War & Peace Podnotes, A Study Guide

The action moves from St. Petersburg to Moscow, to the mansion of the Rostovs, who will be followed throughout the novel. Count Rostov, a pleasant sort, is welcoming guests and inviting them to partake in a grand dinner. He delights in calling everyone, regardless of social rank, "my dear." So far, it is party after party in the first few chapters - the " Peace " in War & Peace...

The second part of Chapter VI brings pure unaltered fun in the form of "boys being boys." This chapter has bragging, gambling, drinking, a death-defying stunt and…..a bear on a chain. Mundane background about the state of political affairs and the Society crowd’s disillusionments take a backseat.  Upon leaving his friend’s home, Pierre enters an open carriage (an 1805 cab). Pierre promised...

Andrei and Pierre are interrupted by Princess Lise (Elisabeta Karlovna Bolkonskaya), who has changed from her formal wear into night attire. While the day is ending for Lise , the night remains young for Pierre. The Princess is happy to see Pierre. She views him as a like-mind and is comfortable speaking freely around him. Pierre even brings up what has been crushing Lise's spirit, namely that...

The guests are leaving Anna Pavlovna's event. The horse carriages and coats are readied by footmen. Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov enjoy briefly interacting with one another. They are two of the great characters of literature and are not together all that often, so these moments are special. Tolstoy provides a description of Pierre. He uncommonly tall, stout and has large reddish hands....

Anna Pavlovna's soirée reaches its climax. The elderly Princess Anna Drubetskoya grabs Prince Vasili Kuragin's hand as he attempts to leave. She will not let go and the Aristocrat knows he is going to be asked for a big favor. Princess Anna lost her societal connections but has one card to play. She knows Prince Vasili was helped early in her life by her father. Tolstoy points out, "In...

Anna's reception is full swing. As Tolstoy describes, "The spindles hummed steadily and ceaselessly on all sides." The patrons settle into a number of groups and discuss how an alliance is needed to stop Napoleon and that Russia should spearhead the effort.  The beautiful Hélène gets a chance to walk between the groups and garner quite a bit of attention. A French expatriate, the Vicom...

Attendant to the Empress, Anna Anna Pávlovna Schérer, is proud to have some of St. Petersburg's finest nobles in her drawing room. Princess Hélène Kuragina is noted by all to be strikingly gorgeous. Little Princess Lise is upset her husband, Price Andrei Bolknosky, has joined the military cooalition against Napoleon. She is pregnant with their first child and is worried about soon becoming a w...

Podnotes by Sean Roman are intended as a study guide and to provide common sense descriptions and context to this great work. Chapter 1 introduces the antagonist, Napoleon , who is being discussed at an evening soirée as a threat to all Europe. The hostess, Anna Pávlovna Schérer, an unmarried socialite who is an attendant to the Empress, posits that only Emperor Alexander can save Europe from the...

The goal of podcast is to supplement your reading of War & Peace with a down-to-earth description of what is happening and to provide commentary as well as context. Most episodes summarize a chapter. Particularly complex chapters are divided into two episodes. The episode descriptions can also assist readers with descriptions on how each chapter plays out. Each podcast is expected to come in u...