Tolstoy On War : Narrative Art and Historical Truth in 'War and Peace'

In 1812, Napoleon launched his fateful invasion of Russia. Five decades later, Leo Tolstoy published War and Peace, a fictional representation of the era that is one of the most celebrated novels in world literature. The novel contains a coherent (though much disputed) philosophy of history and portrays the history and military strategy of its time in a manner that offers lessons for the soldiers of today. To mark the two hundredth anniversary of the French invasion of Russia and acknowledge the importance of Tolstoy's novel for our historical memory of its central events, Rick McPeak and Donna Tussing Orwin have assembled a distinguished group of scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds -- literary criticism, history, social science, and philosophy -- to provide fresh readings of the novel. The essays in Tolstoy On War focus primarily on the novel's depictions of war and history, and the range of responses suggests that these remain inexhaustible topics of debate. The result is a volume that opens fruitful new avenues of understanding War and Peace while providing a range of perspectives and interpretations without parallel in the vast literature on the novel In 1812, Napoleon launched his fateful invasion of Russia. Five decades later, Leo Tolstoy published War and Peace, a fictional representation of the era that is one of the most celebrated novels in world literature. The novel contains a coherent (though much disputed) philosophy of history and portrays the history and military strategy of its time in a manner that offers lessons for the soldiers of today. To mark the two hundredth anniversary of the French invasion of Russia and acknowledge the importance of Tolstoy's novel for our historical memory of its central events, Rick McPeak and Donna Tussing Orwin have assembled a distinguished group of scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds—literary criticism, history, social science, and philosophy—to provide fresh readings of the novel.The essays in Tolstoy On War focus primarily on the novel's depictions of war and history, and the range of responses suggests that these remain inexhaustible topics of debate. The result is a volume that opens fruitful new avenues of understanding War and Peace while providing a range of perspectives and interpretations without parallel in the vast literature on the novel.Contributors: Alan Forrest, University of York; Andreas Herberg-Rothe, University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany; Dominic Lieven, Trinity College, Cambridge University; Jeff Love, Clemson University; Alexander M. Martin, University of Notre Dame; Rick McPeak, United States Military Academy at West Point; Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University;Donna Tussing Orwin, University of Toronto; Elizabeth D. Samet, United States Military Academy at West Point; Dan Ungurianu, Vassar College; David A. Welch, Balsillie School of International Affairs and University of Waterloo Tolstoy on war, Russia, and empire / Dominic Lieven The use of historical sources in War and peace / Dan Ungurianu Moscow in 1812 : myths and realities / Alexander M. Martin The French at war : representations of the enemy in War and peace / Alan Forrest Symposium of quotations : wit and other short genres in War and peace / Gary Saul Morson The great man in War and peace / Jeff Love War and peace from the military point of view / Donna Tussing Orwin Tolstoy and Clausewitz : the duel as microcosm of war / Rick McPeak The awful poetry of war : Tolstoy's Borodino / Donna Tussing Orwin Tolstoy and Clausewitz : the dialectics of war / Andreas Herberg-Rothe The disobediences of War and peace / Elizabeth D. Samet Tolstoy the international relations theorist / David A. Welch War and peace at West Point / Rick McPeak. Contents Acknowledgments Note to the Reader Introduction 1. Tolstoy on War, Russia, and Empire 2. The Use of Historical Sources in 'War and Peace' 3. Moscow in 1812: Myths and Realities 4. The French at War: Representations of the Enemy in 'War and Peace' 5. Symposium of Quotations: Wit and Other Short Genres in 'War and Peace' 6. The Great Man in 'War and Peace' 7. 'War and Peace' from the Military Point of View 8. Tolstoy and Clausewitz: The Duel as a Microcosm of War 9. The Awful Poetry of War: Tolstoy’s Borodino 10. Tolstoy and Clausewitz: The Dialectics of War 11. The Disobediences of 'War and Peace' 12 Tolstoy the International Relations Theorist 'War and Peace' at West Point Notes Works Cited List of Contributors Index This book brings together a distinguished group of scholars in essays that focus on the wartime sections of War and Peace. Approaching the novel from different disciplines, they wrestle with the book's great themes.