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War And Peace - Online Essays

War And Peace

Leo Tolstoy’s novel, , contains three kinds of material, a historical account of the Napoleonic wars, the biographies of fictional characters, and a set of essays about the philosophy of history. Critics from the 1860s to the present have wondered how these three parts cohere, and many have faulted Tolstoy for including the lengthy essays, but readers continue to respond to them with undiminished enthusiasm. The work's historical portions narrate the campaign of 1805 leading to Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, a period of peace, and Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. Contrary to generally accepted views, Tolstoy portrays Napoleon as an ineffective, egomaniacal buffoon ...

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Kutuzov is aware that his power lies in his participation as a passive instrument among forces beyond his control. Particularly noteworthy are the novel's battle scenes, which show combat as sheer chaos. Generals may imagine they can "anticipate all contingencies," but battle is really the result of "a hundred million diverse chances" decided on the moment by unforeseeable circumstances. Leo Tolstoy does not tell the reader what they want to hear but presents his observation of opposing forces such as , life and death and Napoleon and Kutuzov. In war as in life, no system or model can come close to accounting for the infinite complexity of human ...

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War And Peace. (2006, May 31). Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/War-And-Peace/46794

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 5/31/2006 06:19:16 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 296
Pages: 2

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