War & Peace Podnotes, A Study Guide

An intimate meal is held at the Bolkonsky estate on the sole day Andrei will reconnect with his father, Nikolay. The following day Andrei will be heading off to fight the indomitable forces of Napoleon.   Awaiting in the dining room is Andrei, Lise, Marya, Mlle Bourienne, as well as Nikolay's architect, Mikhail Ivanovich, who is an odd addition. Usually a sticker for social class divisions, th...

Prince Andrei and his pregnant wife (Lise) arrive Andrei’s father’s Smolensk estate known as “Bald Hills.” Andrei only plans to spend the night, as he is rushing toward the career path of his father, Nikolai, who performed a lifetime of (fictional) military service. Nikolai Bolkonsky (nicknamed “The King of Prussia”) is symbolic of the era of expansion and colonization under Catherine the Great. W...

This episode involves Marya Bolkonskaya reading Julie Karagina’s letter and covers Marya’s response. Each missive is written in French and the content serves as a way to bring the reader up-to-speed on the time transpiring since Count Bezukhov's death. Each letter also serves as an exposition of the nature of the characters: Julie is revealed as a somewhat vapid heiress and Marya, the ideal da...

For the first 20 chapters the action centered around the major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, circa 1805. This chapter heads to the countryside to one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, Smolensk, founded in 863 A.D. It is west of Moscow and a bit south, not that far east of the Belarusian border.  Smolensk was part of the Kyivan Rus’, the first state to rise among Eastern Slavs. While t...

Prince Vassily and Katerina are ready to make their move to deprive Pierre of his inheritance. First, Vassily wishes to get Anna and Pierre out of the way so the Count's will can be promptly destroyed. Therefore, Vassily invites them to take some tea or a slight snack via the spread set out for well-wishers.  Pierre is escorted to the tea area by one of the Count’s nieces and Anna goes as well...

Chapters 11-20 continue to establish background information on the main characters and central conflict (Napoleon's future invasion). It is slow going without piercing hooks. It is an exposition of the peace before the war.  After being banished from St. Petersburg, Pierre has been staying at his ill father’s estate in Moscow. He is left alone by those caring for the Count and kept away from h...

Pierre is taken to the inner sanctum of his father's magnificent estate. The room was filled with family, physicians, and servants. The once powerful Kirill Bezukhov is on the precipice of death.   The name Kirill derives from the Greek name Kyrillos (Κύριλλος), which comes from Kyrios (κύριος), meaning “lord,” or “lordly.”  He is represented as one of Catherine the Great’s grandees , meaning...

Pierre is sleeping in the back of an open coach while being driven to his father’s magnificent estate. Count Bezukhov is incapacitated and his wishes were that Pierre takes his estate. However, Pierre has little idea of this intention. The Count drew up papers to “legitimize” Pierre, however, they were never delivered to the proper authorities nor officially reviewed by the Emperor. Prince Vassily...

The chapter opens with a foreboding update about Count Kirill Bezukhov. As the Rostov affair was in full swing, the Count suffered his sixth stroke, which places him near death. His team of doctors thought it would be a matter of hours. Local undertakers were outside his estate, waiting to be paged while some of the elite of Moscow society marched in and out. Dr. Lorrain, the lead physician, was c...

The guests leave the dining area and head to the fancy entertainment rooms of the Rostov estate. These are the drawing rooms, sitting rooms, parlors, terraces, and libraries – the Rostov mansion has it all.  Ilya Rostov sits down in one of the rooms to enjoy a French card game named after an American City, Boston .  As per custom, young people gathered around a few instruments, including the clavi...

The extravagant Rostov feast is winding down and the political talk is reaching a zenith. Shinshin asks why Russia should be thrown into a war with Napoleon. He notes Bonaparte already stopped Austria’s cackle and Russia's turn is likely next. The ethnically German colonel (in the Russian Army) who is within earshot gets irritated and announces his fealty to the Emperor. The colonel quotes Ale...

Envision a locomotive the way many would circa 1860. What technology! It wasn’t brand new (as they were invented in 1804) but it was a Monster of the age in terms of making the world move.  Tolstoy envisions the locomotive as a symbol of great historical movements and uses this symbolism to describe the limitations historians face in finding causes for such movements.  He posits three people viewi...

Before the Rostov dinner, the men get together to talk politics and smoke cigars. We get a look at Count Rostov’s personality among the boys . He earns a cheap thrill in getting his intimates to debate the issues of the day. Seated next to him are Shinshin (Pyotr Nikolaitch) and Lt. Alphonse Berg. Both think they are quite charming.  Shinshin is described as on old bachelor with a sallow complexio...

Tolstoy presents his view on how academics view history. He essentially argues that historians have limited reliability. Tolstoy embarks on the path of grappling with the nature of power.  He urges avoiding the trap of thinking Great Men move people. Instead, it is actually people (like You) who combine when they are willing to move. It is people (like You) who do all the heavy lifting and rarely...

A quick chapter centering on the emotions of Countess Natasha Rostova. Once Anna Mikhaylovna Drubetskaya left for the Bezukhov estate, Natasha becomes sentimental. Anna’s message, whether intended or not, affects her deeply. The Countess decides to help her childhood friend and not make Anna pursue a bequeathment from the sickly Count Bezukov who may be in no position to distribute anything. The C...

Tolstoy starts his infamous epilogue by giving his definition of the term "history" as the life of nations and humanity . He describes that a limitation of this definition is the inability of man to sufficiently pin down the history of any nation or human movement. He posits there is more to it than the scientific approach of piecing together what happened and then attributing motivations...

Some background on Pierre: He never got around to deciding on a career in the short time he was in St. Petersburg. He was then kicked out of the then-capital by reason of the scandal involving tying a police officer to a small bear and throwing them both into a river.  In Moscow, Pierre was staying in his usual quarters at the estate of his ill father - Count Kirill Bezukhov. However, Pierre was n...

Anna Drubestkoya is able to borrow a horse and carriage from the Rostovs to head to Count Bezukhov’s mansion, where the Count is said to be on his deathbed.  Anna relays her plan to her son – to delicately ask Count Bezukhov for some financing…..in the Count's last moments.  Humbly asking for money was surely as uncomfortable then as it is now.  Anna tells her son, who is embarrassed about ask...

The Countess Rostova and Anna Drubestkoya get to their brief discussion. Anna displays the art of asking for something, without directly asking. After some small talk, Anna divulges she needs 500 rubles to set her son up in the Imperial Guard. The money will be for uniforms and related equipment/supplies, which a recruit had to pay for. Officers could be expected to afford the expense as they were...

This subset of episodes, will take on the twelve chapters of the second epilogue of War & Peace. This somewhat controversial epilogue is a presentation of the author’s philosophy that underlies the book. A common critique of the second epilogue is how confusing and apart it seems from the rest. The first epilogue revolves around the characters and resolves some of their journeys. The readers a...

The first part of chapter 11 focuses on the unbeloved Rostov child, Vera. Since it is one of the few sections devoted to her, this episode is dedicated to Vera.   As Countess Rostova is prepared to “hold court,” tête-à-tête, with Anna Drubestkoya, they both notice Vera is in the vicinity. In cold words, the Countess tells her daughter that she is not wanted and should have realized it before the m...

This podcast has made it through a commentary on the first ten chapters of War & Peace. It has compiled literally dozens of views - okay, my attempts at humor can be self-effacing . There are over 360 chapters in this book (and chapter can differ by the version you are picking up). Nevertheless, every three and a half chapters will amount to 1% of the book. Covering 10 chapters indicates just...

The action goes briefly back in time to Chapter 8 when young Natasha Rostov leaves the drawing room, which is filled with guests for the name-day celebration. The name being celebrated: Natasha, which mother and daughter of the Rostov family share. Natasha appeared embarrassed the adults noticed her affection for Boris. She runs into the conservatory, hoping her young love would follow her. She hi...

At the Rostov dinner party at their Moscow estate, the genial host, Count Illya Rostov, tells visitors that his son has joined the Hussars. A Colonel Schubert (fictional) is visiting the Rostovs and set to take their dear son to the front. Ilya does not come across as overly worried. The intensity of the war to come is unknown and heavy engagement is not looked upon as realistic. There is always t...

While the Name-Day celebration (in honor of "Natasha") continues at the Rostov estate in Moscow, the children of the household make an appearance. A door bursts open to the Drawing Room (a room commonly near the front of a mansion where guests are entertained), and Natasha Rostov, 13, leads the way. She appears to be a natural leader and radiates confidence. She is followed by her brother...