Municipal high school N 1
Literature abstract on the topic
True and false patriotism in the novel
"War and Peace"
Completed by a student of grade 10 “B”
Zinovieva Irina
Checked by literature teacher
Chinina Olga Yurievna
Voronezh 2006.
Introduction
Heroically patriotic and anti-war themes are the defining, leading themes of Tolstoy's epic novel. This work has captured for centuries the feat of the Russian people, who defended their national independence with arms in their hands. “War and Peace” will continue to retain this meaning in the future, inspiring peoples to fight against foreign invaders.
The author of War and Peace was a committed and passionate advocate of peace. He knew well what war was, he saw it closely with his own eyes. For five years, young Tolstoy wore a military uniform, serving as an artillery officer in the field army, first in the Caucasus, then on the Danube and, finally, in the Crimea, where he participated in the heroic defense of Sevastopol.
The great work was preceded by a work on a novel about the Decembrist. In 1856, a manifesto was announced on amnesty for the people of December 14, and their return to their homeland caused an aggravation of Russian society. L.N. Tolstoy also showed attention to this event. He recalled: “In 1856, I began to write a story with a well-known direction, the hero of which was supposed to be a Decembrist returning with his family to Russia...” The writer did not intend to give the reader the apotheosis of the Decembrist movement: his plans included revising this page of Russian history in the light defeat of Decembrism and offer their understanding of the fight against it, carried out by peaceful means and through non-violence. Therefore, the hero of the story was supposed to, upon returning from exile, condemn his revolutionary past and become a supporter of another solution to the problem - moral improvement as a recipe for the improvement of the entire society. However, Tolstoy's plan underwent significant changes. Let's listen to the writer himself: “Involuntarily, from the present (that is, 1856), I moved to 1825, the era of my hero’s delusions and misfortunes, and left what I started. But in 1825 my hero was already a mature, family man. To understand him, I needed to travel back to his youth, and his youth coincided with the glory for Russia of the era of 1812. Another time I abandoned what I had started and began to write from the time of 1812, the smell and sound of which are still audible and dear to us.” So main theme The new novel was a heroic epic of the fight against the Napoleonic invasion. L. Tolstoy, however, continues: “The third time I returned back due to a feeling that may seem strange. I was ashamed to write about our triumph in the fight against Bonaparte’s France without describing our failures and our shame. If the reason for our triumph was not accidental, but lay in the essence of the character of the Russian people and troops, then this character should have been expressed even more clearly in the era of failures and defeats. So, having returned from 1825 to 1805, from now on I intend to take not one, but many of my heroines and heroes through historical events 1805, 1807, 1812, 1825 and 1856.” This important author’s testimony conveys the grandiose scale of what is captured in the novel, and the development of the latter into an epic, and the multi-heroic nature of the work, and the significance of comprehension in it national character, and its deep historicism. An important previous work by Tolstoy was “ Sevastopol stories”, and the impetus for covering historical events was the Crimean War with its failures that needed to be understood.
The work on “War and Peace” was accompanied by a huge creative surge of the writer. Never before had he felt his mental and moral powers so free and intended for creative work.
L. N. Tolstoy begins a thorough study historical sources, documentary literature, memoirs of participants in ancient events. He studies the works of A. I. Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky about the wars of 1805-1814, “Essays on the Battle of Borodino” by F. N. Glinka, “Diary of Partisan Actions of 1812” by D. V. Davydov, the book “Russia and the Russians” by N. I. . Turgenev, “Notes about 1812” by S. N. Glinka, memoirs of A. P. Ermolov, memoirs of A. D. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, “Camping notes of an artilleryman” by I. T. Radozhitsky and many other works of this type. In the library Yasnaya Polyana 46 books and magazines have been preserved, which Tolstoy used throughout the time he was working on the novel War and Peace. In total, the writer used works, the list of which includes 74 titles.
The trip in September 1867 to the Borodino field, where a great battle once took place, became important. The writer walked around the famous field on foot, studying the location of Russian and French troops, the location of the Shevardinsky redoubt, Bagration's flushes, and Raevsky's battery. No less significant were the inquiries of the surviving contemporaries of the great battles and the study of the life of a distant era.
As we work on the novel, its folk origins become stronger and enriched. “I tried to write the history of the people,” Tolstoy left such a confession in the draft of the fourth volume. Gradually, “people's thought” became decisive in “War and Peace”; the favorite theme of the epic was the depiction of the feat of the people during the events of Russian history. The novel included 569 characters, among whom were 200 historical figures. But among them the main characters of the work are by no means lost, whose fates the writer traces carefully, with all the necessary psychological persuasiveness. At the same time, the author connects them with a variety of ties of kinship, love, friendship, marriage, business relationships, and common participation in grandiose historical events. There are quite a few people in the novel whose individual traits of life and character reflect the properties of L. N. Tolstoy’s ancestors and closest relatives. Thus, in Count Rostov one can discern the features of Count Ilya Andreevich Tolstoy, the writer’s grandfather, and in the old Prince Bolkonsky - the features of another grandfather; Countess Rostova resembles Tolstoy’s grandmother, Pelageya Nikolaevna Tolstoy, Princess Marya absorbed the traits of the Writer’s mother, Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya, and Nikolai Rostov - the traits of his father, Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy. Prince Andrei absorbed the characteristics of Sergei Nikolaevich, the writer’s brother, and Natasha Rostova imprinted the image of Tatyana Andreevna Bers, the writer’s sister-in-law. All this testifies to the significant autobiographical nature of the novel and the deep vitality of its characters. But “War and Peace” is by no means reduced to autobiography: it is a broad canvas that reflects Russian history. Its heroes and the diverse folk world.
Working on the great book required titanic work. The total number of surviving manuscripts of the novel is over ten thousand draft texts. Some of the parts of the epic were rewritten many times, individual scenes were redone, according to Tolstoy, “ad infinitum.” But as a result of the author’s tireless and intense work, a novel emerged that constituted an entire era in the history of Russian culture.
True and false patriotism in the novel “War and Peace”
The novel “War and Peace” in terms of genre is an epic novel, since Tolstoy shows us historical events that cover a large period of time (the action of the novel begins in 1805 and ends in 1821, in the epilogue); there are over 200 characters in the novel characters, there are real historical figures(Kutuzov, Napoleon, Alexander I, Speransky, Rostopchin, Bagration and many others), all social strata of Russia at that time: high society, noble aristocracy, provincial nobility, army, peasantry, even merchants.
One of the main issues that worries Tolstoy is the question of patriotism and heroism of the Russian people; it is examined very deeply in the novel. At the same time, Tolstoy does not fall into the false patriotic tone of the narrative, but looks at events sternly and objectively, like a realist writer. The author talks about his novel and about the faithful sons of the Fatherland, ready to give their lives for the salvation of the Motherland, about false patriots who think only about their own selfish goals. With this solution to the patriotic theme, Lev Nikolaevich reflected the true historical reality. It consists in depicting the feat of the Russian people in Patriotic War 1812. The author speaks in his novel both about the faithful sons of the Fatherland and about false patriots who think only about their own selfish goals.
In the novel “War and Peace,” Tolstoy created a voluminous and multifaceted picture of the war. But in this work the reader sees not galloping warriors with unfurled banners, not a parade and the splendor of victories, but ordinary military everyday life. On the pages of the novel we meet ordinary soldiers, we see their difficult, hard work.
The writer introduces us to inner world an ordinary person at first glance. But he shows us that even such inconspicuous people can be interesting and attractive with their spiritual beauty. The author reveals to us, the readers, the poetry of the hero’s spiritual life. It is often difficult to see the true face of a person under the layers of vanity everyday life. The writer shows that one must be able to see human dignity in everyone, that divine spark that will not allow a person to commit a truly vile act. In extreme situations, in moments of great upheaval and global change, a person will definitely prove himself, show his inner essence, certain qualities of his nature. In Tolstoy's novel, someone utters loud words, engages in noisy activities or useless vanity - someone experiences simple and natural feeling“the needs of sacrifice and suffering in the consciousness of general misfortune.” The former only consider themselves patriots and loudly shout about love for the Fatherland, while the latter are them and give their lives in the name of common victory or leave their own property to be plundered so that it does not fall to the enemy. In the first case, we are dealing with false patriotism, repulsive with its falseness, selfishness and hypocrisy. This is how secular nobles behave at a dinner in honor of Bagration: when reading poems about the war, “everyone stood up, feeling that the dinner was more important than the poetry.” A false patriotic atmosphere reigns in the salons of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, Helen Bezukhova and other St. Petersburg salons: “... calm, luxurious, concerned only with ghosts, reflections of life, St. Petersburg life went on as before; and because of the course of this life, it was necessary to make great efforts to recognize the danger and the difficult situation in which the Russian people found themselves. There were the same exits, balls, the same French theater, the same interests of the courts, the same interests of service and intrigue. Only in the highest circles were efforts made to recall the difficulty of the present situation.” Indeed, this circle of people was far from understanding all-Russian problems, from understanding the great misfortune and needs of the people during this war. The world continued to live by its own interests, and even in a moment of national disaster, greed and promotion reign here.
Patriotism is responsibility, love for the homeland. To be a patriot means that in any situation you need to be able to take care of your country. This quality is difficult to cultivate in oneself, but without it a person is considered hypocritical and selfish. At one time, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy decided to seriously think about a similar problem of true and false patriotism. He outlined all his brilliant thoughts in the great epic novel War and Peace, where two acting heroes, which are necessary when reasoning over the above problem, are not only people with a certain position, but also ordinary people.
It's worth starting by looking at false patriotism. The personification of this is Anatol Kuragin. This is a fake person whose words do not match his actions. With his base desires, he achieves nothing; there is little really worthwhile in his life. The author also shows people of this type, like Boris Drubetsky, who dream only of doing nothing and receiving rewards for their own inaction.
Tolstoy clearly denounces heroes who are considered false. This makes it clear that it is difficult to expect concrete actions from such characters aimed at protecting their homeland. The sad thing is that people, with their indifference to the country, do not make any decisions or care about it. Unfortunately, false patriotism cannot be cured. A true soldier of the homeland is considered to be one who is aware of his responsibility to it. A patriot can be one who does not harbor dark grievances, selfish plans, or serious adversities in his soul. No, people who show love for the Fatherland do not care about material resources, ranks, or position. They are not dependent on this, because they understand that in difficult times the homeland needs its saviors.
A patriot may not be just some exalted person; anyone who is devoted to the country, who is worried about its future, can become one. In Tolstoy's novel images are drawn ordinary people, which with their simplicity attract attention, because their soul is pure and full of warm feelings for their homeland. This is Tushin, and Mikhail Kutuzov, and Andrei Bolkonsky and others. The true exponent of patriotism, of course, is Kutuzov, his role is significant, since without thinking about himself, he takes care of others: about his soldiers, whom, like Napoleon, could quit and forget right there, but the hero is not so selfish and vain. This is what is remarkable about the characters who are the personification of true patriotism: they realize that “when Russia is sick, it needs a person.” Living with the feelings, moods and interests of the soldiers and the people is what those who are filled with faith in an easy life lack.
Patriotism manifests itself in war, and that thing is terrible, tough, merciless, because it takes with it many innocent lives. To be caring for the homeland during difficult periods of the Fatherland is an incredible responsibility. He who can realize it is invincible, he is strong in spirit, he is strong physically. That doesn't matter to him!
Thus, Tolstoy, with his thoughts, encourages readers to reflect on such a concept as “patriotism,” because knowledge is laid from this. It is important to cultivate this feeling in the soul of everyone, so that there are no betrayals towards the homeland, so that in difficult moments there are not many losses. The main thing is that happiness does not come from money. If you spend your whole life striving for material resources, pushing aside your conscience and personal qualities, then as a result you can be left with nothing in life. all alone. And nothing could be more terrible than this. Therefore, it is worth understanding that you need to be attentive to the country, become responsive, “you have to love, you have to live, you have to believe...”
Option 2
This novel is a historical witness that reflects the Russian people's courage and valor in the War of 1812. The author's main character is the people. In the novel, Tolstoy very colorfully describes murders, bloodshed, and outlines the human suffering that any war brings. He also shows the reader how hunger passed at that moment in time, makes us imagine the feeling of fear in human eyes. We should not forget that the war described by the writer inflicted both material and other casualties on Russia, and also destroyed cities.
Of great importance during the war is the mood and morale of soldiers, partisans and other people who stood up to defend their homeland, without sparing their strength. The beginning of the war, for two years, was not fought on the territory modern Russia. Therefore, it was alien to the people. And when the French army crossed the Russian border, the entire people, from children to old people, became a dense and strong wall to protect their homeland.
Tolstoy in his novel divides people into groups in relation to the duty of defending the fatherland and according to the principles of morality. The author in the text also divides the actions of each person into two groups, which are associated with true and false patriotism. True patriotism lies in the actions of the people, which are aimed at increasing the level of glory of their homeland and allowing future fate of his people. According to the writer, the people of Russia are the most patriotic of the whole world. This was confirmed by the lines of the novel. For example, when the French were finally able to occupy the city of Smolensk, the peasants began to quickly destroy everything that could fall into the hands of the enemy. Such actions of each peasant showed anger and hatred towards the enemy. We should not forget about giving due praise to the inhabitants of the heart of Russia, since they all left their homes so as not to guess the kind of power that the French would bring.
Patriotism also manifests itself on the war front when soldiers show patriotic actions. And in the text there is confirmation of this by scenes of bloody battles. Even the merchant, so that the French would not get his goods, destroyed his shop.
The author also shows the soldiers' attitude towards weapons and drinking vodka, as they prepare for a difficult battle. I would also like to note that from all the battles of the soldiers, certain conclusions can be drawn about their love for their homeland.
Several interesting essays
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Not everyone treats teachers well. They ask homework, give bad grades, call parents to school. Yes, there are many other things that we don’t like. But teachers are the same people, and they are different.
I like watching actors during a performance. I like that the actors convey emotions, and you start to worry more about the characters, sympathize with them or be happy for them. You cannot experience such sensations in a cinema.
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An example of completing task 17.3 on the Unified State Exam in literature with examples and quotations from the text.
It is a widely known fact that Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was favorably received at court and for some time moved in select circles. However, with age, the writer began to realize how much lies and falsehood had accumulated in this high society, how disingenuously people behave towards each other, how dishonor covers itself with a veil of aristocratic origin. Gradually, he left the world and began to look for the truth among simple peasants and artisans, with whom he communicated and discovered a lot of simple, but at the same time, new and surprising things. That is why in his book “War and Peace” the author raises the topic of the truth and falsity of our values, concepts and principles.
Absolutely all components in the novel, from the title to the ideas, are built on contrasts: Kutuzov and Napoleon, military battles and peaceful scenes, sincere heroes and liars. By contrasting one with the other, Tolstoy makes it clear what is true and false in beauty, patriotism and love. Each person must determine this for themselves in order to better understand the world, people and, of course, themselves.
True and false patriotism in the novel War and Peace
In the novel "War and Peace" there are real and false, leavened patriots. For example, many nobles stopped speaking French and wore sundresses and caftans when the War of 1812 began. Prince Rostopchin, the Governor-General of Moscow, completely exuded tasteless, feigned, jingoistic appeals, and this was instead of really helping and supporting the frightened, desperate people who were leaving their native land.
Showed true patriotism ordinary people, who, being not rich, still burned their houses, belongings, arable land, just so as not to leave anything to the enemy, not to help him with their belongings and shelter to get to Moscow. Left destitute, these unknown heroes went into the forests and organized partisan detachments, and then dealt crushing blows to the French, risking their lives for the liberation of their homeland. At the same time, many nobles did not see the difference between the Russian Tsar and the foreign invader: they put their personal interests above national ones. They calmly accepted the invaders and fawned over them in order to preserve their privileges.
True and false heroism in the novel War and Peace
Prince Andrei thinks about true and false heroism when he goes to war for glory. At Shengraben, he takes part in the battle and sees the feat of the battery of the modest and awkward captain Tushin, the breakthrough of the detachment of captain Timokhin, who put the French to flight, and the daredevil Dolokhov, who heroically captured the French officer. The hero cannot figure out which one is a real hero, although the answer lies on the surface. For example, Dolokhov demanded a reward for his action, boasted about it during the formation, and Tushin was almost deprived of command for his modesty, and would have been deprived if Bolkonsky had not stood up for him. Which one is the hero? Selfish Dolokhov or unknown hero Tushin? How to decide, since both of them risked their lives for a common goal?
At the Battle of Austerlitz, Andrei rouses soldiers to a deadly bloody battle that could have been avoided. The hero, like Dolokhov, was flattered by the fame and did not count the heads along which he walked towards her. No wonder Kutuzov taught him to take care of life, but Bolkonsky did not heed this advice. This is false heroism, as the prince was convinced of from his own experience.
True and false beauty in the novel "War and Peace"
Tolstoy describes the multitude ugly women, because his task is to depict the truth of life. For example, about Natasha Rostova he writes: “Ugly, thin...”, and does not forget to mention the ugly stretched mouth of the crying girl, her angularity and imperfections on her face. He speaks directly about Princess Bolkonskaya: “Ugly Princess Marya...”.
But Helen, a regular at salons and balls, is a dazzling beauty. She is superbly built, her shoulders turned even the hottest heads.
However, true beauty for Tolstov does not lie in appearance: “The ugly princess Marya always looked prettier when she cried, and she always cried not from resentment, but from sadness or pity.” The soul of this girl was beautiful and shone from within when she was given free rein. Natasha Rostova is also beautiful in her mercy and simplicity. Her incomparable charm was also manifested in her creativity, because Natasha sang magnificently and danced talentedly.
Thus, true beauty is always expressed in naturalness, kindness, creativity, but not in appetizing forms devoid of spiritual content. To those who don't understand true beauty, will not find happiness and harmony in life, like Pierre Bezukhov, who was deceived by Helen.
The meaning of the novel "War and Peace" lies in a permanent movement towards the truth, because only those heroes who were able to make this movement understood themselves and found happiness.
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Composition.
True and false patriotism in L. N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”
In the process of implementing its grand plan, associated with the creation of a novel about a Decembrist who returns from many years of Siberian exile, L.N. Tolstoy deliberately turns to the historical events of the memorable year 1812. It was a time marked by a special rise in patriotism and national consciousness.
Patriotism is devotion and love for one’s Fatherland, for one’s people, and it can manifest itself either in the ability to perform heroic deeds, noticeable to everyone, or in everyday hidden dedication, often not noticeable to anyone. Having cast aside considerations of self-interest, selfish calculations, and vanity, any person for whom the interests of the common cause are the main ones became a real patriot. This was the moral standard by which Tolstoy judged all his heroes. Turning to historical events of the recent past, Tolstoy strives, first of all, to find ethical content in them, to define them moral meaning. All the heroes of his story, the main and accidental, proactive and involuntary participants in the great historical “action” of 1812: Berg, the old Rostovs, Natasha, the Smolensk merchant Ferapontov and the Moscow governor-general Count Rastopchin, Nikolai, Pierre, Prince Andrei, Dolokhov, Kutuzov, - all of them, from the most “elementary” to the most intellectual persons, are measured by a single measure and this measure
moral.
Patriotism can be true and it can be false. True patriotism, first of all, is inextricably linked with a sense of responsibility, which is not shifted onto the shoulders of others. So, faced with the need to accept fatal decision about the surrender of Moscow, Kutuzov reflects on his possible guilt for the unsuccessful course of military operations. He takes upon himself the burden of a historical event not at the moment of victory and triumph, when it is so easy for one supreme personality to appropriate for himself the fruits of the hard work of the masses. Kutuzov does this at a disastrous and terrible moment.
In this sense, the figure of Moscow Governor General Rastopchin is placed next to Kutuzov in a very interesting way. Leaving Moscow, Rastopchin will express his own, directly opposite essence in almost the same words as Kutuzov. He will think that it was not he, but others, who were to blame for what happened, that some traitors brought the matter to ruin. A true patriot takes everything upon himself, a pseudo-patriot looks for someone to blame nearby.
Intransigence towards the enemy, unwillingness to make any compromises with him until the enemy is completely defeated, characterizes a true patriot. This feeling was hidden or openly expressed by many Russian people: not only soldiers who directly fought in the army, or peasants who did not want to sell bread and hay to French foragers and deployed guerrilla warfare against the invaders, but also Princess Marya, who did not want to remain under the rule of Napoleon in the occupied territory, and the Rostovs, who gave up their carts for wounded soldiers, and that nameless lady who wanted to leave Moscow at all costs, leaving her property to their own devices fate, so as not to fall under the rule of Napoleon. think about own well-being, prosperity was simply impossible for these people when the Fatherland was in mortal danger. The Smolensk merchant Ferapontov, who became rich thanks to the patronage of Alpatych, the managing prince Nikolai Bolkonsky, was ready to distribute and even burn all his acquired property
nature so that it does not fall to the enemy.
However, the intransigence associated with direct self-defense does not contradict the mercy that must be shown to a defeated enemy when a person awakens in him, begging for mercy. Tolstoy more than once noted the humanity in the specific behavior of Russian people, indicating true patriotism, which has nothing to do with bitterness and malice. Thus, Tolstoy contrasts Rastopchin, who deliberately provokes the cruelty of the crowd, which massacres an innocent French cook before the surrender of Moscow, and Kutuzov, who calls for mercy on the defeated enemy at the end of the liberation war. Also, the attitude of Nikolai Rostov towards the frightened blue-eyed Frenchman, Petit and Denisov’s partisans towards the captured drummer boy, the attitude of Denisov himself towards the captured French in contrast to Dolokhov, who shows senseless cruelty, refusing to take prisoners - all this is the true moral attitude of people who really love their the fatherland is not for show. Also unpleasant is Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who expresses
On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Pierre Bezukhov thought that there was no need to take prisoners. But his bitterness can be explained by the pain he experienced associated with the loss of his father and the destruction of his family nest.
True patriotism often manifests itself in a hidden form, rather than in a heroic act visible to everyone. Thus, Nikolai Rostov listens with a feeling of shame to the pompous story about the feat of General Raevsky, who brought out his two sons during the battle at the Saltanovskaya Dam. An experienced officer knows that such stories do not reflect the reality of the battle, but he did not contradict, because he knew that this story served for the glory of Russian weapons. Prince Andrei's regiment, which did not participate in active operations during the Battle of Borodino, showed no less heroism in that it simply stood without flinching under continuous artillery fire.
And finally true feeling patriotism is incompatible with considerations of self-interest and careerism. Boris Drubetskoy, on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, was not interested in the victory of the Russians, commanded by Kutuzov, since he served at the headquarters of Bennigsen, who was intriguing against the commander-in-chief. To move up the career ladder, he was ready to sacrifice a successful outcome of the battle. However, he cleverly manipulates patriotic feelings in order to find himself in an advantageous position in the eyes of his superiors. So, he makes the right remark in time about the militia, who put on clean shirts before the battle, preparing for death. The game of patriotism is also characteristic of the St. Petersburg aristocracy, which hastily hired Russian language teachers and refused to go to the French theater to demonstrate love for the Fatherland. Also causing distrust are the ladies who plucked lint in the living rooms, which did not reach the wounded. Involuntarily I want to compare them with Tikhon Shcherbaty, who was one of the most irreplaceable people in the party before
Lokhova. He was capable of doing any “dirty” or dangerous work: lighting a fire during the rain, skinning a dead horse, tracking down a “tongue.”
Thus, in the face of the mortal danger that threatened Russia, the majority of Russian people showed miracles of true heroism and patriotism, abandoning all considerations of personal gain, selfishness, sacrificing their property and lives, they committed heroic deeds that remained in the memory of posterity for a long time. The crisis years of the sixties, in which the novel “War and Peace” was written, provide an opportunity to re-evaluate the cohesion and unity that the nation achieved in the face of a common enemy, a unity that brought victory to all.
Introduction
Heroically patriotic and anti-war themes are the defining, leading themes of Tolstoy's epic novel. This work has captured for centuries the feat of the Russian people, who defended their national independence with arms in their hands. “War and Peace” will continue to retain this meaning in the future, inspiring peoples to fight against foreign invaders.
The author of War and Peace was a committed and passionate advocate of peace. He knew well what war was, he saw it closely with his own eyes. For five years, young Tolstoy wore a military uniform, serving as an artillery officer in the field army, first in the Caucasus, then on the Danube and, finally, in the Crimea, where he participated in the heroic defense of Sevastopol.
The great work was preceded by a work on a novel about the Decembrist. In 1856, a manifesto was announced on amnesty for the people of December 14, and their return to their homeland caused an aggravation of Russian society. L.N. Tolstoy also showed attention to this event. He recalled: “In 1856, I began to write a story with a well-known direction, the hero of which was supposed to be a Decembrist returning with his family to Russia...” The writer did not intend to give the reader the apotheosis of the Decembrist movement: his plans included revising this page of Russian history in the light defeat of Decembrism and offer their understanding of the fight against it, carried out by peaceful means and through non-violence. Therefore, the hero of the story was supposed to, upon returning from exile, condemn his revolutionary past and become a supporter of another solution to the problem - moral improvement as a recipe for the improvement of the entire society. However, Tolstoy's plan underwent significant changes. Let's listen to the writer himself: “Involuntarily, from the present (that is, 1856), I moved to 1825, the era of my hero’s delusions and misfortunes, and left what I started. But in 1825 my hero was already a mature, family man. To understand him, I needed to travel back to his youth, and his youth coincided with the glory for Russia of the era of 1812. Another time I abandoned what I had started and began to write from the time of 1812, the smell and sound of which are still audible and dear to us.” So the main theme of the new novel was the heroic epic of the struggle against the Napoleonic invasion. L. Tolstoy, however, continues: “The third time I returned back due to a feeling that may seem strange. I was ashamed to write about our triumph in the fight against Bonaparte’s France without describing our failures and our shame. If the reason for our triumph was not accidental, but lay in the essence of the character of the Russian people and troops, then this character should have been expressed even more clearly in the era of failures and defeats. So, having returned from 1825 to 1805, from now on I intend to take not one, but many of my heroines and heroes through the historical events of 1805, 1807, 1812, 1825 and 1856.” This important author’s testimony conveys the grandiose scale of what is captured in the novel, and the development of the latter into an epic, and the multi-heroic nature of the work, and the significance of understanding the national character in it, and its deep historicism. Tolstoy’s important previous work was “Sevastopol Stories,” and the impetus for covering historical events was the Crimean War with its failures that needed comprehension.
The work on “War and Peace” was accompanied by a huge creative surge of the writer. Never before had he felt his mental and moral powers so free and intended for creative work.
L.N. Tolstoy begins a thorough study of historical sources, documentary literature, and memories of participants in ancient events. He studies the works of A. I. Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky about the wars of 1805-1814, “Essays on the Battle of Borodino” by F. N. Glinka, “Diary of Partisan Actions of 1812” by D. V. Davydov, the book “Russia and the Russians” by N. I. . Turgenev, “Notes about 1812” by S. N. Glinka, memoirs of A. P. Ermolov, memoirs of A. D. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, “Camping notes of an artilleryman” by I. T. Radozhitsky and many other works of this type. The Yasnaya Polyana library preserves 46 books and magazines that Tolstoy used throughout the time he was working on the novel War and Peace. In total, the writer used works, the list of which includes 74 titles.
The trip in September 1867 to the Borodino field, where a great battle once took place, became important. The writer walked around the famous field on foot, studying the location of Russian and French troops, the location of the Shevardinsky redoubt, Bagration's flushes, and Raevsky's battery. No less significant were the inquiries of the surviving contemporaries of the great battles and the study of the life of a distant era.
As we work on the novel, its folk origins become stronger and enriched. “I tried to write the history of the people,” Tolstoy left such a confession in the draft of the fourth volume. Gradually, “people's thought” became decisive in “War and Peace”; the favorite theme of the epic was the depiction of the feat of the people during the events of Russian history. The novel included 569 characters, among whom were 200 historical figures. But among them the main characters of the work are by no means lost, whose fates the writer traces carefully, with all the necessary psychological persuasiveness. At the same time, the author connects them with a variety of ties of kinship, love, friendship, marriage, business relationships, and common participation in grandiose historical events. There are quite a few people in the novel whose individual traits of life and character reflect the properties of L. N. Tolstoy’s ancestors and closest relatives. Thus, in Count Rostov one can discern the features of Count Ilya Andreevich Tolstoy, the writer’s grandfather, and in the old Prince Bolkonsky - the features of another grandfather; Countess Rostova resembles Tolstoy’s grandmother, Pelageya Nikolaevna Tolstoy, Princess Marya absorbed the traits of the Writer’s mother, Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya, and Nikolai Rostov - the traits of his father, Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy. Prince Andrei absorbed the characteristics of Sergei Nikolaevich, the writer’s brother, and Natasha Rostova imprinted the image of Tatyana Andreevna Bers, the writer’s sister-in-law. All this testifies to the significant autobiographical nature of the novel and the deep vitality of its characters. But “War and Peace” is by no means reduced to autobiography: it is a broad canvas that reflects Russian history. Its heroes and the diverse folk world.
Working on the great book required titanic work. The total number of surviving manuscripts of the novel is over ten thousand draft texts. Some of the parts of the epic were rewritten many times, individual scenes were redone, according to Tolstoy, “ad infinitum.” But as a result of the author’s tireless and intense work, a novel emerged that constituted an entire era in the history of Russian culture.
True and false patriotism in the novel “War and Peace”
The novel “War and Peace” in terms of genre is an epic novel, since Tolstoy shows us historical events that cover a large period of time (the action of the novel begins in 1805 and ends in 1821, in the epilogue); There are over 200 characters in the novel, there are real historical figures (Kutuzov, Napoleon, Alexander I, Speransky, Rostopchin, Bagration and many others), all social strata of Russia at that time: high society, noble aristocracy, provincial nobility, army, peasantry, even the merchants.
One of the main issues that worries Tolstoy is the question of patriotism and heroism of the Russian people; it is examined very deeply in the novel. At the same time, Tolstoy does not fall into the false patriotic tone of the narrative, but looks at events sternly and objectively, like a realist writer. The author talks about his novel and about the faithful sons of the Fatherland, ready to give their lives for the salvation of the Motherland, about false patriots who think only about their own selfish goals. With this solution to the patriotic theme, Lev Nikolaevich reflected the true historical reality. It consists of depicting the feat of the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812. The author speaks in his novel both about the faithful sons of the Fatherland and about false patriots who think only about their own selfish goals.
In the novel “War and Peace,” Tolstoy created a voluminous and multifaceted picture of the war. But in this work the reader sees not galloping warriors with unfurled banners, not a parade and the splendor of victories, but ordinary military everyday life. On the pages of the novel we meet ordinary soldiers, we see their difficult, hard work.
The writer introduces us to the inner world of an ordinary person at first glance. But he shows us that even such inconspicuous people can be interesting and attractive with their spiritual beauty. The author reveals to us, the readers, the poetry of the hero’s spiritual life. It is often difficult to discern the true face of a person under the layers of the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The writer shows that one must be able to see human dignity in everyone, that divine spark that will not allow a person to commit a truly vile act. In extreme situations, in moments of great upheaval and global change, a person will definitely prove himself, show his inner essence, certain qualities of his nature. In Tolstoy's novel, someone utters loud words, engages in noisy activities or useless vanity - someone experiences a simple and natural feeling of “the need for sacrifice and suffering in the consciousness of general misfortune.” The former only consider themselves patriots and loudly shout about love for the Fatherland, while the latter are them and give their lives in the name of common victory or leave their own property to be plundered so that it does not fall to the enemy. In the first case, we are dealing with false patriotism, repulsive with its falseness, selfishness and hypocrisy. This is how secular nobles behave at a dinner in honor of Bagration: when reading poems about the war, “everyone stood up, feeling that the dinner was more important than the poetry.” A false patriotic atmosphere reigns in the salons of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, Helen Bezukhova and other St. Petersburg salons: “... calm, luxurious, concerned only with ghosts, reflections of life, St. Petersburg life went on as before; and because of the course of this life, it was necessary to make great efforts to recognize the danger and the difficult situation in which the Russian people found themselves. There were the same exits, balls, the same French theater, the same interests of the courts, the same interests of service and intrigue. Only in the highest circles were efforts made to recall the difficulty of the present situation.” Indeed, this circle of people was far from understanding all-Russian problems, from understanding the great misfortune and needs of the people during this war. The world continued to live by its own interests, and even in a moment of national disaster, greed and promotion reign here.
Count Rastopchin also displays false patriotism, posting stupid “posters” around Moscow, calling on city residents not to leave the capital, and then, fleeing the people’s anger, deliberately sending the innocent son of the merchant Vereshchagin to death. Meanness and betrayal are combined with conceit and pout: “It not only seemed to him that he controlled the external actions of the inhabitants of Moscow, but it seemed to him that he controlled their mood through his proclamations and posters, written in that ironic language that in its midst despises the people and which he does not understand when he hears it from above.”
Just like Rostopchin, the novel shows Berg, who, in a moment of general confusion, is looking for profit and is preoccupied with buying a wardrobe and a toilet “with an English secret.” It doesn’t even occur to him that now it’s embarrassing to think about purchases that are not necessary. This is, finally, Drubetskoy, who, like other staff officers, thinks about awards and promotion, wants to “arrange for himself the best position, especially the position of adjutant to an important person, which seemed especially tempting to him in the army.” It is probably no coincidence that on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Pierre notices this greedy excitement on the faces of the officers; he mentally compares it with “another expression of excitement,” “which spoke of not personal, but general issues, issues of life and death.”
About what “other” persons we're talking about? Of course, these are the faces of ordinary Russian men, dressed in soldiers' greatcoats, for whom the feeling of the Motherland is sacred and inalienable. True patriots in the Tushin battery they are fighting without cover. And Tushin himself “did not experience the slightest unpleasant feeling of fear, and the thought that he could be killed or painfully wounded did not occur to him.” The blood feeling of the Motherland forces soldiers to resist the enemy with incredible fortitude. From the description of the janitor Ferapontov, we see that this man, who gives up his property for plunder when leaving Smolensk, beats his wife because she asks him to leave, he pettyly bargains with the cab driver, but, having understood the essence of what is happening, he burns own house and leaves. He is also, of course, a patriot. For him, there is no point in acquired wealth when the fate of his homeland is being decided. “Get everything, guys, don’t leave it to the French!” - he shouts to the Russian soldiers.
What is Pierre doing? He gives his money, sells his estate to equip the regiment. And what makes him, a rich aristocrat, go into the thick of the Battle of Borodino? The same feeling of concern for the fate of one’s country, the desire to help the Russian people.
Let us finally remember those who left Moscow, not wanting to submit to Napoleon. They were convinced: “It was impossible to be under the control of the French.” That is why they “simply and truly” did “that great deed that saved Russia.”
True patriots in Tolstoy's novel do not think about themselves, they feel the need for their own contribution and even sacrifice, but do not expect rewards for this, because they carry in their souls a genuine holy feeling of the Motherland.
There is a war going on in Austria. General Mack is defeated at Ulm. The Austrian army surrendered. The threat of defeat loomed over the Russian army. And then Kutuzov decided to send Bagration with four thousand soldiers through the rugged Bohemian mountains to meet the French. Bagration had to quickly make a difficult transition and delay the forty-thousand-strong French army until the commander-in-chief arrived. His squad needed to accomplish a great feat in order to save the Russian army. This is how the author leads the reader to the depiction of the first great battle.
In this battle, as always, Dolokhov is bold and fearless. His bravery is demonstrated in battle, where “he killed one Frenchman at point-blank range and was the first to take a surrendering officer by the collar.” But after that he goes to the regimental commander and reports on his “trophies”: “Please remember, Your Excellency!” Then he untied the handkerchief, pulled it and showed the dried blood: “Wound with a bayonet, I stayed at the front. Remember, Your Excellency.” Everywhere and always Dolokhov worries about himself, only about himself, everything he does, he does for himself.
We are not surprised by Zherkov’s behavior either. When, at the height of the battle, Bagration sent him with an important order to the general of the left flank, he did not go forward, where the shooting was heard, but began to “look” for the general away from the battle. Because the order was not transmitted, the French cut off the Russian hussars, many died and were wounded. There are many such officers. They are not cowardly, but they do not know how to forget themselves, their careers and personal interests for the sake of the common cause. However, the Russian army consisted not only of such officers.
Heroism in the novel looks everyday and natural. In the chapters depicting the Battle of Shengraben, we meet the true heroes. In describing this battle, the author shows how confusion gripped the infantry regiments at the news of the encirclement. “The moral hesitation that decided the fate of the battles was apparently resolved in favor of fear.” Here he sits, the hero of this battle, the hero of this “deed,” small, thin and dirty, sitting barefoot, taking off his boots. This is artillery officer Tushin. “With big, smart and kind eyes, he looks at the commanders who entered and tries to joke: “The soldiers say that you are more agile when you take off your shoes,” and he is embarrassed, feeling that the joke was not a success. Tolstoy does everything to make Captain Tushin appear before us in the most unheroic form, even funny. But this one funny man was the hero of the day. Prince Andrei will rightly say about him: “We owe the success of the day most of all to the action of this battery and the heroic fortitude of Captain Tushin and his company.”
The second hero of the Battle of Shengraben is Timokhin. The battle seemed lost. But at that moment the advancing French suddenly ran back... and Russian riflemen appeared in the forest. This was Timokhin's company. He appears at the very moment when the soldiers panicked and ran. His actions occur at the behest of his heart. It is not numerical superiority, not the complex plans of the commanders, but the inspiration of the company commander who led the soldiers that decides the outcome of the battle; it was his determination and belligerence that forced the enemy to retreat. “...With such insane and drunken determination, with one skewer...” Only thanks to Timokhin, the defenders had the opportunity to return and gather battalions. The Russians won “a moral victory, one that convinces the enemy of the moral superiority of his enemy and of his own powerlessness.”
Courage is diverse. There are many people who are uncontrollably brave in battle, but get lost in everyday life. Through the images of Tushin and Timokhin, Tolstoy teaches the reader to truly see brave people, their low-key heroism, their enormous will, which helps to overcome fear and win battles.
The author leads us to the idea that not only the outcome of a military battle, but the direction of the development of history is determined precisely by the activities of the human masses, bound by the unity of feelings and aspirations. Everything depends on the spirit of the soldiers, which can turn into panic fear - and then the battle is lost, or rise to heroism - and then the battle will be won. Generals become strong only if they control not only the actions of the soldiers, but also the spirit of their troops. And to accomplish this task, the commander must be not only the military commander-in-chief, but also its spiritual leader. This is how Kutuzov appears before us. During the Battle of Borodino, he concentrated in himself all the patriotism of the Russian army. The Battle of Borodino is a “people's battle”. The “hidden warmth of patriotism” that flared up in the soul of every soldier and the general “spirit of the army” predetermined victory. In this battle, the true beauty of the Russian man is revealed. The Russians won “a moral victory, one that convinces the enemy of the moral superiority of his enemy and of his own powerlessness. In this battle, the Napoleonic army “was laid down by the hand of the strongest enemy in spirit.”
In the war of 1812, when every soldier fought for his home, for his family and friends, for his homeland, the consciousness of danger increased tenfold. The deeper Napoleon advanced into Russia, the more the strength of the Russian army grew, the more the French army weakened, turning into a bunch of thieves and marauders. Only the will of the people, only people's patriotism makes the army invincible. This conclusion follows from L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace.”
References
1. L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”.
2. Yu. V. Lebedev “Russian literature XIX century."
3. K. N. Lomunova “ Great book life."
4. E. S. Rogover “Russian literature second half of the 19th century century."
