War and Peace text analysis. Psychological techniques used in the novel. Extended analysis of the novel "War and Peace

On the eve of the 60s, Leo Tolstoy's creative thought fought over the solution of the most significant problems of our time, directly related to the fate of the country and the people. At the same time, by the 60s, all the features of the art of the great writer, deeply "innovative in its essence. artist and ideologically prepared for the solution of new, more complex problems in the field of art.In the 60s began a period of wide epic creativity, marked by the creation of the greatest work of world literature - "War and Peace."

Tolstoy did not immediately arrive at the idea of ​​War and Peace. In one of the versions of the preface to War and Peace, the writer said that in 1856 he began to write a story, the hero of which was supposed to be a Decembrist returning with his family to Russia. However, no manuscripts, this story, no plans, no abstracts have survived; Tolstoy's diary and correspondence are also devoid of any mention of work on the story. In all likelihood, in 1856 the story was only conceived, but not begun.

The idea of ​​a work about the Decembrist revived again in Tolstoy's mind during his second trip abroad, when in December 1860 in Florence he met his distant relative, the Decembrist S.G. Volkonsky, who served partly as a prototype for the image of Labazov from the unfinished novel.

S. G. Volkonsky in his spiritual appearance resembled the figure of that Decembrist, which Tolstoy sketches in a letter to Herzen on March 26, 1861, shortly after meeting with him: “I started a novel about 4 months ago, the hero of which should be a returning Decembrist. I wanted to talk to you about this, but I didn’t have time. - My Decembrist must be an enthusiast, a mystic, a Christian, returning to Russia in 1956 with his wife, son and daughter and trying on his strict and somewhat ideal view of the new Russia. - Please tell me what you think about the decency and timeliness of such a story. Turgenev, to whom I read the beginning, liked the first chapters ”1.

Unfortunately, we do not know of Herzen's answer; apparently, it was meaningful and significant, since in the next letter, dated April 9, 1861, Tolstoy thanked Herzen for "good advice about the novel" 1 2.

The novel opened with a broad introduction, written in an acutely polemical plane. Tolstoy expressed his deeply negative attitude towards the liberal movement that unfolded in the first years of the reign of Alexander II.

In the novel, events unfolded exactly as Tolstoy reported in the above-quoted letter to Herzen. Labazov with his wife, daughter and son returns from exile to Moscow.

Pyotr Ivanovich Labazov was a good-natured, enthusiastic old man who had the weakness to see his neighbor in every person. The old man removes himself from active interference in life ("his wings have already become badly worn"), he is only going to contemplate the affairs of the young.

Nevertheless, his wife, Natalya Nikolaevna, who accomplished the "feat of love", followed her husband to Siberia, and spent many years of exile with him, believes in the youth of his soul. And indeed, if the old man is dreamy, enthusiastic, capable of getting carried away, then the youth are rational and practical. The novel remained unfinished, so it is difficult to judge how these so different characters would have developed.

Two years later, Tolstoy returned to work on the novel about the Decembrist, but, wanting to understand the socio-historical reasons for the Decembrist, the writer comes to 1812, to the events that preceded the Patriotic War. In the second half of October 1863 he wrote to AA Tolstoy: “I have never felt my mental and even all my moral powers so free and so capable of work. And I have this job. This work is a novel from the time of the 1810s and 20s, which has been occupying me completely since the fall. ... I am now a writer with all the strength of my soul, and I write and ponder, as I have never written or pondered ”.

However, for Tolstoy, much in the intended work remained unclear. Only in the fall of 1864 was the idea of ​​the novel clarified? and the boundaries of the historical narrative are defined. The writer's creative quest is captured in short and detailed synopses, as well as in numerous versions of introductions and beginnings of the novel. One of them, referring to the most original sketches, is titled “Three Pores. Part 1. 1812 ". At this time, Tolstoy still intended to write a novel-trilogy about the Decembrist, in which the year 1812 was supposed to constitute only the first part of an extensive work covering “three pores,” that is, 1812, 1825 and 1856. The action in the passage was timed to 1811 'and then changed to 1805. The writer had grand design depict in his multivolume work half a century of Russian history; he intended to "lead" many of his "heroines and heroes through the historical events of 1805, 1807, 1812, 1825 and 1856" 1. Soon, however, Tolstoy limits his plan, and after a series of new attempts to begin the novel, among which was "A Day in Moscow (name day in Moscow in 1808)," he finally sketches the beginning of a novel about the Decembrist Pyotr Kirillovich B., entitled " From 1805 to 1814. Novel of Count Leo Tolstoy, 1805, Part I, Chapter I ". There is still a trace of Tolstoy's extensive plan, but already from the trilogy about the Decembrist, the idea of ​​a historical novel from the era of the war between Russia and Napoleon, in which several parts were supposed, stood out. The first one, titled "One thousand eight hundred and fifth year", was published in No. 2 of "Russian Bulletin" for 1865.

Tolstoy later said that, “intending to write about the Decembrist who returned from Siberia, he first returned to the era of the December 14 riot, then to the childhood and youth of the people who participated in this case, was carried away by the war of 12 was in connection with 1805, then the whole composition began from that time "2.

By this time, Tolstoy's plan had become much more complicated. Historical material, exceptional in its richness, did not fit into the framework of a traditional historical novel.

Tolstoy, as a true innovator, seeks new literary forms and new pictorial means to express your intention. He argued that Russian artistic thought did not fit into the framework of the European novel, it was looking for a new form for itself.

Tolstoy was seized by such searches as the greatest representative of the Russian artistic thought... And if earlier he called "One thousand eight hundred and five" a novel, now he was worried by the thought that "writing would not fit any fbrma, no novel, no story, no poem, no history." Finally, after long torment, he decided to put aside "all these fears" and write only what "needs to be expressed," without giving the work "any name."

However, the historical concept immeasurably complicated the work on the novel in one more respect: there was a need for a deep study of new historical documents, memoirs, letters from the era of 1812. The writer seeks in these materials, first of all, such details and touches of the era that would help him historically and truthfully recreate the characters of the characters, the originality of the life of people at the beginning of the century. The writer used extensively, especially to recreate peaceful pictures of life at the beginning of the century, in addition to literary sources and handwritten materials, immediate oral stories eyewitnesses of 1812.

As we approached the description of the events of 1812, which aroused great creative excitement in Tolstoy, work on the novel proceeded at an accelerated pace.

The writer was full of hopes for an early completion of the novel. It seemed to him that he could finish the novel in 1866, but this did not happen. The reason for this was the further expansion and ". Deepening of the concept. The wide participation of the people in the Patriotic War demanded from the writer a new understanding of the nature of the entire war of 1812, sharpened his attention to the historical laws" governing "the development of mankind. -historical novel such as "One thousand eight hundred and fifth", as a result of ideological enrichment, at the final v stages of work, it turns into an epic of a huge historical scale.The writer widely introduces philosophical and historical reasoning into the novel, creates magnificent pictures people's war... He revises all the parts written so far, abruptly changes the original plan for its completion, makes corrections in the development lines of all the main characters, introduces new characters, gives the final title to his work: "War and Peace" 1. Preparing the novel for a separate edition in 1867, the writer revises whole chapters, throws out large chunks of text, and makes stylistic corrections “why,” according to Tolstoy, the work wins in all Relationships. * 2. He continues this work to improve the work in proofreading; in particular, the first part of the novel underwent significant reductions in galleys.

While working on the proofreads of the first parts, Tolstoy simultaneously continued to finish the novel and approached one of the central events of the entire war of 1812 - the Battle of Borodino. On September 25-26, 1867, the writer made a trip to the Borodino field in order to study the site of one of the greatest battles, which created a sharp turning point in the course of the entire war, and with the hope of meeting eyewitnesses of the Borodino battle. For two days he walked and drove around the Borodino field, made notes in notebook, drew a battle plan, was looking for the old contemporaries of the war of 1812.

During 1868, Tolstoy, along with historical and philosophical "digressions", wrote chapters on the role of the people in the war. The main merit in the expulsion of Napoleon from Russia belongs to the people. This conviction permeates the pictures of the people's war, magnificent in their expressiveness.

In assessing the war of 1812 as a people's war, Tolstoy agreed with the opinion of the most advanced people of both the historical era of 1812 and his time. To understand the popular character of the war against Napoleon Tolstoy, in particular, helped and some of the historical sources, which he used. F. Glinka, D. Davydov, N. Turgenev, A. Bestuzhev and others speak about the popular character of the war of 1812, about the greatest national upsurge in their letters, memoirs, notes. Denis Davydov, who, according to the correct definition of Tolstoy, "with his Russian instinct" was the first to understand the enormous significance of partisan warfare, in his "Diary of partisan actions of 1812" came out with a theoretical understanding of the principles of its organization and conduct.

Davydov's "Diary" was widely used by Tolstoy not only as material for creating pictures of the people's war, but also in its theoretical part.

The line of advanced contemporaries in assessing the nature of the war of 1812 was continued by Herzen, who wrote in his article "Russia" that Napoleon had raised a whole people against himself, which resolutely took up arms.

This historically correct assessment of the war of 1812 continued to be developed by the revolutionary democrats Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov.

Tolstoy, in his assessment of the people's war of 1812, which sharply contradicted all the official interpretations of it, relied to a large extent on the views of the Decembrists and was in many ways close to the statements of the revolutionary democrats about it.

Throughout 1868 and a significant part of 1869, the writer's intense work continued on completing War and Peace.

And only in the fall of 186'9, in the middle of October, he sends the last proofs of his work to the printing house. Tolstoy-khu-dogzhnik was a true ascetic. For the creation of War and Peace, he spent almost seven years of "incessant and exceptional work, with best conditions life "2. A huge number of rough sketches and options, in their volume surpassing the main text of the novel, dotted with corrections, additions of proofreading, rather eloquently testify to the colossal work of the writer, who tirelessly sought the most perfect ideological and artistic embodiment of his creative intention.

The readers of this work, unparalleled in the history of world literature, revealed an extraordinary wealth human images, unprecedented breadth of coverage of the phenomena of life, the deepest image major events in the history of the whole

people. , J

The pathos of "War and Peace" - in the affirmation of the great life-lover and great love Russian people to their homeland.

There are few works in literature that, in terms of the depth of ideological problems, the power of artistic expressiveness, the enormous socio-political resonance ^ and educational impact, could be close to Voya and the World. Hundreds of human images pass through the huge work, the paths of life of some touch and cross with the paths of life of others, but each image is unique, retains its inherent individuality. The events depicted in the novel begin in July 1805 and end in 1820. Diakhaadtat years of Russian history, full of events full of drama, are captured on the pages of J "War and Peace".

From the very first pages of the epic, Prince Andrei and his friend Pierre Bezukhov appear before the reader. Both of them have not yet finally determined their role in life, both have not found the work to which they are called to devote all their strength. Their life paths and searches are different.

We meet Prince Andrey in the drawing room of Anna Pavlovna Sherer. Everything in his behavior - a tired, bored look, a quiet measured step, a grimace that spoiled his handsome face, and his manner of squinting when looking at people - expressed his deep disappointment in high society, tiredness from visiting living rooms, from empty and deceitful social talk. Such a T ~ attitude to the world makes Prince Andrey akin to Onegin and partly to Pechorin. Prince Andrew is natural, simple and good only with his friend Pierre. A conversation with him ^ evokes in Prince Andrey healthy feelings of friendship, heartfelt affection, and frankness. In a conversation with Pierre, Prince Andrew appears as a serious person, thinking, widely read, sharply condemning the lies and emptiness of secular life and striving to satisfy serious intellectual needs. So he was with Pierre and with people to whom he was cordially attached (father, sister). But as soon as he got into a secular environment, everything changed sharply: Prince Andrey hid his sincere impulses under the guise of cold secular courtesy.

In the army, Prince Andrew changed: pretense disappeared, // fatigue and laziness. Energy appeared in all his movements, in his face, in his gait. Prince Andrew takes the course of military affairs to heart.

The Ulm defeat of the Austrians and the arrival of the defeated Mack cause in him alarming excitement about the difficulties the Russian army will face. Prince Andrew proceeds from a high idea of ​​military duty, from an understanding of everyone's responsibility for the fate of the country. He realizes the indissolubility of his fate with the fate of his fatherland, rejoices at the "common success" and grieves over the "common failure."

Prince Andrey strives for glory, without which, according to his ideas, he cannot live, envies the fate of "Natto-leon, his voo" worries about dreams of his "Toulon", about his "Arkolsky bridge" Prince Andrey in Shengrabensky. In battle, he did not find his "Toulon", but on the Tushin battery he acquired true concepts of heroism. This was the first step towards his friendship with common people.

Du? Tl £ y.?. Cz. Prince Andrei again dreamed of glory and of accomplishing a feat under some special circumstances. On the day of the Battle of Austerlitz, in an atmosphere of general panic, which, oh-4 - brought the troops, he, in front of Kutuzov, with ... a banner in his hands, drags an entire battalion into the attack. He's getting hurt. He lies alone, abandoned by everyone, in the middle of the field and "quietly, childishly groans. In this state, he saw the sky, and it caused him a sincere and deep surprise. The whole picture of his stately calmness and peace.; Femininity sharply emphasized the vanity of people , their petty, selfish thoughts.

Prince Andrei, after “heaven” was opened to him, condemned his false aspirations for glory and began to look at “life in a new way. Glory is not the main stimulus of human activity, there are other, more lofty ideals. Napoleonic, with his petty vanity, now seems to him The debunking of the "hero", who was worshiped not only by Prince Andrew, but also by many of his contemporaries, takes place.

■ After the Austerlitz Campaign, Prince Andrey decided never i j | no longer serve in military service. He returns home. The wife of Prince Andrei pacifies, and he concentrates all his interests on raising his son, trying to convince himself that "this is the only thing" left for him in life. Thinking that a person should live for 9S9. ™ himself, he shows an extreme detachment from all external social forms of life.

In the beginning, the views of Prince Andrew on contemporary political issues were in many ways a pronounced noble-estate character. When speaking with Pierre about the emancipation of the peasants, he shows aristocratic contempt for the people, believing “that the peasants are indifferent to what state they are in. Serfdom must be abolished because, in the opinion of Prince Andrew, that it is the source of the moral death of many nobles, corrupted by the brutal system of serfdom.

His friend Pierre looks at the people differently. He also experienced a lot over the years. The illegitimate son of "a prominent Catherine's nobleman, after the death of his father, he became the largest wealthy man in Russia. The dignitary Vasily Kuragin, pursuing selfish goals, married him to his daughter Helen. This marriage. With an empty, stupid and depraved woman brought Pierre deep disappointment. Him. secular society with its deceitful morality, gossip and intrigue is hostile. He is unlike any of the representatives of the world. Pierre had a broad outlook, was distinguished by a lively mind, keen observation, courage and freshness of judgment. The spirit of free-thinking was developed in him. In the presence of the royalists, he praises the French Revolution, calls Napoleon the greatest man in the world and confesses to Prince Andrew that he would be ready to go to war if it was a "war for freedom." A little time will pass, and Pierre will reconsider his youthful ‘hobbies for Napoleon; in an army jacket and with a pistol in his pocket, among the fires of Moscow, he will seek a meeting with the emperor of the French in order to kill him and thus avenge the sufferings of the Russian people.

"A man of stormy temperament and enormous physical strength, terrible in moments of rage, Pierre was at the same time gentle, timid and kind; when he smiled, a gentle, childish expression appeared on his face. mental strength he devotes to the search for the truth and the meaning of life. Pierre thought about his wealth, "about" money, which cannot change anything in life, cannot save one from evil and inevitable death. In such a state of mental confusion, he became an easy prey for one of the Masonic lodges.

In the religious and mystical incantations of the Freemasons, Pierre's attention was attracted primarily by the idea that it is necessary "with all our might to resist the evil that reigns in the world." And Pierre "imagined the oppressors from whom he saved their victims."

In accordance with these convictions, Pierre, having arrived at the Kiev estates, immediately informed the managers of his intentions to free the peasants; he presented to them a broad program of assistance to the peasants. But his trip was so arranged, so many “Potemkin villages” were created on his way, so skillfully selected deputies from the peasants, who, of course, were all happy with his innovations, that Pierre already “reluctantly insisted” on the abolition of serfdom. He did not know the true state of affairs. V new phase Pierre was quite happy with his spiritual development. He expounded his new understanding of life to Prince Andrew. He spoke to him about Freemasonry as a teaching of Christianity, freed from all state and official ritual foundations, as a teaching of equality, brotherhood and love. Prince Andrew believed and did not believe in the existence of such a teaching, but he wanted to believe, since it brought him back to life, opened the way for him to rebirth.

The meeting with Pierre left a deep mark on Prince Andrew. With his characteristic energy, he carried out all those measures that Pierre had outlined and did not complete: he listed one estate of three hundred souls as a free farmer - “this was one of the first examples in Russia”; in other estates he replaced corvee by rent.

However, all this reforming activity did not bring satisfaction to either Pierre or Prince Andrew. Between them, the ideals and the unsightly social reality, there was an abyss.

Further communication between Pierre and the Freemasons led to deep disappointment in Freemasonry. The Order was made up of people who were far from being disinterested. From under the Masonic aprons could be seen the uniforms and crosses that the members of the lodge sought in life. Among them were people who were completely non-believers who joined the lodge for the sake of rapprochement with influential "brothers". Thus, the falsity of Freemasonry was revealed to Pierre, and all his attempts to call the "brothers" to more active intervention in life ended in nothing. Pierre said goodbye to the Masons.

Dreams of a republic in Russia, of victory over Napoleon, of the emancipation of the peasants are a thing of the past. Pierre lived in the position of a Russian master, who loved to eat, drink and sometimes slightly scold the government. From all his young freedom-loving impulses, as if not a trace remained.

At first glance, this was already the end, spiritual death. But the fundamental questions of life continued to disturb his consciousness as before. His opposition to the existing social order remained, his condemnation of the evil and lies of life did not weaken in the least - this was the basis of his spiritual rebirth, which later came in the fire and storms of the Patriotic War. l ^ The spiritual development of Prince Andrei in the years before the Patriotic War was also marked by an intense search for the meaning of life. Gripped by gloomy experiences, Prince Andrew looked hopelessly at his life, expecting nothing for himself in the future, but then comes spiritual revival, a return to the fullness of all vital feelings and experiences.

Prince Andrew condemns his egoistic life, limited by the boundaries of the family and clan nest and separated from the life of other people, he realizes the need to establish connections, spiritual community between himself and other people.

He seeks to take an active part in life and in August 1809 he came to St. Petersburg. This was the time of the greatest glory for the young Speransky; in many committees and commissions, legislative changes were being prepared under his leadership. Prince Andrew takes part in the work of the Commission for the Drafting of Laws. At first, Speransky makes a huge impression on him with the logical turn of his mind. But in the future, Prince Andrei is not only disappointed, but also begins to despise Speransky. He lost all interest in the Speransky transformations being carried out.

Speransky as a statesman and as an official. the reformer was a typical representative of bourgeois liberalism and a supporter of moderate reforms within the framework of the constitutional-monarchical system.

Deep breakaway throughout reform activities Prince Andrey also senses Speransky from the living demands of the people. While working on the section "Rights of Persons", he mentally tried to apply these rights to the Bogucharovsky peasants, and "he wondered how he could have been doing such idle work for so long."

Natasha returned Prince Andrei to a genuine and real life with its joys and worries, he gained the fullness of life, sensations. Under the influence of a strong feeling that he had not yet experienced in Her, the entire external and internal appearance of Prince Andrey was transformed. Where Natasha was ", everything lit up for him sunlight, there was happiness, hope, love.

But the stronger the feeling of love for Natasha, the more acutely he experienced the pain of her loss. Her fascination with Anatol Kura-gin, her consent to flee from home with him, dealt a heavy blow to Prince Andrey. Life in his eyes lost its "endless and bright horizons".

Prince Andrew is in a spiritual crisis. The world in his view has lost its purposefulness, life phenomena have lost their natural connection.

He all turned to practical activities, trying to drown out their moral torment with work. Being on the Turkish front as the general on duty under Kutuzov, Prince Andrey surprised him with his willingness to work and accuracy. So before Prince Andrey on the way of his complex moral and ethical searches, the light and dark sides of 1 life are revealed, so he undergoes ups and downs, approaching the comprehension true meaning life. t

IV

Alongside the images of Prince Andrey and Pierre Bezukhov in the novel there are the images of the Rostovs: a good-natured and hospitable father who embodies the type of an old master; touchingly loving children, a little sentimental mother; judicious Vera and captivating Natasha; enthusiastic and limited Nikolai ^; playful Petya and quiet, colorless Sonya, who has completely gone into self-sacrifice. Each of them has his own interests, his own special spiritual world, but on the whole they make up the “Rostov's world”, which is deeply different from the world of the Bolkonskys and from the world of the Bezukhovs.

The youth of the Rostovs' house brought revitalization, fun, the charm of youth and falling in love into the life of the family - all this gave the atmosphere that reigned in the house a special poetic charm.

Of all the Rostovs, the most striking and exciting is the image of Natasha - the embodiment of the joy and happiness of life. The novel reveals the captivating image of Natasha, the extraordinary liveliness of her character, the impetuosity of her nature, courage in the manifestation of feelings and her inherent truly poetic charm. At the same time, in all phases of spiritual development, Natasha shows her bright emotionality.

Tolstoy invariably notes the closeness of his heroine to common people, a deep national feeling inherent in her. Natasha “knew how to understand everything that was in Anisya, and Anisya’s father,“ and. In her aunt, and in her mother, and in every Russian person. ”She was captivated by the manner of singing of her uncle, who sang as the people sing the unconscious hum was so good.

The images of the Rostovs undoubtedly bear the stamp of Tolstoy's idealization of the "good" customs of the patriarchal landlord antiquity. At the same time, it is in this environment, where patriarchal customs reign, that the traditions of nobility and honor are kept.

The full-blooded world of the Rostovs is contrasted with the world of secular revelers, immoral, shaking the moral foundations of life. Here, among the Muscovites, he was drinking, led by Dolokhov, and a plan arose to take Natasha away. This is the world of gamblers, duelists, ot-tea rakes, who often committed criminal offenses. to an ordinary person Siberia would have deserved it long ago ", nevertheless he thinks of them:" real gentlemen! " But Tolstoy not only does not admire the riotous revelry of aristocratic youth, he mercilessly removes the aura of youth from these "heroes", shows Dolokhov's cynicism and the extreme depravity of the stupid Anatol Kuragin. And "real gentlemen" appear in all their unattractive guises.

The image of Nikolai Rostov looms gradually throughout the entire novel. First, we see an impetuous, emotionally responsive, courageous and ardent young man leaving university and leaving for military service.

Nikolai Rostov is an average person, he is not inclined to deep thought, he was not disturbed by the contradictions of a complex life, therefore he felt good in the regiment, where he did not need to invent anything and choose, but only to obey the long-established way of life, where everything was clear, simple and definitely. And that suited Nikolai quite well. His spiritual development stopped at twenty. The book in the life of Nikolai, and, in fact, in the lives of other members of the Rostov family, does not play a significant role. Nicholas is not worried public affairs, serious spiritual needs are alien to him. Hunting - a common pastime of landowners - fully satisfied the unassuming needs of Nikolai Rostov's impetuous, but spiritually poor nature. The original creativity is alien to him. Such people do not bring anything new into life, they are not able to go against its course, they recognize only the generally accepted, easily surrender to circumstances, resign themselves to the spontaneous course of life. Nicholas thought to arrange life "according to his own mind", to marry Sonya, but after a short, albeit sincere internal struggle, he humbly submitted to "circumstances" and married Marya Bolkonskaya.

The writer consistently reveals'1 two principles in the character of Rostov: this, on the one hand, conscience - hence the inner honesty, decency, chivalry of Nicholas, and, on the other hand, intellectual limitations, poverty of mind - hence the ignorance of the circumstances of the political and military situation of the country, inability thinking, giving up reasoning. But Princess Marya attracted him precisely with her high spiritual organization: nature generously endowed her with those "spiritual gifts" that Nikolai was completely deprived of.

The war brought about decisive changes in the life of the entire Russian people. All the usual living conditions had shifted, everything was now assessed in the light of the danger that hung over Russia. Nikolai Rostov returns to the army. Petya also volunteered for the war.

In War and Peace, Tolstoy historically faithfully reproduced the atmosphere of patriotic enthusiasm in the country.

In connection with the war, Pierre is experiencing great excitement. He donates about a million to organize a militia regiment.

Prince Andrey moved from the Turkish army to the western one and decided not to serve in the headquarters, but to directly command the regiment, to be closer to ordinary soldiers. In the first serious battles for Smolensk, seeing the misfortunes of his country, he finally gets rid of his former admiration for Napoleon; he observes all the flaring patriotic enthusiasm among the troops, transmitted to the inhabitants of the city. (

Tolstoy depicts the patriotic feat of the Smolensk merchant Ferapontov, in whose minds a disturbing thought arose about the "destruction" of Russia when he learned that the city was being surrendered. He no longer aspired to save property: that his shop with goods, when "Russeya decided!" And Ferapontov shouts to the soldiers who packed into his shop, so that they drag everything, - "Do not get to the devils." He decides to burn everything.

But there were other merchants as well. During the passage of the Russian troops through Moscow, one merchant of the Gostiny Dvor "with red pimples on his cheeks" and "with a calmly unshakable expression of calculation on his well-fed face" (the writer, even in scant portrait details, expressed a sharply negative attitude towards this type of self-interested people) asked the officer to protect his goods are from the robbery of soldiers.

Even in the years preceding the creation of War and Peace, Tolstoy came to the conviction that the fate of the country is determined by the people. The historical material about the Patriotic War of 1812 only strengthened the writer in the correctness of this conclusion, which had a particularly progressive significance in the 60s. The deep comprehension by the writer of the very foundations of the national life of the people allowed him to historically correctly define its huge role in the fate of the Patriotic War of 1812. This war was by its nature a popular war with a widespread partisan movement. And precisely because Tolstoy, as great artist, managed to understand the very essence, the nature of the war of 1812, he was able to reject and expose its false interpretation in official historiography, and his War and Peace became an epic of the glory of the Russian people, a majestic chronicle of his heroism and patriotism. Tolstoy said: “For a work to be good, one must love the main, basic idea in it. So in Anna Karenina I love family thought, in War and Peace I loved popular thought ... "1.

This is the main ideological task of the epic, the very essence of which is the depiction of the historical fate of the people, is artistically realized in the paintings of the general patriotic upsurge of the people, in the thoughts and experiences of the main characters of the novel, in the struggle of numerous partisan units, in the decisive battles of the army, also seized by patriotic enthusiasm. The idea of ​​a people's war penetrated the very midst of the soldier masses, and this decisively determined the morale of the troops, and, consequently, the outcome of the battles of the Patriotic War of 1812.

On the eve of the Shengraben battle, in front of the enemy, the soldiers behaved as calmly, "as if somewhere in their homeland." On the day of the battle at the Tushin battery, general revival reigned, although the gunners fought with extreme dedication and self-sacrifice. Both Russian cavalrymen and Russian infantrymen are fighting bravely and bravely. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, an atmosphere of general animation reigned among the soldier of the militia. “They want to pile on all the people; one word - Moscow. They want to make one end, ”says the soldier, deeply and faithfully expressing in his ingenuous words the patriotic upsurge that engulfed the masses of the Russian army, preparing for the decisive Battle of Borodino.

The best representatives of the Russian officers were also deeply patriotic. The writer shows this in relief, "revealing the feelings and experiences of Prince Andrey, in whose spiritual appearance significant changes took place: the features of a proud aristocrat receded into the background, he fell in love with ordinary people - Timokhin and others, was kind and simple in relations with the people of the regiment, and he was called "Our prince". The beating of Rodinets transformed Prince Andrew. In his reflections on the eve of Borodin, seized by a premonition of inevitable death, he sums up his life. In this connection, his deep patriotic feelings, his hatred for the enemy who is plundering and ruining Russia are revealed with the greatest force.

Hi> ep fully shares the feelings of anger and hatred of Prince Andrey. 1After GrZhShbra "with" "everything seen for that day, all the majestic pictures of preparation for battle seemed to be illuminated for Pierre with a new light, everything became clear and understandable to him: it is clear that the actions of many thousands of people were imbued with a deep and pure patriotic feeling. I now understood the whole meaning and all the meaning of this war and the upcoming battle, and the soldier's words about the nationwide resistance and Moscow acquired a deep and meaningful meaning for him.

On the Borodino field, all streams of patriotic feelings of the Russian people flow into a single channel. The bearers of the patriotic feelings of the people are both the soldiers themselves and the people close to them: Timokhin, Prince Andrei, Kutuzov. Here the spiritual qualities of people are fully revealed.

How much courage, courage and selfless heroism are displayed by the artillerymen of the Raevsky and Tushino batteries! All of them are united by the spirit of a single team, I work harmoniously and cheerfully! -

shchy. Tolstoy gives a high moral and ethical assessment to the Russian i (soldier. These ordinary people are the embodiment of spiritual. Vigor and strength. In describing the Russian soldiers, Tolstoy invariably notes their endurance, good spirits, patriotism.

All this is observed by Pierre. Through his perception, a majestic picture is given famous battle, which could only be felt so sharply by a civilian who had never taken part in battles. Pierre saw the war not in its ceremonial form, with prancing generals and fluttering banners, but in its terrible real appearance, in blood, suffering, death.

Assessing the enormous significance of the Battle of Borodino during the Patriotic War of 1812, Tolstoy points out that the myth of Napoleon's invincibility was dispelled on the Borodino field, and that the Russians, despite heavy losses, showed unprecedented stamina. The moral strength of the French attacking army was drowning. The Russians discovered moral superiority over the enemy. A mortal wound was inflicted on the French army at Borodino, which ultimately led to his inevitable death. For the first time at Borodino, the hand of the strongest enemy was laid on Napoleonic France. The Russian victory at Borodino had important consequences; it created the conditions for the preparation and conduct of a "flank march" - Kutuzov's counteroffensive, which resulted in the complete defeat of Napoleon's army.

But on the way to the final victory, the Russians had to go through a series of difficult trials, military necessity forced them to leave Moscow, which the enemy put on fire with vengeful cruelty. The topic of "burnt Moscow" occupies the most important place in figurative system“War and peace,” and this is understandable, because Moscow is the “mother” of Russian cities, and the fire of Moscow responded with deep pain in the heart of every Russian.

Talking about the surrender of Moscow to the enemy, Tolstoy exposes the Moscow governor-general Rostopchin, shows his miserable role not only in organizing the rebuff to the enemy, but also in saving the city's material values, confusion and contradictions in all his administrative orders.

Rostopchin spoke with contempt of the crowd of the people, of the "rabble", of the "plebeians," and from minute to minute he expected indignation and revolt. He tried to rule over a people whom he did not know and whom he feared. Tolstoy did not recognize him as a "steward", he looked for incriminating material and found it in the bloody story with Vereshchagin, whom Rostopchin, in animal fear for his life, gave up to be torn apart by the crowd gathered in front of his house.

A writer with a huge artistic force conveys the inner confusion of Rostopchin, rushing in a carriage to his country house in Sokolniki and pursued by the cry of a madman about the resurrection from the dead. The "bloody trail" of the committed crime will remain for life - this is the idea of ​​this picture.

Rostopchin was deeply alien to the people and therefore did not understand and could not understand the popular character of the war of 1812; he ranks among the negative images of the novel.

* * *

After Borodin and Moscow, Napoleon could no longer recover, nothing could save him, since his army carried in itself "as if chemical conditions of decomposition."

Already from the time of the fire of Smolensk, a partisan national war began, accompanied by the burning of villages, cities, catching marauders, seizing enemy transports, and exterminating the enemy.

The writer compares the French to a swordsman who demanded "a fight according to the rules of art." For the Russians, the question was different: the fate of the fatherland was being decided, so they threw down the sword and, "taking the first club they came across," began to nail the dandy Tsuzes with it. “And the blessing of that people,” exclaims Tolstoy, “... who, in a moment of trial, without asking how others acted according to the rules in such cases, with simplicity and ease lifts up the first club they come across and nails it until to his soul the feeling of "insult and revenge will not be replaced by contempt and pity."

Guerrilla warfare arose from the very midst of the masses, the people themselves spontaneously put forward the idea of ​​guerrilla war, and before it was "officially recognized", thousands of French were exterminated by peasants and Cossacks. Determining the conditions for the emergence and nature of partisan warfare, Tolstoy makes deep and historically correct generalizations, points out that it is a direct consequence of the popular character of the war and the high patriotic spirit of the people.

History teaches us: where there is no genuine patriotic enthusiasm among the masses, there is no and cannot be a guerrilla war. The war of 1812 was a patriotic war, therefore it stirred up the masses to the very depths, roused them to fight the enemy until it was completely destroyed. For the Russian people, there could be no question whether it would be good or bad under French rule. "It was impossible to be under the control of the French: it was the worst of all." Therefore, during the entire war, "the goal of the people was the same: to clear their land from the invasion." ■ "The writer in images and pictures shows the techniques and methods of partisan struggle of the Denisov and Dolokhov detachments, creates a vivid image of a tireless partisan - a peasant Tikhon Shcherbaty, who adhered to Denisov's detachment. Tikhon was distinguished by his good health, enormous physical strength and endurance; agility, courage and fearlessness.

Petya Rostov was among the partisans of Denisov. He is all filled with youthful impulses; his fear not to miss something important in a partisan detachment and his desire to be in time / “in the most important place” are very touching and vividly express the “restless desires of youth.” —J

-< В образе Пети Ростова писатель изумительно тонко запечатлел это особое psychological condition a young man, alive; emotionally receptive, inquisitive, selfless.

On the eve of the raid on the prisoners of war wagon train, Petya, who had been in an agitated state all day, dozed off on the wagon. And the whole world around him is transforming, acquiring fantastic outlines. Petya hears a harmonious choir of music singing a solemnly sweet hymn, and he tries to lead him. The romantically enthusiastic perception of reality1 Petya reaches its highest limit in this half-sleep, half-asleep. This is a solemn song of a young soul rejoicing in its introduction to the life of adults. This is a hymn to life. And how worried are the half-children on the left that arose in Denisov's memory when he looked at the murdered Petya: “I'm used to something sweet. Excellent raisins. Take the whole ... ". Denisov sobbed, Dolokhov also did not react indifferently to the death of Petya, he made a decision: not to take prisoners.

The image of Petya Rostov is one of the most poetic in War and Peace. On many pages of War and Peace, Tolstoy portrays the patriotism of the masses in sharp contrast to the complete indifference to the fate of the country on the part of the highest circles of society. The warrior did not change the luxurious and quiet life metropolitan nobility, which, as before, was filled with a complex struggle of various "parties", drowned out "as always tdv-beating of court drones." ’

d So, on the day of the Battle of Borodino in the salon at AP Sherer it was an evening, waiting for the arrival of "important persons" who had to be "ashamed" for trips to the French theater and "inspired to a patriotic mood." All this was just a game of patriotism, which was what the "enthusiast" A.P. Sherer and the visitors of her salon did. The salon Helen Bezukhova, which was visited by Chancellor Rumyantsev, was considered French. There Napoleon was openly praised, rumors about the cruelty of the French were denied, and the patriotic upsurge in society was ridiculed. This circle thus included potential allies of Napoleon, friends of the enemy, traitors. The connecting link between the two circles was the unprincipled Prince Vasily. With caustic irony, Tolstoy depicts how Prince Vasily got confused, forgotten and said in Scherer what should have been said in Helene.

The Kuragin's images in War and Peace vividly reflect the writer's sharply negative attitude towards the secular Petersburg circles of the nobility, where double-mindedness and lies, unscrupulousness and meanness, immorality and corrupted morals prevailed.

The head of the family is Prince Vasily, a man of light, important and bureaucratic, in his behavior he reveals unprincipledness and deceit, the cunning of the courtier and the greed of a greedy man. With merciless truthfulness, Tolstoy tears off the mask of a secular amiable person from Prince Vasily, and a morally low predator appears before us. F

And “Depraved Helene, and stupid Hippolyte, and vile cowardly and no less depraved Anatole, and flattering hypocrite Prince Vasily - all of them are representatives of the vile, heartless, as Pierre says, Kuragin breed, carriers of moral corruption, moral and spiritual degradation

The Moscow nobility also did not differ in particular patriotism. The writer creates a vivid picture of the meeting of the nobles in the suburb palace. It was some kind of fantastic sight: uniforms different eras and reigns - Catherine's, Pavlov's, Alexander's. The blind, toothless, bald old people, far from political life, were not really aware of the state of affairs. The orators of the young noblemen were more amused by their own eloquence. After all the speeches,

ononat “BeSaHHe: I was asking about my participation in the organization. The next day, when the tsar left and the nobles returned to their usual conditions, they gruntingly gave orders to the governors about the militia and wondered what they had done. All this was very far from a genuine patriotic impulse.

Alexander I was not the "savior of the fatherland", as the state patriots tried to portray, and it was not among the tsar's close associates that one had to look for the true organizers of the struggle against the enemy. On the other hand, at the court, in the tsar's closest circle, among the highest-ranking statesmen, there was a Group of outspoken traitors and defeatists, headed by Chancellor Rumyantsev and the Grand Duke, who feared Napoleon and stood for concluding peace with him. They, of course, did not have a grain of patriotism. Tolstoy also notes a group of servicemen who were also devoid of any patriotic feelings and pursued only narrowly selfish, selfish goals in their lives. This "drone population of the army" was occupied only by those

what caught rubles, crosses, ranks.

But among the nobles there were real patriots - among them, in particular, the old prince Bolkonsky. When bidding farewell to Prince Andrey, who was leaving for the army, he reminds him of his honor and patriotic duty. In 1812, he energetically began to assemble a militia to fight the approaching enemy. But in the midst of this feverish activity, he is shattered by paralysis. While dying, the old prince thinks about his son and about Russia. In fact, his death was caused by the suffering of Russia during the first period of the war. Acting as the heir to the patriotic traditions of the family, Princess Marya is horrified at the thought that she could remain in the power of the French.

According to Tolstoy, the closer the nobles stand to the people, the sharper and brighter their patriotic feelings, the richer and more meaningful their spiritual life. And on the contrary, the further they are from the people, the drier and callous their souls, the more unattractive they are. moral character: these are most often lying and thoroughly false courtiers like Prince Vasily or hardened careerists like Boris Drubetskoy.

Boris Drubetskoy is a typical embodiment of careerism, earlier at the very beginning of his career he firmly learned that success does not bring work, not personal dignity, but "the ability to handle"

those who reward service.

The writer in this image shows how careerism distorts the nature of man, destroys everything truly human in him, deprives him of the possibility of displaying sincere feelings, instills lies, hypocrisy, sycophancy and other disgusting moral qualities.

On the Borodino field, Boris Drubetskoy appears in the universal range of precisely these disgusting qualities: he is a subtle slicker, a court flatterer and a liar. Tolstoy reveals Bennigsen's intrigue and shows Drubetskoy's complicity in this; both of them are indifferent to the outcome of the upcoming battle, it would be better if "defeat", then power would pass to Bennigsen.

Patriotism and closeness to the people are most important; exist to Pierre, Prince Andrew, Natasha. In the people's war of 1812, that tremendous moral force was concluded that purified and reborn these heroes of Tolstoy, burned out class prejudices and egoistic feelings in their souls. They have become more human and noble. Prince Andrew is drawing closer to ordinary soldiers. He begins to see the main purpose of a person in serving people, people, and only death interrupts him moral quest, but they will be continued by his son Nikolenka.

Ordinary Russian soldiers also played a decisive role in Pierre's moral renewal. He went through a passion for European politics, Freemasonry, philanthropy ^ philosophy, and nothing gave him moral satisfaction. Only in communication with ordinary people did he understand that the purpose of life is in life itself: as long as there is life, there is also happiness. Pierre realizes his community with the people and wants to share their suffering. However, the forms of manifestation of this feeling were still of an individualistic character. Pierre wanted to accomplish the feat alone, to sacrifice himself to the common cause, although he was fully aware of his doom in this individual act of struggle against Napoleon.

Being in captivity further contributed to Pierre's rapprochement with ordinary soldiers; in his own suffering and deprivation, he experienced the suffering and deprivation of his homeland. When he returned from captivity, Natasha noted striking changes in his entire spiritual appearance. Moral and physical composure and readiness for energetic activity were now visible in him. So Pierre Ttrichel to spiritual renewal, having lived through the sufferings of the homeland together with all the people.

Pierre, Prince Andrei, Hajauia, Marya Bolkonskaya, and many other heroes of War and Peace during the Patriotic War were introduced to the basics of national life: the war made them think and feel on the scale of the whole Rossisch, thanks to which their personal lives were immeasurably enriched. ...

Let us recall the exciting scene of the Rostovs' departure from Moscow and the behavior of Natasha, who decided to take out the wounded as much as possible, although for this it was necessary to leave the family's property in Moscow to plunder the enemy. The depth of Natasha's patriotic feelings is compared by Tolstoy with the complete indifference to the fate of Russia by the mercantile Berg.

In a number of other scenes and episodes, Tolstoy mercilessly denounces and executes the stupid martyrdom of various Pfulls, Wolzogens and Benigsen in the Russian service, denounces their contemptuous and arrogant attitude towards the people and the country in which they were. And this reflected not only the ardent patriotic feelings of the creator of War and Peace, but also his deep comprehension of the true ways of developing the culture of his people.

Throughout the epic, Tolstoy wages a passionate struggle for the very foundations of Russian national culture. The assertion of the identity of this culture, its great traditions is one of the main ideological problems"War and Peace". The Patriotic War of 1812 raised the question of the national origins of Russian culture very sharply.

f the traditions of the national military school, the traditions of Suvorov, were alive in the Russian army. The frequent mention of Suvorov's name on the pages of War and Peace is natural because everyone still remembered his legendary Italian and Swiss campaigns, and in the ranks of the army there were soldiers and generals who fought with him. The military genius of Suvorov lived in the great Russian commander Kutuzov, in the famous general Bagration, who had a personal saber from him.

Every serious literary work has as its purpose to convey to the reader the point of view of the author. In some work it will be just one idea, but in the novel “War and Peace” Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy tried to present and develop his own philosophy. He wrote: “Historians describe incorrectly and externally, but it is necessary in order to understand, guess internal structure life ”. And since the philosophical concept he developed was new and original, the author created a genre called an epic novel.

Initially, Tolstoy wanted to write a work about the Decembrist who had returned from exile, and the title had already been invented: “All is well that ends well”. But the author realized that it is impossible to describe the phenomenon without indicating the reasons that caused it. This led Tolstoy to a more global concept of describing historical events in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. Following the change in concept, the title of the novel also changes, acquiring a more global character: “War and Peace”. This title not only illustrates the alternation and combination of military and peaceful episodes in the novel, as it might seem at first glance, but also includes various meanings of the word "peace". “Peace” is both a state “without war”, and the peasant community, and the universe (that is, everything that surrounds us; the physical and spiritual environment). This novel tells about the fact that there is a war in the life of an entire people and in the life of every person, what role wars play in world history, this is a novel about the origins of war and its outcome.

While creating the novel, the author studied the causes of historical events: the senseless and shameful campaign of 1805-1807 for the Russians, during which even the real military man Nikolai Rostov, who was accustomed not to reason, was tormented by terrible doubts: "Why are the severed hands, feet, and killed people?" Here Tolstoy draws all our attention to the fact that war "is a phenomenon contrary to human reason." Then Tolstoy goes on to describe the events of the Patriotic War of 1812, which crippled the lives of millions, who killed Petya Rostov, Platon Karataev and Prince Andrei, who brought mourning to every family. After all, with each person who died on the battlefield, his entire unique spiritual world disappears, thousands of threads are torn, dozens of lives of loved ones are crippled ... But all these deaths had a righteous goal - the liberation of the Fatherland. And therefore in 1812 "the club of the people's war rose with all its formidable and majestic strength ...". And this movement could only be led by a person who knew how to renounce all his own desires in order to express the will of the people, to be close to him, and for this he did not need to be a genius, but he just needed to be able to “not interfere with anything good, not allow anything bad”. Such was Kutuzov, such could not have been Napoleon, who waged a war of conquest.

Tolstoy sets out on these examples his historical concept... He believes that least of all the cause of any historical phenomenon is the will of one or several people in power, that the outcome of an event determines the behavior of each individual, seemingly insignificant, person and the nation as a whole.

Tolstoy paints Napoleon and Kutuzov as opposed in everything, constantly, for example, points to Napoleon's vigor and self-confidence and Kutuzov's lethargy. This technique of antithesis is applied throughout the entire novel, starting with the very title "War and Peace."

The genre of the work also determines the composition of the novel. The composition "War and Peace" is also based on the method of antithesis. The novel "War and Peace" is a large volume work. It covers 16 years (from 1805 to 1821) of the life of Russia and more than five hundred different heroes, among which there are real characters of the described historical events, heroes fictionalized by the author himself, and many people to whom Tolstoy does not even give names, such as “General who ordered ”,“ the officer who did not arrive ”. By this, the author confirms his point of view that the movement of history does not occur under the influence of any specific personalities, but thanks to all participants in the events.

To combine such a huge amount of material into one work, a new genre was needed - the genre of the epic. For this, the antithesis technique is also used. Thus, all the heroes can be divided into those gravitating towards Napoleon's pole and into heroes gravitating towards the Kutuzov pole; and the former, such as the Kuragin family, and the entire secular society headed by Anna Pavlovna Sherer, Berg, Vera and others receive some of the features of Napoleon, although not so strongly expressed: this is Helene's cold indifference, and narcissism and narrowness Berg's views, and the egoism of Anatol, and the hypocritical righteousness of Vera, and the cynicism of Vasil Kuragin. The heroes who are closer to the pole of Kutuzov, just like him, are natural and close to the people, they also react sensitively to global historical events, taking them as personal misfortunes and joys (such are Pierre, Andrei, Natasha). Tolstoy endows all his positive heroes with the ability for self-improvement, their spiritual world develops throughout the novel, only Kutuzov and Platon Karataev are not looking for anything, they do not change, since they are “static in their positiveness”.

Tolstoy also compares the heroes with each other: Prince Andrei and Anatole are different in their attitude to love, to Natasha; opposite Dolokhov, seeking to avenge "his ignoble origin", stern, cruel, cold, and Pierre, kind, sensitive, trying to understand the people around him and help them; cold, artificial, dead spiritually beautiful Helene and alive, natural Natasha Rostova with a big mouth and big eyes, which becomes even more ugly when she cries (but this is a manifestation of her naturalness, for which Natasha Tolstoy loves most of all).

In the novel "War and Peace", the portrait characterization of the heroes plays an important role. The writer singles out some separate feature in the portrait of the hero and constantly draws our attention to it: this is Natasha's big mouth, and Marya's radiant eyes, and the dryness of Prince Andrei, and the massiveness of Pierre, and the old age and decrepitude of Kutuzov, and the roundness of Platon Karataev, and even Napoleon's fat thighs. But the rest of the characters 'traits change, and Tolstoy describes these changes in such a way that one can understand everything that happens in the heroes' souls. Often Tolstoy uses the technique of contrast, emphasizing the discrepancy between the appearance and the inner world, the behavior of the heroes and their internal state... For example, when Nikolai Rostov, upon returning home from the front, upon meeting Sonya dryly greeted her and addressed her as “you”, in their hearts they “called each other on“ you ”and kissed tenderly”.

Being an innovator in the creation of a new genre of the novel, Tolstoy also invented new way studying and depicting feelings, experiences, movements of the heroes' souls. This new method of psychologism, called by Chernyshevsky "dialectic of the soul", consists in close attention to the development, changes in the inner spiritual state of the heroes, in the study of the smallest details of their feelings, while the plot itself fades into the background. Only positive characters are endowed in the novel with the ability to internal change, self-improvement. And Tolstoy values ​​this ability most of all in people (in combination with naturalness, kindness and closeness to the people). Each positive hero the novel seeks to "be quite good." But in the novel there are heroes who improve themselves by thinking about their actions. These heroes live by reason. These heroes include Prince Andrew, Pierre before the meeting with Platon Karataev and Princess Marya. And there are heroes who live by an inner instinct that prompts them to certain actions. Such are Natasha, Nikolai, Petya and the old Count Rostov. Platon Karataev and Kutuzov belong to the same type.

In order to reveal the inner world of his heroes as best as possible, Tolstoy subjects them to the same tests: secular society, wealth, death, love.

Since the novel "War and Peace" is an epic novel, it describes real historical events: the Austerlitz, Shengrabenskoye, Borodino battles, the conclusion of the Tilsit Peace Treaty, the capture of Smolensk, the surrender of Moscow, guerrilla war and others, in which, as mentioned above, real historical personalities manifest themselves. Historical events also perform compositional role in the novel. For example, since the Battle of Borodino largely determined the outcome of the war of 1812, 20 chapters of the novel are devoted to its description, and in fact it is the culmination center.

In addition to historical events, the author pays great attention to the development of relationships between the characters - this is where the plot lines of the novel are formed. The novel features a large number of storylines. The novel is like a chronicle of the life of several families: the Rostov family, the Kuragin family, the Bolkonsky family.

The novel is not narrated in the first person, but the presence of the author in each scene is palpable: he always tries to assess the situation, to show his attitude to the hero's actions through their very description, through the hero's inner monologue, or through the author's digression-reasoning. Sometimes the writer gives the reader the right to understand what is happening himself, showing the same event from different points of view. An example of such an image is the description of the Borodino battle: first, the author gives a detailed historical information about the alignment of forces, about the readiness for battle on both sides, talks about the point of view of historians; then he shows us the battle through the eyes of a non-professional in military affairs - Pierre Bezukhov (that is, he shows a sensual, not logical perception of the event), reveals the thoughts of Prince Andrei and Kutuzov's behavior during the battle. In the scene of the council in Fili, the author first gives the floor to six-year-old Malasha (again, a sensory perception of the event), and then gradually moves on to an objective presentation of events in his own name. And the whole second part of the epilogue is more like a philosophical treatise on the theme "The Driving Forces of History."

In his novel, L.N. Tolstoy sought to express his point of view on historical events, to show his attitude to many life problems, to answer main question: "What is the sense of life?" And Tolstoy's credo in this matter sounds so that one cannot but agree with him: “We must live, we must love, we must believe”.

So, in the novel "War and Peace" Leo Tolstoy tried to set out his philosophical concept life, and for this he had to "invent" a new genre literary work- an epic novel, as well as a special type of psychologism - “dialectics of the soul”. His work took the form of a philosophical and psychological historical novel, in which he examines and guesses the “internal structure of life”.

Unprecedented in the history of world literature is Leo Tolstoy's classic novel War and Peace, which tells about the life of Russian society in the era of the Napoleonic wars. The grandiose work has enjoyed unchanging success among readers and literary researchers all over the world for many years. We offer you an analysis of the novel according to a plan that will be useful to grade 10 students when writing an essay on a given topic, preparing for a lesson in literature and the upcoming USE.

Brief analysis

Year of writing- 1863-1869 years.

History of creation- Initially, Tolstoy planned to write a story about the Decembrist, who returned home with his family from exile for many years. However, in the course of the work, the writer's idea expanded significantly: new heroes appeared, the time frame moved away. As a result, an epic novel was written, the work on which took Tolstoy almost 7 years.

Topic- The central theme of the work is the historical fate of the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812. The author also raised the themes of love, family, life and death, duty, war.

Composition- The novel consists of 4 volumes and an epilogue, each volume corresponds to a certain time period. The composition of the novel is extremely complex and multi-layered.

genre- An epic novel.

Direction- Realism.

History of creation

In the 50s of the 19th century, Lev Nikolaevich had the idea to write a story about a Decembrist who returned with his family from Siberia. This idea captivated the writer so much that he began to penetrate deeper into the inner world of his hero, to look for the motives of one or another of his actions, to get to the bottom of the truth. As a result, it became necessary to describe the whole life of the hero, starting from early youth. So the time frame of the work was shifted almost half a century ago, and the storyline took its account from 1805.

It is not surprising that such a deep immersion in the life of the protagonist required an expansion and a significant increase in the main and secondary characters.

"Three pores" - that was the working title of the work. As conceived by Tolstoy, the first part or time described the life of the young Decembrists, the second - the Decembrist uprising, and the third - their amnesty and their return home from many years of exile. Ultimately, Lev Nikolayevich decided to direct all his efforts to describe the first pore, since even this time period demanded colossal efforts and time from him. So, instead of the usual story, the writer created a monumental work, a real epic, which had no analogues in all world literature.

The history of the creation of War and Peace, which took Tolstoy almost 7 years, was an example of not only painstaking work on the characters of the heroes and their relationships, but also of complete immersion in the history of Russia. Tolstoy studied the memoirs of participants and witnesses of the Napoleonic wars in the most careful way, and spent some time in Borodino to describe the scene of the Battle of Borodino, where he personally collected reliable information.

Throughout the entire work on the novel, Lev Nikolaevich treated the work done with a great deal of criticism. So, in an effort to create a work worthy of attention, he wrote 15 different variations the beginning of the novel.

Before publication, the author renamed his work. The meaning of the name“War and Peace” is that the author, using the example of not only different characters, but also different social strata of society, wanted to show the contrast between a peaceful life and how it changed during the war years.

Topic

Among the many topics covered by the author in the novel, one of the most important is the historical fate of the entire Russian people during the war years. Lev Nikolaevich always criticized any wars, since later they became the cause of serious problems in society.

People, cut off from their usual occupations and forced to kill their own kind, forever changed their worldview. As a result, the entire nation suffered enormous, irreparable moral damage.

Military action has become an excellent background for the development of such a vital themes as true and false patriotism. The war of 1812 was of great importance in uniting the entire nation in a common patriotic impulse - to expel the enemy from their land. In this, many representatives of the nobility and the common people were in solidarity. All the heroes of the novel, one way or another, were tested in 1812, and received a moral assessment of their actions.

Lev Nikolaevich put all his aspirations and hopes into the main idea of ​​the work - each person should live in the interests of his people, strive for true harmony, forgetting about the thirst for profit or career ambitions. Love for the homeland, good thoughts, unity with the people - this is what the work teaches.

The meaning of the novel lies in the "nationality", since it is the people that are driving force and the greatness of the nation.

Composition

Analyzing the work in the novel "War and Peace", it is necessary to note the complexity and multistage nature of its compositional construction. Not only the novel, but even each volume and each chapter has its own climax and denouement. The main storylines are closely intertwined in the book, many characters and episodes are opposed to each other.

The work consists of 4 volumes and an epilogue, and each part of the book corresponds to a certain time period.

• 1 volume(1805) - a description of the war and the main characters, filled with ambitious dreams.
• Volume 2(1806-1811) - display of problems and complex life situations, in which each of the heroes of the novel ended up.
• Volume 3(1812) - completely dedicated to the war of 1812.
• Volume 4(1812-1813) - the onset of the long-awaited peace, with the arrival of which the epiphany of the main characters occurs.
• Epilogue(18120) - the story of further destiny central characters.

main characters

genre

It is quite simple to define the genre of "War and Peace" - it is epic novel... Its main differences from other literary genres are the large volume of the work, the scale of the events displayed and the problems under consideration.

In terms of genre, War and Peace is a very complex work, since it contains specific traits historical, social, philosophical, battle novels, as well as memoirs, chronicles.

Since the novel involves many historical figures and descriptions of real historical events are given, the novel is usually attributed to the literary direction of realism.

In 1869 Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy finished his work "War and Peace". The epilogue, which we will briefly describe in this article, is divided into two parts.

First part

The first part tells about the following events. 7 years have passed since the war of 1812, described in the work "War and Peace". The heroes of the novel have changed both externally and internally. We will talk about this by analyzing the epilogue. In the 13th year, Natasha married Pierre Bezukhov. Ilya Andreevich, Count, died at the same time. The old family fell apart with his death. The financial affairs of the Rostovs are completely upset. However, Nikolai does not refuse the inheritance, since he sees an expression of the reproach of his father's memory in this.

The ruin of the Rostovs

The ruin of the Rostovs is described at the end of War and Peace (epilogue). Summary the events that make up this episode are as follows. The estate was sold at half price, which covered only half of the debts. Rostov, in order not to end up in a hole in debt, enters the soldier's service in St. Petersburg. He lives here in a small apartment with Sonya and his mother. Appreciates Nikolai Sonya very much, believes that he is in an unpaid debt to her, but realizes that he could not fall in love with this girl. Nikolai's position is getting worse. However, he loathes the idea of ​​marrying a rich woman.

Nikolai Rostov's meeting with Princess Marya

Princess Marya comes to visit the Rostovs. Nikolai greeted her coldly, showing with all his appearance that he did not need anything from her. After this meeting, the princess feels herself in an uncertain position. She wants to understand what Nikolai is covering with such a tone.

He makes a return visit to the princess under the influence of his mother. Their conversation turns out to be tense and dry, but Marya feels that this is only an outer shell. Rostov's soul is still beautiful.

The marriage of Nikolai, management of the estate

The princess finds out that he, out of pride, behaves this way, since he is poor, and Marya is rich. Nicholas in the fall of 1814 married the princess and together with her, Sonya and his mother went to live in the estate of Lysye Gory. He devoted himself entirely to the economy, in which the main thing is a man-worker. Having become akin to the peasants, Nikolai begins to skillfully manage the farm, which brings brilliant results. Men come from other estates with a request to buy them. Even after the death of Nicholas, the people keep the memory of his administration for a long time. Rostov is getting closer and closer to his wife, discovering new treasures of her soul every day.

Sonya is in Nikolai's house. For some reason, Marya cannot suppress her evil feelings towards this girl. Somehow Natasha explains to her why Sonya's fate is this: she is a "barren flower", something is missing in her.

How has Natasha Rostova changed?

The work "War and Peace" (epilogue) continues. A summary of it further developments that is. Three children in the Rostovs' house, and Marya is waiting for another addition. Natasha is visiting her brother with four children. The return of Bezukhov, who left for St. Petersburg two months ago, is expected. Natasha has grown fat, it is now difficult to recognize her former girl in her.

Her face has an expression of calm "clarity" and "softness." Everyone who knew Natasha before marriage is surprised at the change that has taken place in her. Only the old countess, who understood by her maternal instinct that all the impulses of this girl pursued the goal only to get married, to start a family, wonders why others do not understand this. Natasha does not look after herself, does not follow her manners. The main thing for her is serving the home, children, and her husband. Very demanding of her husband, this girl is jealous. Bezukhov fully submits to the demands of his wife. He disposes of the whole family in return. Natasha Rostova not only fulfills her husband's wishes, but also guesses them. She always shares the mindset of her spouse.

Bezukhov's conversation with Nikolai Rostov

Pierre feels happy in marriage, seeing the reflection of himself in his own family. Natasha misses her husband, and now he comes. Bezukhov tells Nicholas about the latest political news, says that the sovereign does not delve into any matters, the situation in the country is tense to the limit: a coup is being prepared. Pierre believes that it is required to organize a society, possibly illegal, in order to benefit people. Nikolai disagrees with this. He says he took an oath. The heroes Nikolai Rostov and Pierre Bezukhov express different opinions about the further development of the country in the work "War and Peace".

Nikolay discusses this conversation with his wife. He considers Bezukhov to be a dreamer. Nikolai has enough of his own problems. Marya notices a certain limitation of her husband, knows that he will never understand what she understands. Because of this, the princess loves him more, with a touch of passionate tenderness. Rostov admires his wife's desire for the perfect, eternal and infinite.

Bezukhov talks with Natasha that important things await him. According to Pierre, Platon Karataev would have approved him and not his career, since he wanted to see peace, happiness and goodness in everything.

The dream of Nikolenka Bolkonsky

Nikolenka Bolkonsky was present at Pierre's conversation with Nikolai. The conversation made a deep impression on him. The boy adores Bezukhov, adores him. He also considers his father a kind of deity. Nikolenka has a dream. He goes with Bezukhov in front of a large army and approaches the goal. Uncle Nikolai suddenly appears in front of them in a formidable pose, who is ready to kill anyone who moves forward. The boy turns around and notices that next to him is no longer Pierre, but Prince Andrew, his father, who caresses him. Nikolenka decides that his father was kind to him, approved of him and Pierre. They all want the boy to learn, and he will do it. And one day everyone will admire him.

Second part

Once again Tolstoy discusses historical process... Kutuzov and Napoleon ("War and Peace") are two key historical figures in the work. The author says that history is not made by an individual, but by the masses of the people who are subordinate to common interests. This was understood by the commander-in-chief Kutuzov ("War and Peace"), described earlier in the work, who preferred the strategy of non-intervention to active actions. It was thanks to his wise command that the Russians won. In history, personality is important only to the extent that it accepts and understands the interests of the people. Therefore, Kutuzov ("War and Peace") is a significant person in history.

The role of the epilogue in the composition of the work

In the composition of the novel, the epilogue is the most important element in the ideological sense. It is he who carries a huge semantic load in the concept of the work. Lev Nikolayevich sums up, touching upon pressing issues such as family.

Family thought

The idea of ​​the spiritual foundations of the family as an external form of uniting people received special expression in this part of the work. As if the differences between spouses are erased in it, the limitedness of souls complements in communication between them. The epilogue of the novel develops this idea. Such is, for example, the family of Marya and Nikolai Rostov. In it, in a higher synthesis, the principles of the Bolkonsky and Rostovs are combined.

In the epilogue of the novel, a new family gathers, which unites in itself the dissimilar Bolkonian, Rostov, and, through Bezukhov, also the Karataev features. As the author writes, several different worlds lived under one roof, which merged into a harmonious whole.

It is no coincidence that this new family arose, including such interesting and different images("War and Peace"). It was the result of national unity born of the Patriotic War. In a new way, the connection between the general and the individual is affirmed in this part of the work. The year 1812 in the history of Russia brought a higher level of communication between people, removing many class restrictions and barriers, and led to the emergence of broader and more complex family worlds. In the Lysogorsk family, as in any other, sometimes disputes and conflicts arise. But they only strengthen relations, they are peaceful. Women, Marya and Natasha, are the keepers of its foundations.

The thought of the people

At the end of the epilogue, the author's philosophical reflections are presented, in which Lev Nikolaevich again discusses the historical process. In his opinion, history is not made by an individual, but by the masses, who express common interests. Napoleon ("War and Peace") did not understand this, and therefore lost the war. This is what Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy thinks.

The last part of the work "War and Peace" ends - the epilogue. We tried to make its summary concise and succinct. This part of the work summarizes the entire large-scale creation of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy. "War and Peace", the description of the epilogue of which was presented by us, is a grandiose epic, which was created by the author from 1863 to 1869.

Reading and re-reading Tolstoy's novel today, we cannot but admit that Tolstoy created the anthem of Russia, its people and the class of nobles, to which he belonged by birth, by upbringing, tastes, habits, especially in his younger years.

Tolstoy, drawing terrible, bloody pictures of war, clashes of political interests, events that capture human destinies in their whirlpool, constantly emphasizes that each person keeps his own "universe" in himself, and in the end this "universe" is above everything else.

"A life... real life... went, as always, independently and outside of political proximity or enmity ... and all possible transformations. "

Taking on the creation of a national epic, creating it, filling it with the roar of war, the thunder of cannons, the bursting of shells, involving hundreds of people in the events, the writer sometimes throws a kind of searchlight on individual people, their private life, letting us know that in life, excitement , the cares and feelings of these individuals is the main interest and main essence narration. In the foreground, of course, is the noble milieu, to which he himself belonged by birth and lifestyle, which he knew and, perhaps, then loved.

His class brothers, the nobles, especially the elite, court circles, considered him an apostate from class interests, a traitor. Among them was old friend Pushkin, who once sinned with liberalism P.A.Vyazemsky. They saw in the novel an unworthy criticism of the highest nobility, but they could not help but appreciate the pictures of noble drawing rooms, secular salons, the brilliance of balls, small talk, a description of their familiar and so dear life, which are so dear to them. The opposite camp condemned the novel for the lack of exposure of serfdom and all social ulcers.

As for the military specialists, they were delighted with the battle scenes. Tolstoy fills the novel with extensive, multi-page discourses on the military actions of Kutuzov and Napoleon. Here he acts already as a scientist-historian, argues with military strategists who in one way or another contemplated about the war of 1812. He finally debunks Napoleon, finding in his orders for the army the most primitive incompetence, laughing at the title of genius, which was assigned to him by flatterers and French historians ... He is outraged that not only the French, but also the Russians succumb to the charm of his personality.

As a historian, he also ridicules the Russian generals who surrounded Kutuzov and pushed him into unnecessary battles with the "wounded beast." They boasted that in the battles near Krasnoye they had seized so many guns from Napoleon and "some kind of stick, which they called the marshal's baton."

Only Kutuzov alone understood the uselessness of these battles, which brought great losses to the Russian troops, when it was clear to everyone that the enemy was defeated, was running, and there was only one thing to do - not to interfere with his escape from Russia.

Tolstoy always valued naturalness and impartiality above all human qualities. These qualities were possessed by his Kutuzov, in which he was the complete opposite of Napoleon, who, according to Tolstoy, was constantly portrayed theatrically.

Kutuzov Tolstoy is a sage who does not admire his wisdom, is not aware of this quality in himself, understands with some kind of inner intuition what and how to do in a given situation. In this respect, he was like an ordinary soldier, like a people who, for the most part, intuitively comprehend the truth.

When, after the victory at Krasnoye, Kutuzov made a short speech to the soldiers, a simple, old man's vernacular, as it were everyday “home” speech, with obscene words, he was understood and cordially received, first of all, by the soldiers: “... this very feeling lay in the soul of every soldier it was expressed in a joyful, long-lasting cry ”.

The immediacy of feelings comes from nature itself, and the more natural a person is, the more directly his feelings are expressed, the more noble his actions. In this view of man, Tolstoy's long-standing hobbies for Rousseauism were also reflected. Falsehood, hypocrisy, vanity are brought up by civilization. A savage close to nature ("natural man", according to Rousseau's theory) did not know these qualities.

All the heroes of Tolstoy, whom he loved: Natasha, Princess Marya, Pierre Bezukhov, Andrei Bolkonsky, the entire Rostov family, Platon Karataev, a man of the people, have this spontaneity of feelings, and people who are false, hypocritical, selfish and simply vile do not have it. Such are Prince Vasily Kuragin, his son Philip, daughter Helen.

Pictures and images are forever imprinted in our memory, drawn with life convincingly by the truly magical pen of Tolstoy. Ask everyone who has read War and Peace what they remember and clearly see in their memory. He will answer: Natasha on a moonlit night and Andrei Bolkonsky, who unwittingly overheard the girl's enthusiastic feelings. Meeting and acquaintance of Natasha and Bolkonsky at the ball. Natasha's Russian dance, which she learned, God knows where, respectfully spied on by her in the dances of the peasants. The dying Andrei Bolkonsky. A stunning and sacred act of death as something mysterious.

Since ancient times, wars have taken place grandiose turns in the history of nations. In wars, states, nations, peoples perished or asserted themselves. The cities, palaces and temples created by great labor were mercilessly destroyed, individuals and heroes were exalted with glory, countless nameless warriors died - the healthiest and most active part of the population. Madness of humanity! Tolstoy contrasted all the ambitions of the warlike heroes with that eternal, beautiful and pacifying sky that Prince Andrey saw.

The pictures of the battles were painted by Tolstoy with irresistible accuracy. It is as if we ourselves are participating in it, and our hearing and sight there, on the battlefield, we hear the hot breath of heated people, screams and groans and desperate shooting.

Prince Bolkonsky, wounded and losing consciousness, felt a strange calm. Eyes are directed to the sky. All human passions, ambitious dreams, and so recently he was overwhelmed by them, suddenly appeared in all their insignificance before this great and eternal tranquility of the sky. Here is the philosophy of Tolstoy, the philosophy of life. It affects, as it were, imprinted on everything that he describes, on his likes and dislikes. Everything natural in people, everything immediate in them, not burdened with hypocrisy, is beautiful. That is why the characters of Natasha Rostova, and Andrei Bolkonsky, and Pierre Bezukhov, and the ugly Marya Bolkonskaya with her beautiful eyes at other times are so good.

Tolstoy again and again returns to one idea. She worries him, the vanity of human passions, old, since the time of Ecclesiastes: "Vanity of vanities and all kinds of vanity!" Prince Andrey realized this when a wounded man lay on the battlefield, holding the regimental banner in his hand. "EN VOILA LA BELLE MORT", - said his idol Napoleon over him, believing him to be dead. Napoleon led the enemy army. but he was a genius of military art, a great commander. Everyone recognized this, and Prince Andrew could not hide his admiration for him. But now, when he understood the value of life itself and the vanity of everything that is outside of life, he saw in the brilliant commander little man, only.

People fight, kill each other, not thinking that they are people, that they are fighting over insignificant things, that they give their lives for ghosts, for phantoms, and only sometimes, as if by inspiration, a vague comprehension of the truth comes to them.

Tolstoy constantly reminds the reader of the significance of some higher destinations of life, that above the vanity and vanity of his everyday worries and troubles rises something eternal, universal, which he does not comprehend. The understanding of this eternal and universal came to Andrei Bolkonsky at the time of his death.

The whole novel is fanned by a humane feeling of kindness to people. She is in Petya Rostov, she is in the countess, his mother, helping her impoverished friend, she is in the innocent ignorance of the self-interest of the Count Rostov, in the kindness of Natasha, who insisted on freeing the carts and giving them to the wounded. She is in the kindness of Pierre Bezukhov, who is always ready to help someone. She is in the kindness of Princess Marya. It is in the kindness of Platon Karataev, in the kindness of Russian soldiers and in this expressive gesture of Kutuzov, in his speech to the soldiers.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that a person is born good, but his environment, society, and a vicious civilization spoil him. This idea of ​​the Geneva philosopher was disputed by many, claiming, on the contrary, about the original depravity of human nature.

Tolstoy agreed with his idol. He showed the pure souls of children. In "Childhood" - this is Nikolenka Irteniev, here - Petya Rostov with his childish enthusiasm, passionate desire to do something in this world, to excel, but in essence to give his life, sacrifice himself, give it generously, how generously he gave everything that he had in Denisov's detachment.

In the behavior of Petya Rostov, in his worldview, everything is colored by a feeling of some kind of enlightened and all-embracing love for everyone and everything. His childish heart, not knowing self-interest, seems to respond to universal love for him. Such is the love and tenderness of the girl Natasha for all people in general, her spontaneity, the purity of her thoughts.

Friendship - comradeship - this blissful feeling is just as penetratingly described by Tolstoy - Denisov's friendly disposition towards Nikolai Rostov, Rostov's reciprocal feeling towards him. Denisov, a warrior, a brave, soldierly rude, but internally kind, honest and just person, is literally devoted to the Rostov family, with his soul comprehending its noble moral foundations.

Parental love has never before been shown in literature in its nagging power. Balzac dedicated his novel Father Goriot to her, but it sounded like a theoretical thesis, supposed to show the ingratitude of children towards their parents and the blindness of parents in their irrepressible attachment to children. Love itself remained unrevealed beyond the scope of this thesis.

It is enough to read the pages of the novel "War and Peace" about the minutes when Countess Rostova learned about the death of Petya to feel the piercing power of this mother's love and the great grief of the loss of her beloved being. We will not find this theme in either Stendhal or Flaubert. French, English, German authors did not touch on this topic. Whereas Tolstoy found irresistible colors for her.

Tolstoy's novel is fanned with a light and blissful feeling of human love. We are imbued with pride in a person who can love. How far is it from our days, when artists - writers, poets, painters, artists rush to reveal before us pictures of nightmares and horror, dark sides human soul and convince us that such is the whole world and such are all of us! One involuntarily recalls the dying words of the ailing Gogol: “Oh God! it has become terrible in your world! "