Many writers use real historical events for the plots of their works. One of the most frequently described events is war - civil, domestic, world. Special attention deserves the Patriotic War of 1812: the Battle of Borodino, the burning of Moscow, expulsion French Emperor Napoleon. Russian literature presents a detailed depiction of the war in the novel “War and Peace” by L. N. Tolstoy. The writer describes specific military battles, allows the reader to see real historical figures, and gives his own assessment of the events that took place.
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Military events in L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”
Prepared by Sergey Golubev
Prince Adrey and the war
The novel describes the military events of 1805-1807, as well as the Patriotic War of 1812. We can say that war is like a certain objective reality becomes the main plot line of the novel, and therefore the fate of the heroes must be considered in the same context with this “hostile” event to humanity. But at the same time, the war in the novel has a deeper understanding. This is a duel between two principles (aggressive and harmonious), two worlds (natural and artificial), a clash of two life attitudes (truth and lies).
Throughout his life, Andrei Bolkonsky dreams of “his Toulon.” He dreams of accomplishing a feat in front of everyone so that, having proven his strength and fearlessness, he can plunge into the world of fame and become a celebrity. “I will be sent there,” he thought, “with a brigade or division, and there, with a banner in my hand, I will go forward and break everything that is in front of me.” At first glance, this decision seems quite noble; it proves the courage and determination of Prince Andrei. The only repulsive thing is that he is focused not on Kutuzov, but on Napoleon. But the Battle of Shengraben, namely the meeting with Captain Tushin, becomes the first crack in the hero’s belief system. It turns out that a feat can be accomplished without knowing it, not in front of others; but Prince Andrei is not yet fully aware of this. It can be noted that in this case, Tolstoy sympathizes not with Andrei Bolkonsky, but with Captain Tushin, a good-natured man who comes from the people. The author even somewhat condemns Bolkonsky for his arrogance and somewhat contemptuous attitude towards ordinary people. (“Prince Andrei looked at Tushin and, without saying anything, walked away from him.”) Shengraben undoubtedly played positive role in the life of Prince Andrei. Thanks to Tushin, Bolkonsky changes his view of the war.
It turns out that war is not a means of achieving a career, but dirty, hard work where an inhumane deed is committed. The final realization of this comes to Prince Andrey on the Field of Austerlitz. He wants to accomplish a feat and accomplishes it. But he later remembers not his triumph, when he ran towards the French with a banner in his hands, but the high sky of Austerlitz.
Battle of Shengraben
Depicting the war of 1805 at Shengraben, Tolstoy paints various pictures of military operations and various types of its participants. We see the heroic transition of Bagration's detachment to the village of Shengraben, the Battle of Shengraben, the courage and heroism of Russian soldiers and the poor work of the quartermaster, honest and courageous commanders and careerists who use the war for personal gain. Typical of staff officers is Zherkov, who at the height of the battle was sent by Bagration with an important assignment to the general of the left flank.
The order was to retreat immediately. Due to the fact that Zherkov did not find the general, the French cut off the Russian hussars, many were killed and Zherkov’s comrade Rostov was wounded.
As always, Dolokhov is daring and brave. Dolokhov “killed one Frenchman at point-blank range and was the first to take the surrendering officer by the collar.” But after that he will approach the regimental commander and say: “I stopped the company... The whole company can testify. Please remember...” Everywhere, always, he remembers first of all about himself, only about himself; everything he does, he does for himself.
They are not cowards, these people, no. But in the name of the common good, they cannot forget themselves, their pride, their careers, their personal interests, no matter how many loud words they speak about the honor of the regiment and no matter how they show their concern for the regiment.
Tolstoy shows with particular sympathy the commander Timokhin, whose company “alone remained in order” and, inspired by the example of its commander, unexpectedly attacked the French and drove them back, making it possible to restore order in the neighboring battalions.
Another unsung hero is Captain Tushin. This is a “small, stooped man.” In his figure “there was something special, not at all military, somewhat comical, but extremely attractive.” He has “big, smart and kind eyes.” Tushin is a simple and modest man who lives the same life as the soldiers. During the battle, he does not know the slightest fear, he commands cheerfully and animatedly, at decisive moments, consulting with Sergeant Major Zakharchenko, whom he treats with great respect. With a handful of soldiers, heroes just like their commander, Tushin carries out his job with amazing courage and heroism, despite the fact that the cover stationed next to his battery left on someone’s orders in the middle of the case. And his “battery... was not taken by the French only because the enemy could not imagine the audacity of firing four unprotected cannons.” Only after receiving the order to retreat, Tushin left the position, taking away the two guns that had survived the battle.
Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz 1805 The general battle between the Russian-Austrian and French armies took place on November 20, 1805 near the town of Austerlitz in Moravia. The Russian-Austrian army numbered almost 86 thousand people. with 350 guns. It was commanded by General M.I. Kutuzov. The French army numbered about 3 thousand people. with 250 guns. It was headed by Napoleon. The main forces of the allied army under the command of F. F. Buxhoeveden attacked the corps of Marshal L. Davout and, after stubborn battles, captured the Castle, Sokolnitsy, and Telnitz. Meanwhile, the 4th Allied column under the command of I.-K. Kolovrata, which formed the center of the allied forces, went on the offensive late, was attacked by the main forces of the French and left the Pratsen heights dominating the area. Under these conditions, Buxhoeveden received an order from Kutuzov to retreat, but did not carry it out. Meanwhile, Napoleon, having defeated the center of the allied forces, deployed his troops and attacked the left wing of the allies (Buxhoeveden) with the main forces both from the front and from the flank. As a result allied forces With heavy losses they withdrew. The losses of Russian troops amounted to 16 thousand killed and wounded, 4 thousand prisoners, 160 guns; Austrians - 4 thousand killed and wounded, 2 thousand prisoners, 26 guns; French - about 12 thousand killed and wounded. As a result of the defeat at Austerlitz, the 3rd anti-French coalition collapsed.
Conclusions
One of the main lines of the book is Prince Andrei's disappointment in the very idea of war, in heroism, in the special calling of the military. From the dream of accomplishing a feat and saving the entire army, he comes to the idea that war is a “terrible necessity,” which is permissible only when “they have ruined my house and are going to ruin Moscow,” that the military class is characterized by idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, and drunkenness.
1.July 1805. Anna Scherer, maid of honor, close to Empress Maria Feodorovna, has a larger reception 2. The Rostovs celebrate the name day of the mother and youngest daughter Natasha. 3.Farewell ceremony to Count Bezukhov. The count died. Pierre is the heir to everything and, moreover, is recognized as the legitimate son and therefore Count Bezukhov and the owner of the largest fortune in Russia. 4. Prince Andrei comes to Bald Mountains, on the estate of Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, with his wife and leaves her on his father’s estate. PART II 1. October 1805. Russian troops occupy villages and towns of the Archduchy of Austria. Mack suddenly appears at Kutuzov’s headquarters. The Austrians are defeated and surrender their entire army at Ulm. Nikolai Rostov serves in the Pavlodar Hussar Regiment under the command of Captain Denisov. On October 28, Kutuzov moved with the army to the left bank of the Danube. The victory inspired the naked, exhausted soldiers. 2. Prince Andrei goes to Kutuzov. fight. Retreat. PART III 1. The wedding of Pierre and Helen. 2. Unsuccessful matchmaking between Anatole and Marya Balkonskaya 3. The appearance of the French envoy Savary with a proposal for peace and a meeting between Emperor Alexander and Napoleon. 4. Defeat of the fourth column, which included Kutuzov himself, at the Pratsen Heights. 5. Injury of Andrei Balkonsky. Also the death of Andrei Bolkonsky’s wife.
Volume 2
Part 1
1. Nikolai Rostov’s arrival home to Moscow on vacation
2. Count Rostov organizes a dinner in honor of Bagration, Pierre Bezukhov hears gossip about the connection between his wife Helen and Dolokhov
3. Duel between Dolokhov and Bezukhov
3. Pierre Bezukhov’s thoughts about his family life and about his wife Helen and departure to St. Petersburg
4. Andrei Bolkonsky appears in the Bald Mountains, his wife Lisa gives birth to a child and dies
5. Rapprochement between Rostov and Dolokhov
6. Natasha Rostova's first ball
7. Rostova refuses Denisov’s proposal
Part 2
1. On the way to St. Petersburg, Bezukhov meets a Mason and a week later goes to Kyiv to join the Masonic brotherhood
2. Helen returns to St. Petersburg and starts new acquaintance with Boris Drubetsky
3. In the spring of 1807, from Kyiv to St. Petersburg, Bezukhov toured his estates and stopped by Bolkonsky
4. Conversations over dinner between Pierre and Andrey and 2 days later Pierre leaves
5. Return of Rostov from his regiment, rapprochement with Denisov
6. Denisov beats Velyatin, is slightly wounded and ends up in the hospital
7. Boris Drubetskoy makes a career
Part 3
1. Prince Andrei has been living in the village for two years without leaving a break.
2. In August 1809, Prince Andrei arrives in St. Petersburg
3. Pierre is engaged in self-improvement
4. The Rostovs lived in the village for two years and are moving to St. Petersburg
5. Drubetskoy increasingly went to the Rostovs, but after a conversation with the countess he stopped visiting their house.
6. A ball is held on the eve of the New Year. The entire elite has arrived. Natasha goes to her first big ball. Dancing with Bolkonsky.
7. Dinner at the Bergers'
8. Andrei asks his father for permission to get married and leaves for Europe
Part 4
1. Rostov still lives in the regiment
2. Things are getting worse for the Rostovs and the countess is trying to marry Nikolai favorably
3. Natasha misses Andrey
Part 5
1. Pierre starts going to the club again, drinking a lot, etc.
2. Old Prince Bolkonsky, together with Princess Marya and his grandson, also come to Moscow
3. Drubetsky’s matchmaking with Julie Karagina
4. Rostov Sr., together with Natasha, goes on a visit to the elder Bolkonsky.
5. Anatol Kuragin lives in Moscow, does not get close to anyone
6. Natasha Rostova is still waiting for Andrei Bolkonsky
7. Helen invites Natasha to a masquerade.
Anatole appears here, talks about his love again, kisses Natasha
8. Natasha is tormented by the question of who she loves: Anatoly or Prince Andrei
9. Natasha wants to run away with Kuragin, but the plan failed
10. Anatole moves out of Moscow.
11 Natasha's suicide attempt
12. Arrival of Prince Andrei
13. Natasha realizes that everything is over between her and Prince Andrei
The theme of the novel “War and Peace” is the image of Russian society in the first quarter of the XIX century. The main historical event of this period is, of course, the Patriotic War of 1812, which became the most important turning point in Russian history.
First, war and victory over Napoleonic France contributed to the growth of the national self-awareness of the Russians, who had until now sincerely admired France, and now became the winners of their own idols. Secondly, the victory in the Patriotic War exacerbated all social and economic contradictions in Russia and acutely raised the issue of government reforms. In particular, advanced Russian people understood that ordinary people played a huge role in the victory over Napoleon, and hoped that Alexander the First would limit or even abolish serfdom, so painful for the victorious people. But no decisive government changes after Patriotic War did not follow, which ultimately led to an increase in public discontent and the Decembrist uprising in Senate Square. Historians precisely because domestic policy They call the reign of Alexander the First “the era of lost opportunities.”
Tolstoy shows the War of 1812 as a historical event in which the most in a bright way Russian showed up national character. In the novel, the author describes in detail the most important points of this war: the battle of Smolensk (the fire and surrender of the city are not a formal, but a real beginning of the Patriotic War), Borodino, the military council in Fili, the retreat of Russian troops from Moscow, a fire in Moscow, Napoleon’s attempt to start peace negotiations with Alexander, the French retreat the old Smolensk road, the Battle of Krasnenskoye, the battle of Berezina, the partisan war.
Tie-up historical novel can be considered the formal beginning of the Patriotic War - the crossing of the French army across the Neman (3,1,11). The Battle of Borodino is the culmination of War and Peace as a historical novel because, according to Tolstoy, this battle demonstrated the moral superiority of the Russian army over the enemy. For the writer there is no question who won at Borodino; he rejects all the learned arguments of historians about whether Borodino was a victory or defeat for the Russians, and decisively declares that it was a victory: “The direct consequence of the Battle of Borodino was Napoleon’s causeless flight from Moscow, his return along the old Smolenskaya road, the death of a five-hundred-thousand-strong invasion and the death of Napoleonic France, which for the first time at Borodino was laid down by the hand of a strong-willed enemy” (3, 2, XXXIX).
The Patriotic War is a people's war, therefore great attention Tolstoy devotes his time to describing partisan warfare. Here the author acts both as a historian and as an artist. He talks about the emergence, organization, and role of the partisan movement in the victory over the French. Partisan detachments were created not only by officers (real historical heroes A.N. Seslavin, D.V. Davydov - Tolstoy's heroes Dolokhov, Denisov), but also peasants (real historical heroes G. Kurin, E. Chetvertakov, V. Kozhina) without any order from above. Tolstoy writes caustically about the indignation of the French, who, in historical works about Napoleon’s Russian campaign, wrote that the War of 1812 was not won by the Russians according to the rules. As if there were any rules for war! The writer in his novel responds to the reproaches of the French: the Russians, seeing their Fatherland in danger, did not think long about whether they were fighting correctly with the aggressor who had invaded their land or not. “Blessed are those people who, in a moment of trial, without asking how others acted according to the rules similar cases, with simplicity and ease, picks up the first club he comes across and nails it with it until in his soul the feeling of insult and revenge is replaced by contempt and pity,” the author exclaims (4, 3,1). Symbol people's war in the novel Tikhon Shcherbaty becomes the most useful person in the detachment of Vasily Denisov. For Tolstoy it is absolutely clear that Napoleon could not win the Russian campaign, since he fought not with an army, but with an entire people.
The action of the novel does not end with the end of the Patriotic War. The French are expelled from Russia, Kutuzov dies, but the life of Russian society and the heroes of the novel continues. In the epilogue, from the reflections of Pierre, who had just returned from St. Petersburg to Bald Mountains, it becomes clear that Tolstoy’s favorite hero is one of the active participants in the emerging Decembrist movement, and this socio-political movement itself is one of the historical consequences of the War of 1812.
The description of the Patriotic War occupies only the third and fourth volumes in the novel, so the first and second volumes, which describe the participation of Russian troops in Napoleonic Wars 1805-1807 can be called an exposition of the main historical action. Tolstoy himself wrote about his plan as follows: “From 1812 to 1805 I returned according to a feeling that may seem strange to most readers. (...) I was ashamed to write about our triumph over Napoleonic France without describing our failures and shame. (...) If the reason for our triumph was not accidental, but lay in the essence of the character of the Russian people, then this character should have been expressed even more clearly in the era of failures and defeats” (“Introduction, Preface and Variants of the Beginnings of War and Peace”).
The most important historical events of the first and second volumes of the novel are descriptions of two military operations - the Battle of Shengraben and the Battle of Austerlitz - and the Peace of Tilsit.
Near the village of Shengraben, Bagration's special corps covered the retreat of the Russian army, which found itself in a dangerous position due to the defeat of the Austrian allies. Russian soldiers realized the need to save the army, so they fought courageously, starting with General Bagration, who marched with the privates on the attack, and ending with the artillerymen of Captain Tushin. As a result, Bagration's four-thousand-strong barrage detachment held back the advance of the entire French army of Marshal Murat. Under Austerlitz, according to Tolstoy, the Russian soldiers did not understand what they were fighting for, so the Russian regiments fled in panic from the battlefield, succumbing to the first terrible cry of “Bypassed!” Prince Andrei and Kutuzov see the scene of panicked retreat, the latter even cries from powerlessness and shame. As a result, Austerlitz became the pinnacle of Napoleon's military genius and the disgrace of the allied forces.
Depicting Tilsit and the emperors who celebrate the conclusion of a peace treaty, the writer talks about the immorality of politics and war. Nikolai Rostov, observing the celebrations and ceremonies, cannot understand why so much blood was shed, why so many soldiers were maimed, if it all ended in the friendly embrace of Alexander and Bonaparte, who was recently called the Antichrist (1, 1, I). Rostov had just visited his wounded friend Vasily Denisov in the hospital, saw there the one-armed captain Tushin, the unnoticed hero of the Battle of Shengraben, and many more mutilated and unfortunate patients. The hero never finds an answer to his question, and the author does not formulate a direct answer, but depicts the senselessness and cruelty of war.
The novel presents not only genuine historical events, but also real historical figures: Alexander the First, Napoleon, Kutuzov, Bagration, Speransky, numerous heroes of the Patriotic War - Ermolov, Raevsky, etc. Next to them the work describes fictional characters. Tolstoy begins the story about the private life of all the heroes in 1805, so to the main thing historical event novel - the Patriotic War - the characters are well-formed people, well known to the reader. Assessing the role of each hero in the history of Russia, Tolstoy develops a general formula: there is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness, truth.
For example, according to Tolstoy, Alexander the First is not a great historical figure, because he does not understand the truth of life. The young king does not realize the severity of the war, the suffering of his own soldiers, but sees only its front side and his power over ordinary people, which are intended to glorify the adored sovereign. In the scene before Austerlitz, the Russian emperor demonstrates his attitude to the war: for him, the battle is less important than the parade in St. Petersburg: “After all, we are not in Tsaritsyn Meadow, Mikhail Larionovich, where they don’t start the parade until all the regiments arrive.” “That’s why I’m not starting, sir,” Kutuzov said in a sonorous voice, as if warning the possibility of not being heard, and something trembled in his face once again. “That’s why I’m not starting, sir, because we are not in Tsaritsyn Meadow and at the parade,” he said clearly and distinctly” (1.3, XV). There is no simplicity in Alexander. In the scene of the World of Tilsit, his behavior is artificial; he is also an actor, like Napoleon, but in a different way. On the eve of Austerlitz, Nikolai Rostov sees the Tsar surrounded by his retinue in the city of Wischau: the Tsar, “leaning to one side, with a graceful gesture holding a golden lorgnette to his eye, looked at the soldier lying face down without a shako, with a bloody head” (1, 3, X). This looking at a dying soldier through a lorgnette is a parody of Napoleon, who loves to look at corpses on the battlefield. And Alexander’s kindness is somehow feigned, which Tolstoy ironically emphasizes in the next scene. When the king satisfied his curiosity, they began to put the dying soldier on a stretcher: “Hush, hush, can’t it be quieter?” - apparently suffering more than a dying soldier, the sovereign said and rode away” (ibid.).
Another example. After being disappointed in Napoleon’s personality, Prince Andrei believed “that in Speransky he found the ideal of a completely reasonable and virtuous person” (2, 3, VI). Bolkonsky was helped to understand Speransky’s hypocrisy by Natasha Rostova, “a poetic, overflowing with life, lovely girl” (2.3, XIX). The day after the ball, where he danced with Natasha for the first time, Prince Andrei went to dinner with Speransky and saw his new idol at home: “Everything that had previously seemed mysterious and attractive to Prince Andrei in Speransky suddenly became clear to him and unattractive" (2, 3, XVIII). Prince Andrei suddenly noticed not simplicity and truth, but falsehood in the neat laughter of the great reformer, demonstrativeness in Speransky’s relations with his daughter and guests. Unpleasantly surprised by his observations, Bolkonsky began to mentally try on the laws that he wrote in Speransky’s constitutional committee to his men and realized that they did not affect pressing issues folk life, and therefore are completely unnecessary.
In conclusion, it should be said that “War and Peace” is not a historical work, but a historical, philosophical, family, psychological epic novel. Tolstoy looks at history early XIX century as a Russian writer living in the 60s of the 19th century, that is, half a century later. The facts of recent history excited the author in connection with modern circumstances. Tolstoy was a participant in the unsuccessful for Russia Crimean War(1853-1856) and, starting to write his novel, sought to unravel “why we spanked the famous and previously invincible commander Napoleon the First in 1812 and why we were spanked by the insignificant in all respects Napoleon the Third in 1856” (“Decembrists”). Of course, the author was prompted to write the novel by the events of the first revolutionary situation of 1859-1861, peasant unrest, which became one of the main reasons for the abolition of serfdom. After these events, it was already clear to Tolstoy that it was the people who were the decisive force of history; thanks to them, the Patriotic War of 1812 ended victoriously, and fifty years later the reform of 1861 was carried out. That is why the writer stated that in “War and Peace” he was occupied with “popular thought.”
Tolstoy's historical assessments and reasoning differ from those of professional Russian, French, and German historians who studied the era of Napoleon and the Patriotic War. On the pages of the novel, the writer provides many quotes from historical works and argues with them. This applies, for example, to the assessment of the Battle of Borodino, the causes of the fire in Moscow, the maneuver of the Russian army near Maloyaroslavets, etc. In the novel, the Shengraben battle is given too much great value, although it was a minor skirmish with the French, and Tolstoy compares Shengraben with the “battle of three emperors” at Austerlitz. The writer sees Kutuzov’s wisdom and the correctness of his military tactics in his slowness and restraint, justified by the French (!) proverb: “Everything comes on time for those who know how to wait.” Tolstoy denies Napoleon greatness, even military leadership talent, which also disagrees with generally accepted assessments of this historical figure.
One can argue with the writer’s historical conclusions, but one cannot fail to note that in his novel he presented his own holistic, thoughtful and well-founded view of history in general and the Patriotic War in particular. Artistic comprehension The stories in the novel are extremely vivid and convincing. This applies to both individual heroes and the depiction of the Russian people as a whole, the Russian national character.
The novel "War and Peace" tells about the events that took place during three stages of Russia's struggle with Bonapartist France. The 1st volume describes the events of 1805, when Russia fought in alliance with Austria on its territory; in the 2nd volume - 1806-1811, when Russian troops were in Prussia; Volume 3 - 1812, volume 4 - 1812-1813. Both are dedicated to a broad depiction of the Patriotic War of 1812, which was fought by Russia in native land. In the epilogue, the action takes place in 1820. Thus, the action in the novel covers fifteen years.
The basis of the novel is historical military events, artistically translated by the writer. We learn about the war of 1805 against Napoleon, which the Russian army waged in alliance with Austria, about the battles of Schöngraben and Austerlitz, about the war in alliance with Prussia in 1806 and the Peace of Tilsit. Tolstoy depicts the events of the Patriotic War of 1812: the passage of the French army across the Neman, the retreat of the Russians into the interior of the country, the surrender of Smolensk, the appointment of Kutuzov as commander-in-chief, the Battle of Borodino, the council in Fili, the abandonment of Moscow. The writer depicts events that testify to the indestructible power of the national spirit of the Russian people, which suppressed the French invasion: Kutuzov’s flank march, the Battle of Tarutino, the growth of the partisan movement, the collapse of the invading army and the victorious end of the war.
The range of problems in the novel is very wide. It reveals the reasons for the military failures of 1805-1806; the example of Kutuzov and Napoleon shows the role of individuals in military events and in history; with extraordinary artistic expression pictures of guerrilla warfare are drawn; reflects the great role of the Russian people, who decided the outcome of the Patriotic War of 1812.
Simultaneously with historical problems era of the Patriotic War of 1812, the novel also reveals current issues of the 60s. 19th century about the role of the nobility in the state, about the personality of a true citizen of the Motherland, about the emancipation of women, etc. Therefore, the novel reflects the most significant phenomena of political and public life countries, various ideological trends(Freemasonry, legislative activity of Speransky, the emergence of the Decembrist movement in the country). Tolstoy depicts high-society receptions, entertainment of secular youth, ceremonial dinners, balls, hunting, Christmas fun of gentlemen and servants. Pictures of transformations in the village by Pierre Bezukhov, scenes of the rebellion of Bogucharovsky peasants, episodes of indignation of urban artisans reveal the character social relations, village life and the lives of the urban lower classes.
The action takes place either in St. Petersburg, then in Moscow, then in the Bald Mountains and Otradnoye estates. Military events - in Austria and Russia.
Social problems are permitted in connection with a particular group characters: with images of representatives of the masses who saved their homeland from the French invasion, as well as images of Kutuzov and Napoleon, Tolstoy poses the problem of the masses and individuals in history; the images of Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky - the question of the leading figures of the era; with the images of Natasha Rostova, Marya Bolkonskaya, Helen - touches on the women's issue; images of representatives of the court bureaucratic horde - the problem of criticism of rulers.