War and Peace in Shadow Lounge Readathon Group

Oct 31, 2017 Cynda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history, read2017, sociology-culture, novel, russian-lit, historical-fiction

Tolstoy might have called this novel a "novel unlimited". He takes the opportunity to discuss historical theory and to describe society and it's involvement in the French war and change as a result of that war.
Neoclassical literature is described as giving way to Romanticism in the earliest years of the 19th century. However literary writers--along with the visual artists--are not obligated and do not necessarily want to practice their arts in the newer ways. Tolstoy uses some of the aspects of Tolstoy might have called this novel a "novel unlimited". He takes the opportunity to discuss historical theory and to describe society and it's involvement in the French war and change as a result of that war.
Neoclassical literature is described as giving way to Romanticism in the earliest years of the 19th century. However literary writers--along with the visual artists--are not obligated and do not necessarily want to practice their arts in the newer ways. Tolstoy uses some of the aspects of neoclassical period when he writes of ancient deities. He also writes of traditional society, something about which the neoclassicists had a continuing dialogue about. The Romatics had no interest in those who were in political or social or military power. Notice how Tolstoy repeatedly speaks of power, most particularly in the second section of the epilogue. Just to show somewhat that Tolstoy was not necessarily an old fuddy duddy, neoclassical architecture sometimes continued into the 2oth century. Here in Nueces County, Texas, the old courthouse was built just previous to WWI and was built in the neoclassical style. So we're a number of other local county courthouses official buildings were built in that same style. Art is not bound by literary textbook theory 😀 (me chuckling)
I have recently been reminded of the history of thought/dialogue. When Tolstoy speaks of historical science, I am reminded of what one history professor kept emphasizing. When historians present or attend academic conventions they do not attend social science conferences. Instead they present at and attend social studies conferences. Interestingly--to me--we still have military science degree programs.
I could go on and on about this book. I refuse to. I will make some general comments instead.
1. This book taught me about the flavor of Russian culture. Sure just as throughout Western culture, young men of social standing were expected to carry advantageously among other conventions, I could sense a bit of attitudinal flavor slightly different from the attitudinal flavor of the rest of the Western world. This translation holds my attention particularly for this reason.
2. Tolstoy worked hard at telling a story and expounding on his theory. That is is considered the first/one of the first historical novels, I find significant. How few of the many many historical novels are considered literary. How few--if any--of those are considered masterpieces.
Bravo Tolstoy. ...more

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Feb 12, 2017 Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, project-gutenburg, 1001-books-challenge, 2017

While mind-numbingly tedious, I did actually finish this book, and I remembered enough of what I read from one sitting to the next that the characters and plot didn't run together too much. So, I guess as epic fiction goes, this was not terrible. Will I read it again? Probably not. All the characters cry seemingly all the time, the thesis about how individuals are carried along by history pops up way too much in the last 3 books, so that the pedantic lecturer gets in the way of the storyteller a ...more

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