What stands out for me in this first chapter is that Anna Pavlovna Scherer is remarkably opinionated, whether or not she knows what she’s talking about. At this point, I don’t trust her judgment, and I’m amused by the facetious replies from Prince Vasily. I’m anticipating that the Oscar Wilde-style insincerities of the drawing room will be starkly contrasted by the later battle scenes. (Jerry)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Anna reminds me of my mother in her strongly held political views (and rant) in Ch 1. When the prince responded, “‘I think’ said the prince with a smile,’ that if you had been sent instead of our dear Wintzingerode you would have captured the King of Prussia;s consent by assault. You are so eloquent.’” As long as it wasn’t condescending, she (Mom) would have been very pleased. Nancy P-S
But Prince Vasily is, I think, terribly condescending. (Also, I am tempted to cast Ivanka and Eric as Helene and Hippolyte.) (Del)
Useful links: Google Classroom Jerry’s Zoom Link Meeting Schedules
Slides (based on Maude Book Numbers): Book 1 (Jan 1 - 28) Book 2 (Jan 29 - Feb 18)
Briggs, et al. I:i:1
The MAUDE translation is now the “anchor”; equivalent chapter numbers in Briggs, Pevear, Garnett, and Edmonds are posted in the upper right-hand corner. -Jerry
Why the switch (in mid-January) from Briggs to Maude? 1. The Project Gutenberg version--free!--is a Maude version, so we can all refer to it when we’re discussing a particular chapter. (Click the link at the top of each slide, and --voila!--you’ll open the chapter-of-the-day. 2. Many of the best audio renderings use the Maude version.
Why now? I only recently discovered the facts cited above; I thought it better to make the change immediately than to wait until the conversion became downright wretched.
Opening chapter…..wonderful image of Prince Vassily’s bald head (perfumed, no less) being noted while he is kissing Anna Pavlovna’s hand. How much Tolstoy includes in one conversation: the political, the social and the personal is amazing. -Terry
Want a treat? Click the link at top center of this slide.
Day 1: 1/1/22
Pierre is not the only character introduced in this chapter, often with humor or some sort of provocative description. But Pierre is special, perhaps because there’s more to him than there is to the others. (Jerry)
Pierre, with his youthful, brutish behavior is like a bull in a china shop with his lack of any sense of decorum, but he does have some opinions “as young people are fond of doing.” Reminds me of teaching bright, but sometimes ignorant, students. (Nancy P-S)
W & P Maude, Book 1
In Chapter 2, Anna Pavlovna Scherer, the astute society arbiter and hostess to salons of the important people, is a little thrown off guard by the arrival of Pierre Bezuhov. Pierre, the illegitimate son of Count Bezuhov, is recently arrived from abroad and seems not to know or not to care about the decorum required. While everyone presented to “Ma tante” politely withstands the formality, he quickly turns away and displays an “uncouthness” and disregard for gentility that could be seen as a “threat” to the “civility’” of the gathering. -Camille
Pierre is a ‘dud’ at cocktail parties. He thinks people really want to talk seriously rather than superficially and in code; a huge misjudgment. I sympathize, never very good at it myself. Note that social meandering is the occupation of the upper class in peacetime. Helps me understand both Pierre and Andrei, and even the draw of military life and war! -Pam
Briggs, et al. I:i:2
Yeah, I get the sense that there's going to be more to Pierre than there is to the other characters who have been introduced so far. Anna Pavlovna is uncomfortable around him for more than one reason, but one of the reasons is (I think) that he's not shallow and easily managed. -Jerry
And I think there is little real civility to the gathering, so Tolstoy's seems to see Pavlovna's concerns ironically. -Del
Day 2: 1/2/22
Passages in this chapter I found especially interesting: “Just as a skillful waiter can pass off as a supreme delicacy . . . Anna Pavlovna served up to her guests . . . first the viscount and then the abbé as if they were supreme delicacies.”
And: Princess Helene “apparently bestowing permission for everyone to admire her wonderful figure, her full shoulders and her fashionably exposed bosom and back . . .”
And: “The ‘charming’ Hippolyte bore a close resemblance to his beautiful sister; it was even more remarkable that in spite of the similarity he was a very ugly man.”
And: “no one could tell whether what he had said was very clever or very stupid.”
And: “Pierre had managed to get into a political conversation with the abbé about the balance of power . . . . Both men were listening too earnestly and talking too bluntly, and Anna Pavlovna didn’t like it.” (Jerry)
To me, the tale told by the viscomte about the Duc d’Enghien and Bonaparte’s meeting at Mademoiselle George’s house and subsequent slaying of the duc was so odd. How do you tell about the murder of one man who spared another like it was just polite conversation - an interesting entertainment for the party? (Nancy P-S)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs, et al. I:i:3a
Day 3: 1/3/22
I’m wondering about Pierre. He seems cloddish yet earnest. He’s a social misfit, but I think we’re supposed to like him for his habit of saying what he thinks, as opposed to some of the others, who have a longstanding habit of speaking insincerely. Prince Andrey is the only guest who takes Pierre’s side in the argument about Napoleon; I don’t know yet whether Andrey merely wants to defend his friend, or make the argument somewhat less one-sided. (I note that before he steps in to support Pierre, Andrey has behaved like a snob who disapproves of everybody.) (Jerry)
*At the beginning of the chapter, Anna promises to take Pierre “in hand.” Good luck, Anna Pavlovna!
*I also had to give it to Princess Drubetskaya in her endeavor to get Prince Vasili to do her bidding regarding procuring her son a position not only with the Guards, but as an adjutant!
*A side note here: Tolstoy is enamoured of calling out the “older women” for trying to use their “coquettish girl” smiles and wiles to win favor. He uses terms like “faded” and “care-worn face” to drive home the point that these women are no longer able to use their attractiveness to gain what they desire. (Nancy P-S)
W & P Maude, Book 1
In Chapter 3 in Briggs, I love how Anna Pavlovna works the room the way a conductor leads his orchestra. She carefully moves people in and out of conversations and disrupts anyone who detracts from the flow she is creating. And the subtle ways that Tolstoy develops his characters... when he describes how the beautiful princess watches Anna so she knows how to respond to the conversation. -Debbie
Yes, Deb, amazing how agile Anna is in listening to what people are discussing and quickly redirecting conversation when needed -- like "breaking up" the European balance of power conversation between the abbe and Pierre by asking the Italian his "take" on the climate! -Camille
Briggs, et al. I:i:3b-4a
Chapter 4 - I'm really starting to like Pierre for his freshness and lack of pretense, although it indicates to the salon crowd a lack of breeding and disinterest in talking and acting "properly." But Anna Pavlovna is astute enough to know that this openness and disregard for decorum can be a very dangerous thing as evidenced by her repeated efforts to redirect Pierre's conversations. (Camille)
Day 4: 1/4/22
“If Buonaparte remains on the throne of France a year longer,” the vicomte continued, with the air of a man who, in a matter with which he is better acquainted than anyone else, does not listen to others but follows the current of his own thoughts, “things will have gone too far.”
Pam points out (see Chapter 6) that Tolstoy is actually a character in his own novel when he makes an editorial comment like the one above. Now that she has alerted me to this notion, I’ll be on the lookout--and I suspect there will be an abundance of examples. -Jerry
“Before Anna Pávlovna and the others had time to smile their appreciation of the vicomte’s epigram, Pierre again broke into the conversation, and though Anna Pávlovna felt sure he would say something inappropriate, she was unable to stop him.”
Pierre is apparently dangerous. To the maintenance of social comfort, at least. and of easily accepted inanities. -Jerry
W & P Maude, Book 1
Chapter 4 in Briggs - I'm really starting to like Pierre for his freshness and lack of pretense, although it indicates to the salon crowd a lack of breeding and disinterest in talking and acting "properly." But Anna Pavlovna is astute enough to know that this openness and disregard for decorum can be a very dangerous thing as evidenced by her repeated efforts to redirect Pierre's conversations. -Camille
Briggs I:i:4b
Day 5: 1/5/22
The chapter summary provided in the Briggs volume is not sufficient to cover what happens in Chapter 5. Early on, Hippolyte and the viscount chuckle over Hippolyte’s not-very-sly wooing of Andrey’s wife. I wonder if Hippolyte is kidding himself or whether anything further will develop along that line. . . . The second half of the chapter demonstrates that Pierre is almost compulsively “abstract” in his thinking, whereas his friend Prince Andrey insists on talking about practical matters. The narrator seems to side with Andrey in considering Pierre’s expressed views merely “such childish words” and “absurdities.” But it is also possible that those descriptions are entirely Andrey’s sense of things, not the narrator’s. (There’s got to be a term for that kind of narration, in which a particular character’s perspective is not exactly labeled as such and can easily be misunderstood to be the opinion of the narrator. But I don’t know the term.) (Jerry)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Although inept, Pierre has redeeming qualities. Near the start of Chapter 5, after fumbling with the general’s hat: “But all his absent-mindedness and his inability to enter a drawing-room or talk properly once inside it were redeemed by his expression of good-natured simplicity and modesty.” Even Anna Pavlovna forgave his outburst and failure to properly respond: “All he did was bow and show everyone another of his smiles, a smile that simply said, ‘Never mind ideas, look what a nice, good-hearted fellow I am.’ And everyone, including Anna Pavlovna, couldn’t help but agree.” (Rik)
Briggs I:i:5
The first few chapters let us know that there is a character in the book who is never introduced but is really the main character. That’s the author, Tolstoy, who comments on all the other characters with plenty of editorial comments. Whatever term the stylists give it, it’s very effective. One knows what to think of each person quite quickly. Will the narrator’s attitude change as the story progresses or do the characters remain who they are as first presented? (Pam)
Re: Tolstoy as a character in his own book(!) This is sort of a “novel” concept to me, English major though I claim to be. We’re taught to differentiate between the author and the narrator, but Pam is asserting that this author is actually a character, because he makes frequent editorial comments! I’m not about to dispute the assertion. It’s a pleasant new concept (for me). -Jerry
In Chapter 5 in Briggs, Anna Pavlovna continues to show her discomfort with Pierre's view when she says "I hope I shall see you again, but I hope too you will change your opinions..."
Day 6: 1/6/22
“I don’t understand it; I don’t in the least understand why men can’t live without wars. How is it that we women don’t want anything of the kind, don’t need it?”
Princess Lise, Andrew’s pretty wife, makes an assertion here that strikes me as contradictory to what we witnessed in Chapter 1, when Anna Pavlovna insisted to Prince Vasily Kuragin that war must be declared against Napoleon. -Jerry
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:6a
Day 7: 1/7/22
W & P Maude, Book 1
Pierre is almost compulsively “abstract” in his thinking, whereas his friend Prince Andrey insists on talking about practical matters. The narrator seems to side with Andrey in considering Pierre’s expressed views merely “such childish words” and “absurdities.” But it is also possible that those descriptions are entirely Andrey’s sense of things, not the narrator’s. (There’s got to be a term for that kind of narration, in which a particular character’s perspective is not exactly labeled as such and can easily be misunderstood to be the opinion of the narrator. But I don’t know the term.) (Jerry)
Chapter 6 in Briggs - should be titled "tell me how you really feel". My favorite so far as we get to see the reality behind the facade. I'm surprised Andrey and his wife had this conversation in front of Pierre. And if that is how Andrey really feels about marriage no wonder he wants to go off to war. -Debbie
Chapter 6 - I agree, Deborah, that the revealing of feelings between Andrey and the little princess in front of Pierre was very surprising. But even more "interesting" was how Andrey described women to Pierre. "Egoism, vanity, silliness triviality in everything-that's what women are...Looking at them in society, one fancies there's something in them, but there's nothing, nothing, nothing." The reason I found this little speech so interesting was perhaps the irony of it, since I personally found almost all the characters at Anna Pavlovna's salon to be filled with "nothing!" -Camille
How right you are! They ARE filled with egotism, self-embellishment, self-promotion, Self delusion, and selfishness. No wonder Andrei likes Pierre and not his wife, who fits into this society so well. -Pam
Briggs I:i:6b
Day 8: 1/8/22
Pierre seems naive* about everything. Earlier it was a matter of the social graces at Anna’s soiree. In this chapter it’s about promises he is laughably unable (or unwilling) to keep, even for a few moments, and then about his own competency at sitting in a window while drunk and drinking. The other characters might or might not like him, but they don’t respect him. He’s “out of place” just about everywhere.
There are plenty of other remarkable parts of this chapter, one of which is Andrey’s advice to Pierre that begins, “Never, never get married . . . not until you can say you’ve done everything possible . . . .” (Jerry)
*There’s probably a better word than “naive.”
Pierre’s naivety borders on blindness at times. His inner life is so intense that he misses obvious clues as to what’s going on around him. This is why I think he may be on the spectrum, so to speak, which would explain why he is so easily lead and taken advantage of, and why he is seen as a buffoon by some, and yet dearly loved by those who get beyond his exterior and get to partake in his inner life. (He drives me crazy at times.) (Pam)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Chapter 9: The countess brags that her daughter Natasha tells her everything. She says she is in love with Boris. Does a young girl, even then, tell her mother everything? (Camille)
Briggs I:i:6c
Day 9: 1/9/22
The idle rich. My gawd, they’re so shallow and self-centered. Gossiping, maneuvering for social status, seeking special favors for themselves or their family members . . . And they dutifully disapprove of Pierre, whether for being illegitimate, or youthfully dissolute, or just plain incorrigible and, as Huck Finn might put it, unsivilized. Pierre, for all his shocking behavior, comes across as sympathetic by contrast. (Jerry)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:7
Yet, it seems that all the news that any of the upper class need to know is gleaned at these "cocktail parties." And how quickly news spread about the episode with Pierre and the bear! -Camille
How interesting how Tolstoy takes us from a busy social scene, the soiree, to the intimacy of Andre’s household, to the wild party hosted by Anatole Kuragin (the son Prince Vassily has despaired of), to the warm, festive house of the Rostovs in just one week (7 chapters). One reader in Tolstoy Together commented that he expected, as an epic, War and Peace would start out grand and dazzling instead of something like a cocktail party. -Terry
I agree Camille, it reminds me of the movie Titanic where the first class lady passengers make it a point to "catch up on their gossip". As if its a necessary part of the lives of the upper classes. -Debbie
Terry I agree. You get to understand the characters well just by seeing them at their ‘happiest’, in their most comfortable social surroundings, whether it be high society, familial celebrations, or debauchery. Note how Pierre participated in all wholeheartedly. A man for all seasons, at least in spirit of joy successfully. - Pam
There seems to be more merriment in the Rostov's household than at the opening soiree. -Terry
Day 10: 1/10/22
As I mentioned in Classroom, I finished this extremely brief chapter with very little to say about it. I felt as if I had just watched a brief video that had no context. I’ll try reading it again and will hope that more than just “Natasha” and “delightful age” will register with me. (Jerry)
Don’t you love the exuberance of the Rostov household? It seems to be brimming with life. Maybe it’s the presence of children or semi-children, as most are teenaged or young adults. The Count is quite childish, too. (Pam)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Chapter 8: dear Natasha is introduced. I like the line “She was at the delightful age when a girl is no longer a child, though the child is not yet a woman.” Adolescence. -Terry
Interesting, Terry, that this "in between" age which is likely adolescence is referred to as "delightful." I don't think adolescence today would be considered delightful, but perhaps over 200 years ago and in Russia it might have been!-Camille
Briggs I:i:8
Chapter 11: I'm amazed at how determined Anna Mihalovna is in helping her sons, regardless of the humiliation it may cause her in her efforts. (Camille)
Day 11: 1/11/22
Chapter 9: The countess brags that her daughter Natasha tells her everything. She says she is in love with Boris. Does a young girl, even then, tell her mother everything? -Camille
W & P Maude, Book 1
As the countess boasts to her visitor, “I’ve been a good friend to my children and they trust me completely,” we as readers are not given time to wonder just how much irony the narrator intends, for the next sentence reads, “The countess was repeating the delusion of so many parents who imagine their children have no secrets from them.” In the same way that attendees at Anna Pavlovna’s soiree, in discussing Napoleon, had voiced their opinions as certainties (while likely not having any basis for their bold assertions), here too the countess proclaims her parenting expertise while we look on in narrator-assisted skepticism. (Jerry)
Briggs I:i:9
Day 12: 1/12/22
“Natásha,” he said, “you know that I love you, but....”
“You are in love with me?” Natásha broke in.
“Yes, I am, but please don’t let us do like that.... In another four years ... then I will ask for your hand.”
Natásha considered.
“Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen,” she counted on her slender little fingers. “All right! Then it’s settled?”
This passage is the basis for my assumption that Natasha is twelve. She counts out four years on her fingers and arrives at sixteen. I don’t know what to make of the discrepancy between this simple arithmetical calculation and the explicit mention elsewhere that she is thirteen. . . . Does it seem a quibble? I think there’s quite a difference between a girl at twelve and one at thirteen. -Jerry
Natasha seems both precocious and immature. Is that a contradiction? Experts on twelve-year-old girls, please advise. (Jerry)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:10
Day 13: 1/13/22
“This beautiful girl who had caused so much offence and unpleasantness to them all smiled, and, evidently quite indifferent to what had been said to her, she went over the mirror and tidied her scarf and hair. One look at her own lovely face and she seemed to grow colder and more composed than ever.” Vera, so unlike Pierre, has no warmth for others in her heart….no empathy. Pierre, despite being an outlier, loves all and expects the best. Vera is poised to join society. Pierre, not so much.
Notice smiles and mirrors. Here’s Vera, smiling at her own image. Helene smiles silently all the time; Princess Lise has a short upper lip smile that shows her teeth. (Pam)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Vera, “clearly not the favourite one” among the countess’s children, is treated like a servant. Her mother refers to her and talks to her disrespectfully. I wonder if Vera, like Pierre, is going to be a sympathetic character. Both Vera and Pierre are viewed as inferiors, not always welcome among their “betters.” “Vera,” said the countess to her elder daughter . . . “you don’t seem to understand anything. Can’t you see that you’re not wanted now?” . . . Having be sent away, Vera then becomes a scold when she sees the two young couples, especially the two “lovesick little girls,” and “the signt of them didn’t seem to around any pleasant feelings in Vera.” She promptly becomes a scold. (Jerry)
Briggs I:i:11
Day 14: 1/14/22
Although she tells Prince Vasily that she must see the count--”my uncle”--in order to “save his soul” before he dies, Anna Mikhaylovna’s actual purpose is to secure a favor for her son Boris. Question: Is she entirely unabashed about any pleading she may have to do, and about the dishonesty by which she manages to see Count Besukhov? (Jerry)
W & P Maude, Book 1
At the end of Chapter 11, as Anna Mikhaylovna is about to go, Tolstoy writes…”And so, like a Petersburg businesswoman who knows how to manage her time,....sent for her son, and went out….” The business of women is to further the men in their careers and lives, and if widowed, to push extra hard and pull no punches for their offspring who will secure the family’s future. Watch the sparring between her and Vassily, like two lawyers playing by the same set of social rules. All’s fair in war and peace! (Pam)
Briggs I:i:12
Day 15: 1/15/22
I agree with you, Terry. I'm amazed at the doggedness of Anna Mihalovna and her willingness to be totally humiliated all in the pursuit of advancing her son Boris, who seems quite embarrassed and uncomfortable with her efforts. And to the point of her old clothing and worn shoes, she obviously ranked high enough at one time to still be included in the inner circles, despite her lack of resources now. -Camille
Anna Mihalovna has thick skin. Anything for her son Boris. The other times I read this, I didn't notice the descriptions of her clothing: her threadbare mantle, her re-dyed silk gown, and her down-at-heel shoes. Countess Rostov marvels that Anna can bear all the humiliations she does to advance her dear Boris in the world....as do I. She is a great actress, in a way. I've also noticed Tolstoy's use of mirrors: Boris looking in one, then Vera, and then Anna at the Prince's palace.
Poor lost Pierre. But he has a smile for everyone. -Terry
W & P Maude, Book 1
Amazing how “dense” Pierre is! (Camille)
“Pierre was received like a corpse or a plague victim.” �Narrator builds more and more sympathy for this fascinating, manifestly imperfect character. (Jerry)
Briggs I:i:13
Day 16: 1/16/22
The Countess after her generosity to Anna Mihaylovna embraced and cried because of so many things including the ugliness of having to think about money and that their youth was gone! (Camille)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:14
The nonchalance with which Count Rostov comes up with the money his wife has asked for--indeed, he gives her seven hundred roubles, when she had asked for “only” five hundred--strikes me as almost indecent. (Confession: For a very long time now, I have told myself that, contrary to the adage, You can be too rich. Perhaps I’ve taken The Great Gatsby too seriously.)
A couple of eyebrow-knitting assertions from rich people: “That Mitenka, he’s worth his weight in gold. . . . Never says it can’t be done. I can’t abide that sort of thing. Anything’s possible” (the count). And: “Oh, my dear count, money, money, money--how much trouble it causes in this world! But I do need it very much” (the countess). - Jerry
Day 17: 1/17/22
“As a talker Berg was always precise, calm and polite. He had only one topic of conversation--himself.” He speaks to “Shinshin and the count as though his personal success would obviously and always be the one thing everyone else would wish to advance.” . . . Tolstoy’s wry wit in concise depictions of characters who are “characters”--priceless. I’m starting to think that this Tolstoy fellow is a gifted writer. - Jerry
I enjoyed seeing the German tutor taking notes on the food and wines served at the dinner. I could picture him writing home to his family and them anticipating his letters that would read like an ancient version of the life of the rich and famous. Too bad he wasn’t able to read the wine label on the bottle that was deliberately not poured for him (Camille)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:15
Also today we have another strong older woman introduced: Maria Dmitrievna, le terrible dragon. She calls Natasha a Cossack, addresses Count Rostov as “you old sinner,” and gives Pierre a dressing down in front of the whole party. She doesn’t need to curry favor the way Anna Mihalovna has to. One more thing: this has to be July 27, the feast day of St. Natalie. -Terry
Chapter 15 Briggs: I love Tolstoy's ability to really home in on how people think and act.
"It was that time just before a formal dinner when the assembled guests do not get involved in lengthy conversations, because they are expecting a summons to hors d'oeuvres in the dining-room, while at the same time they feel they ought to keep moving about and saying something, to show that they are not over-anxious to get to the table."
I read these lines and laughed out loud because I have literally had that experience. And of course it feels like I'm the only one feeling that awkwardness, but Tolstoy assures us its quite universal. -Debbie
Debbie--I was going to say, "This waiting-but-not-wanting-to-be-too-obvious-about-it" is NOT especially familiar to me, either because I'm socially oblivious or because I would have to attend a whole lot of such dinner occasions before I would recognize the pattern." But I, too, found the observation appealing; in my case, I might keep it in mind the next time I'm wearing my dinner jacket--Ha!--and the victuals seem right around a corner. Thanks, Leo. Thanks, Deb. - Pierre II (Jerry)
Day 18: 1/18/22
Marya Dmitriyevna scolds the men for discussing war, or at least for talking so loudly about it, and then Natasha, on a dare, intrudes on the adult conversation by asking what’s for dessert. -Jerry
“Ve must fight to ze last trop of our ploot,” said the colonel, thumping the table, “and die for our Emperor, and zen all vill be vell. And sink about sings as leedle as possible,” he concluded . . . . -Jerry
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:16
Toward the end of the chapter, this excerpt seems particularly worthy of discussion, “‘I have four sons in the army but still I don’t fret. It is all in God’s hands. You may die in your bed or God may spare you in a battle,’ replied Mayra Dmitrievna‘s deep voice, which easily carried the whole length of the table.” -Nancy P-S
I was fascinated by the extensive use of French at all the gatherings of the nobility. A little research showed me that it started back in Peter the Great’s rule (1682-1725). He made great efforts to establish Russia as a European power and encouraged foreighn languages. Then after the French Revolution, many fleeing French nobles settled in Russia, thus adding to the use of French. Marya Dmitryevna who was not noble only spoke Russian! The French became a sign of status. (Camille)
PS I don’t know how to navigate these boxes very well, hence the line where it should not be!!!
(The line is part of another box. When we have a chance, I’ll demonstrate how to move boxes around. -Jerry)
Day 19: 1/19/22
Sonia and Natasha do some good crying together.
“Nicholas is my cousin... one would have to... the Metropolitan* himself... and even then it can’t be done. And besides, if she tells Mamma” (Sónya looked upon the countess as her mother and called her so) “that I am spoiling Nicholas’ career and am heartless and ungrateful, while truly... God is my witness,” and she made the sign of the cross, “I love her so much, and all of you, only Véra... And what for? What have I done to her? I am so grateful to you that I would willingly sacrifice everything, only I have nothing....”
This outburst from Sonya shows her desperate adolescent distress and panic over the potential loss of her true love of the moment--or am I too harsh? -Jerry
*Briggs uses “Archbishop,” which means more to me than Maude’s “Metropolitan.” Translations matter!
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:17
Today we have the adolescent love woes of Sonya …. Vera, very much in character so far, has thrown a wet blanket on Sonya’s hopes for marriage with Nicholas. It is a sticky situation bur Vera seems to get pleasure deflating other people’s happiness. Emotional Natasha cries with Sonya, even before she knows why Sonya is crying. I like the fact that these girls have a special place to go, “a place of sorrows.” When Natasha asks Pierre to dance, how sweet that she feels so grown up by the prospect of dancing with an older man who has been abroad…..and who can forget Count Rostow dancing the Daniel Cooper with Marya Dmitrievna? There is a short example of this dance on Youtube. -Terry
Day 20: 1/20/22
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:18
“Yes, I was a fool! I still believed in people, loved them, and sacrificed myself. But only the base, the vile succeed! I know who has been intriguing!” The princess is indignant, self-pitying, and dishonest. -Jerry
[Additional passages from Ch. 21]
Quote to discuss: After Prince Vasily continues to badger the princess to tell him where Count Bezukhov’s will and letters are - over and over in different words but the same message - finally the princess “sort of” understand but then after answering shows she still has missed the point. “It’s in the inlaid portfolio that he keeps under his pillow. Now I know, said the princess Yes, if I have a sin to my account, a great sin, it’s my hatred of that infamous woman…” So she answers his question but goes off on a tangent about her hatred for Anna Mikhaylovna rather than acknowledging that Prince Vasily is planning to steal the Count’s papers to ensure he and the princess and a few others get an inheritance and totally get Pierre cast out. (Camille)
Day 21: 1/21/22
“Pierre followed Anna Mikháylovna out of the carriage, and only then began to think of the interview with his dying father . . . .”
(Full quote here.} . . . What a doofus Pierre is! He seems (to me) unfit for the “honor” that might soon be bestowed on him. Is he a latter-day Prince Hal--dissolute and youthfully irresponsible, but when tested under pressure, equal to the task? TBD. -Jerry
“As soon as Anna Mikháylovna had disappeared [Pierre] noticed that the eyes of all in the room turned to him with something more than curiosity and sympathy. He noticed that they whispered to one another, casting significant looks at him with a kind of awe and even servility. A deference such as he had never before received was shown him.” Nuff said. -Jerry
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:19
Poor Pierre, not only are the relatives plotting against him and him being totally ignorant of that, he also is so tentative in understanding his “place.” He hesitated when asking about the count, “ not knowing whether it would be proper to call the dying man “the count,” yet ashamed to call him “father.” (Camille)
Day 22: 1/22/22
Although Pierre had asked his cousins to call him when he could see the count, it is obvious that if Anna Mikhaylovna had not “barged in” with Pierre to the dying count’s bed chamber, that Pierre would not have been summoned.
Another point of interest was that throughout Pierre had been descriptive as oversized and awkward with big hands. In the description of the count on his deathbed, in this Chapter 23, the count’s hands were referred to twice.Once as “large thick hands” and then “the large boned, fleshy hand.” So obviously Pierre has some physical traits of his father. (Camille)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:20
Day 23: 1/23/22
“Whether he noticed the look of terror with which Pierre regarded that lifeless arm, or whether some other thought flitted across his dying brain, at any rate he glanced at the refractory arm, at Pierre’s terror-stricken face, and again at the arm, and on his face a feeble, piteous smile appeared, quite out of keeping with his features, that seemed to deride his own helplessness. At sight of this smile Pierre felt an unexpected quivering in his breast and a tickling in his nose, and tears dimmed his eyes.” Pierre was very late in even realizing that his father was close to death, but here, in the very last bit of contact between the two, there is an emotionally moving communication, without words. -Jerry
I can’t quite figure out Vasily. Is he genuinely affected by the death of his uncle, or is this all a performance and his way of showing anxiety about his need to insure an inheritance? (Pam)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:21
Battling Anna Mikhaylovna! While wrestling for the mysterious portfolio she fends off counter claimants, Princess Katishe and Prince Vasily, to Pierre’s inheritance. And, in her account to the Rostovs, who better than dear A.M. to enhance the last moments between Pierre and his father? At the same time she whispers “in the strictest confidence, sotto voce, about the machinations of the princess and Prince Vasily, of which she could not approve.” What a performance! (Rik)
“Vile woman!” shouted the princess, darting unexpectedly at Anna Mikháylovna and snatching the portfolio from her.
Prince Vasíli bent his head and spread out his hands.
At this moment that terrible door, which Pierre had watched so long and which had always opened so quietly, burst noisily open and banged against the wall, and the second of the three sisters rushed out wringing her hands.
“What are you doing!” she cried vehemently. “He is dying and you leave me alone with him!”
Her sister dropped the portfolio. Anna Mikháylovna, stooping, quickly caught up the object of contention and ran into the bedroom.
I found this tug-of-war downright thrilling.Anna M. to the rescue! -Jerry
Day 24: 1/24/22
And then Anna Mikhaylovna creates her own narrative about how grieved Pierre was, never mentioning that Pierre actually fell asleep in the room his father died. She is hell bent on serving her own goals, which is to get Pierre to help Boris financially. (Camille)
“Prince Nicholas Andréevich Bolkónski . . . continued to live in the country, remarking that anyone who wanted to see him could come the hundred miles from Moscow to Bald Hills, while he himself needed no one and nothing. He used to say that there are only two sources of human vice—idleness and superstition, and only two virtues—activity and intelligence.” . . . I don’t know if we’ll see this fellow later on in the story, but he is a remarkable character, not to be dismissed as merely hyper-controlling, punctilious, and strict. Is he likable? For brief moments, yes. His “conversations” with and treatment of other characters are amusing to read, but might not be charming to deal with in the actuality. -Jerry
Interesting how Princess Mary refers to Napoleon as the Corsican monster and the Emperor as the “angel whom it has pleased the Almighty, in His goodness, to give us as sovereign.” (Camille)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:22
Day 25: 1/25/22
Prince Andrew’s father insists, “tell me how the Germans have taught you to fight Bonaparte by this new science you call ‘strategy.’”--but then he essentially tunes out the explanation. . . . Is the old man typical among members of the Russian upper class, with regard to the coming war? He seems to consider the prospect amusing and perhaps foolish. It’s a reasonable bet that there was not just one viewpoint. Anna Pavlovna in the first chapter did not view war against France as something to joke about. What class does she represent? -Jerry
I agree with you, Jerry, that Prince Andrew’s father doesn’t seem to really be taking the possibility of war with France very seriously. He does tell his son that he must “tackle him properly, or else if he goes on like this he’ll soon have us, too, for his subjects” But then we see he feels good after his pre dinner nap. So it seems only like a comment that did not really have deeper “buy in.” (Camille)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:23
Day 26: 1/26/22
Now that I have entered the age range of Andre’s father, the old Prince, I have more sympathy for him, even as I want to shake him. Absolute power, in the domestic world, corrupts, as they say, and the Old Prince seems emotionally corrupted. No empathy for anyone. Just as Napoleon, or the Emperor have absolute power over nations, the Old Prince reigns over his kingdom with selfish authority. As the semblance of senility creeps in, absolute power is quite dangerous and Idiosyncrasies can be quite harmful.
I thought I detected something “human” in the old fellow’s behavior. Might be mistaken. It’s certainly not his predominant characteristic, but I’ll go back in and look for what I think I noticed earlier. -Jerry
When the Old Prince says his final goodbye, “a kind of tremor ran over the lower part of the old prince’s face.” I think he was fighting back emotion there and didn’t want his son to see, which is why he abruptly told him to go. Also, Andrey insists on his possible future son being raised in his father’s home. So it seems he sees some redeemable qualities in his dad, even if they aren’t apparent to us. (Debbie)
The prince seems intent on using the architect, Michael Ivanovich, as a way to show that he somehow believes in egalitarianism. He invites Ivanovich to the gathering although normally he would not be invited. He talks to Ivanovich as though they have collaborated or had deep discussions together by mentioning that Ivanovich and he, the prince, never thought much of Napoleon. Ivanovich is stunned to hear references to conversations they never had together. (Camille)
I wonder if Ivanovich is brought in as a male to whom the Prince can address his ‘important’ thoughts. Until Andre is around, only females Grace the table and we can be sure that they are not worthy of the Old Prince’s ruminations. Misogyny on a grand 19th C style? (Pam)
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:24
Day 27: 1/27/22
Thinking about Book 1, and our discussion about the characters being a bit two dimensional and superficial…that is why I may be enjoying this book so much. It’s like the characters are developing in real time, in the same way we get to know people in real life. We meet them once and form an opinion, then as we get to know them more, and see them interact with others and learn more about their back story, they become more interesting and complex. Perhaps that is why this book is 1000 pages? I learned more about Prince Andrey after witnessing the interaction with his father and I imagine the characters will continue to develop in this way. (Debbie)
Lise reveals her selfish nature on Andrey’s last night before reporting. She spends the night in Marya’s room complaining. Next morning she’s so full of her repeated tales of a Countess with false teeth & tales of Petersburg society she barely acknowledges Andrey. Finally, as expected, she wails & faints as Andrey leaves. The cruelty runs both ways. We need a Marya Dmitriyevna to shake up the Bolkonsky men as well as Lise. (Rik)
W & P Maude, Book 1
It is so sad that Prince Andrew says he feels sorry for his sister after she reveals the sorrows and fears of the little princess, Prince Andrew’s wife. He never says he feels sorry for his wife who is the person distressed. Yet, he confesses he and his wife are both unhappy but that he does not know why or have any ideas of solutions. (Camille)
Briggs I:i:25
Day 28: 1/28/22
They stood silent, facing one another. The old man’s sharp eyes were fixed straight on his son’s. Something twitched in the lower part of the old prince’s face.
“We’ve said good-by. Go!” he suddenly shouted in a loud, angry voice, opening his door.
Fathers and Sons at Parting. Andrew and his father here; Pierre and his father earlier. Interesting parallel. -Jerry
TIME FOR BOOK 2 IN MAUDE. Click the link!
Generals, commanders, sergeant majors, field marshals, soldiers, aide de camps — this is all new territory for me. (Camille)
W & P Maude, Book 2
Day 29: 1/29/22
Proceed to Book 2 in Maude translation.
Note: Anything beyond this point in the Slide Presentation I’m calling SPILLOVER--it is “extra credit reading,” in a way. When we run out of space on a slide, additional comments can be placed on a SPILLOVER slide.
“After sitting so for a while [Prince Vasili] rose, and, looking about him with frightened eyes, went with unusually hurried steps down the long corridor leading to the back of the house, to the room of the eldest princess.” Before long this eagerness to confer with the princess will be understood. -Jerry
“But, my dear,” said Prince Vasíli suddenly, clutching the little table and becoming more animated and talking more rapidly: “what if a letter has been written to the Emperor in which the count asks for Pierre’s legitimation? Do you understand that in consideration of the count’s services, his request would be granted?...” . . . The plot thickens. And sickens, as we watch Prince V. and his cousin plotting to keep the illegitimate Pierre from his inheritance. -Jerry
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:18
This is a spillover slide. Rather than filling one of the daily slides with my stuff, I’ve put “extra stuff” here. -Jerry
SPILLOVER
“Pierre followed Anna Mikháylovna out of the carriage, and only then began to think of the interview with his dying father which awaited him. He noticed that they had not come to the front entrance but to the back door. While he was getting down from the carriage steps two men, who looked like tradespeople, ran hurriedly from the entrance and hid in the shadow of the wall. Pausing for a moment, Pierre noticed several other men of the same kind hiding in the shadow of the house on both sides. But neither Anna Mikháylovna nor the footman nor the coachman, who could not help seeing these people, took any notice of them. “It seems to be all right,” Pierre concluded, and followed Anna Mikháylovna. . . . Though he did not see why it was necessary for him to go to the count at all, still less why he had to go by the back stairs, yet judging by Anna Mikháylovna’s air of assurance and haste, Pierre concluded that it was all absolutely necessary.”
What a doofus Pierre is! He seems (to me) unfit for the “honor” that might soon be bestowed on him. Is he a latter-day Prince Hal--dissolute and youthfully irresponsible, but when tested under pressure, equal to the task? TBD. -Jerry
W & P Maude, Book 1
Briggs I:i:19
SPILLOVER