Penguin edition - Briggs translation - Black cover w/ chandelier:
Volume 1, Part 1, chapters 1-25, 115 pp.
Signet edition - Dunnigan translation - tan cover w/ flag:
Book 1, Part 1, chapters 1-25, 124 pp.
Modern Library - Garnett translation - Olive cover w/ gold stripe:
Part 1, chapters 1-25, 161 pp
Amazon edition - Maude translation - light blue cover:
Book 1 (1805), chapters 1-28, 179 pp
… and it looks like all the Maude translations are laid out the same (Book w/ date, 28 chapters), with page counts from 137 pp to 179 pp. (bright red cover, dark blue classic cover, picture of a horse & rider in the snow, and Tolstoy sitting on a bench). I confirmed that all versions end in the same place, but apparently the Maudes opted for different chapter breaks.
Please reply to this topic with your comments about the narrative.
This sounds like it could be heavy lifting for some versions/translations, so please don’t be super concerned about this. It’s an experiment, and may very well end up building in more weeks to keep everyone together.
This should be fun, and not something people dread, so if you find that it’s requiring more time than you want to devote to it, please speak up and we’ll build in more time.
And we’ll definitely take a break between parts.
In the words of the late, great Doug Adams, Don’t Panic!
(From Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.)
(And for those of you who’ve read the book, fun fact: one of my two tattoos is “42”.)
Tolstoy introduces us to the deep and complex relationship between the two words of his novel’s title—war and peace—from the opening scene at Anna Pavlovna’s party. We see immediately that even the seemingly peacetime activity of partying is actually quite warlike. Anna runs her soirée with a precise strategy, much like a general, knowing exactly when to attack and when to withdraw. Her words to Vasili are described as an attack, and Vasili calls himself her slave. Though these phrases may be only metaphors, they nonetheless refer to a power structure in Russian high society that is as steely and directed as a war machine. Indeed, we soon see how much strategy Vasili uses to secure fortunes for his shiftless children Anatole and Helene, and how Helene herself is a ruthless gold-digger behind her marble beauty.
It is clear that the people in the society of War and Peace are on the attack, out for conquest. Moreover, we sense that those characters who are too naïve to recognize this warlike dynamic—as Pierre soon proves to be—will be defeated and plundered. Marya Dmitrievna even describes little Natasha as a “Cossack” warrior, using an admiring tone that suggests that the world of the novel is a place in which being called a warrior is a compliment. The idea that humans are fighting for their survival, holding off the enemy however they can, is a dominant motif throughout War and Peace, and one that Tolstoy examines from several angles. While the author never approves of extreme tactics, such as the cold-blooded ruthlessness of Helene Kuragina, it is arguable that he views love—and all of life, for that matter—as a battlefield upon which some sort of fighting is always necessary.
Tolstoy’s exploration of war in this novel also raises complicated issues about what it means to identify with one’s nation. The threat of a French war against Russia reveals the irony of a cultural situation in which, even in peacetime, the French-speaking Russian aristocrats already seem at war with the common, native Russian-speaking population. The division among nations during the Napoleonic wars also points to a division within Russia itself even before war begins. We hear, for example, that Hippolyte Kuragin speaks Russian like a foreigner. We wonder what the war against France might mean to this Russian who speaks only French. The cultural divide within the Russian nation in peacetime could, perhaps, simply become more noticeable in wartime, making the Napoleonic war an internal as well as an external threat.
I received the hard copy yesterday. Oh my the book is 5.5X8 with I guess font size 7.5. I think I will be reading more on my ebook. I read chapters 7&8 in both books. There was difference in the wording of the events but I think in the end both books attempted to say the same thing.
I have confidence that we will muddle through the book!
Thanks @kim.kovacs. I think I will read the summary after I read the designated section. That way I can check my comprehension. I noticed there is a bullet point summary for each section in the back of the Penguin (Briggs) book. I’ve read the first 20 pgs and it seems to be going ok. I had to look up the time period to see what war we are talking about. I have no background in Russian history so it should be interesting.
On this august occasion, the inaugural week of our War and Peace read, I present a little bit of entertainment to inspire you and to set the tone for the project. (Watch to the end, you’ll be glad.)
I hope it’s ok to start posting comments. Its easier to record thoughts here rather than take notes. While very early in the book if you don’t want to know what’s happening please stop reading now.
The opening party scene was a big surprise to me. I guess I expected this book to be more warlike than Bridgerton. That being said having everyone gathered is a fairly efficient way of introducing a cast of characters. I’m not presently worrying too much about keeping them all straight because I suspect our leads will rise from the fray and as is inevitable in a generational saga we will bury others along the way. Speaking of burial, I thought the death scene was so well presented as we begin to see sides squaring off with obvious intent. It was funny/sad with near hysterics and fighting for position. That’s where I am for now.
I have a couple more pages left to finish Book 1 and then I will look at the Spark Notes summary. Similar to @Anne_Glasgow I had to research a bit to orient myself as to the time in history. With my character list close by, I have been able to work through the first reading without much difficulty. It really helps that audiobook narrator (Thandiwe Newton) I am listening to is quite engaging. Additionally, the audiobook has the French section translated whereas my ebook version does not (which requires a lot of page flipping!)
I love Thandiwe Newton! LIstening to her for like a million hours would be a treat. I don’t envy her having to pronounce all those Russian names. I wonder if she speaks the language?
I am going to give it a go and try to give my interpretation of Part 1 of War and Peace:
I thought Part 1 set the stage of the novel by introducing the characters from the 5 main families in the book. He analyzed each characterʼs personality by showing their strengths and weaknesses, their ambitions in life and self worth. It portrays the relationship the characters have with each other and how the aristocracy impacts their lives. It also reveals the tensions between the older and younger generations about Napoleon. The plot settings take place in 3 areas of Russia: St. Petersburg, Moscow, and a rural estate.
Thanks, @Lynne_G for your comments. I hadn’t picked up on the three locations. Definitely agree with your thoughts about the generations. I would guess that will only become more relevant as we move forward.
Reading it, my mind flashed back to the party at the beginning of ‘Gone With the Wind’. I wondered if Margaret Mitchell had borrowed this method of introducing characters from ‘War and Peace’.
I’m struggling to get a process in place to ensure I get adequate time to read in W&P each day. Thus I’m quite behind, but hope to devote large chunks of time to reading it over the next couple of days.
@Lana_Maskus is there any way we can support you? My most effective way of chunking away at a big book is to set a daily page count and knock those out with my morning cuppa. Remember we do have several catch up recesses built into the schedule. I’m cheering you on and hoping you won’t give up.
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m stubborn and persistent so I will push through and get caught up. Have some open time over the next 3-4 days which should help.
I’m right there with you, @Lana_Maskus! I haven’t started yet but hope to do so today.
Think the chunking concept sounds like it should work, but sometimes for me it’s more like, “Oh, it’s only 20 pages; I can put that off…” and then I don’t get to it, so it just accumulates, haha. I suspect I’ll do better with scheduling one day a week specifically for W&P.
