodied in his wife Helen, daughter of Vasily Kuragin and sister of Anatole. In the future, the embodiment of "simplicity, goodness and truth" for him becomes a peasant soldier Platon Karataev, whom Pierre met in captivity. True and false patriotism. Tolstoy debunks the traditional emblems of patriotism (for example, "banners"), which imply the identification of the motherland with the state and its official policy. Rastopchin's pseudo-patriotic rhetoric does not arouse sympathy: this character is contrasted with the restrained-wise Kutuzov, who does not speak beautiful words about Moscow and Russia, but really seriously thinks about how to "drive out" the French as soon as possible. True and false beauty. Here the main opposition is living (natural, "warm") and lifeless (artificial, "cold") beauty. Another important opposition is internal (spiritual) and external (bodily) beauty. Consider a portrait of Helen. Depicting the "beauty", Tolstoy uses metaphors referring to inanimate matter ("marble" shoulders, on which it was like a varnish from the views, etc.). She is contrasted with Natasha, whose beauty is natural and therefore good (in addition, Natasha combines external charm and inner, spiritual beauty). Pay attention also to the portrait of Princess Marya (“ugly face”, but “radiant eyes”) and to the portrait of Kutuzov (physical weakness, but at the same time inner fortitude). In general, it seems that Tolstoy does not appreciate external (bodily) beauty, as if he does not trust it. It is noteworthy that Natasha Rostova in the epilogue of the novel loses her girlish vivacity, but the author stubbornly admires her. Such an attitude to the theme of beauty is connected with the conflict of ethical and aesthetic principles, the ideals of Beauty and Goodness, which is important for Tolstoy. Dostoevsky's statement that "beauty will save the world" is impossible in Tolstoy. We advise you to read Tolstoy's late article "What is art?", in which the writer from his ethical positions analyzes the history of the concept of beauty in European culture and philosophy. True and false greatness. This theme arises in connection with Napoleon. “For us, with the measure of good and bad given to us by Christ, there is nothing immeasurable. And there is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth.

Not entirely true statement that only with the advent of a certain age we are literally “covered with a wave of nostalgia” when we hear the melody of youth, or see some attributes of that time. Even quite Small child begins to yearn for his favorite toy, if someone took it away or hid it. We are all in love with old things to some extent, because they keep the spirit in them. whole era. It is not enough for us to read about it in books or on the Internet. We want to have real an antique that you can touch and smell. Just remember your feelings when you picked up a Soviet-era book with slightly yellowed pages exuding a sweetish aroma, especially when turning them over, or when you looked at black and white photographs of your parents or grandparents, those with uneven white borders. By the way, for many, such shots remain the most beloved so far, despite the low quality of such shots. The point here is not in the image, but in that feeling of spiritual warmth that fills us when they come across our eyes.

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The novel "War and Peace", the fundamental work of the great Russian writer Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, was written between 1863 and 1869.

The author formed the idea of ​​the work long before writing, referring to the topic that happened in St. Petersburg on December 14, 1825. Leo Tolstoy set out to show life Russian society of that time, and since the opposition movement of various secret societies with the participation of the Decembrists was the most radical and significant in political life Russian state, the writer decided to use this theme as the basis of his work.

Interpretation of the novel

In the draft preface to the future literary masterpiece "War and Peace", Leo Tolstoy designated the problems of the novel as the search for the protagonist. The writer assumed that it would be the image of a Decembrist, one of the heroes of that time, returning with his family to their native places after exile. However, the plot of the novel required a characteristic description of the main character from the time of his youth, which means that it was necessary to return about 20 years ago, to his past. The writer decided to start the story from 1805. However, common topic The novel "War and Peace" required a broader interpretation than that which was revealed by the plot about the Decembrists, and thus, in the course of writing the novel, the war against Napoleon and the events connected with it in one way or another came to the fore.

The writer's attention shifted to Patriotic war 1812, and also for the period preceding the invasion French army led by Napoleon Bonaparte. However, several chapters from an unfinished 1860 work called The Decembrists were used by Tolstoy in War and Peace. The problems of the novel were in the construction of the plot, which, according to the author's intention, was to cover almost a quarter of a century of the history of the Russian people and the Russian army. The writer succeeded, he coped with the task brilliantly.

Examples of heroism in the novel

Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich wrote his epoch-making work "War and Peace" for six years, there are no more novels in world literature similar in depth and strength of narration. The novel impresses with imagery, each character is written with a high degree reliability, the heroism of Russian soldiers is obvious - they are fighting for a just cause, for their families, for native land. An example of this is his battery, which held back the advance of the enemy. The unparalleled courage of the Russian army in the battle, when the fate of Russia was decided, is described by the writer with frightening naturalism, but every word on the pages of the novel is undoubtedly true. The morale of the French, of course, cannot stand any comparison with the fighting spirit of Russian soldiers, in this, according to by and large, and the main foundation for victory was laid Russian army. All Tolstoy's characters are reflected in the novel as patriots of their land.

Literature and painting

When writing the work "War and Peace", the problems of the novel were also in the fact that it was fiction, the widest field, a mosaic of human destinies. The characters of Leo Tolstoy are written out with thin, precise strokes, his literary skill can be compared with the painting of Paolo Veronese, who also thoroughly conveyed every line in the faces of his heroes on the huge canvases of the Venetian Doge's Palace, and there are hundreds of these heroes.

Artistic value of the work

In the novel "War and Peace" Tolstoy presented on the pages of all social strata, from simple soldier to the emperor and his entourage. All age categories, various classes, rich and poor, respectable and dishonorable, healthy and sick are shown. Russian society, lower classes and middle class, the king and his subjects - everyone found a place in the greatest literary work that time.

The artistry of the work is closely intertwined with the realities of life, a crowd of commoners, a marginal part of society is sometimes a wild uncontrollable force driven by impulse. The scene of the murder of Vereshchagin is an example of this. Brutal, vile ruthlessness, as a result of an impulse, sweeps away everything in its path - such is the Russian people, history knows several similar examples. This is what main point novel "War and Peace" - show Russian society, all its advantages and disadvantages.

Philosophy of the novel

Throughout the novel, Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy tries to comprehend the original beginning of the life of a Russian person, to determine the reasons for the spontaneity of his actions. The philosophy of the work lies in the fact that the will and abilities of individuals are wasted if they do not come into contact with reality, go away from what is happening. Only selfless service to an idea can inspire a person to fight for a just cause, bring him to the battlefield, make him accept death for granted.

specificity

Numerous images of the novel "War and Peace" are presented by the author intelligibly, with a description of the character of each. Hence the special, respectful attitude of the writer towards Kutuzov, who is strong not because of his strategic talent and the heroism of a warrior, but because he realized the only method by which one can deal with Napoleon. Hence Tolstoy's denial of the personal qualities of Napoleon himself, who boasted of his achievements, attributing them to his imaginary exclusivity. The writer did not spare colors when describing the simple soldier Karataev Plato, who, according to Tolstoy, is in the hypostasis of the greatest sage, only because he realized himself as part of a whole, social and threw away his individuality.

Writer's Responsibility

The philosophy of Leo Tolstoy does not lie in reasoning on a topic, as is usually the case with most writers, but in a scrupulous analysis of the smallest details of events taking place in society, as well as in his ingenious ability to combine disparate details into one whole, creating a complete picture and signing it with his own words. name. Tolstoy's responsibility is felt in every chapter of his immortal work, this captivates the reader, who gradually begins to think in the same direction as the author.

Characters

The work also included the fact that it was necessary to designate the entire Russian army as one of the main characters. A red thread in the work is the theme of the unconditional support of soldiers and commanders by the people. To clear the Russian land from invasion - everyone thought about it: officers, soldiers, peasants, workers, officials. The identity of the Russian people could not be violated by an invasion from outside, this does not fit into the mentality of Russian society, and if so, the invader will certainly be destroyed. The thought of every Russian person worked for this result. The crushing scope of patriotism and love for the fatherland gave rise to a "club people's war which destroyed the enemies.

Leo Tolstoy is proud military power the Russian army, multiplied by the patriotism and dedication of the rest of the population of the Russian state. The heroic people united with the Russian nobility during the war years in order to drive out the enemy. The best representatives of the nobility of Russia reached out to the masses, among them were Pierre Bezukhov, Andrey Bolkonsky, Natasha Rostova and Vasily Denisov.

The image of Kutuzov

The hero Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was inseparable from his soldiers, this is what gave him strength. The commander did not receive moral support from the emperor, he was secretly hated, but Kutuzov did not need the loyalty of the royal entourage, he had a much more powerful source of inspiration - the army, soldiers and devoted officers. Field Marshal Kutuzov won, fulfilling the will of the Russian people, well understanding the goal facing him and the whole country.

Editions

The characterization of the novel "War and Peace" reveals the mighty potential of Russian society, the history of which knows no enslavement. The shortsightedness of ambitious invaders like Napoleon, their pomposity brings nothing but shame. The historical military confrontation inevitably ends with the victory of the Russian people.

In 1865, the first two parts of the novel under the title "1805" were published in the journal "Russian Messenger". The complete edition of Tolstoy's landmark work War and Peace, in six volumes, was published in 1869.

Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, the novel "War and Peace" forever entered the golden fund of world literature.

what are the problems in the novel "War and Peace"

1. The problem of honor and dishonor is raised in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. Honor and dignity are the main qualities of a human character, and those who have lost them are alien to any high aspirations and searches. The problem of moral self-improvement of the individual has always been one of the most important in the work of Leo Tolstoy.

   The problem of finding the meaning of life. The hero of the epic novel, Pierre Bezukhov, at the beginning of his journey, is far from the truth: he admires Napoleon, participates in empty entertainment, easily succumbs to gross flattery, the cause of which is his huge fortune. And as a result, the loss of the meaning of life. Only after passing the test of war and captivity, having learned ordinary people(such as Platon Karataev), Pierre was able to truly understand life and his place in it. He comes to the conclusion that only love moves the world and man lives.

   One of philosophical problems The novel is a question of freedom and necessity. Tolstoy solves this question in his own and original way. He says that the freedom of a person, an apparent historical figure, a person is free only not to go against events, not to impose his will on them, but simply to correspond to history, change, grow and in this way influence its course. Tolstoy's thought is profound that a person is the less free the closer he is to power.

2. real life problem.
   Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. He tried to find a real life in the war, joining the army and becoming disillusioned with the life he led. The prince understood one thing: boring, monotonous Savor not for him. In the war, he craved glory, recognition, wanted to distinguish himself, making strategic plans and imagining how he would save the army in critical moment. But after being wounded near Austerlitz, when Prince Andrei returned home and here his wife died before his eyes, leaving him little son, everything that he aspired to in the war faded into the background. Bolkonsky realized that this is not real life, and his search for such continued.

   The problem of happiness in the novel by L. N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
   Pierre returns to the society he had previously left, returns in search of happiness, but, on the other hand, he is saved by the war that unleashed with the French. He is trying to devote himself to the war, in order to try again to forget the past and find the happiness he needs so much. But, as always, his attempts are futile and no army is not only not happy for him, but even a burden. Pierre realizes that he was not born for military life. And everything is back to normal again.

   Great man problem

   In his novel, Leo Tolstoy clearly expressed the idea that a great person can only be if he is inextricably linked with the people, if he sincerely shares their views, aspirations, and faith. If he lives by the same ideals, thinks and acts in the same way as any conscious person would do. Only among the people main force only in connection with the people can a real, strong personality appear.

   Showing the special nature of the war of 1812 as a people's war.

   The popular character of the war is shown by Tolstoy different ways. The author's historical and philosophical arguments about the role of the individual and the people in history in general and the war of 1812 in particular are used, vivid pictures of outstanding historical events; the people can be portrayed (albeit extremely rarely) as a whole, general (for example, remarks that the peasants did not bring hay to Moscow, that all the inhabitants left Moscow, etc.) and as an innumerable number of living ordinary characters. The motives and feelings of the entire nation are concentrated in the image of the representative of the people's war, commander Kutuzov, are felt the best representatives nobility, close to the people.

   The problem of true and false patriotism.

   Russian soldiers are real patriots. The novel is full of numerous episodes depicting the various manifestations of patriotism by Russian people. We see true patriotism and the heroism of the people in the image classic scenes near Shengraben, Austerlitz, Smolensk, Borodin.
   False patriotism is also shown by Count Rostopchin, who puts up stupid posters around Moscow, urges the inhabitants of the city not to leave the capital, and then, fleeing from popular anger, deliberately sends the innocent son of the merchant Vereshchagin to death.