Tolstoy's War & Peace - Lecture Two (Vol. I, Part II) (Patreon)

He gazed into the snowflakes swirling above the fire and thought of Russian winters at home, warm and bright, snug in his cosy fur coat, with a speeding sledge, rude health and his family with all their love and tenderness. And he wondered, 'Why did I ever come here?'

Today we're moving from the drawing room to the battlefield. We'll discuss the Great Man theory, internal vs external change, the reality of warfare, where can heaven be found, and much more.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 from salon to battlefield
• 1:00 first reading vs rereading
• 2:19 on understanding characters
• 6:36 the Great Man theory
• 10:00 genius & free-will
• 13:00 who writes history?
• 16:57 preparing for battle
• 19:00 delay, deceive, retreat
• 24:00 face, pride, honour, dignity
• 26:50 the reality of warfare
• 31:56 Andrei’s development
• 41:20 Nikolai’s development
• 47:00 war as strange nightmare
• 50:00 “how lovely that sky looked”
• 52:00 meditating on the Lord’s Prayer
• 55:00 on the external vs internal
• 57:19 Andrei playing at war
• 1:00:05 “why did I ever come here?”
• 1:09:00 your thoughts on this part

Our Tolstoic Journey:

• How to Read Tolstoy's War and Peace 
• War and Peace Translation Guide 
• Lecture One: Volume I, Part I

Book Recommendation:

• Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace by Alexander Mikaberidze is a brilliant portrait of one of this prominent figure in the history of Russia. It makes for a great companion to Tolstoy's masterpiece.

Questions to Consider:

1) Do you believe we have free will?

2) Do you prefer the drawing room or battlefield scenes?

3) What caused the most significant change in your life?

And please do share with us your impressions and favourite passages from the second part of volume one of War and Peace.

Happy reading, everybody!