LESSON GOALS To identify the nature of the relationships that reign in the Bolkonsky family To compare the values of the Bolkonsky and Rostov families To identify the compositional role of the first part of the first volume
EPIGRAPH FOR THE LESSON Life is infinitely diverse, and people are infinitely diverse. What they have in common, which gives them all meaning, is only life. Manifestations of life can be completely different for different people. V.V. Veresaev. Living life.
L. N. TOLSTOY ABOUT THE NOVEL All stage episodes are included in the “endless labyrinth of connections in which the essence of art consists” Evening in the 1st salon episode A. P. Sherer 2 episode Name day in the Rostov house 3 episode Death of Count Bezukhov 4 episode Reception of contrast What connects all these episodes together? Conversations about Napoleon Andrei Bolkonsky in Bald Mountains
WHY IS PRINCE ANDREY GOING TO BALD MOUNTAINS? Bald Mountains - the estate of General-in-Chief Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky
GENERAL-CHEF NIKOLAY ANDREEVICH BOLKONSKY .... a short figure of an old man appeared in a powdered wig, with small dry hands and gray drooping eyebrows, sometimes, as he frowned, obscuring the brilliance of his intelligent and youthful sparkling eyes.
N. S. VOLKONSKY - GENERAL, L. N. TOLSTOY'S MATERNAL GRANDFATHER, PROTOTYPE OF THE OLD PRINCE BOLKONSKY. UNKNOWN ARTIST
WHO DOES GENERAL-CHEF NIKOLAI ANDREEVICH BOLKONSKY LIVE WITH? With his daughter, Princess Marya, and with her companion, Mlle Bourienne
ACTIVITIES OF THE OLD PRINCE BOLKONSKY “He himself was constantly busy either writing his memoirs, or calculations from higher mathematics, or turning snuff boxes on a machine, or working in the garden and observing the buildings that did not stop on his estate. »
RELATIONS WITH OTHERS With the people around him, from his daughter to his servants, the prince was harsh and invariably demanding, and therefore, without being cruel, he aroused fear and respect for himself, which the most cruel person could not easily achieve.
ATTITUDE TO THE BRIDE-IN-LAW - Go, go! - said the old man, looking at her rounded waist. I was in a hurry, it’s not good! He laughed dryly, coldly, unpleasantly, as he always laughed, with only his mouth and not his eyes. “We need to walk, walk as much as possible,” he said.
PRINCESS MARYA BOLKONSKAYA, with a sad, frightened expression that rarely left her and made her ugly, sickly face even more ugly, the princess’s eyes, large, deep and radiant (as if rays of warm light sometimes came out of them in sheaves), were so beautiful that very often, despite the ugliness of the whole face, these eyes became more attractive than beauty. with heavy feet
SCENE OF PRINCESS MARYA TEACHING GEOMETRY Math lesson. Drawing by M. Bashilov. Wood engraving by K. Rihau. 1866
DRAWING BY M. BASHILOV. 1866. L. TOLSTOY: “THE OLD PRINCE IS VERY GOOD, ESPECIALLY WHERE HE IS WITH HIS SON. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WISHED, BUT I REALLY DON'T LIKE PRINCE ANDREY. HE IS GREAT IN GROWTH, HIS FEATURES LARGE AND ROUGH, AN UNPLEASANT SOUR EXPRESSION IN HIS MOUTH, AND THEN ALL POSE AND COSTUME ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE. HE SHOULD LISTEN TO HIS FATHER WITH A CONDENSIVE AND SOFTEN SMILE.”
THE ATTITUDE OF THE BOLKONSKY CHILDREN TO THE WHIRKS OF THE FATHER Princess Marya Prince Andrei “I will not allow myself to judge him and would not want others to do this. ""With his enormous mind, succumb to this pettiness" (about the family tree compiled by his father) They love their father very much, understand and appreciate him
THE LAST HOURS IN THE HOME Prince Andrei's face was very thoughtful and tender. He, with his hands behind him, quickly walked around the room from corner to corner, looking ahead of him, and thoughtfully shaking his head. Was he afraid to go to war, was he sad to leave his wife?
THE LAST HOURS IN THE HOME Prince Andrei's face was very thoughtful and tender. He, with his hands behind him, quickly walked around the room from corner to corner, looking ahead of him, and thoughtfully shaking his head. Was he afraid to go to war, was he sad to leave his wife - maybe it was both, but, apparently, not wanting to be seen in such a position, hearing footsteps in the hallway, he hastily freed his hands...
SEEING AWAY FOR YOUR BROTHER “André, I will bless you with this image, and you promise me that you will never take it off. Do you promise? »
ANDREY'S RELATIONSHIP TO His WIFE.... I cannot reproach myself for anything, I have not reproached and will never reproach my wife, and I myself cannot reproach myself for anything in relation to her; and it will always be so, no matter what my circumstances. But if you want to know the truth. . . want to know if I'm happy? No. Is she happy? No. Why is this? Don't know. . .
IS IT POSSIBLE TO SAY WITH CONFIDENCE THAT PRINCE ANDREY DOES NOT LOVE MY WIFE? “He hugged her. She screamed and fell unconscious on his shoulder. He carefully pulled away the shoulder on which she was lying, looked into her face and carefully sat her down on the chair.” Princess Bolkonskaya. Drawing by M. Bashilov. 1866. L. Tolstoy: “This portrait is unusually good. You cannot imagine the pleasure he gave me."
“I’m writing to Kutuzov not to keep you as an adjutant for long—it’s a bad position.” And remember one thing, Prince Andrei... If they kill you, it will hurt me, an old man... And if I find out that you did not behave like the son of Nikolai Bolkonsky, I will be... ashamed!
WHAT TRAITS DID PRINCE ANDREY INHERIT FROM HIS FATHER? Restraint Activity of feelings in activity Deep mind Purposefulness Family pride, aristocracy Depth of spiritual peace, hidden from prying eyes
WHAT UNITES THE ROSTOV AND BOLKONSKY FAMILIES IN L.N. TOLSTOY'S NOVEL? Deep cordiality Mutual love of family members Naturalness of behavior Favorite heroes of L. Tolstoy Closeness to the people in language
WHAT ARE THESE FAMILIES DIFFERENT? Rostovs Openness in expressing feelings Mental activity is not a priority Bolkonskys Restraint of feelings High intelligence Active activity
TEST. WHAT ROLE DOES THE FIRST PART OF VOLUME ONE PLAY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MAIN ACTION OF THE NOVEL? A. shows the collision of two worlds, Russia and Napoleonic France (climax) B. introduces the main characters of the novel, the setting, place and time of action (exposition) C. sets up the main storylines leading to the depiction of the war between Russia and France (plot )
WHAT LEVELS OF RUSSIAN SOCIETY DID L. TOLSTOY SHOW IN THE FIRST PART OF THE FIRST VOLUME? WHAT DOES THIS SAY? Aristocrats of St. Petersburg Moscow nobility Local nobility Governors Servants Companion Architect
HOMEWORK Read the following episodes: 1. Chapters 3 – 7 (hunting scenes), 9 – 12 (Yuletide episode) 4 part 2 volume 2. Chapters 12 – 17 (departure of the Rostovs from Moscow) 3 part 3 volume Answer questions orally: 1 How are these episodes “linked” together? 2. What general situation of human life is depicted in them? 3. What kind of life does the writer call “real”? Which characters demonstrate it in the novel?
Andrey Ranchin
Andrei Mikhailovich Ranchin (1964) - historian of Russian literature; Doctor of Philology, teacher of the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University.
Symbolism in War and Peace
From commenting experience
The following notes are written based on my commentary on “War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy (Tolstoy L.N. Collected works: In 8 vols. M.: Astrel. T. 2–3, in press). The subject of interpretation is some symbolic elements in the book, mostly implicit or “opaque” in meaning.
Bald Mountains: towards the symbolic meaning of toponymy in “War and Peace”
The name “Bald Mountains” is very expressive and unusual. Recently, on the pages of the newspaper “Literature” E.Yu. Poltavets proposed an interpretation of the name of the Bolkonsky estate as symbolic; in her opinion, the Bald Mountains are associated with Mount Golgotha (in fact, this name means “skull”, “place of the forehead”), on which Christ was crucified. Bald Mountains are endowed with the meaning of sacred space. This name indicates the “Christlikeness” of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky as a martyr: Prince Andrei, who does not escape from a grenade on the Borodino field and sacrifices himself, is like Christ, voluntarily accepting death on the cross. The sacred halo of the Bald Mountains manifests itself, according to E.Yu. Poltavets, and in the depiction of the estate as a shelter for “God’s people”: Princess Marya constantly welcomes wanderers and holy fools in Bald Mountains. Finally, according to the researcher, Bald Mountains are a kind of symbolic replacement for the holy city of Kyiv. After all, some of the wanderers made a pilgrimage to Kyiv (to the Kyiv saints mountains, according to chronicle legend, blessed by the apostle Andrey); one of the wanderers welcomed by Princess Marya is called Fedoseyushka (Feodosia), and this name recalls the great Kiev saint Theodosius of Pechersk. E.Yu. Poltavets drew attention to the coincidence of the word Mountains in the name of the estate and mountains as an element of Kyiv topography that was symbolically understood even in early ancient Russian literature; The namesake of Prince Andrei and Apostle Andrei did not pass her attention either. All this, according to the researcher, are signs of the correlation between Bald Mountains and Kyiv ( Poltavets E. Mountain, head and cave in “The Captain's Daughter” by A.S. Pushkin and “War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy // Literature. 2004. No. 10).
The idea of the presence in the text of “War and Peace” of deep symbolic structures, which E.Yu. insists on. Poltavets, no doubt, but the interpretation given by her, I believe, is doubtful.
First of all, the correlation between the mortal wound of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and the death on the cross-sacrifice of Christ hardly exists. (This correlation is discussed in detail in another article by E.Yu. Poltavets: Poltavets E.“An unresolved, hanging question...”: Why Andrei Bolkonsky died // Literature. 2002. No. 29.)
E.Yu. Poltavets interprets the death and even the wounding of Prince Andrei as a free sacrifice in imitation of Christ, like the death of the holy martyr, passion-bearer, drawing a parallel with the ancestor of the princes Volkonskikh(and L.N. Tolstoy’s maternal ancestor) Saint Mikhail Vsevolodovich, Prince of Chernigov, killed by order of Khan Batu in 1245 or 1246 for refusing to perform pagan cleansing rites, the performance of which the prince perceived as a renunciation of Christ. Prince Andrei, the researcher claims, allegedly stands on the Borodino field under French artillery fire and does not hide from a grenade, driven by sacrificial motives.
This interpretation contradicts the text of War and Peace. Firstly, there is nothing exceptional in the wounding of Colonel Bolkonsky: Prince Andrei’s regiment is in reserve at the Semenovsky ravine, on the line of Russian positions, which was indeed subjected to heavy artillery fire. The description of the shelling to which Prince Andrei’s regiment is exposed reflects the real event of the Battle of Borodino - the shelling of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky guards regiments, which were in reserve, in the second line of Russian defense: “On the Borodino field, the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments were placed in reserve behind Raevsky’s battery. They stood under fire first from enemy artillery and then from infantry for 14 hours and withstood this test “steadfastly, with the imperturbable composure that elite troops should have.”
It is this episode that L.N. describes. Tolstoy in the novel “War and Peace”” ( Lapin Vl. Semyonovskaya history: October 16–18, 1820. L., 1991. P. 25. The diary of P.S. is quoted. Pushchina: Pushchin P. Diary. 1812–1814. L., 1987. P. 60).
Secondly, Prince Andrei’s reluctance to hide from a grenade is a consequence of pride, it is motivated by officer’s honor.
“Lie down,” shouted the voice of the adjutant, who lay down on the ground. Prince Andrei stood indecisive. “Is this really death? - thought Prince Andrey, looking with a completely new, envious gaze at the grass, at the wormwood and at the stream of smoke curling from the spinning black ball. “I can’t, I don’t want to die, I love life, I love this grass, earth, air...” He thought this and at the same time remembered that they were looking at him.
Shame on you, Mr. Officer! - he said to the adjutant” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter XXXVI. - The text of “War and Peace” is quoted from the publication: Tolstoy L.N. Collection cit.: In 22 vol. M., 1980.)
The natural attachment to life and the fear of death fight in the soul of Prince Andrei with the idea of honor, with pride - a feeling that, according to Tolstoy, is mainly false - with the feeling that drives Napoleon and others like him, with that feeling, the futility of which Bolkonsky once realized this on the field of Austerlitz. Under Borodin, Prince Andrei did not want to die. The “will to die” was revealed in his soul later, already during the days of his illness. At the same time, the battle situation excluded the possibility of “spectacularly heroic” behavior, as at Austerlitz: it was necessary to “simply” stand under enemy artillery fire, but this “standing” is incredibly far - in the case of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky - from the act of a passion-bearer who becomes a “free victim” in imitation of Christ.
And, finally, the feelings that nestled in Bolkonsky’s soul before the battle are far from Christian equanimity, from forgiveness, from detachment from the world and its temptations - from that state of mind that should be inherent in a martyr-passion-bearer. He does not believe in eternal life and on the eve of the battle he remarks: “And Princess Marya says that this is a test sent from above. What is this test for when it no longer exists and will not exist? there will be no one else! He’s gone!” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter XXIV). There is embitterment in Prince Andrei, which Pierre will later recall, fearing that Bolkonsky died in such an unkind state of mind. Prince Andrei, in a completely unChristian manner, declares that he would not take prisoners, and admits that “in Lately It became difficult for me to live. I see that I have begun to understand too much. But it is not fit for a man to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter XXV). And most importantly, “no matter how much Prince Andrei changes, he cannot get rid of his disgust for life” ( Bocharov S.G. L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” // War over “War and Peace”: Novel by L.N. Tolstoy in Russian criticism and literary criticism. St. Petersburg, 2002. P. 415). And this feeling is unchristian.
The knowledge of the futility of one’s own life and life in general, which is revealed to Prince Andrei on the eve of Borodin, is a graceless knowledge. It is no coincidence that he mentions the knowledge received by Adam and Eve in violation of God’s commandment not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; the serpent, the devil, inspired them to eat from this tree (Genesis 2:17; 3:1–24). Life now for Bolkonsky is not a vision seen “through glass and under artificial light” of a magic lantern, but “badly painted pictures” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter XXIV). He is not simply disillusioned with “fame, the public good, the love of a woman” (“And all this is so simple, pale and rough in the cold glare of that morning that I feel rising for me”); he turns away both from life and from its eternal source. After being wounded, at the gates of death, he will truly comprehend the highest, otherworldly meaning of existence - but it will be a different Prince Andrei: “When he woke up after the wound and in his soul instantly, as if freed from the oppression of life that was holding him back, this flower of love blossomed, not dependent on this life, he was no longer afraid of death and did not think about it” (vol. 4, part 1, chapter XVI).
The wise Kutuzov characterizes the path of Prince Andrei: “I know that your path is the path of honor” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter XVI), and in this definition there is nothing of martyrdom in imitation of Christ. When uttering these words, it is no coincidence that Kutuzov recalls the heroic impulse of Prince Andrei in the Battle of Austerlitz, and this is a reminder to Bolkonsky joyfully: “I remember you from Austerlitz... I remember, I remember, I remember with the banner,” said Kutuzov, and a joyful color rushed into the face of Prince Andrei at this memory<…>Although Prince Andrei knew that Kutuzov was weak to tears and that he was now especially caressing him and feeling sorry for him out of a desire to show sympathy for his loss, Prince Andrei was both joyful and flattered by this memory of Austerlitz.”
But the Austerlitz feat of Prince Andrey is assessed by the author of “War and Peace” as false, not related to the eternal, higher meaning act.
And the Bald Mountains in “War and Peace” are not a place in which holiness is concentrated and abounds. Life in Bald Mountains is far from righteous, full of hidden hostility and irritation. The old prince’s attitude towards his household is indicative (by the way, the retired chief general speaks mockingly and contemptuously about his daughter’s religiosity). Living in the Bald Mountains is not only temptation, but also sin: this is the connection between the old prince and Mademoiselle Bourrienne. Of course, behind the irritation and cruel ridicule of Prince Nikolai Andreevich lies the love that manifests itself towards his daughter before his death, but one way or another, Bald Mountains is by no means a holy place.
If they can be somehow correlated with Golgotha, then in this case they can simultaneously be associated with Bald Mountain as a place of witches’ gathering. In Russia, Bald Mountain near Kyiv was known as the site of the witches’ Sabbath. However, Bald Mountains have the same bad reputation in other Slavic lands<…>And the mythologists of the spontaneous school with A.N. Afanasyev at the head believe that “Bald Mountain, where sorcerers and witches gather together with Baba Yaga and unclean spirits, is a bright, cloudless sky”” ( Amphiteatrov A.V. Devil // Orlov M.N. The story of man's relationship with the devil. M., 1992. P. 256).
Associations with a clear sky may also be characteristic of Tolstoy’s name Bald Mountains (cf. the sky contemplated by Prince Andrei at Austerlitz).
Name Bald Mountains, like the name of the Rostov estate Otradnoye, indeed, is deeply no coincidence, but its meaning is at least ambiguous. The phrase “Bald Mountains” is associated with sterility ( bald) and with elevation in pride ( mountains, high place). Both the old prince and Prince Andrei are distinguished by both rationality of consciousness (according to Tolstoy, spiritually unfruitful, in contrast to the natural simplicity of Pierre and the truth of intuition characteristic of Natasha Rostova), and pride. Besides, Bald Mountains, apparently a peculiar transformation of the name of the Tolstoy estate Yasnaya Polyana: Bald (open, unshaded) - Clear; Mountains - Glade (and by contrast “high place - lowland”). As you know, the description of life in Bald Mountains (and in Otradnoye) is inspired by impressions of Yasnaya Polyana family life.
Titus, mushrooms, beekeeper, Natasha
On the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz, “in Kutuzov’s courtyard the voices of orderlies were heard; one voice, probably of a coachman, teasing the old Kutuzov cook, whom Prince Andrei knew and whose name was Titus, said: “Titus, what about Titus?”
“Well,” answered the old man.
Titus, go thresh,” said the joker.
“And yet I love and treasure only the triumph over all of them, I treasure this mysterious power and glory that floats above me in this fog!” (Vol. 1, Part 3, Chapter XIII).
The teasing, “automatically” repeated remark of the coachman, a question that does not require an answer, expresses and emphasizes the absurdity and uselessness of war. The groundless and “foggy” (the mention of fog is very significant) dreams of Prince Andrei contrast with it. This remark is repeated a little lower, in Chapter XVIII, which describes the retreat of the Russian army after the Austerlitz defeat:
“- Titus, oh Titus! - said the bereitor.
What? - the old man answered absentmindedly.
Titus! Go threshing.
Eh, fool, ugh! - the old man said, spitting angrily. Some time passed in silent movement, and the same joke was repeated again.”
The name “Titus” is symbolic: Saint Titus, whose feast day falls on August 25 of the Old Style, was associated in popular belief with threshing (this was the height of threshing) and with mushrooms. Threshing in folk poetry and in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is a metaphor for war; In mythological beliefs, mushrooms are associated with death, war and the god of war Perun. (See about the mythological significance of St. Titus: Kondratyeva T.N. About Tita, Tita Titych and Titov’s children // Russian speech. 1970. No. 1. P. 78–81; Toporov V.N. Semantics of mythological ideas about mushrooms // Toporov V.N. Research on etymology and semantics. M., 2004. T. 1. Theory and some of its particular applications. P. 768; cf.: 760–761, 772–774.)
The annoyingly repeated mention of the name Titus, associated with the nonsense of the unnecessary and incomprehensible war of 1805, contrasts with the heroic, sublime sound of the same name in the verses glorifying Alexander I “Glory to Alexander’s age // And protect us Titus on the throne” from an ode by the poet and playwright N .P. Nikolev (description of a gala dinner at the Moscow English Club, given in honor of Bagration - vol. 2, part 1, chapter III). Titus from the Nicholas Ode - Roman emperor, famous commander Titus Flavius Vespasian.
The name of Titus does not appear again in War and Peace, but once it is given in the subtext of the work. Before the Battle of Borodino, Andrei Bolkonsky recalls how “Natasha, with a lively, excited face, told him how last summer, while going for mushrooms, she got lost in a large forest” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter XXV). In the forest she met an old beekeeper.
Prince Andrei's memory of Natasha, lost in the forest, on the night before the Battle of Borodino, on the eve of possible death, is, of course, not accidental. Mushrooms are associated with the day of St. Titus, namely the feast of St. Titus was the eve of the Battle of Borodino (August 26, old style) - one of the bloodiest in the history of the wars with Napoleon. The mushroom harvest is associated with the enormous losses of both armies in the Battle of Borodino and with the mortal wound of Prince Andrei at Borodino. Mushrooms are associated in mythological beliefs with death, and tomorrow death will reap its harvest; mushrooms are also associated with war and - in pagan tradition - with the god of war (among the Eastern Slavs with Perun).
The very day of the Battle of Borodino was the day of the feast of St. Natalia. Mushrooms as a sign of death are implicitly contrasted with Natasha as an image of triumphant life (the name Natalia, of Latin origin, means “giving birth,” and it is very eloquent that in the Epilogue Natasha is presented as a “fertile female”). The old beekeeper that Natasha meets in the forest also obviously represents the beginning of life, contrasting with the mushrooms and darkness of the forest. In War and Peace, the “swarm” life of bees is a symbol of natural human life (cf., for example, the description of Moscow in Chapter XX, Part 3, Volume 3 of War and Peace). It is significant that “beekeeping is considered one of those that require moral purity and righteous life before God” ( Maksimov S. A sack of bread. Unclean, unknown and godlike power. Smolensk, 1995. P. 595).
The mushroom - but in a metaphorical sense - is found in the text of “War and Peace” a little later and again in the episode depicting Prince Andrei and Natasha. Natasha enters the room for the first time where the wounded Bolkonsky lies. “It was dark in this hut. In the back corner of the bed, on which something was lying, on a bench stood a tallow candle that had burned out like a large mushroom” (vol. 3, part 3, chapter XXXI). The shape of the mushroom and the mention of the mushroom are symbolic here too; the mushroom is associated with death, with the world of the dead; the mushroom-shaped deposit prevents the light from spreading: “It was dark in this hut.” The darkness is endowed with signs of non-existence, the grave. It is no coincidence that it is said: “In the back corner, by the bed on which something was lying...” - not somebody, A something, that is, Prince Andrei is described in the perception of Natasha, who has not yet distinguished objects in the darkness, as a body, as if a dead man. But then everything changes: “...the burnt mushroom of the candle fell, and she clearly saw him lying<…>Prince Andrei, the way she always saw him.” “As always” - that is, alive. The “mushroom” obscures the light, which is related to life. Significant, obviously, are the phonetic and sound associations between the words “mushroom” and “coffin”, and the similarity of the “mushroom” cap to the coffin lid. The candle is reminiscent of the candle from the Gospel saying of Jesus Christ: “You are the light of the world<…>And having lit a candle, they do not put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Tolstoy, apparently, directly appeals to this saying when he mentions the “carrying” on which the candle was located in the room in which Prince Andrei lay: this “carrying” corresponds to the candle from the saying of Christ.
Saint Nicholas of Myra, Nikolai Andreevich, Nikolai and Nikolenka
Several churches mentioned in War and Peace are dedicated to St. Nicholas (Nicholas) of Myra. On the way to the Borodino field, Pierre descends along the road leading “past the cathedral standing on the mountain to the right, in which a service was going on and the gospel was preached” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter XX). This is the new St. Nicholas Cathedral on the ancient settlement of Mozhaisk, at the edge of the rampart (St. Nicholas of Myra is the heavenly patron of Mozhaisk). The cathedral was built in 1685 as a gate temple; Pierre had to see it in a rebuilt form, but without the bell tower built in 1814: in 1802–1812, the old dilapidated temple was rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style by the architect A.N. Bakarev. (See about this temple: Mokeev G.Ya. Mozhaisk is the holy city of Russians. M., 1992. pp. 78–80. The temple has survived.)
Tolstoy’s mention of the Mozhaisk St. Nicholas Cathedral is not accidental: Mozhaisk and its gate temple were perceived as the symbolic gates of Moscow, the Moscow land, and St. Nicholas was the patron saint of not only Mozhaisk, but the entire Russian land. According to Stendhal, a participant in the campaign against Russia, “it is not appeals or awards that inspire Russian soldiers to fight, but the orders of the holy saint Nicholas” ( Stendhal. Life of Napoleon // Stendhal. Italian Chronicles. Life of Napoleon. M., 1988. P. 444; lane from French A.Kulisher). The name of the saint, derived from the Greek word “victory”, is also symbolic; the name “Nicholas” means “victor of nations”, Napoleonic army consisted of soldiers of different nations - “twelve languages” (twenty nations). Twelve miles before reaching Mozhaisk, on the Borodino field, at the gates of Moscow, the Russians win a spiritual victory over Napoleon’s army. Nicholas (Nikola) of Myra was especially revered in Rus'; among the common people he could even be considered the fourth God besides the Trinity, the “Russian God”; see about this: Uspensky B.A. Philological research in the field of Slavic antiquities (Relics of paganism in the East Slavic cult of Nicholas of Myra). M., 1982. According to S.V. Maksimova, “in general, St. Nikola enjoys great respect among the people for his love for the peasants and is revered as the oldest and closest saint to God” ( Maksimov S.V. A sack of bread. Unclean, unknown and godlike power. P. 608). Platon Karataev, personifying in "War and Peace" people's soul, besides Florus and Laurus (Frola and Lavra), he prays specifically to St. Nicholas the saint (vol. 4, part 1, chapter XII).
When the French vanguard entered Moscow, “near the middle of the Arbat, near St. Nicholas the Revealed, Murat stopped, awaiting news from the advance detachment about the situation of the city fortress.” le Kremlin"" (vol. 3, part 3, chapter XXVI). The Temple of St. Nicholas the Revealed acts here as a kind of symbolic replacement for the Holy Kremlin, a landmark on the approaches to it.
It is significant that Pierre Bezukhov, in order to carry out the assassination attempt on Napoleon (and he believes that he was chosen from above for this role), went “to St. Nicholas the Appearant, with whom he had long ago determined in his imagination the place where his deed should be carried out” (i.e. 3, part 3, chapter XXXIII). The choice of location, of course, is not accidental. Pierre seems to be looking for heavenly protection, the help of St. Nicholas (Nicholas).
Napoleonic troops and Russian prisoners leaving Moscow pass “past the church” desecrated by the French: a “human corpse” was placed upright near the fence<…>smeared with soot on his face” (vol. 4, part 1, chapter XIII). The unnamed church is the preserved temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Nicholas of Myra) in Khamovniki. The main building of the church was built in 1679–1682, one of the chapels, the refectory and the bell tower - in 1692, the second chapel - in 1757. Tolstoy does not name churches, but this mention was clear to every Muscovite. After all, “War and Peace” is a work addressed primarily to Muscovites, and not to St. Petersburg residents. In War and Peace, Moscow and St. Petersburg are opposed to the benefit of the new capital. At the same time, St. Petersburg topographical realities are practically not mentioned in the book (a policeman swimming with a bear in the Fontanka is an exception). Meanwhile, Moscow realities and addresses are mentioned very often, and counting on the dedicated reader who knows them well. In addition to streets, boulevards and squares, these are, for example, Guryev's house (vol. 1, part 3, chapter XIII), Yusupov's house (house of Prince N.B. Yusupov in Kharitonyevsky Lane - vol. 3, part 3, chapter. XVI), the house of Prince Gruzinsky on the corner of Povarskaya (vol. 3, part 3, chapter XXXIV), the parish of the Assumption on Mogiltsy (vol. 2, part 5, chapter XII), the house church of the Razumovskys (Church of the Ascension on Gorokhovoye Pole - vol. 3, part 1, chapter XVIII). In the case of “Guriev’s House,” which Nikolai Rostov recalls half asleep, while in 
flanker chain, Tolstoy, focusing on his own perception of Moscow, obviously admits a historical anachronism: the Guryev House (“Gurievka”) was the name of a luxurious house built according to the design of M.F. Kazakova on the corner of Tverskaya and Maly Gnezdnikovsky lanes for Moscow commander-in-chief A.A. Prozorovsky after 1778 (probably in 1790–1795). It later belonged to Princess Golitsyna, then Kurakina; in the hands of the “rich landowner Guryev, who completely abandoned it,” the house ended up only in the 1840s, and only from that time on did it acquire the common name “Guryev’s House.” (Cm.: Gilyarovsky V.A. Moscow and Muscovites. M., 2002. P. 227.)
The image of the Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki is another example of an indication of the symbolic meaning of St. Nicholas (Nicholas) and the name “Nicholas” in “War and Peace”: St. Nicholas the Pleasant seems to be driving the French out of Moscow, who desecrated his temple.
The Epilogue takes place on “the eve of the winter Nikolai day, December 5, 1820.” The patronal feast day in Bald Mountains, where Tolstoy's favorite heroes gather, is the feast of St. Nicholas. According to B.I. Berman, the timing of the events of the Epilogue to this date is associated with the memory of Tolstoy’s older brother, Nikolai, who died early: “Worldview<…>and, most importantly, the thirty-year-old Tolstoy’s sense of life was undoubtedly formed under the influence of his beloved older brother Nikolai Nikolaevich, whose bust Tolstoy always kept in front of him in his Yasnaya Polyana office. I don’t think that the action of the Epilogue of “War and Peace” accidentally coincided with Nikolin’s day on December 6, 1820” ( Berman B.I. Hidden Tolstoy. M., 1992. P. 165). However, the psychological interpretation given by B.I. Berman, does not yet explain the function of this timing in the context of the Epilogue itself. Probably, it is significant for Tolstoy that after the winter Nikolin’s day comes Nikolshchina: in folk life “this festival is always celebrated together<…>Unlike others, this is a holiday for old people, big families and representatives of rural and rural families” ( Maksimov S.V. A sack of bread. Unclean, unknown and godlike power. P. 669). By winter Nikolin's day, all the surviving representatives of the Rostov and Bolkonsky families and Pierre Bezukhov, the only recognized legitimate son of Count Bezukhov, gather together; The heads and fathers of the Rostov - Bolkonsky (Nikolai) and Bezukhov - Rostov (Pierre) families find themselves together. From the older generation - Countess Rostova.
The name “Nikolai”, obviously, for Tolstoy is not only a “fatherly” name (his father Nikolai Ilyich) and the name of his beloved brother Nikolenka, who died early, but also a “victorious” one - Nikolai was the name of Bolkonsky Sr., the general-in-chief, who was valued even by Catherine’s commanders and the empress herself; Nikolenka is the name of the youngest of the Bolkonskys, who in the Epilogue dreams of a feat, of imitating the heroes of Plutarch. Nikolai Rostov became an honest and brave military man. The name “Nikolai” is, in a certain sense, “the most Russian name.”
]. And during the new reign, although he was allowed to enter the capitals, he also continued to live in the countryside, saying that if anyone needed him, he would travel one and a half hundred miles from Moscow to Bald Mountains, and that he did not need anyone or anything. . He said that there are only two sources of human vices: idleness and superstition, and that there are only two virtues: activity and intelligence. He himself was involved in raising his daughter and, in order to develop both main virtues in her, gave her lessons in algebra and geometry and distributed her whole life in continuous studies. He himself was constantly busy either writing his memoirs, or calculating higher mathematics, or turning snuff boxes on a machine, or working in the garden and observing the buildings that did not stop on his estate. Since the main condition for activity is order, order in his way of life was brought to the utmost degree of precision. His trips to the table took place under the same unchanging conditions, and not only at the same hour, but also at the same minute. With the people around him, from his daughter to his servants, the prince was harsh and invariably demanding, and therefore, without being cruel, he aroused fear and respect for himself, which the most cruel person could not easily achieve. Despite the fact that he was retired and now had no importance in state affairs, every head of the province where the prince’s estate was, considered it his duty to come to him and, just like an architect, gardener or Princess Marya, waited for the appointed hour of the prince's appearance in the high waiter's room. And everyone in this waitress experienced the same feeling of respect and even fear, while the enormously high door of the office opened and the short figure of an old man with small dry hands and gray drooping eyebrows, sometimes, as he frowned, obscured the shine of smart people, appeared in a powdered wig. and young shiny eyes.
On the day of the newlyweds’ arrival, in the morning, as usual, Princess Marya entered the waitress’s room at the appointed hour for morning greetings and fearfully crossed herself and read an internal prayer. Every day she went in and every day she prayed that this daily meeting would go well.
A powdered old servant sitting in the waiter's room stood up with a quiet movement and announced in a whisper: "Please."
The uniform sounds of the machine could be heard from behind the door. The princess timidly pulled the door that opened easily and smoothly and stopped at the entrance. The prince was working at the machine and, looking back, continued his work.
The huge office was filled with things that were obviously in constant use. A large table on which lay books and plans, tall glass library cabinets with keys in the doors, a high standing writing table on which lay an open notebook, a lathe with tools laid out and shavings scattered around - everything showed a constant, varied and decent activities. From the movements of his small foot, shod in a Tatar boot embroidered with silver, and from the firm fit of his sinewy, lean hand, one could see in the prince the stubborn and enduring strength of fresh old age. Having made several circles, he took his foot off the pedal of the machine, wiped off the chisel, threw it into a leather pocket attached to the machine, and, going up to the table, called his daughter. He never blessed his children and only, presenting his stubbled, not yet shaved cheek to her, said, looking at her sternly and at the same time carefully and tenderly:
Are you healthy?.. well, sit down!
He took the geometry notebook he had written in his own hand and pushed his chair forward with his foot.
For tomorrow! - he said, quickly finding the page and marking it from paragraph to paragraph with a hard nail.
The princess bent over the table over her notebook.
Wait, the letter is for you,” the old man suddenly said, taking out an envelope written in a woman’s hand from a pocket attached above the table, and throwing it on the table.
The princess's face became covered with red spots at the sight of the letter. She hurriedly took it and bent down towards him.
Here is another Key of the Sacrament your Eloise sends you. Religious. And I don’t interfere with anyone’s faith... I looked through it. Take it. Well, go, go!
He patted her on the shoulder and locked the door behind her.
Princess Marya returned to her room with a sad, frightened expression that rarely left her and made her ugly, sickly face even more ugly, and sat down at her desk, lined with miniature portraits and littered with notebooks and books. The princess was as disorderly as her father was decent. She put down her geometry notebook and impatiently opened the letter. The letter was from the princess’s closest friend since childhood; this friend was the same Julie Karagina who was at the Rostovs’ name day.
The princess thought, smiled thoughtfully (and her face, illuminated by radiant eyes, was completely transformed) and, suddenly getting up, walking heavily, moved to the table. She took out the paper, and her hand quickly began to walk over it. This is what she wrote in response:
“Chère et excellente amie.” Votre lettre du 13 m"a causé une grande joie. Vous m"aimez donc toujours, ma poétique Julie. L"absence dont vous dites tant de mal, n"a donc pas eu son influence habituelle sur vous. Vous vous plaignez de l"absence - que devrai-je dire moi si j"osais me plaindre, privée de tous ceux qui me sont chers? Ah! si nous n"avions pas la religion pour nous consoler, la vie serait bien triste. Pourquoi me supposez-vous un regard sévère quand vous me partez de votre affection pour le jeune homme? Sous ce rapport je ne suis rigide que pour moi. Je comprends ces sentiments chez les autres et si je ne puis approuver ne les ayant jamais ressentis, je ne les condamne pas. Il me paraît seulement que l"amour chrétien, l"amour du prochain, l"amour pour ses ennemis est plus méritoire, plus doux et plus beau, que ne le sont les sentiments que peuvent inspirer les beaux yeux d "un jeune homme à une jeune fille poétique et aimante comme vous. La nouvelle de la mort du comte Bezukhov nous est par-venue avant votre lettre, et mon père en a été très affecté. Il dit que c"était l"avant-dernier représentant du grand siècle, et qu"à présent c"est son tour; tard possible. Que Dieu nous garde de ce terrible malheur! Je ne puis partager votre opinion sur Pierre que j"ai connu enfant. Il me paraissait toujours avoir un cur excellent, et c"est la qualité que j"estime le plus dans les gens. Quant à son héritage et au rôle qu"y a joué le prince Basile, c "est bien triste pour tous les deux. Ah! chère amie, la parole de Notre Divin Sauveur qu"il est plus aisé à un chameau de passer par le trou d"une aiguille, qu"il ne l "est à un riche d" entrer dans le royaume de Dieu, cette parole est terriblement vraie; je plains le prince Basile et je regrette encore davantage Pierre. Si jeune et accablé de cette richesse, que de tentations n"aura-t-il pas à subir! Si on me demandait ce que je désirerais le plus au monde, ce serait d"être plus pauvre que le plus pauvre des mendiants. Mille grâces, chère amie, pour l "ouvrage que vous m" envoyez, et qui fait si grande fureur chez vous. Cependant, puisque vous me dites qu"au milieu de plusieurs bonnes choses il y en a d"autres que la faible conception humaine ne peut atteindre, il me paraît assez inutile de s"occuper d"une lecture intelligible qui par là même ne pourrait être d"aucun fruit. Je n"ai jamais pu comprendre la passion qu"ont certaines personnes de s"embrouiller l"entendement en s"attachant à des livres mystiques, qui n"élèvent que des doutes dans leurs esprits, exaltent leur imagination et leur donnent un caractère d"exagération tout à fait contraire à la simplicité chrétienne. Lisons Les Apethes et l "ne Cherchons pas à pénétrer cex-là Renferment de Mystérieux, Car Comment Oserions-Nous, Misérabs Pécheurs Que Nou Nou Sommes, PREMES Tendre à nous initier dans les secrets terribles et sacrés de la Providence, Tant Que nous portons cette dépouille charnelle, qui élève entre nous et l"éternel un voile impénétrable? Bornons-nous donc à étudier les principes sublimes que Notre Divin Sauveur nous a laissé pour notre conduite ici-bas; cherchons à nous y conformer et à les suivre, persuadons-nous que moins nous donnons d "essor à notre faible esprit humain et plus il est agréable à Dieu, qui rejette toute science ne venant pas de lui; que moins nous cherchons à approfondir ce qu"il lui a plu de dérober à notre connaissance, et plutôt il nous en accordera la découverte par son divin esprit.
Mon père ne m"a pas parlé du prétendant, mais il m"a dit seulement qu"il a reçu une lettre et attendait une visite du prince Basile. Pour ce qui est du projet de mariage qui me regarde, je vous dirai, chère et excellente amie, que le mariage selon moi, est une institution divine à laquelle il faut se conformer. Quelque pénible que cela soit pour moi, si le Tout-Puissant m"impose jamais les devoirs d"épouse et de mère, je tâcherai de les remplir aussi fidèlement que je le pourrai, sans m"inquiéter de l"examen de mes sentiments à l"égard de celui qu"il me donnera pour époux.
J"ai reçu une lettre de mon frère qui m"annonce son arrivée à Bald Mountains avec sa femme. Ce sera une joie de courte durée, puisqu"il nous quitte pour prendre part à cette malheureuse guerre, à laquelle nous sommes entraînés Dieu sait comment et pourquoi. Non seulement chez vous, au center des affaires et du monde, on ne parle que de guerre, mais ici, au milieu de ces travaux champêtres et de ce calme de la nature que les citadins se représentent ordinairement à la campagne, les bruits de la guerre se font entendre et sentir péniblement Mon père ne parle que marche et contremarche, choses. auxquelles je ne comprends rien; et avant-hier en faisant ma promenade habituelle dans la rue du village, je fus témoin d"une scène déchirante... C"était un convoi des recrues enrôlés chez nous et expédiés pour l"armée. Il fallait voir l"état dans lequel se trouvaient les mères, les femmes, les enfants des hommes qui partaient et entendre les sanglots des uns et des autres! On dirait que l"humanité à oublié les lois de Son Divin Sauveur qui prêchait l" amour et le pardon des offenses, et qu"elle fait consister son plus grand mérite dans l"art de s"entre-tuer.
Adieu, chère et bonne amie, que Notre Divin Sauveur et sa très Sainte Mère vous aient en leur sainte et puissante garde. Marie"
The princess looked at her watch and, noticing that she had already missed the time she should have used to play the clavichord by five minutes, she went to the sofa with a frightened look. Between twelve and two o'clock, in accordance with the routine of the day, the prince rested, and the princess played the clavichord.
Prince Andrei followed her with a courteous and sad expression.
“You have grown old, Tikhon,” he said, passing, to the old man who was kissing his hand.
In front of the room in which the clavichord could be heard, a pretty blond Frenchwoman jumped out of a side door. Mlle Bourienne seemed distraught with delight.
Non, non, de grâce... Vous êtes mademoiselle Bourienne, je vous connais déjà par l "amitié que vous porte ma belle-soeur,” said the princess, kissing her. “Elle ne nous attend pas!”
They approached the door of the sofa, from which they could hear the passage being repeated again and again. Prince Andrei stopped and winced, as if expecting something unpleasant.
The princess entered. The passage broke off in the middle; a cry was heard, the heavy feet of Princess Marya and the sounds of kisses. When Prince Andrei entered, the princess and princess only once a short time those who saw each other during the wedding of Prince Andrei, clasped their hands, firmly pressed their lips to the places where they fell in the first minute. Mlle Bourienne stood near them, pressing her hands to her heart and smiling piously, apparently as ready to cry as to laugh. Prince Andrey shrugged his shoulders and winced, as music lovers wince when they hear a false note. Both women released each other; then again, as if afraid of being late, they grabbed each other by the hands, began to kiss and tear off their hands, and then again began to kiss each other on the face, and completely unexpectedly for Prince Andrei, both began to cry and began to kiss again. Mlle Bourienne also began to cry. Prince Andrei was obviously embarrassed; but it seemed so natural to the two women that they were crying; it seemed that they did not even imagine that this meeting could take place otherwise.
Il m"abandonne ici, et Dieu sait pourquoi, quand il aurait pu avoir de l"avancement...
Princess Marya did not listen to the end and, continuing the thread of her thoughts, turned to her daughter-in-law, pointing to her belly with gentle eyes?
Maybe? - she said.
The princess's face changed. She sighed.
Yes, probably,” she said. - Ah! It's very scary...
Lisa's lips dropped. She brought her face closer to her sister-in-law's and suddenly began to cry again.
“She needs to rest,” said Prince Andrei, wincing. - Isn’t it true, Lisa? Take her to your place, and I’ll go to the priest. What is he, still the same?
Same, same; “I don’t know about your eyes,” the princess answered joyfully.
And the same hours and walks along the alleys? Machine? - asked Prince Andrei with a barely noticeable smile, showing that, despite all his love and respect for his father, he understood his weaknesses.
The same clock and machine, also mathematics and my geometry lessons,” Princess Marya answered joyfully, as if her geometry lessons were one of the most joyful experiences of her life.
When the twenty minutes that were needed for the old prince to get up had passed, Tikhon came to call the young prince to his father. The old man made an exception to his lifestyle in honor of his son’s arrival: he ordered him to be allowed into his half while dressing before dinner. The prince walked in the old-fashioned way, in a caftan and powder. And while Prince Andrei (not with that grumpy expression and manners that he assumed in the living rooms, but with that animated face that he had when he talked with Pierre) entered his father, the old man was sitting in the dressing room on a wide, morocco upholstered chair, in a powder mantle, leaving his head in Tikhon’s hands.
A! Warrior! Do you want to conquer Bonaparte? - said the old man and shook his powdered head, as much as this braided braid, which was in Tikhon’s hands, allowed. - At least take good care of him, otherwise he will soon write us down as his subjects. Great! - And he stuck out his cheek.
The old man was in good spirits after a pre-dinner nap. (He said that after lunch there is a silver dream, and before lunch there is a golden dream.) He joyfully glanced sideways at his son from under his thick, overhanging eyebrows. Prince Andrei came up and kissed his father in the place he indicated. He did not answer his father’s favorite topic of conversation - making fun of the current military people, and especially Bonaparte.
Yes, I came to you, father, and with my pregnant wife,” said Prince Andrei, watching with animated and respectful eyes the movement of every feature of his father’s face. - How is your health?
Those who are unhealthy, brother, are only fools and debauchees, but you know me: busy from morning to evening, abstinent, and well, healthy.
“Thank God,” said the son, smiling.
God has nothing to do with it. Well, tell me,” he continued, returning to his favorite hobby, “how the Germans taught you to fight with Bonaparte according to your new science, called strategy.
Prince Andrei smiled.
Let me come to my senses, father,” he said with a smile, showing that his father’s weaknesses did not prevent him from respecting and loving him. - After all, I haven’t settled in yet.
“You’re lying, you’re lying,” the old man shouted, shaking his braid to see if it was tightly braided, and grabbing his son’s hand. - The house for your wife is ready. Princess Marya will take her and show her and talk a lot about her. This is their woman's business. I'm glad for her. Sit and tell me. I understand Mikhelson’s army, Tolstoy too... the landing is one-time... What will the Southern Army do? Prussia, neutrality... I know that. Austria what? - he said, getting up from his chair and walking around the room with Tikhon running and handing pieces of clothing. - Sweden what? How will Pomerania be transferred?
Prince Andrei, seeing the urgency of his father’s demand, at first reluctantly, but then becoming more and more animated and involuntarily in the middle of the story, out of habit, switching from Russian to French, began to outline the operational plan of the proposed campaign. He told how an army of ninety thousand had to threaten Prussia in order to bring it out of neutrality and draw it into the war, how part of these troops had to unite with the Swedish troops in Stralsund, how two hundred and twenty thousand Austrians, in conjunction with one hundred thousand Russians, had to act in Italy and on the Rhine, and how fifty thousand Russians and fifty thousand Englishmen would land in Naples, and how, as a result, an army of five hundred thousand had to attack the French from different sides. The old prince did not show the slightest interest in the story, as if he was not listening, and, continuing to get dressed as he walked, unexpectedly interrupted him three times. Once he stopped him and shouted:
White! white!
This meant that Tikhon did not give him the vest he wanted. Another time he stopped and asked:
And will she give birth soon? - and, shaking his head reproachfully, said: - Not good! Keep going, keep going.
The third time, when Prince Andrei finished the description, the old man sang in a false and senile voice: “Malbrough s"en va-t-en guerre. Dieu sait quand reviendra."
The son just smiled.
“I’m not saying that this is a plan that I approve,” said the son, “I just told you what it is.” Napoleon had already drawn up his own plan no worse than this. - Well, you didn’t tell me anything new. - And the old man thoughtfully said to himself in a patter: “Dieu sait quand reviendra.” - Go to the dining room.
Princess Marya could not understand the boldness of her brother’s judgments and was preparing to object to him, when the expected steps were heard from the office: the prince entered quickly, cheerfully, as he always walked, as if deliberately, with his hasty manners, representing the opposite of the strict order of the house. At the same instant, the large clock struck two, and others echoed in a thin voice in the living room. The prince stopped; from under hanging thick eyebrows, lively, brilliant, stern eyes looked at everyone and settled on the young princess. At that time, the young princess experienced the feeling that the courtiers experience at the royal exit, the feeling of fear and respect that this old man aroused in all those close to him. He stroked the princess's head and then, with an awkward movement, patted her on the back of her head.
“I’m glad, I’m glad,” he said and, still looking intently into her eyes, quickly walked away and sat down in his place. - Sit down, sit down! Mikhail Ivanovich, sit down.
He showed his daughter-in-law a place next to him. The waiter pulled out a chair for her.
Go, go! - said the old man, looking at her rounded waist. - I was in a hurry, it’s not good!
He laughed dryly, coldly, unpleasantly, as he always laughed - with only his mouth, and not with his eyes.
We need to walk, walk, as much as possible, as much as possible,” he said.
The little princess did not hear or did not want to hear his words. She was silent and seemed embarrassed. The prince asked her about her father, and the princess spoke and smiled. He asked her about mutual acquaintances: the princess became even more animated and began to talk, conveying her bows and city gossip to the prince.
“La comtesse Apraksine, la pauvre, a perdu son mari, et elle a pleuré les larmes de ses yeux,” she said, becoming more and more animated.
As she perked up, the prince looked at her more and more sternly and suddenly, as if having studied her sufficiently and formed a clear concept about her, he turned away from her and turned to Mikhail Ivanovich.
Well, Mikhaila Ivanovich, things are bad for our Buonaparte. How Prince Andrei (he always called his son that in the third person) told me what forces were gathering against him! And you and I all considered him an empty person.
Mikhail Ivanovich, who absolutely did not know when you and I said such words about Bonaparte, but understood that he was needed to enter into a favorite conversation, looked at the young prince in surprise, not knowing what would come of it.
He is a great tactician! - the prince said to his son, pointing to the architect.
And the conversation turned again to the war, about Bonaparte and the current generals and statesmen. The old prince seemed to be convinced not only that all the current leaders were boys who did not understand the ABCs of military and state affairs, and that Bonaparte was an insignificant Frenchman who was successful only because there were no longer Potemkins and Suvorovs to oppose him; but he was even convinced that there were no political difficulties in Europe, there was no war, but there was some kind of puppet comedy that was played current people, pretending to do business. Prince Andrei cheerfully endured his father’s ridicule of new people and with visible joy called his father to a conversation and listened to him.
Oh, he's so kind! - said the princess.
She crossed herself, kissed the icon and handed it to Andrey.
Please, André, for me...
Rays of kind and timid light shone from her large eyes. These eyes illuminated the entire sickly, thin face and made it beautiful. The brother wanted to take the icon, but she stopped him. Andrei understood, crossed himself and kissed the icon. His face was at the same time tender (he was touched) and mocking.
She kissed his forehead and sat down on the sofa again. They were silent.
So I told you, André, be kind and generous, as you always have been. Don’t judge Lise harshly,” she began. “She is so sweet, so kind, and her situation is very difficult now.”
It seems that I didn’t tell you anything, Masha, so that I would reproach my wife for anything or be dissatisfied with her. Why are you telling me all this?
Princess Marya blushed in spots and fell silent, as if she felt guilty.
I didn’t tell you anything, but they already told you. And it makes me sad.
Red spots appeared even more strongly on Princess Marya’s forehead, neck and cheeks. She wanted to say something and could not say it. The brother guessed right: the little princess cried after dinner, said that she foresaw an unhappy birth, was afraid of it, and complained about her fate, about her father-in-law and her husband. After crying, she fell asleep. Prince Andrei felt sorry for his sister.
Know one thing, Masha, I cannot reproach myself for anything, I have not reproached and will never reproach my wife, and I myself cannot reproach myself for anything in relation to her; and it will always be so, no matter what my circumstances. But if you want to know the truth... do you want to know if I'm happy? No. Is she happy? No. Why is this? Don't know...
Saying this, he stood up, walked up to his sister and, bending down, kissed her on the forehead. His beautiful eyes shone with an intelligent and kind, unusual sparkle, but he looked not at his sister, but into the darkness of the open door, over her head.
Let's go to her, we need to say goodbye! Or go alone, wake her up, and I’ll be right there. Parsley! - he shouted to the valet. - Come here, clean it up. It's in the seat, it's on the right side.
Princess Marya stood up and headed towards the door. She stopped:
Yes - is that it! - said Prince Andrei. - Go, Masha, I’ll come now.
On the way to his sister’s room, in the gallery connecting one house to another, Prince Andrei met the sweetly smiling Mlle Bourienne, who for the third time that day had come across him with an enthusiastic and naive smile in secluded passages.
“Adieu, Marie,” he said quietly to his sister, kissed her hand in hand and quickly walked out of the room.
The princess was lying in a chair, Mlle Bourrienne was rubbing her temples. Princess Marya, supporting her daughter-in-law, with tear-stained beautiful eyes, still looked at the door through which Prince Andrei came out, and baptized him. From the office one could hear, like gunshots, the often repeated angry sounds of an old man blowing his nose. As soon as Prince Andrei left, the office door quickly opened and the stern figure of an old man in a white robe looked out.
Left? Well, good! - he said, looking angrily at the emotionless little princess, shook his head reproachfully and slammed the door.
The role of the Bolkonsky family in the work
The Bolkonsky family plays an important role in the novel War and Peace. The main problems of the great writer’s work are inextricably linked with them. The text traces the stories of several families. The main attention is paid to the Bolkonskys, Rostovs and Kuragins. The author's sympathies are with the Rostovs and Bolkonskys. There is a big difference between them. The relationship between the Rostovs is sensual and emotional. The Bolkonskys are guided by reason and expediency. But it is in these families that Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s favorite heroes are brought up. Members of the Bolkonsky family are prominent representatives of people of “peace and light.” Their destinies are closely intertwined with life paths other characters in the work. They take an active part in the development of the storyline of the story. Psychological problems, issues of morality, ethics, family foundations are reflected in the depiction of these characters.
Characteristics of relationships
The Bolkonskys belong to an ancient princely family and live on the Bald Mountains estate, located not far from the capital. Each family member is an extraordinary personality, endowed with strong character and remarkable abilities.
Head of the family
Old Prince Nikolai Andreevich, his son Andrei Nikolaevich and Princess Marya Nikolaevna are members of the Bolkonsky family in the novel “War and Peace”.
The head of the family is the old Prince Bolkonsky. This is a person with a strong character and an established worldview. Successful career military man, honors and respect remained a thing of the distant past for him. On the pages of the book we see an old man who has withdrawn from military service and government affairs, secluded himself on his estate. Despite the blows of fate, he is full of strength and energy. An old man's day is scheduled minute by minute. His routine includes both mental and physical labor. Nikolai Andreevich draws up plans for military campaigns, works in a carpentry workshop, and is engaged in arranging the estate. He is of sound mind and good physical shape, does not recognize idleness for himself and forces all household members to live by his rules. It is especially difficult for the daughter, who is forced to study natural sciences and endure her father’s difficult temper.
The proud and unyielding character of the old prince causes a lot of trouble for those around him, and his integrity, honesty and intelligence inspire respect.
Prince Andrey
We meet Andrei Bolkonsky in the first chapter of the work. He appears among the guests of Anna Pavlovna Scherer's social salon and immediately attracts everyone's attention. The young man stands out from the general background not only with his appearance, but also with his behavior. We understand that the people around him cause irritation and even anger. He dislikes false masks, lies, hypocrisy and empty talk of secular society. A sincere, kind smile appears on the hero’s face only when he sees Pierre Bezukhov. Andrei Bolkonsky is young, handsome, educated, but dissatisfied with his existence on this earth. He doesn't love his beautiful wife and is dissatisfied with his career. Throughout the development of the storyline, the image of the hero is revealed to the reader in all its depth.
At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is a man who dreams of becoming like Napoleon. Therefore, he decides to leave his pregnant wife and his boring lifestyle and goes to military service. He dreams of heroic deeds, glory and popular love. The high sky of Austerlitz changes his worldview and adjusts his plans for life. He is constantly searching for himself. Feats and serious wounds, love and betrayal, disappointments and victories fill the life of one of Tolstoy’s favorite heroes. As a result, the young prince finds the true meaning of life in serving the Fatherland and protecting his homeland. The hero's fate is tragic. He dies from a serious wound without realizing his dream.
Princess Marya
Andrei Bolkonsky's sister, Princess Marya, is one of the brightest and touching images narratives. Living next to her father, she is patient and submissive. Thoughts about her husband, her family and children seem like pipe dreams to her. Marya is unattractive: “an ugly weak body and a thin face,” she is unsure of herself and lonely. The only remarkable thing about her appearance was her “large, deep, radiant” eyes: “She sees her purpose in serving the Lord. Deep faith gives strength and is an outlet in her difficult life situation. “I don’t wish for another life, and I can’t wish for it, because I don’t know another life,” the heroine says about herself.
The timid and soft Princess Marya is equally kind to everyone, sincere and spiritually rich. For the sake of her loved ones, the girl is ready to make sacrifices and take decisive actions. At the end of the novel we see the heroine happy wife Nikolai Rostov and a caring mother. Fate rewards her for her devotion, love and patience.
Family traits
In the novel War and Peace, the Bolkonsky house is an example of truly aristocratic foundations. Restraint reigns in relationships, although all family members sincerely love each other. The Spartan way of existence does not allow you to express your feelings and experiences, whine, or complain about life. No one is allowed to violate the strict rules of conduct.
The Bolkonskys in the novel “War and Peace” personify best features the history of the noble class. Once upon a time, representatives of this class were the basis of the state; they devoted their lives to serving the Fatherland, just like the representatives of this noble family.
Each of the Bolkonsky family has its own unique character traits. But there is something in common that unites these people. They are distinguished by family pride, honesty, patriotism, nobility, and a high intellectual level of development. Betrayal, meanness, cowardice have no place in the souls of these heroes. The characteristics of the Bolkonsky family develop gradually throughout the narrative.
The concept of a classic
Testing the strength of family ties, the writer takes his characters through a series of tests: love, war and social life. Representatives of the Bolkonsky family successfully cope with difficulties thanks to the support of their relatives.
According to the great writer’s plan, the chapters devoted to the description of the life of the Bolkonsky family play a huge role in the ideological content of the novel “War and Peace.” They are people of “light”, worthy of deep respect. Image family life favorite characters helps the classic to reflect the “family thought”, to build his work in the genre of a family chronicle.
Work test
The Bolkonsky family in the novel "War and Peace".
Novel "War and Peace" - largest work world literature. It alone combines an excellent depiction of historical events, a superb depiction of the “Dialectics of the Soul”, historical figures shown with great accuracy, and, finally, several completely different families are perfectly described. In general, the entire novel proceeds along several parallel storylines, one way or another intertwined. This means there are several main characters in the novel. Namely: Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Andrei Bolkonsky. Pierre's family is not very large: sisters, his father's daughters and his wife, whom he never loved. The Rostov family is much larger, but it is not that that interests us, we are interested in the family of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. She smaller family Rostov, but this does not diminish the interest of the reader and author in it. On the contrary, the life of this family is described even more and better than a similar description concerning the Rostovs. The first time we encounter the Bolkonsky family is in in full force at the end of the first part of the first volume, when everyone in Bald Mountains, on the Bolkonskys’ main estate, is awaiting the arrival of Prince Andrei and his wife. From this moment on, a lot, one might say almost everything, becomes clear about this family, about all their members. Starting with the old prince and ending with mlle Bourienne. Before we begin describing the family members, it should be said that everyone in the Bolkonsky family is special in their own way. If we draw a parallel with the Rostovs, we can immediately say: these are completely different people. The Rostovs are simple nobles, a good-natured father, a kind mother, a generous son, carefree children. Here everything is completely different. The dictator-father is a submissive daughter, a fearful daughter-in-law, and an independent son. This is an overview of the whole family, which gives some insight into the Bolkonskys. You can figuratively imagine the Bolkonskys as a triangle, at the top of which is their father, Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, on the other peak Andrei, and not the third, Princess Marya Bolkonskaya with Lisa, the wife of Prince Andrei. These are three fronts, three completely opposite groups (if one or two people can be called that) in the family.
Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky bore the rank of general-in-chief, that is, the same as Kutuzov had at that time, with whom he was very familiar. Despite the lifting of the ban on leaving the village, which he received from the new Emperor Alexander, he had no intention of leaving anywhere, since his Bald Mountains were his real empire, and he was an emperor in them, moreover, an autocratic dictator. “With the people around him, from his daughter to his servants, the prince was harsh and invariably demanding, and therefore, without being cruel, he aroused in himself fear and respect, which the most cruel person could not easily achieve.” But despite this attitude of the prince towards the others there was such a person, the architect Mikhail Ivanovich, who always dined with him, and whom the prince respected, despite his simple origin. He “said that all people are equal, and more than once inspired his daughter that Mikhaila Ivanovich is no worse than you and me. At the table, the prince most often turned to the dumb Mikhaila Ivanovich.” This is undoubtedly more than strange if you look at his attitude towards his daughter and servants. The same thing was observed later, when the prince swore that he would marry mlle Bourienne, in response to Prince Andrei’s request for a blessing for his wedding with Natasha Rostova. It seemed absurd, but the prince really began to bring the Frenchwoman closer to him. Marya began to suffer even more at that time. Timid, quiet, who did not bring harm to anyone, even the most disgusting cockroach, she dies, which no one needed, even Prince Andrei suffers greatly, despite the fact that he did not love his wife as much as he would later love Natasha; "about two hours after that, Prince Andrei entered his father's office with quiet steps. The old man already knew everything. He stood at the very door, and as soon as it opened, the old man silently, with his senile, hard hands, like a vice, grabbed his son's neck and sobbed, like a child". This passage proves that even he, the stern Prince Bolkonsky, managed to become very attached to the little princess. After her death, Marya was left without a good friend, like Princess Bolkonskaya managed to become for her. And then the process of separation begins with both Mlle Bourienne and Julie Karagina. Only in the horse itself does the long-awaited happiness come in the person of Nikolai Rostov. Despite attempts to marry his daughter, the old prince was never able to do this during his lifetime. After all, we remember the incident when Prince Vasily came to Bald Mountains with his son, the handsome Anatole, who would break many more women’s hearts.
By 1812, life in the Bolkonsky family had become almost unbearable for Princess Marya; the prince had become old, more grouchy and picky towards his daughter. More and more often, his causeless anger fell on her, and he almost brought her to run away from home and wander. People of God constantly came to Princess Marya, whom the old prince always drove away, and for which he was always angry with his daughter. In general, the prince completely denied idleness and religion in people; these two integral parts of that time were prohibited in the empire of Prince Bolkonsky; for him, holidays were replaced by work at the machine, and faith by comprehending the heights of mathematics. He wanted to make Princess Marya the same, but he didn’t succeed, which is why he had frequent quarrels with her, although it’s difficult to call it a quarrel, because the princess was always in the role of defending herself, he would never have dared to untie quarrel with father. And so, in 1812, when Napoleon’s forces were on the outskirts of Smolensk, and therefore the Bald Mountains, the prince decided to create his own militia, which ended in a blow for him, which caused his imminent death. And it was death that forced Prince Bolkonsky to finally apologize to his daughter; this never happened during his lifetime. Thus ends the history of the empire, the great Lysogorsk empire of Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky.
What about Andrey? After all, he is one of the three main characters of the epic novel. He, of course, is also the son of Prince Bolkonsky, but his environment is very different from his family. He himself is a magnificent, beautifully portrayed personality. A man of honor, independent, leading a correct lifestyle, patriot, good friend and an adviser - he is such throughout the novel, from the first meeting with Pierre in St. Petersburg, where we first get to know him in detail, to the explosion of a cannonball on the Borodino field and his death next to Natasha. At the same time, Prince Andrei has something contradictory, like his father: his desire for glory. Somehow this does not fit with his basic qualities. But this did not last him so long, although he thought about it for a long time. Coming soon crucial moment, a turning point in his life, after which he said that “he would not fight even if the French stood near the Bald Mountains.” This detail is the sky of Austerlitz, one of the most beautiful episodes of the entire novel, unforgettable for its artistic beauty and power. The author here showed all his ability to penetrate into the state of the heroes, to be in their place: “That’s not how the clouds crawl across this high, endless sky. How come I haven’t seen this high sky before? And how happy I am that I finally recognized it. Yes! Everything is empty, everything is a lie, except this endless sky. There is nothing, nothing except it. Before this, Prince Andrei, realizing what he was getting into, thought, “This is it!” rushed with a flag to meet the French, which was followed by the fleeing soldiers. Thus, nature changed the life of Prince Andrei, after which he began to lead a completely different lifestyle: he began to live on the Bogucharovo estate and engage in purely economic affairs. Everything was changed again by the beauty of the surrounding world, namely the oak, a simple old oak. And here one cannot resist a decent-sized quote: “on the edge of the road stood an oak tree. Probably ten times older than the birches that make up the forest, it was ten times thicker and twice as tall as each birch. It was a huge oak tree, twice the girth of an oak tree, with branches that had been broken off for a long time and with broken bark [E] only he did not want to submit to the charm of spring and did not want to see either spring or the sun “Spring, and love, and happiness! - it was as if this oak tree was speaking. “And how can you not get tired of the same stupid and senseless deception! E.” and then, returning, Prince Andrei saw the new life of this oak tree, and decided that it was time for him to start a new life. spread out like a tent of lush, dark greenery, it was thrilled, slightly swaying in the rays of the evening sun. [E] “No, life is not over at thirty-one.” Thus, the life of Prince Andrei was twice radically changed by nature, with all its beauty.
Prince Andrey is a completely different topic, so it’s probably worth ending here. You can’t talk about the Bolkonsky family as something unified, since everyone there is completely different, unlike the Rostovs. Given here short description each family member individually and together with others. After all, the Bolkonsky family is the most interesting in the novel, both from an artistic point of view and from a purely reader’s point of view, since it is always interesting to read about people who are so very different, but nevertheless live in the same family.
