/ War and Peace

Prince Vasily visited the Bald Mountains in December 1805 with younger son- Anatole; Kuragin's goal was to marry his dissolute son to a wealthy heiress, Princess Marya. The princess was extraordinarily excited by the arrival of Anatole; the old prince did not want this marriage - he did not love the Kuragins and did not want to part with his daughter. By chance, Princess Mary notices Anatole, embracing her French companion, m-lle Bourienne; to her father's delight, she refuses Anatole.
After the Battle of Austerlitz, the old prince receives a letter from Kutuzov, which says that Prince Andrei "fell a hero worthy of his father and his fatherland." It also says that Bolkonsky was not found among the dead; this allows us to hope that Prince Andrei is alive. Meanwhile, Princess Lisa, Andrey's wife, is about to give birth, and on the very night of the birth, Andrey returns. Princess Lisa dies; on her dead face Bolkonsky reads the question: "What have you done to me?" - the feeling of guilt before the deceased wife no longer leaves him.
Pierre Bezukhov is tormented by the question of his wife's connection with Dolokhov: hints from acquaintances and an anonymous letter constantly raise this question. At a dinner in the Moscow English Club, arranged in honor of Bagration, a quarrel breaks out between Bezukhov and Dolokhov; Pierre challenges Dolokhov to a duel, in which he (who does not know how to shoot and has never held a pistol in his hands before) wounds his opponent. After a difficult explanation with Helen, Pierre leaves Moscow for St. Petersburg, leaving her a power of attorney to manage his Great Russian estates (which makes up most of his fortune).
On the way to St. Petersburg, Bezukhov stops at the post station in Torzhok, where he meets the famous freemason Osip Alekseevich Bazdeev, who instructs him - disappointed, confused, not knowing how and why to live on - and gives him letter of recommendation to one of the Petersburg Masons. Upon arrival, Pierre joins the Masonic lodge: he is delighted with the truth that has been revealed to him, although the ritual of initiation into Masons confuses him somewhat. Filled with a desire to do good to his neighbors, in particular to his peasants, Pierre goes to his estates in the Kyiv province. There he very zealously embarks on reforms, but, having no "practical tenacity", turns out to be completely deceived by his manager.
Returning from a southern trip, Pierre visits his friend Bolkonsky at his estate, Bogucharovo. After Austerlitz, Prince Andrei firmly decided not to serve anywhere (in order to get rid of active service, he accepted the position of collecting the militia under the command of his father). All his worries are focused on his son. Pierre notices the "faded, dead look" of his friend, his detachment. Pierre's enthusiasm, his new views contrast sharply with Bolkonsky's skeptical mood; Prince Andrei believes that neither schools nor hospitals are needed for the peasants, but to cancel serfdom necessary not for the peasants - they are accustomed to it - but for the landlords, who are corrupted by unlimited power over other people. When friends go to the Bald Mountains, to the father and sister of Prince Andrei, a conversation takes place between them (on the ferry during the crossing): Pierre sets out to Prince Andrei his new views ("we do not live now only on this piece of land, but we lived and will live forever there, in everything"), and Bolkonsky for the first time after Austerlitz sees the "high, eternal sky"; "something better that was in him suddenly woke up joyfully in his soul." While Pierre was in the Bald Mountains, he enjoyed close, friendly relations not only with Prince Andrei, but also with all his relatives and household; for Bolkonsky, a new life (internally) began from a meeting with Pierre.
Returning from vacation to the regiment, Nikolai Rostov felt at home. Everything was clear, known in advance; True, it was necessary to think about how to feed people and horses - the regiment lost almost half of the people from hunger and disease. Denisov decides to recapture the food transport assigned to the infantry regiment; summoned to the headquarters, he meets Telyanin there (in the position of chief provisions officer), beats him and for this he must stand trial. Taking advantage of the fact that he was slightly wounded, Denisov goes to the hospital. Rostov visits Denisov in the hospital - he is struck by the sight of sick soldiers lying on straw and overcoats on the floor, the smell of a rotting body; in the officers' chambers, he meets Tushin, who has lost his arm, and Denisov, who, after some persuasion, agrees to submit a request for pardon to the sovereign.
With this letter, Rostov goes to Tilsit, where the meeting of two emperors, Alexander and Napoleon, takes place. At the apartment of Boris Drubetskoy, enlisted in the retinue of the Russian emperor, Nikolai sees yesterday's enemies - French officers, with whom Drubetskoy willingly communicates. All this - both the unexpected friendship of the adored tsar with yesterday's usurper Bonaparte, and the free friendly communication of the retinue officers with the French - all irritates Rostov. He cannot understand why battles were needed, arms and legs torn off, if the emperors are so kind to each other and reward each other and the soldiers of the enemy armies with the highest orders of their countries. By chance, he manages to pass a letter with Denisov's request to a familiar general, and he gives it to the king, but Alexander refuses: "the law is stronger than me." Terrible doubts in Rostov's soul end with the fact that he convinces familiar officers, like him, who are dissatisfied with the peace with Napoleon, and most importantly, himself that the sovereign knows better what needs to be done. And "our job is to cut and not think," he says, drowning out his doubts with wine.
Those enterprises that Pierre started at home and could not bring to any result were executed by Prince Andrei. He transferred three hundred souls to free cultivators (that is, he freed them from serfdom); replaced corvée with dues on other estates; peasant children began to be taught to read and write, etc. In the spring of 1809, Bolkonsky went on business to the Ryazan estates. On the way, he notices how green and sunny everything is; only the huge old oak "did not want to submit to the charm of spring" - it seems to Prince Andrei in harmony with the sight of this gnarled oak that his life is over.
On guardian affairs, Bolkonsky needs to see Ilya Rostov, the district marshal of the nobility, and Prince Andrei goes to Otradnoye, the Rostov estate. At night, Prince Andrei hears the conversation between Natasha and Sonya: Natasha is full of delight from the charms of the night, and in the soul of Prince Andrei "an unexpected confusion of young thoughts and hopes arose." When - already in July - he passed the very grove where he saw the old gnarled oak, he was transformed: "juicy young leaves made their way through the hundred-year-old hard bark without knots." “No, life is not over at thirty-one,” Prince Andrei decides; he goes to St. Petersburg to "take an active part in life."
In St. Petersburg, Bolkonsky becomes close to Speransky, the state secretary, an energetic reformer close to the emperor. For Speransky, Prince Andrei feels a feeling of admiration, "similar to the one he once felt for Bonaparte." The prince becomes a member of the commission for drafting the military regulations. At this time, Pierre Bezukhov also lives in St. Petersburg - he became disillusioned with Freemasonry, reconciled (outwardly) with his wife Helen; in the eyes of the world, he is an eccentric and kind fellow, but in his soul "the hard work of inner development" continues.
The Rostovs also end up in St. Petersburg, because the old count, wanting to improve his money matters, comes to the capital to look for places of service. Berg proposes to Vera and marries her. Boris Drubetskoy, already close person in the salon of Countess Helen Bezukhova, begins to go to the Rostovs, unable to resist the charm of Natasha; in a conversation with her mother, Natasha admits that she is not in love with Boris and is not going to marry him, but she likes that he travels. The countess spoke with Drubetskoy, and he stopped visiting the Rostovs.
On New Year's Eve there should be a ball at the Catherine's grandee. The Rostovs are carefully preparing for the ball; at the ball itself, Natasha experiences fear and timidity, delight and excitement. Prince Andrei invites her to dance, and "the wine of her charms hit him in the head": after the ball, his work in the commission, the speech of the sovereign in the Council, and the activities of Speransky seem insignificant to him. He proposes to Natasha, and the Rostovs accept him, but according to the condition set by the old prince Bolkonsky, the wedding can take place only after a year. This year Bolkonsky is going abroad.

]. And in the new reign, although he was allowed to enter the capitals, he also continued to live in the countryside without a break, saying that if anyone needs him, then he will reach a hundred and fifty miles from Moscow to Lysy Gory, and that he does not need anyone and nothing . He said that there are only two sources of human vices: idleness and superstition, and that there are only two virtues: activity and intelligence. He himself was engaged in the education of his daughter and, in order to develop in her both main virtues, gave her lessons in algebra and geometry and distributed her whole life in uninterrupted studies. He himself was constantly busy either writing his memoirs, or calculations from higher mathematics, or turning snuff boxes on a machine tool, or working in the garden and observing the buildings that did not stop on his estate. Since the main condition for activity is order, order in his way of life was brought to the highest degree of accuracy. His exits to the table were made under the same constant conditions, and not only at the same hour, but also at the minute. With the people around him, from his daughter to his servants, the prince was harsh and invariably demanding, and therefore, without being cruel, he aroused fear and respect for himself, which the most cruel person could not easily achieve. Despite the fact that he was retired and now had no importance in public affairs, each head of the province where the prince's estate was, considered it his duty to come to him and, just like an architect, a gardener or Princess Mary, waited for the appointed hour for the prince to leave in a high waiter's room. And everyone in this waiter's room experienced the same feeling of respect and even fear, while the enormously high door of the study was opened and the low figure of an old man with small dry hands and gray hanging eyebrows, sometimes, as he frowning, obscured the shine of intelligent and young sparkling eyes.

On the day of the arrival of the young, in the morning, as usual, Princess Mary at the appointed hour entered the waiter's room for a morning greeting and crossed herself with fear and recited a prayer inwardly. Every day she came in and every day she prayed that this daily meeting would go well.

The powdered old servant who was sitting in the waiter's room quietly stood up and announced in a whisper: "You're welcome."

From behind the door came the steady sounds of the machine. The princess timidly pulled at the lightly and smoothly opening door and stopped at the entrance. The prince worked at the machine and, looking around, continued his work.

The huge office was filled with things, obviously, incessantly used. A large table on which lay books and plans, high glass cabinets of the library with keys in the doors, a high table for writing in a standing position, on which lay an open notebook, a lathe, with tools laid out and shavings scattered around - everything showed a constant, varied and orderly activities. From the movements of a small foot, shod in a Tatar, embroidered with silver, boot, from the firm overlay of a sinewy, lean hand, the stubborn and enduring strength of fresh old age was visible in the prince. Having made several circles, he took his foot off the pedal of the machine, wiped the chisel, threw it into a leather pocket attached to the machine, and, going up to the table, called his daughter. He never blessed his children, and only, offering her a bristly, not yet shaved cheek today, said, sternly and at the same time attentively-gently examining her:

Healthy?.. well, sit down!

He took a geometry notebook, written in his own hand, and moved his chair with his foot.

For tomorrow! he said, quickly looking for a page and marking from paragraph to next with a hard fingernail.

The princess bent down to the table over the notebook.

Wait, the letter is for you,” the old man suddenly said, taking out an envelope, inscribed with a woman’s hand, from a pocket attached above the table, and throwing it on the table.

The princess's face was covered with red spots at the sight of the letter. She took it hastily and leaned close to him.

Here is another Key of the Mystery that your Eloise sends to you. Religious. And I don't interfere with anyone's faith... I looked it over. Take it. Well, go, go!

He patted her on the shoulder and locked the door behind her.

Princess Mary returned to her room with a sad, frightened expression, which rarely left her and made her ugly, sickly face even more ugly, sat down at her desk, lined with miniature portraits and littered with notebooks and books. The princess was as disorderly as her father was decent. She put down her geometry notebook and eagerly opened the letter. The letter was from the closest childhood friend of the princess; this friend was the same Julie Karagina, who was at the name day of the Rostovs.

The princess thought, smiled thoughtfully (and her face, lit up by radiant eyes, was completely transformed), and, suddenly rising, stepping heavily, went over to the table. She took out a piece of paper, and her hand quickly began to walk over it. This is what she wrote in response:
“Chère et excellente amie. Votre lettre du 13 m "a causé une grande joie. Vous m" aimez donc toujours, ma poétique Julie. L "absence dont vous dites tant de mal, n" a donc pas eu son influence habituelle sur vous. vous vous plaignez de l "absence - que devrai-je dire moi si j" osais me plaindre, privée de tous ceux qui me sont chers? Ah! si nous n "avions pas la religion pour nous consoler, la vie serait bien triste. Pourquoi me supposez-vous un regard sévère quand vous me partez de votre affection pour le jeune homme? Sous ce rapport je ne suis rigide que pour moi. Je comprends ces sentiments chez les autres et si je ne puis approuver ne les ayant jamais ressentis, je ne les condamne pas. Il me paraît seulement que l "amour chrétien, l" amour du prochain, l "amour pour ses ennemis est plus méritoire, plus doux et plus beau, que ne le sont les sentiments que peuvent inspirer les beaux yeux d "un jeune homme à une jeune fille poétique et aimante comme vous. La nouvelle de la mort du comte Bezukhov nous est par-venue avant votre lettre, et mon père en a été très affecté. Il dit que c "était l" avant-dernier représentant du grand siècle, et qu "à présent c" est son tour; mais qu "il fera son possible pour que son tour vienne le plus tard possible. Que Dieu nous garde de ce terrible malheur! Je ne puis partager votre opinion sur Pierre que j "ai connu enfant. Il me paraissait toujours avoir un cur excellent, et c" est la qualité que j "estime le plus dans les gens. Quant à son héritage et au rôle qu" y a joué le prince Basile, c "est bien triste pour tous les deux. Ah! chère amie, la parole de Notre Divin Sauveur qu" il est plus aisé à un chameau de passer par le trou d "une aiguille, qu" il ne l "est à un riche d" entrer dans le royaume de Dieu, cette parole est terriblement vraie; je plains le prince Basile et je regrette encore davantage Pierre. Si jeune et accablé de cette richesse, que de tentations n "aura-t-il pas à subir! Si on me demandait ce que je désirerais le plus au monde, ce serait d" être plus pauvre que le plus pauvre des mendiants. Mille grâces, chère amie, pour l "ouvrage que vous m" envoyez, et qui fait si grande fureur chez vous. Cependant, puisque vous me dites qu "au milieu de plusieurs bonnes choses il y en a d" autres que la faible conception humaine ne peut atteindre, il me paraît assez inutile de s "occuper d" une lecture intelligible qui par là même ne pourrait être d "aucun fruit. Je n" ai jamais pu comprendre la passion qu "ont certaines personnes de s" embrouiller l "entendement en s" attachchant à des livres mystiques, qui n "élèvent que des doutes dans leurs esprits, exaltent leur imagination et leur donnent un caractère d "exagération tout à fait contraire à la simplicité chrétienne. Lisons les apôtres et l "Evangile. Ne cherchons pas à pénétrer ce que ceux-là renferment de mysterieux, car comment oserions-nous, misérables pécheurs que nous sommes, prétendre à nous initier dans les secrets terribles et sacrés de la providence, tant que nous portons cette dépouille charnelle, qui élève entre nous et l "éternel un voile impénétrable? Bornons-nous donc à étudier les principes sublimes que Notre Divin Sauveur nous a laissé pour notre conduite ici-bas; cherchons à nous y conformer et à les suivre, persuadons-nous que moins nous donnons d "essor à notre faible esprit humain et plus il est agréable à Dieu, qui rejette toute science ne venant pas de lui; que moins nous cherchons à approfondir ce qu "il lui a plu de dérober à notre connaissance, et plutôt il nous en accordera la découverte par son divin esprit.
Mon père ne m "a pas parlé du prétendant, mais il m" a dit seulement qu "il a reçu une lettre et attendait une visite du prince Basile. Pour ce qui est du projet de mariage qui me regarde, je vous dirai, chère et excellente amie, que le mariage selon moi, est une institution divine à laquelle il faut se conformer. Quelque pénible que cela soit pour moi, si le Tout-Puissant m "impose jamais les devoirs d"épouse et de mère, je tâcherai de les remplir aussi fidèlement que je le pourrai, sans m"inquiéter de l"examen de mes sentiments à l"égard de celui qu"il me donnera pour époux.
J "ai reçu une lettre de mon frère qui m" annonce son arrivée à Bald Mountains avec sa femme. Ce sera une joie de courte durée, puisqu "il nous quitte pour prendre part à cette malheureuse guerre, à laquelle nous sommes entraînés Dieu sait comment et pourquoi. Non seulement chez vous, au center des affaires et du monde, on ne parle que de guerre, mais ici, au milieu de ces travaux champêtres et de ce calme de la nature que les citadins se représentent ordinairement à la campagne, les bruits de la guerre se font entendre et sentir péniblement. auxquelles je ne comprends rien; et avant-hier en faisant ma promenade habituelle dans la rue du village, je fus témoin d "une scène déchirante... C"était un convoi des recrues enrôlés chez nous et expédiés pour l"armée. Il fallait voir l"état dans lequel se trouvaient les mères, les femmes, les enfants des hommes qui partaient et entendre les sanglots des uns et des autres! On dirait que l"humanité à oublié les lois de Son Divin Sauveur qui prêchait l" amour et le pardon des offenses, et qu "elle fait consister son plus grand mérite dans l" art de s "entre-tuer.
Adieu, chere et bonne amie, que Notre Divin Sauveur et sa très Sainte Mère vous aient en leur sainte et puissante garde. Marie"

The princess glanced at her watch and, noticing that she had already missed five minutes of the time that she was supposed to use for playing the clavichord, went into the sofa room with a frightened look. Between twelve and two o'clock, in accordance with the routine of the day, the prince rested, and the princess played the clavichord.

Prince Andrei followed her with a courteous and melancholy expression.

You have grown old, Tikhon, - he said, passing, to the old man, who was kissing his hand.

In front of a room in which the clavichords were heard, a pretty blond Frenchwoman jumped out of a side door. Mademoiselle Bourienne seemed maddened with delight.

Non, non, de grâce ... Vous êtes mademoiselle Bourienne, je vous connais déjà par l "amitié que vous porte ma belle-soeur," said the princess, kissing her. "Elle ne nous attend pas!"

They went up to the door of the divan, from which a repeated passage was heard again and again. Prince Andrei stopped and grimaced, as if expecting something unpleasant.

The princess entered. The passage broke off in the middle; there was a cry, the heavy feet of Princess Marya, and the sound of kisses. When Prince Andrei entered, the princess and princess, who had only seen each other for a short time during the wedding of Prince Andrei, clasped their hands, tightly pressing their lips to the places they had hit in the first minute. Mademoiselle Bourienne stood beside them, her hands pressed to her heart, smiling devoutly, apparently as ready to cry as to laugh. Prince Andrei shrugged his shoulders and grimaced, as music lovers frown when they hear a false note. Both women released each other; then again, as if afraid of being late, they grabbed each other's hands, began to kiss and tear off their hands, and then again began to kiss each other on the face, and quite unexpectedly for Prince Andrei, both began to cry and began to kiss again. Mademoiselle Bourienne also began to cry. Prince Andrei was obviously embarrassed; but it seemed so natural to the two women that they wept; they did not seem to imagine that this meeting could have taken place otherwise.

Il m "abandonne ici, et Dieu sait pourquoi, quand il aurait pu avoir de l" advancement ...

Princess Mary did not listen to the end and, continuing the thread of her thoughts, she turned to her daughter-in-law, pointing with affectionate eyes at her stomach?

Maybe? - she said.

The face of the princess changed. She sighed.

Yes, probably, she said. - Ah! It's very scary...

Lisa's lips drooped. She brought her face close to that of her sister-in-law, and suddenly burst into tears again.

She needs to rest, - said Prince Andrei, grimacing. Isn't it, Lisa? Take her to you, and I will go to the father. What is he, all the same?

Same, same; I don’t know about your eyes,” the princess answered joyfully.

And the same hours and walks along the alleys? Machine? asked Prince Andrei with a barely perceptible smile, showing that, despite all his love and respect for his father, he understood his weaknesses.

The same watch and machine, still mathematics and my geometry lessons, ”Princess Marya joyfully answered, as if her geometry lessons were one of the most joyful impressions of her life.

When the twenty minutes that were needed for the time for the old prince to get up had passed, Tikhon came to call the young prince to his father. The old man made an exception in his way of life in honor of the arrival of his son: he ordered to let him into his half while dressing before dinner. The prince walked in the old way, in a caftan and powder. And while Prince Andrei (not with that peevish expression and manners that he put on himself in the living rooms, but with that animated face that he had when he talked with Pierre) was entering his father, the old man was sitting in the dressing room on a wide, morocco upholstered armchair, wearing a powder, leaving his head in Tikhon's hands.

BUT! Warrior! Do you want to conquer Bonaparte? - said the old man and shook his powdered head as much as this braided braid, which was in the hands of Tikhon, allowed. - Accept at least you are good for him, otherwise he will soon write us down as his subjects. Great! And he stuck out his cheek.

The old man was in good location spirit after an afternoon nap. (He said that after dinner there was a silver dream, and before dinner it was golden.) He joyfully looked at his son from under his thick overhanging eyebrows. Prince Andrei came up and kissed his father in the place indicated by him. He did not answer his father's favorite topic of conversation - bantering with the current military people, and especially Bonaparte.

Yes, I came to you, father, and with a pregnant wife, ”said Prince Andrei, following with animated and respectful eyes the movement of every feature of his father’s face. - How is your health?

Unhealthy, brother, there are only fools and lechers, and you know me: busy from morning to evening, abstemious, well, healthy.

Thank God, - said the son, smiling.

God has nothing to do with it. Well, tell me, - he continued, returning to his favorite horse, - how the Germans taught you to fight Bonaparte according to your new science, called strategy, taught.

Prince Andrew smiled.

Let me come to my senses, father, ”he said with a smile, showing that his father’s weaknesses did not prevent him from respecting and loving him. “Because I haven’t settled in yet.

You're lying, you're lying, the old man shouted, shaking his pigtail to see if it was tightly braided, and grabbing his son by the arm. - The house for your wife is ready. Princess Marya will bring her and show her, and talk from three boxes. It's their mother's business. I'm glad for her. Sit and tell. I understand the army of Mikhelson, Tolstoy too ... a one-time landing ... what will the southern army do? Prussia, neutrality... I know that. Austria what? - he said, getting up from his chair and walking around the room with Tikhon running around and handing out pieces of clothing. - Sweden what? How will Pomerania be crossed?

Prince Andrei, seeing the urgency of his father's demand, at first reluctantly, but then more and more animated and involuntarily in the middle of the story, out of habit, switching from Russian to French, began to outline the operational plan of the proposed campaign. He told how a 90,000-strong army was to threaten Prussia in order to bring it out of neutrality and draw it into the war, how part of these troops was to join the Swedish troops in Stralsund, how 222,000 Austrians, in conjunction with a hundred thousand Russians, were to act in Italy and on the Rhine, and how fifty thousand Russians and fifty thousand Englishmen would land at Naples, and how, as a result, an army of five hundred thousand different parties make an attack on the French. The old prince did not show the slightest interest in the story, as if he was not listening, and, continuing to dress as he went, unexpectedly interrupted him three times. Once he stopped him and shouted:

White! white!

This meant that Tikhon was not giving him the vest he wanted. Another time he stopped and asked:

And will she give birth soon? - and, shaking his head reproachfully, he said: - Not good! Go on, go on.

The third time, when Prince Andrei finished the description, the old man sang in a false and senile voice: "Malbrough s" en va-t-en guerre. Dieu sait quand revendra ".

The son just smiled.

I'm not saying that this was a plan that I approve, - said the son, - I just told you what is. Napoleon had already drawn up his plan no worse than this. Well, you didn't tell me anything new. - And the old man thoughtfully said to himself quickly: "Dieu sait quand revendra." - Go to the dining room.

Princess Mary could not understand the boldness of her brother's judgments and was preparing to object to him, when the expected steps were heard from the study: the prince entered quickly, cheerfully, as he always walked, as if deliberately with his hurried manner representing the opposite of the strict order of the house. At the same instant, the big clock struck two, and others echoed in a thin voice in the drawing-room. The prince stopped; from under thick drooping eyebrows, lively, shining, stern eyes looked around at everyone and stopped at the young princess. The young princess experienced at that time the feeling that the courtiers feel at the royal entrance, the feeling of fear and reverence that this old man aroused in all those close to him. He stroked the princess on the head and then, with an awkward movement, patted her on the back of the head.

I’m glad, I’m glad,” he said, and, still looking intently into her eyes, he quickly walked away and sat down in his place. - Sit down, sit down! Mikhail Ivanovich, sit down.

He showed his daughter-in-law a place beside him. The waiter pulled out a chair for her.

Go, go! - said the old man, looking at her rounded waist. - Hurry up, not good!

He laughed dryly, coldly, unpleasantly, as he always laughed - with one mouth, not with his eyes.

You have to walk, walk, as much as possible, as much as possible,” he said.

The little princess did not hear or did not want to hear his words. She was silent and seemed embarrassed. The prince asked her about her father, and the princess spoke and smiled. He asked her about common acquaintances: the princess became even more animated and began to talk, conveying to the prince bows and city gossip.

La comtesse Apraksine, la pauvre, a perdu son mari, et elle a pleuré les larmes de ses yeux, she said, becoming more and more animated.

As she revived, the prince looked at her more and more sternly, and suddenly, as if he had studied her enough and formed a clear idea about her, turned away from her and turned to Mikhail Ivanovich.

Well, Mikhail Ivanovich, our Buonaparte is having a hard time. How did Prince Andrei (he always called his son that in the third person) told me what forces were gathering on him! And you and I are all empty man considered.

Mikhail Ivanovich, who resolutely did not know when we had said such words about Bonaparte, but who understood that he was needed to enter into a favorite conversation, looked at the young prince in surprise, not knowing himself what would come of it.

He is a great tactician! - said the prince to his son, pointing to the architect.

And the conversation turned again to the war, about Bonaparte and the current generals and government people. The old prince, it seemed, was convinced not only that all the current leaders were boys who did not understand the ABCs of military and state affairs, and that Bonaparte was an insignificant Frenchman who had success only because there were no Potemkins and Suvorovs to oppose him; but he was even convinced that there were no political difficulties in Europe, there was no war, but there was some kind of puppet comedy that was played current people pretending to do the deed. Prince Andrei cheerfully endured his father's mockery of new people and with apparent joy called his father to a conversation and listened to him.

Oh, he is so kind! - said the princess.

She crossed herself, kissed the icon and handed it to Andrey.

Please, André, for me...

Beams of kind and timid light shone from her large eyes. These eyes illuminated the whole sickly, thin face and made it beautiful. The brother wanted to take the scapular, but she stopped him. Andrei understood, crossed himself and kissed the icon. His face was at the same time gentle (he was touched) and mocking.

She kissed him on the forehead and sat back down on the sofa. They were silent.

So I told you, André, be kind and generous, as you have always been. Don't judge Lise harshly, she began. - She is so sweet, so kind, and her position is very difficult now.

It seems I didn't say anything to you, Masha, so that I reproach my wife for anything or be dissatisfied with her. Why are you telling me all this?

Princess Mary blushed in spots and became silent, as if she felt guilty.

I didn't say anything to you, but you were already told. And it makes me sad.

Red spots appeared even more strongly on the forehead, neck and cheeks of Princess Marya. She wanted to say something and couldn't speak. The brother guessed right: the little princess cried after dinner, said that she foresaw an unfortunate birth, was afraid of them, and complained about her fate, her father-in-law and her husband. After crying, she fell asleep. Prince Andrei felt sorry for his sister.

Know one thing, Masha, I cannot reproach, have not reproached and will never reproach my wife for anything, and I myself cannot reproach myself with anything in relation to her; and it will always be so, in whatever circumstances I may be. But if you want to know the truth... you want to know if I'm happy? No. Is she happy? No. Why is this? Don't know...

Saying this, he stood up, went over to his sister, and, bending down, kissed her on the forehead. His beautiful eyes shone with an intelligent and kind, unaccustomed brilliance, but he looked not at his sister, but into the darkness of the open door, through her head.

Let's go to her, we must say goodbye! Or go alone, wake her up, and I'll come right now. Parsley! he called to the valet. - Come here, clean up. It's in the seat, it's on the right side.

Princess Marya got up and went to the door. She stopped.

Yes - is it! - said Prince Andrew. - Go, Masha, I'll be right back.

On the way to his sister's room, in the gallery that connected one house with another, Prince Andrei met a sweetly smiling m-lle Bourienne, for the third time that day with an enthusiastic and naive smile he came across in secluded passages.

Adieu, Marie," he said softly to his sister, kissed her hand on hand, and with quick steps left the room.

The princess was lying in an armchair, Mademoiselle Bourienne was rubbing her temples. Princess Mary, supporting her daughter-in-law, with tearful beautiful eyes, was still looking at the door through which Prince Andrei went out, and baptized him. From the study were heard, like shots, the often repeated angry sounds of the old man blowing his nose. As soon as Prince Andrei left, the door of the office quickly opened, and the stern figure of an old man in a white coat looked out.

Left? Well, good! - he said, looking angrily at the insensitive little princess, shook his head reproachfully and slammed the door.

Salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherrer

Salon A.P. Scherrer is a place where the cream of St. Petersburg society gathers. (26, 43) Among the guests of Anna Scherrer's salon are many central characters: Andrei Bolkonsky with his wife, Pierre Bezukhov, the Kuragin family, etc. . The meaning of her life lies in the maintenance of her salon.. One of the first guests she meets Prince Vasily Kuragin. Their conversation gradually moves from discussing the horrific actions of the Antichrist-Napoleon and secular gossip to intimate topics. Anna Pavlovna tells the prince that it would be nice to marry his son Anatole - "a restless fool." The woman immediately proposes a suitable candidate - her relative, Princess Bolkonskaya, who lives with a stingy but rich father. At the exit, an elderly lady approached Prince Vasily - Drubetskaya Anna Mikhailovna The woman, trying to use her former charm, asks the man to put her son Boris in the guard. During a conversation about politics, Pierre speaks of the revolution as a great cause, going against other guests who consider Napoleon's actions terrifying. The young man could not fully defend his opinion, but Andrei Bolkonsky supported him .. Guests gather in separate circles, where, as a rule, someone is in the center of attention, and Anna Pavlovna walks between them and pays special attention to the circle where the conversation fades. The lady has a sense of humor, intelligence, she presents new "faces" to her guests to make her evening more interesting: “this evening, Anna Pavlovna served her guests first the Viscount, then the Abbot, as something supernaturally refined.” "To be an enthusiast has become her social position." Different people visit the Scherer salon. Here Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. (61) He will soon go to fight Bonaparte. He is absolutely not interested in anything in Anna Pavlovna's drawing room and he comes there to accompany his wife, who cannot travel to the big world due to pregnancy, and attends small parties.

In the house of Count Bezukhov 366

A soulless selfish atmosphere reigns in the house of the dying Count Bezukhov. We see what is happening through the eyes of the naive Pierre. The young man does not understand what caused increased attention to his modest person, which worries his relatives, which causes scandals and even fights near his father's deathbed. Surrounding little worried about the state of the graph. It is important for them not to miss the chance to snatch a piece from a rich inheritance. Count Bezukhov had a sixth stroke, after which the doctors announced that there was no more hope for recovery - most likely, the patient would die at night. Prince Vasily learns from Princess Ekaterina Semyonovna that the letter in which the count asks to adopt Pierre is in the count's mosaic briefcase under the pillow. Pierre and Anna Mikhailovna arrive at Bezukhov's house. Heading to the dying man's room, Pierre does not understand why he is going there and why he should either appear in his father's chambers at all. During the unction of Count Vasily and Ekaterina quietly take away the briefcase with papers. Seeing the dying Bezukhov, Pierre finally realized how close his father was to death. In the waiting room, Anna Mikhailovna notices that the princess is hiding something and is trying to take Catherine's briefcase away. In the midst of a quarrel, the middle princess announced that the count had died. Everyone is upset by the death of Bezukhov. The next morning, Anna Mikhailovna tells Pierre that his father promised to help Boris and she hopes that the count's will will be fulfilled.

Name day at the Rostovs

Rostov celebrate mother's name day and youngest daughter- two Natalies. (175) Women gossip about the illness of Count Bezukhov and the behavior of his son Pierre. The young man got involved in a bad company: his last revelry led to the fact that Pierre was sent from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Women wonder who will become the heir to Bezukhov's wealth: (183) Pierre or the direct heir of the count - Prince Vasily. The old Count Rostov says that Nikolai, their eldest son, is going to leave the university and his parents, deciding to go to war with a friend. Nikolai replies that he really feels drawn to military service.

Natasha (195) ("black-eyed, with a big mouth, ugly, but lively girl, with her childish open shoulders"), accidentally seeing the kiss of Sonya (the count's niece) and Nikolai, calls Boris (Drubetskaya's son) and kisses him herself. Boris confesses his love to the girl, and they agree on a wedding when she turns 16. Faith(217), seeing cooing Sonya(204) with Nikolai and Natasha Boris(200), scolds that it is bad to run after a young man, tries in every possible way to offend young people. This upsets everyone, and they leave, but Vera is satisfied. Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya tells Rostova that Prince Vasily has placed her son in the guard, but she does not even have money for uniforms for her son. Drubetskaya hopes only for mercy godfather Boris - Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhov and decides to hang him right away. Anna Mikhailovna asks her son to "be nice as you can be" in relation to the count, but he believes that this will be like humiliation. Holiday at the Rostovs. While they are waiting for Natasha's godmother, Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, a sharp and straightforward woman, in Rostov's office, the cousin of Countess Shinshin and the selfish guards officer Berg argue about the advantages and benefits of serving in the cavalry over the infantry. Shinshin makes fun of Berg. Pierre arrived just before dinner, feels uncomfortable, sits in the middle of the living room, preventing the guests from walking, from embarrassment he cannot carry on a conversation, constantly looking out for someone in the crowd. At this time, everyone is evaluating how such a bumpkin could participate in an undertaking with a bear, which gossips gossiped about. At dinner, the men talked about the war with Napoleon and the manifesto by which this war was declared. The colonel claims that only thanks to the war can the security of the empire be preserved, Shinshin does not agree, then the colonel turns to Nikolai Rostov for support. The young man agrees with the opinion that “Russians must die or win,” but he understands the awkwardness of his remark.

In the estate of the Bolkonsky Bald Mountains

The estate of Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky - a strict man who considers the main human vices"idleness and superstition" was located in the Bald Mountains. He himself raised his daughter Marya and was demanding and harsh with everyone around him, so everyone was afraid of him and obeyed. Andrei Bolkonsky and his wife Lisa come to the estate to Nikolai Bolkonsky. Andrei tells his father about the upcoming military campaign, in response he meets with obvious discontent. Senior Bolkonsky is against Russia's desire to participate in the war. He believes that Bonaparte is "an insignificant Frenchman who was successful only because there were no more Potemkins and Suvorovs." Andrei does not agree with his father, because Napoleon is his ideal. Angry at his son's stubbornness, the old prince shouts to him to go to his Bonaparte. Andrei is preparing to leave. The man is tormented by mixed feelings. Marya, Andrey's sister, asks his brother to put on "an old icon of a savior with a black face in a silver chasuble on a silver chain of small work" and blesses him with the image. Andrey asks the old prince to take care of his wife Lisa. Nikolai Andreevich, although he seems strict, betrays the letter of recommendation to Kutuzov. At the same time, saying goodbye to his son, he is upset. After saying goodbye to Liza coldly, Andrey leaves.

Austerlitz plantation

Beginning of the Battle of Austerlitz. At 5 am, the movement of Russian columns began. There was a heavy fog and smoke from the fires, behind which it was not possible to see the people around and the direction. There is chaos in the movement. Due to the displacement of the Austrians to the right, there was a strong confusion. Kutuzov becomes the head of the 4th column and leads it .. Before the battle, the emperor asks Kutuzov why the battle has not yet begun, to which the old commander-in-chief replies: “That’s why I’m not starting, sir, because we are not at the parade and not on the Tsaritsyn Meadow.” Before the start of the battle, Bolkonsky is firmly convinced that "today was the day of his Toulon." Through the dissipating fog, the Russians see the French troops much closer than they expected, break the formation and flee from the enemy. Kutuzov orders them to be stopped and Prince Andrey runs forward, leading the battalion. On the right flank, commanded by Bagration, nothing starts at 9 o'clock, so the commander sends Rostov to the commanders-in-chief for an order to start hostilities. Rostov, advancing along the Russian front, does not believe that the enemy is already practically in their rear. Near the village of Pratsa, Rostov finds only upset crowds of Russians. Outside the village of Gostieradek, Rostov finally saw the sovereign, but did not dare to approach him. At this time, Captain Tol, seeing the pale Alexander, helps him cross the ditch, for which the emperor shakes his hand. Rostov regrets his indecision and goes to Kutuzov's headquarters. At five o'clock in the battle of Austerlitz, the Russians lost on all counts. Russians retreat. At the dam, Augesta, they are overtaken by the artillery cannonade of the French. The soldiers are trying to advance by walking over the dead. Dolokhov jumps from the dam onto the ice, others run after him, but the ice does not hold up, everyone drowns. The wounded Bolkonsky lies on the Pratsensky mountain, bleeding, and without noticing it, groans softly, falls into oblivion in the evening. Waking up from a burning pain, he again felt alive, thinking that "he knew nothing until now." Suddenly, the clatter of the approaching French is heard, among them Napoleon. Bonaparte praises his soldiers, looking at the dead and wounded. Seeing Bolkonsky, he says that his death is beautiful, while for Andrei all this did not matter: “He burned his head; he felt that he was bleeding, and he saw above him a distant, lofty and eternal sky. He knew that it was Napoleon - his hero, but at that moment Napoleon seemed so small to him, insignificant person in comparison with what was now happening between his soul and this high, endless sky with clouds running across it. Bonaparte notices that Bolkonsky is alive and orders him to be taken to the dressing station. West and other wounded, the man remains in the care of the local population. In delirium, he sees quiet pictures of life and happiness in the Bald Mountains, which little Napoleon destroys. The doctor claims that Bolkonsky's delirium will end rather death than recovery.

Andrey Ranchin

Andrei Mikhailovich Ranchin (1964) - historian of Russian literature; doctor philological sciences, lecturer at the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University.

Symbolism in War and Peace

From the experience of commenting

The following notes are written on the basis of my commentary on "War and Peace" by L.N. Tolstoy (Tolstoy L.N. Collected works: In 8 vols. M .: Astrel. Vol. 2–3, in press). The subject of interpretation is some symbolic elements in the book, mostly implicit or “opaque” in their meaning.

Bald Mountains: to the symbolic meaning of toponymy in "War and Peace"

The name "Bald Mountains" is very expressive and unusual. Recently, on the pages of the newspaper "Literature" E.Yu. Poltavets proposed an interpretation of the name of the Bolkonsky estate as symbolic; in her opinion, the Bald Mountains are associated with Mount Golgotha ​​(in fact, this name means “skull”, “frontal place”), on which Christ was crucified. Bald Mountains are endowed with the meaning of sacred space. This name indicates the “Christlikeness” of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky as a martyr: Prince Andrei, who does not escape from a grenade on the Borodino field and sacrifices himself, is like Christ voluntarily accepting death on the cross. The sacred halo of the Bald Mountains appears, according to E.Yu. Poltavets, and in the image of the estate as a shelter for "God's people": Princess Mary constantly welcomes wanderers, holy fools in the Bald Mountains. Finally, according to the researcher, the Bald Mountains are a kind of symbolic replacement for the holy city of Kyiv. After all, some of the wanderers made a pilgrimage to Kyiv (to the Kyiv saints mountains, according to chronicle legend, blessed by the apostle Andrey); one of the wanderers welcomed by Princess Mary is called Fedoseyushka (Feodosia), and this name recalls the great Kiev saint Theodosius of the Caves. E.Yu. Poltavat drew attention to the coincidence of the word The mountains in the name of the estate and the mountains as a symbolically meaningful element of Kyiv topography in early ancient Russian literature; The namesake of Prince Andrei and the Apostle Andrei did not pass her attention either. All this, according to the researcher, are signs of correlation between Lysy Gory and Kyiv ( Poltavets E. Mountain, head and cave in "The Captain's Daughter" by A.S. Pushkin and "War and Peace" L.N. Tolstoy // Literature. 2004. No. 10).

The idea of ​​the presence in the text of "War and Peace" of deep symbolic structures, which E.Yu. Poltavets, no doubt, but her interpretation, I believe, is doubtful.

First of all, the correlation of the mortal wound of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky with the death on the cross, the sacrifice of Christ, hardly exists. (This correlation is described in detail in another article by E.Yu. Poltavets: Poltavets E.“Unresolved, hanging question…”: Why Andrei Bolkonsky died // Literature. 2002. No. 29.)

E.Yu. Poltavets interprets the death and even injury of Prince Andrei as a free sacrifice in imitation of Christ, like the death of the holy martyr, passion-bearer, drawing a parallel with the ancestor of the princes Volkonsky(and maternal ancestor of L.N. Tolstoy) Saint Michael Vsevolodovich, Prince of Chernigov, who was killed on the orders of Batu Khan in 1245 or 1246 for refusing to perform pagan cleansing rites, the execution of which the prince perceived as a renunciation of Christ. Prince Andrei, the researcher claims, allegedly stands on the Borodino field under fire French artillery and does not hide from a grenade, driven by sacrificial urges.

Such an interpretation contradicts the text of War and Peace. Firstly, there is nothing exceptional in the wounding of Colonel Bolkonsky: the regiment of Prince Andrei is in reserve at the Semyonovsky ravine, on the line of Russian positions, which was really subjected to heavy artillery fire. In the description of the shelling to which the regiment of Prince Andrei is subjected, it is reflected real event Battle of Borodino - the shelling of the Guards Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments, who were in reserve, in the second line of Russian defense: “On the Borodino field, Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky shelves were placed in reserve behind the Raevsky battery. They stood under fire first from enemy artillery, and then from infantry for 14 hours and passed this test "steadily, with the imperturbable composure that elite troops should have had."

This episode is described by L.N. Tolstoy in the novel "War and Peace" Lapin Vl. Semenovskaya history: October 16–18, 1820. L., 1991. P. 25. The diary of P.S. Pushchino: Pushkin P. A diary. 1812–1814 L., 1987. S. 60).

Secondly, the reluctance of Prince Andrei to hide from a grenade is a consequence of pride, it is motivated by officer honor.

“- Lie down,” shouted the voice of the adjutant, who lay down on the ground. Prince Andrew stood in indecision. “Is this death? - thought Prince Andrei, looking with a completely new, envious look at the grass, at the wormwood and at the wisp of smoke curling from the spinning black ball. “I can’t, I don’t want to die, I love life, I love this grass, earth, air ...” He thought this and at the same time remembered that they were looking at him.

Shame on you, officer! - he said to the adjutant ”(vol. 3, part 2, ch. XXXVI. - The text of “War and Peace” is quoted from the edition: Tolstoy L.N. Sobr. cit.: In 22 t. M., 1980.)

The natural attachment to life and the fear of death struggle in the soul of Prince Andrei with the idea of ​​​​honor, with pride - a feeling, in the main, after all, according to Tolstoy, false - with that feeling that drives Napoleon and his ilk, with that feeling, the vanity of which Bolkonsky once comprehended on the field of Austerlitz. Under Borodin, Prince Andrei did not want to die. The "will to die" was revealed in his soul later, already in the days of his illness. At the same time, the situation of the battle excluded the possibility of “spectacularly heroic” behavior, as under Austerlitz: one had to “simply” stand under the fire of enemy artillery, but this “standing” is incredibly far - in the case of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky - from the act of a martyr who becomes a “free victim” in imitation of Christ.

And, finally, the feelings that nestled in the soul of Bolkonsky before the battle are far from Christian equanimity, from forgiveness, from detachment from the world and its temptations - from that state of mind that should be inherent in a martyr-passion-bearer. He does not believe in eternal life and on the eve of the battle he remarks: “But Princess Marya says that this is a test sent from above. What is this test for, when it no longer exists and will not exist? no one else will! He's gone!" (vol. 3, part 2, ch. XXIV). There is anger in Prince Andrei, which Pierre will later recall, fearing that Bolkonsky had died in such an unkind state of mind. Prince Andrei, in a completely un-Christian way, declares that he would not take prisoners, and admits that “lately it has become difficult for me to live. I see that I began to understand too much. And it is not good for a man to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…” (vol. 3, part 2, ch. XXV). And most importantly, “no matter how Prince Andrei changes, he cannot get rid of disgust for life” ( Bocharov S.G. L. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" // War because of "War and Peace": Roman L.N. Tolstoy in Russian criticism and literary criticism. SPb., 2002, p. 415). And this feeling is not Christian.

Knowledge of the futility of one's own life and life in general, which is revealed to Prince Andrei on the eve of Borodin, is graceless knowledge. It is no coincidence that he mentions the knowledge received by Adam and Eve in violation of the commandment of God not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; the serpent - the devil inspired them to eat from this tree (Gen. 2, 17; 3, 1-24). Life now for Bolkonsky is not seen “through glass and under artificial lighting” of a magic vision lantern, but “badly painted pictures” (vol. 3, part 2, ch. XXIV). He doesn't just give up on “fame, the public good, the love of a woman” (“And it's all so simple, pale and rough in the cold glare of that morning that I feel is rising for me”); he turns away both from life and from its eternal source. After being wounded, at the gates of death, he will really comprehend the highest, otherworldly meaning of being - but it will be another Prince Andrei: dependent on this life, he was no longer afraid of death and did not think about it” (vol. 4, part 1, ch. XVI).

The wise Kutuzov characterizes the path of Prince Andrei: “I know that your path is the path of honor” (vol. 3, part 2, ch. XVI), and in this definition there is nothing from martyrdom in imitation of Christ. Saying these words, Kutuzov does not accidentally recall the heroic impulse of Prince Andrei in the battle of Austerlitz, and Bolkonsky is a reminder happily: “I remember you from Austerlitz ... I remember, I remember, I remember with the banner,” said Kutuzov, and joyful color rushed into the face of Prince Andrei at this memory<…>Although Prince Andrei knew that Kutuzov was weak in tears and that he now especially caresses him and pities him because of the desire to show sympathy for his loss, Prince Andrei was both joyful and flattering in this memory of Austerlitz.

But the Austerlitz feat of Prince Andrei is assessed by the author of "War and Peace" as a false act, not involved in the eternal, higher meaning of the act.

And the Bald Mountains in "War and Peace" are not a place where holiness is concentrated and overabundant. Life in the Bald Mountains is far from righteousness, full of hidden ill will and irritation. The attitude of the old prince towards the household is indicative (by the way, the retired general-in-chief responds mockingly and contemptuously about the religiosity of his daughter). Living in the Bald Mountains is not only a temptation, but also a sin: this is the connection of the old prince with Mademoiselle Bourienne. Of course, behind the irritation and cruel mockery of Prince Nikolai Andreevich, there is a love that manifests itself in relation to his daughter before his death, but one way or another, Bald Mountains is by no means a holy place.

If they can be somehow correlated with Golgotha, then in this case they can also be associated with Bald Mountain as a place of a witches' gathering. The place of the witches' sabbath was reputed “in Russia, Lysaya Gora near Kyiv. However, the Bald Mountains have the same bad reputation in other Slavic lands <…>And the mythologists of the elemental school with A.N. Afanasiev, at the head, they believe that “the Bald Mountain, on which, together with Baba Yaga and unclean spirits, sorcerers and witches gather, there is a bright, cloudless sky” ( Amfiteatrov A.V. Devil // Orlov M.N. The story of man's dealings with the devil. M., 1992. S. 256).

Associations with a clear sky can also be characteristic of the name Bald Mountains by Tolstoy (cf. the sky contemplated by Prince Andrei at Austerlitz).

Name Bald Mountains, like the name of the Rostov estate Otradnoe, indeed, deeply non-random, but its meaning is at least ambiguous. The phrase "Bald Mountains" is associated with infertility ( bald) and with an exaltation in pride ( the mountains, high place). Both the old prince and Prince Andrei are distinguished by their rationality of consciousness (according to Tolstoy, spiritually unfruitful, in contrast to the natural simplicity of Pierre and the truth of intuition, characteristic of Natasha Rostova), and pride. Besides, Bald Mountains, apparently, a kind of transformation of the name of the Tolstoy estate Yasnaya Polyana: Bald (open, unshaded) - Clear; Mountains - Polyana (and in contrast “high place - lowland”). As you know, the description of life in the Bald Mountains (and in Otradnoye) is inspired by the impressions of Yasnaya Polyana family life.

Titus, mushrooms, beekeeper, Natasha

On the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz, “in the courtyard of Kutuzov, the voices of orderly packing were heard; one voice, probably a coachman, teasing the old Kutuzov cook, whom Prince Andrei knew and whose name was Tit, said: “Tit, and Tit?”

Well, the old man replied.

Titus, go thresh, said the joker.

“And yet I love and cherish only the triumph over all of them, I cherish this mysterious power and glory, which is hovering over me in this fog!” (vol. 1, part 3, ch. XIII).

The teasing, “automatically” repeated remark of the coachman, a question that does not require an answer, expresses and emphasizes the absurdity and uselessness of the war. Groundless and “vague” (the mention of fog is very significant) dreams of Prince Andrei contrast with it. This remark is repeated a little lower, in chapter XVIII, which describes the retreat of the Russian army after the Austerlitz rout:

“- Tit, and Tit! - said the bereytor.

What? the old man replied absentmindedly.

Titus! Start threshing.

Eh, fool, ugh! - angrily spitting, said the old man. Several minutes of silent movement passed, and the same joke was repeated again.

The name “Titus” is symbolic: Saint Titus, whose feast falls on August 25 of the old style, was associated in popular beliefs with threshing (threshing was in full swing at this time) and with mushrooms. Threshing in folk poetry and in the Tale of Igor's Campaign is a metaphor for war; mushrooms in mythological representations are associated with death, with war and with the god of war, Perun. (See about the mythological significance of St. Titus: Kondratieva T.N. About Titah, Titah Titych and Titov's children // Russian speech. 1970. No. 1. S. 78–81; Toporov V.N. Semantics of mythological ideas about mushrooms // Toporov V.N. Studies in etymology and semantics. M., 2004. T. 1. Theory and some of its particular applications. S. 768; cf.: 760-761, 772-774.)

The annoyingly repeated mention of the name Titus, associated with the nonsense of the unnecessary and incomprehensible war of 1805, contrasts with the heroic, sublime sound of the same name in the verses glorifying Alexander I “Glorify the tacos of Alexander for a century // And protect us Titus on the throne” from the ode of the poet and playwright N .P. Nikolev (description of a gala dinner in the Moscow English club, given in honor of Bagration - vol. 2, part 1, ch. III). Titus from the Nicholas ode is the Roman emperor, the famous commander Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian.

The name of Titus does not appear again in War and Peace, but once it is given in the subtext of the work. Before the battle of Borodino, Andrei Bolkonsky recalls how “Natasha, with a lively, excited face, told him how she got lost in a large forest last summer, going for mushrooms” (vol. 3, part 2, ch. XXV). In the forest she met an old beekeeper.

Prince Andrei's recollection of Natasha, who got lost in the forest, on the night before the battle of Borodino, on the eve of her possible death, is, of course, not accidental. Mushrooms are associated with the day of St. Titus, namely, the feast of St. Titus was the eve of the Battle of Borodino (August 26, old style) - one of the bloodiest wars with Napoleon in history. The mushroom harvest is associated with the huge losses of both armies in the Battle of Borodino and with the mortal wounding of Prince Andrei at Borodino. Mushrooms are associated in mythological representations with death, and tomorrow death will reap its harvest; mushrooms are also associated with war and - in the pagan tradition - with the god of war (among the Eastern Slavs with Perun).

The very day of the battle of Borodino was the day of the feast of St. Natalia. Mushrooms as a sign of death are implicitly opposed to Natasha as an image of a triumphant life (the Latin name Natalia means “giving birth”, and it is very eloquent that in the Epilogue Natasha is represented as a “fertile female”). The old beekeeper that Natasha meets in the forest also obviously represents the beginning of life, contrasting with the mushrooms and the darkness of the forest. In War and Peace, the “swarming” life of bees is a symbol of natural human life (cf., for example, the description of Moscow in Chapter XX, Part 3, Volume 3 of War and Peace). It is significant that “beekeeping is considered one of those that require moral purity and a righteous life before God” ( Maksimov S. A bag of bread. Unclean, unknown and cross power. Smolensk, 1995, p. 595).

The mushroom - but in a metaphorical sense - is found in the text of "War and Peace" a little later and again in the episode depicting Prince Andrei and Natasha. Natasha for the first time enters the room where the wounded Bolkonsky lies. “It was dark in this hut. In the back corner, by the bed, on which something was lying, on a bench stood a tallow candle burnt with a large mushroom” (vol. 3, part 3, ch. XXXI). The shape of the mushroom, the mention of the mushroom is also symbolic here; the mushroom is associated with death, with the world of the dead; soot in the form of a mushroom does not allow the light to spread: “It was dark in this hut.” Darkness is endowed with signs of non-existence, graves. It is no coincidence that it is said: “In the back corner, by the bed, on which something lay ...” - not somebody, a something, that is, Prince Andrei is described in the perception of Natasha, who still does not distinguish objects in the dark, as a body, as if a dead person. But then everything changes: “... the burnt mushroom of the candle fell off, and she clearly saw the lying<…>Prince Andrei, such as she always saw him. “As always” - that is, alive. The "mushroom" will obscure the light that is related to life. Significant, obviously, are the phonetic, sound associations between the words “mushroom” and “coffin”, and the similarity of the “mushroom” hat to the lid of the coffin. The candle is reminiscent of the candle from the gospel saying of Jesus Christ: “You are the light of the world<…>And having lighted a candle, they do not put it under a vessel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all in the house. So let your light shine before people, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Tolstoy, apparently, directly appeals to this saying when he mentions the “carry” on which there was a candle in the room in which Prince Andrei lay: this “carry” corresponds to a candle from the words of Christ.

Saint Nicholas of Myra, Nicholas Andreevich, Nicholas and Nikolenka

Several temples mentioned in "War and Peace" are dedicated to St. Nicholas (Nikolas) of Myra. Pierre, on his way to the Borodino field, descends along the road leading “past the cathedral standing on the mountain to the right, in which there was a service and the gospel” (vol. 3, part 2, ch. XX). This is the new Nikolsky Cathedral on the settlement of Mozhaisk, at the edge of the rampart (St. Nicholas of Myra - the heavenly patron of Mozhaisk). The cathedral was built in 1685 as a gate temple; Pierre should have seen it in a rebuilt form, but without the bell tower built in 1814: in 1802-1812, the old dilapidated church was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style by the architect A.N. Bakaryov. (See about this temple: Mokeev G.Ya. Mozhaisk is the holy city of Russians. M., 1992. S. 78–80. The temple has been preserved.

Tolstoy's mention of the Mozhaisk Nikolsky Cathedral is not accidental: Mozhaisk and its gate church were perceived as a symbolic gate of Moscow, Moscow land, and St. Nicholas - as the patron not only of Mozhaisk, but of the entire Russian land. According to Stendhal, a participant in the campaign against Russia, “it is not proclamations or awards that inspire Russian soldiers to fight, but the orders of the holy saint Nicholas” ( Stendhal. Life of Napoleon // Stendhal. Italian chronicles. Life of Napoleon. M., 1988. S. 444; per. from French A.Kulischer). The name of the saint, derived from the Greek word “victory” is also symbolic; the name “Nicholas” means “victor of peoples”, while the Napoleonic army consisted of soldiers of different peoples - “twelve languages” (twenty peoples). Twelve miles short of Mozhaisk, on the Borodino field, at the gates of Moscow, the Russians win a spiritual victory over Napoleon's army. Nicholas (Nikola) Mirlikisky was especially revered in Russia; among the common people, he could even be considered the fourth God besides the Trinity, the “Russian God”; see about it: Uspensky B.A. Philological research in the field of Slavic antiquities (Relics of paganism in the East Slavic cult of Nicholas of Myra). M., 1982. According to S.V. Maximov, “in general, St. Nikola enjoys great respect among the people for his love for the peasants and is revered as the eldest and closest saint to God ”( Maksimov S.V. A bag of bread. Unclean, unknown and cross power. S. 608). Platon Karataev, personifying the people's soul in War and Peace, prays, in addition to Florus and Laurus (Frola and Lavra), to Saint Nicholas (vol. 4, part 1, ch. XII).

When the French avant-garde entered Moscow, “near the middle of the Arbat, near Nikola Yavlenny, Murat stopped, waiting for news from the advance detachment about the state of the city fortress” Kremlin»” (vol. 3, part 3, ch. XXVI). The Church of St. Nicholas the Appeared here acts as a kind of symbolic replacement for the holy Kremlin, a milestone on the outskirts of it.

It is significant that Pierre Bezukhov, in order to carry out the assassination attempt on Napoleon (and he believes that he was chosen from above for this role), went “to Nicholas the Appeared, in whose imagination he had long ago determined the place where his deed should be committed” (i.e. 3, part 3, chapter XXXIII). The choice of location, of course, is not accidental. Pierre, as it were, is looking for heavenly protection, the help of St. Nicholas (Nikola).

Napoleonic troops and Russian prisoners leaving Moscow pass “past a church” desecrated by the French: a “corpse of a man” was placed upright near the fence<…>smeared in the face with soot” (vol. 4, part 1, ch. XIII). The unnamed church is the surviving temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Nicholas of Myra) in Khamovniki. The main building of the church was built in 1679–1682, one of the aisles, the refectory and the bell tower - in 1692, the second aisle - in 1757. Tolstoy does not name churches, but this mention was clear to every Muscovite. After all, "War and Peace" is a work addressed primarily to Muscovites, and not to Petersburgers. In "War and Peace" Moscow and St. Petersburg are not opposed to the benefit of the new capital. At the same time, St. Petersburg topographical realities are practically not mentioned in the book (the bathing of a policeman with a bear in the Fontanka is an exception). Meanwhile, Moscow realities, addresses are mentioned very often, and counting on a dedicated reader who knows them well. In addition to streets, boulevards and squares, these are, for example, Guryev's house (vol. 1, part 3, ch. XIII), Yusupov's house (the house of Prince N.B. Yusupov in Kharitonevsky lane - vol. 3, part 3, ch. XVI), the house of Prince Gruzinsky on the corner of Povarskaya (vol. 3, part 3, ch. XXXIV), the parish of the Assumption on Mogiltsy (vol. 2, part 5, ch. XII), the house church of the Razumovskys (Church of the Ascension on the Gorokhove field - vol. 3, part 1, chapter XVIII). In the case of the “Guryev House”, which Nikolai Rostov recalls in a half-asleep, being in flanker chain, Tolstoy, guided by his own perception of Moscow, obviously allows for a historical anachronism: Guryev’s house (“Gurievka”) was the name of a luxurious house built according to the project of M.F. Kazakov at the corner of Tverskaya and Maly Gnezdnikovsky lane for the Moscow commander-in-chief A.A. Prozorovsky after 1778 (probably in 1790-1795). It later belonged to Princess Golitsyna, then Kurakina; in the hands of the “rich landowner Guryev, who finally abandoned it”, the house ended up only in the 1840s and only from that time acquired the everyday name “Guryev’s house”. (Cm.: Gilyarovsky V.A. Moscow and Muscovites. M., 2002. S. 227.)

The image of the Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki is another example of an indication of the symbolic meaning of St. Nicholas (Nicholas) and the name “Nicholas” in “War and Peace”: St. Nicholas seems to be escorting the French out of Moscow, who defiled his temple.

The action of the Epilogue falls on "the eve of the winter St. Nicholas Day, December 5, 1820." The patronal feast in the Bald Mountains, where Tolstoy's favorite heroes gather, is the feast of St. Nicholas. According to B.I. Berman, the coincidence of the events of the Epilogue to this date is connected with the memory of Tolstoy's elder brother, who died early Nikolai:<…>and, most importantly, the thirty-year-old Tolstoy's sense of life undoubtedly developed under the influence of his beloved elder brother Nikolai Nikolayevich, whose bust Tolstoy always kept in front of him in Yasnaya Polyana's office. I don’t think that the action of the Epilogue of “War and Peace” accidentally coincided with Nikolai’s day on December 6, 1820” ( Berman B.I. Secret Tolstoy. M., 1992. S. 165). However, the psychological interpretation given by B.I. Berman, does not yet explain the function of this confinement in the context of the Epilogue itself. It is probably significant for Tolstoy that the Nikolshchina follows after the winter St. Nicholas day: in folk life, “this festival is always celebrated in a pool<…>Unlike others, this is a holiday for the old man, for Bolshak families and representatives of village and rural clans ”( Maksimov S.V. A bag of bread. Unclean, unknown and cross power. S. 669). By the winter Nikolin day, all the surviving representatives of the Rostov and Bolkonsky families and Pierre Bezukhov, the only recognized legitimate son of Count Bezukhov, gather together; together are the heads, the fathers of the families of the Rostovs - Bolkonsky (Nikolai) and Bezukhov - Rostovs (Pierre). From the older generation - the Countess of Rostov.

The name “Nikolai”, obviously, for Tolstoy is not only a “paternal” name (his father Nikolai Ilyich) and the name of his beloved brother Nikolenka, who died early, but also “victorious” - Nikolai was the name of Bolkonsky Sr., general-in-chief, who was still appreciated by Catherine’s commanders and the empress herself; Nikolenkaya is the name of the youngest of the Bolkonskys, who in the Epilogue dreams of a feat, of imitating the heroes of Plutarch. Nikolai Rostov became an honest and brave military man. The name "Nikolai" is, in a certain sense, "the most Russian name."

If they kill you, to me, an old man,

it will hurt ... And if I find out that you

behaved not like the son of Nicholas

Bolkonsky, I will be ... ashamed!

You could not say this

me, father.

L. N. Tolstoy

L. N. Tolstoy wrote that in Anna Karenina he loved “family thought”, and in “War and Peace” he loved “folk thought”. Nevertheless, the "family thought" is very convincing in "War and Peace". Throughout the epic, we are closely following the fate of different generations of the noble families of the Rostovs, Bolkonskys, Bezukhovs, and Kuragins. Tolstoy in his own way solves the problems of "fathers and sons", the family resemblance of people of the "same breed", despite their individual differences.

Especially good, significant and spiritually close, in my opinion, are the Bolkonskys, although many believe that the writer himself is closer to the Rostovs. One thing is indisputable: both of them embody the norms of life that Tolstoy considers natural, excluding falsehood and hypocrisy inherent in court circles.

Wherever the young Bolkonskys appear, an atmosphere of moral purity, high morality and decency reigns. That's how their father raised them. Who is he, a man nicknamed "the Prussian king", who lives without a break in his estate? The old prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, Catherine's grandee, general, was dismissed by the Empress's son Pavel and settled in his family estate. After the death of Paul, his son, Alexander I, allowed the exiled to return to the capital, but the proud prince Bolkonsky did not respond to the call of the new king. Later, his son, Andrei Nikolaevich, would also give up his court career, forever dropping himself in the eyes of the world.

The life of the old prince in the Bald Mountains is nothing like the life of rich nobles. “He said that there are only two sources of human vices: idleness and superstition, and that there are only two virtues: activity and intelligence.

Daughter and son have different attitudes to despotism, to the whims of their father: Princess Mary meekly obeys him, and Prince Andrei allows himself irony, but internally his father is very close to him. It is amazing that from the army the younger Bolkonsky writes to his father every day, he needs communication with this harsh, despotic, but understanding, most dear person in the world.

The old prince is the son of his age. His actions are contradictory, but always sincere, there is no pretense and falsehood in him. They are different, father, his son and daughter. But there are common family traits, traits of people of the “same breed”, which bring them very close and allow them to understand each other from a half-word, and sometimes even from a half-look. This is first of all permanent job thoughts, "the mind of the mind," as Tolstoy defined it; high demands on oneself and others; serious spiritual interests; decency in everything; inability and unwillingness to make moral compromises.

It is impossible to explain the scene of farewell of the old prince with his son, leaving for the front. One can only re-read it and be proud of people who know how to feel like that, love like that. And the word "friend" (or "darling"), uttered by already numb lips and addressed to her daughter in her dying moments! How much it told her, how it helped!

The Bolkonskys do not talk about love - they love. And if the words are spoken, then it is forever. If they are friends, they do not change friendship. For them, the concept of family honor is very important. Prince Andrei constantly remembers his responsibility for the family. But he is a man, a warrior ... But the courage and sense of responsibility of Princess Marya are truly amazing: “So that she, the daughter of Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, ask Mr. General Rameau to protect her and enjoy his blessings!” That thought alone terrified her! And she leaves the Bald Mountains.

The princess is sure: her father and brother would approve of her, and this adds to her strength. The war was cruel to the Bolkonsky family, but Princess Mary bears her suffering with dignity, does not change herself in anything. Probably, for this Tolstoy gives her love and family happiness. material from the site

1820... Eight years have passed since the death of Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky and the death of Prince Andrei. Much has changed in the Bald Mountains: the house, the garden, and the estate; new voices sounded, it became noisy and crowded. But the high spirituality, special nobility, "eternal spiritual tension" of Count Mary remained unchanged. Her "lofty moral world" has a beneficial effect on all family members, and we, readers, closing great book, with gratitude and admiration, we think about the ugly beautiful woman, in which her unbending, proud father and selfless brother continue to live - the Bolkonsky family lives.

And in one more person the life of this family will continue. Nikolenka Bolkons, who at the end of the novel is 15 years old. He is honest and knows how to think. Without knowing it, he lives in the high spirit of his loved ones. The memory of his father is sacred to him. "Father! Father! Yes, I will do what even he would be pleased with.” This is how Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky thinks... His path is a foregone conclusion - this is the honorable path of an honest Russian nobleman-patriot, a member of a beautiful, noble family.

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