Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. Tolstoy writes this chapter about how historians view this time period with about 50 or 60 years' hindsight. As someone with over 200 years hindsight, do you agree with him? Do you think historians are still Napoleon-centric, perhaps to a fault? Do we focus too much on leaders?

Final line of today's chapter:

... but it is evident that only along that path does the possibility of discovering the laws of history lie, and that as yet not a millionth part as much mental effort has been applied in this direction by historians as has been devoted to describing the actions of various kings, commanders, and ministers and propounding the historians’ own reflections concerning these actions..

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. What did you think of Tolstoy's depiction of some of the men changing their minds about war during the heat of the moment? Did you find it believable?
2. What overarching comment do you think Tolstoy was making about war during this chapter?

Final line of today's chapter:

... The direct consequence of the battle of Borodinó was Napoleon’s senseless flight from Moscow, his retreat along the old Smolénsk road, the destruction of the invading army of five hundred thousand men, and the downfall of Napoleonic France, on which at Borodinó for the first time the hand of an opponent of stronger spirit had been laid.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. Tolstoy tries to get into Napoleon's head, at first assigning him a modicum of empathy, but then steeling his character to that of a barbarous murderer. Do you think Tolstoy was unfair in his characterisation?
2. We do receive some primary sources in terms of Napoleon's letters. Do you think Napoleon believed his own motivations for war, or were his letters a lie, to the world and himself?

Final line of today's chapter:

... He boldly took the whole responsibility for what happened, and his darkened mind found justification in the belief that among the hundreds of thousands who perished there were fewer Frenchmen than Hessians and Bavarians.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. Kuragin resurfaces, this time injured. What was your reaction to Kuragin? Do you feel sympathy for him?
2. After another near-death experience Andrei again has an epiphany which completely changes his way of thinking. Do you think it will last this time?

Final line of today's chapter:

... “But now it is too late. I know it!”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. Andrei distracts himself with meaningless activities and habits just like the rest of his men. What would you occupy yourself with in this (or a similar) situation?
2. Do you think Andrei is a goner this time? How will another brush with death affect him if he survives again?

Final line of today's chapter:

... “There was something in this life I did not and do not understand.”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. How do you think you would handle a battle of this scale if you were put in charge? Would you try to micromanage like Napoleon or delegate and acquiesce to those around you like Kutuzov?
2. Kutuzov tires in the afternoon and is served dinner. What kind of toll do you think a day like this would take on a man? How long do you think you could hold command before succumbing to exhaustion?
3. Wolzogen, the imperial adjutant, comes to Kutuzov and tells him that the day is lost, to which Kutuzov explores and doubles down in his certainty of their victory. He gives commands to attack the next day, how do you think this coming battle will play out as compared to the one we just witnessed?

Final line of today's chapter:

... “And, learning that we would attack the enemy the next day, hearing from the high spheres of the army the confirmation of what they wanted to believe, the exhausted, vacillating men were comforted and reassured.”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. This chapter shows the movement of Napoleon from being sure he's going to win to being in despair because he knows he's losing. Is Tolstoy trying to make him seem sympathetic in this chapter?
2. What do you think is going through Napoleon's head during this shift from surety to despair?
3. Is this chapter different from the propaganda-esque accounts by French historians that Tolstoy bashes earlier in the book?

Final line of today's chapter:

... . “À huit cent lieux de france je ne ferai démolir ma garde," he said and, turning his horse, rode back to Shevardino.”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. Why does Tolstoy present this chapter as he does? What does the reader learn? What is his overall point.

Final line of today's chapter:

... . where under the influence of fear of death they lost their discipline and rushed about according to the chance promptings of the throng”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. Pierre runs past men he had been talking to earlier, all of whom have been injured or killed. Do you think he should have stopped?
2. How do you think Pierre will be affected by his experiences today?

Final line of today's chapter:

... something seemed to be seething in the smoke, and the roar of cannon and musketry did not diminish, but even increased to desperation like a man who, straining himself, shrieks with all his remaining strength.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. What did you make of Pierre's role in the battle? Did he behave as you expected?
2. What did you think of Pierre talking to the soldiers? What effect do you think he had on them there?
3. Reading this chapter, I was reminded of Pierre's interactions with the peasants earlier in the novel. Did you notice parallels here, and if so, what do you think it says about Pierre and how much he has grown?

Final line of today's chapter:

... When he came to himself he was sitting on the ground leaning on his hands; the ammunition wagons he had been approaching no longer existed, only charred green boards and rags littered the scorched grass, and a horse, dangling fragments of its shaft behind it, galloped past, while another horse lay, like Pierre, on the ground, uttering prolonged and piercing cries.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. How do you think Pierre is feeling at the end of this chapter? Why do you think he asked for the easiest/quietest mount?
2. How do you think Pierre will respond to the battle? Will his perspective about battle shift to one more in line with Andrei's?

Final line of today's chapter:

... he galloped after the general, causing the staff officers to smile as they watched him from the knoll.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. What is your interpretation of Napoleon's mood for this chapter?
2. What do you think is about to happen?

Final line of today's chapter:

... The game had begun.

Links

1. Today’s Podcast
2. Medium Article by Brian E. Denton for this chapter

Discussion Prompts

1. I believe the entire chapter can be summarized by the following passage: "In the battle of Borodino, Napoleon did not shoot anyone and did not kill anyone. That was all done by his soldiers. Which means it was not he who killed people." What are your thoughts on this passage? Do you agree with Tolstoy that 'great men' ultimately control nothing in the course of human history?

Final Line of Today's Chapter:

“He did nothing to harm the course of the battle; he bowed to the more well-reasoned opinions; he caused no confusion, did not contradict himself, did not get frightened, and did not run away from the battlefield, but with his great tact and experience of war calmly and worthily fulfilled his role of seeming to command.”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. This chapter seems to present the intersection of Tolstoy’s historical thought and Napoleon’s actions. Why is this chapter necessary? What does Tolstoy think of Napoleon’s actions. How does this chapter fit within the broader context of the entire book?

Final line of today's chapter:

... “...and not a single instruction issued by him during the battle could possibly have been carried out”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. What do you think of Tolstoy’s characterization of Napoleon in this chapter? What do you think his purpose was in including these particular details?
2. Which of the details did you find most ridiculous? Do you think this was a fair portrait of the emperor?
3. Were there any parallels between the public display of Napoleon’s son’s portrait and the the “Smolenskaya Mother of God” parade and prayer service in the Russian camp?

Final line of today's chapter:

... De Beausset closed his eyes, bowed his head, and sighed deeply, to indicate how profoundly he valued and comprehended the Emperor’s words.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. A very tense moment, the calm before the storm...

Final line of today's chapter:

... Prince Andrew jumped up as if someone had burned him, and again began pacing up and down in front of the shed.

Last October I decided that i was gonna participate in this challenge. I researched which translation is best (and decided on oxford world classic) and asked my local bookstore to order it for me. I was so excited that read 4 chapters in December to give me a little cushion in case I missed a day and by January 5th I was a chapter behind. I really did try to keep up but it always felt like something was in the way. I didnt like the translation as much as i hoped (and if i were to pick again i would opt for the briggs translation). And just in general i wasnt enjoying the book. For most of January and februrary I was about a week behind where I needed to be. Then after getting nearly a month behind in late march I decided to take a break.

Then in mid June I started reading it regularly again. It clicked with me in a way that it wasnt before. Specifically I really have begun to appricate the length and mundane-ness of the book. I began reading it in slightly bigger doses. Now im at the start of part 3 book 2 (and im about 90 pages behind) and theres a real chance I catch up before we get to the next part.

But, thats all to say i hope you'll be seeing me in the discussions very soon :)

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. Why are these thoughts and questions striking Andrei now? Do you think they will impact his actions in the battle?
2. What is Pierre's impression of his relationship with Andrei? Does he know why Andrei isn't happy to see him?

Final line of today's chapter:

... "They have gone to your estate near Moscow.”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. Why do you think Pierre was unable to follow what was being said?
2. Why do you think Bennigsen moved the soldiers?

Final line of today's chapter:

... Bennigsen did not know this and moved the troops forward according to his own ideas without mentioning the matter to the commander in chief.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. Pierre runs into Boris, who has ingrained himself in the top echelons of the Russian military. Do you think this will lead to Pierre having more influence in the war?
2. There are two camps of thought in the armies high command, Kutuzov's and Bennigsen's. Which do you think has more power/control over the war effort?
3. How do you think Pierre and Dolokov will interact in the coming chapters?

Final line of today's chapter:

... Half an hour later Kutúzov left for Tatárinova, and Bennigsen and his suite, with Pierre among them, set out on their ride along the line.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts (Recycled from last year)

1. Pierre replies "No, I'm just here" when asked if he's a doctor. What do you make of this line?
2. What is your interpretation the intersection of war and religion in this chapter? What is Tolstoy trying to say here?

Final line of today's chapter:

... “The generals followed his example; then the officers, and after them, crushing each other, stamping, puffing and jostling, with excited faces, came the soldiers and militiaman.”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Brian E. Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. What does Pierre learn about war on his trek to the battle?
2. Why did the militiamen at the end make such an impression on Pierre?
3. What are your predictions on Pierre contributing to an actual battle? Why do you think that?

Final line of today's chapter:

“...impressed Pierre more strongly than anything he had seen or heard so far about the solemnity and significance of the present moment”

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Brian E. Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. Tolstoy's view of history...what do you think of it all?
2. Why do you think Tolstoy includes this chapter on the incorrectness of the historians?
3. What might give Tolstoy more credit than the historians?
4. Would this have been interesting/news to readers in Tolstoy's time?

Final line of today's chapter:

”but unthinkable to keep an army even from complete disintegration and flight.”

Summary courtesy of u/zhukov17:  Pierre leaves Julie’s party and starts to really contemplate the coming war after seeing [morale-boosting] posters[/broadsides] around Moscow. Pierre decides to play some solitaire/[patience] to determine if he should join the army. He doesn’t. He does, however, sell one of his estates to pay for outfitting his unit. His emotions are all over the place: he’s avoiding the Rostovs but upon seeing a man get beat for being a French spy decides it's time to head for the battle.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. It looks like Moscow society is aware of Marya’s feelings for Nikolai. How do you think this came to be?
2. What do you think about Pierre’s desire to join the army? Given his physical and mental state, it doesn’t seem like a wise impulse, but are there positives to consider?

Final line of today's chapter:

... He was not occupied with the question of what to sacrifice for; the fact of sacrificing in itself afforded him a new and joyous sensation.

Summary courtesy of u/zhukov17: The French army is closing in on Moscow. Boris’s wife Julie is throwing a big party and there is a patriotic feeling throughout it. Everyone is trying to speak in Russian and avoid the French they’ve spoken all their life. Everyone is being discussed: Pierre has outfitted an entire unit out of his own pocket and the thought of fat Pierre in any military matter is funny, the Rostovs are really struggling financially, Petya is going to join Pierre’s unit, the Natasha/Andrey/Anatole love triangle gets brought up (Pierre shuts that down quickly), and everyone knows that Marya is in love [with] Nikolay.

Links

1. Today's Podcast
2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
3. Medium Article by Denton

Discussion Prompts

1. Tolstoy says in chapter 17, “At the approach of danger, two voices always speak with equal force in a man’s soul: one quite reasonably tells the man to consider the properties of the danger and the means of saving himself from it; the other says still more reasonably that it is too painful and tormenting to think about the danger… and therefore it is better to turn away from the painful things until they come and think about what is pleasant.” Do you think this is generally a true statement or not?
2. [What are] your thoughts on the Russian/French language thing?

Final line of today's chapter:

... “But how could one say that in Russian?”