The War & Peace Readalong: Week Seven

1) We seem to have a lot more War and a lot less Peace this week. How are you finding it?

It was rough - not because the reading was boring, but it was difficult to process all the tragedy and loss that occurred during book ten.  Deaths, burned villages, carts of wounded soldiers, abandoned homes, starvation, an amputation, cathartic confessions and compassionate forgiveness.  Also, Andrei needs a hug and a box of kittens. He's been through A LOT.

2) Do you feel you've learned anything about Russia, the Napoleonic Wars or the French Revolution from reading this novel?

I'm ashamed to say that I have a pretty weak knowledge of European history, so I did actually learn quite a bit about 1812 that I didn't know before. However, I am not surprised that history has been written and rewritten to justify follies and re-frame them as "new strategic measures" or "intentional spontaneity". Tolstoy is very eager to detract credit from Napoleon and take him down a notch. He attributes Napoleon's successes to coincidence rather than strategy.

Reading the War part of War & Peace was gut-wrenching because it reminded me of the terrible cost of war. In school, we learned about wars, toy soldiers and the strategic retreats from key villages. We would rarely dwell on the scorched fields, abandoned homes, and soldiers living in squalor and poverty.  Tolstoy draws a very stark contrast between the battlefield and the city by showcasing the finer things in life back in St. Petersburg,

3) How reasonable do you think Princess Marya was over the death of her father?

Marya's father was a brute, but at least he acknowledged Marya's dedication and faithfulness to him before he passed away. I'm hoping Marya finds happiness with Nikolai and her affections are reciprocated - she has just been through so much! What I'm squeamish about is her constant need for a savior.

4) What exactly was the point in Pierre hurrying off to war? Has anybody actually figured this out!? 

Pierre desperately wants to be a hero - if he can't jump into action, he'll at least finance it! (By the way, Dolokhov asking Pierre for forgiveness? Wow!)  I'm sure Tolstoy threw him into the battlefield to show us how quickly one can be shocked by the brutality of war after one has foolishly glorified for so long.

Please, Tolstoy, I want more Peace and less War in next week's reading, thaaaanks.