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War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy

Date of Submission:

March 04, 2022

Submitted by:

Eulallah B. Bisa

Submitted to:

Ms. Angelie L. Santua

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Eulallah B. Bisa

Ms. Angelie L. Santua

Grade 9- Our Lady of Assumption

March 04, 2022

War and Peace

War and Peace is a literary work mixed with chapters on history and philosophy by the Russian author

Leo Tolstoy, first published serially in 1865–1867, and then published in its entirety in 1869. It is regarded as

one of Tolstoy's finest literary achievements and remains an internationally praised classic of world literature.

War and Peace is mainly a Novel but it also has more genres which are Historical Fiction, historical novel,

War story, Romance novel, and Philosophical fiction.

The novel chronicles the French invasion of Russia and the impact of the Napoleonic

era on Tsarist society through the stories of five Russian aristocratic families. Portions of an earlier version,

titled The Year 1805, were serialized in The Russian Messenger from 1865 to 1867 before the novel was

published in its entirety in 1869. In its first published edition, it has 1,225 pages. It took 130 years, but War and

Peace just hit the bestseller list for the first time. The Guardian reports that the recent BBC adaption of Leo

Tolstoy's sweeping classic has sent the book rocketing to the top 50 in British book sales for the first time.

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) was born in central Russia. After serving in the Crimean War, he retired to his

estate and devoted himself to writing, farming, and raising his large family. His novels and outspoken social

polemics brought him world fame.

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War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the

most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his

inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to

fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who

intrigues both men.

As Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy brilliantly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants

and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and

their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the

most moving—and human—figures in world literature.

Tolstoy revolves his story primarily around five aristocratic families: Rostov, Bezukhov, Belkonsky,

Kuragin, and Drubetskoy. There are nearly 600 characters that Tolstoy introduces to his readers. In addition to

literary figures such as Tsar Alexander I and Napoleon, there are a handful of characters who would be

considered necessary and important to the story.

They are: Natasha (Natalya) Ilyinichna Rostova: she would be considered the main female

protagonist. She is introduced as a young girl who is just entering her teens as the novel begins. She develops a

relationship with Andrei Belkonsky, but Anatole Kuragin, interferes. Anatole convinces her to run away with

him, but Pierre steps in to stop this. When Andrei is wounded in battle, Natasha nurses him until his death.

Natasha then falls in love with Pierre, whom she eventually marries. Pierre (Pyotr) Bezukhov: he is the

illegitimate son of Count Cyril Bezukhov. As a result, he is not well received by any of the important societal

circles. When he inherits his father's estate and becomes an immediate object of attention due to this great

wealth. He eventually becomes the person Natasha believed him to be, thanks in no small part to the influence

of Platon Karataev, a fellow prisoner of war. He marries Natasha Rostova. Prince Andrei Nikolaevich
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Belkonsky: He is married to Elisabeth, but appears to be bored with marriage. He enlists in the army to escape.

When his wife dies during childbirth, he falls into a depressive state, and rescued by Natasha Rastova, with

whom he falls in love. Although there are difficulties in their relationship, he recognizes the love he has for

Natasha before he dies under her care. Princess Helene (Elena) Vassilievna Kuragina a socialite who is

considered very beautiful and smart. She marries Pierre, an arranged marriage by her father, Prince Vasilii

Kuragin, due to Pierre's large inheritance. She has a number of adulterous affairs, even after Pierre learns of her

deception. They continue the appearance of husband and wife, but Helene attempts to persuade the Catholic

church to annul her marriage through large donations and conversion to Catholicism. She dies under suspicious

conditions while pregnant.

There are a number of other characters who play a role in the development of these main characters,

such as Anatole Kuragin, Vasilii Denisov, Platon Karataev, Boris Drubetskoy, Vasilii Kuragin, and Pyotr

(Peter) Rostov. Through brief introduction to the main characters, one hopefully gains a sense of the intricate

relationships that are developed, especially with the large number of characters Tolstoy employs in the

progression of his novel.