War and Peace Book Club discussion
Volume 1
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Kimley
(last edited Aug 25, 2016 01:51PM)
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Nov 19, 2007 10:45PM

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Actually, I'm already into Volume 2 a bit and it's getting very interesting. Tolstoy added a lot of ingredients in that first volume and now I see that it's all stewing quite nicely.
I'm reading as fast as I can! But tomorrow I will eat some turkey.

bravo, to you kimley, this is one mothereffing heavy book! i started dividing the page count by number of pages i normally read in a week, this will take me a while...


the 'chaos' that you speak of kimley, is all part of tolstoy's very specific and uncomprimising plan... there is not a single scene of individual heroism or order or nobility. at least not in the sense in which we are used to seeing in traditional 'war' fiction. there is not a single 'good' death. not a single war scene that falls within the realm of accessible narrative... in fact, the most memorable scenes of war depicted in the book are strange and interior and filled with cowardice and disgust rather than honor or 'cool! that guy just got his head blown off' disgused as 'war is hell'...
in the latter half of the novel, tolstoy writes much on fate vs. luck and, as i have pointed out before, the 'man on a horse' theory (history proceding due to certain remarkable individuals) vs. history 'happening' as a result of certain unexplained scientific principles of history itself. see which side tolstoy falls on and which side you, the reader, fall on...
so... enjoy the chaos and confusion and watch as it artfully and masterfully works itself out... the book just keeps getting better.

is it more or less moral to murder in order to read books than to do so in order to stay alive?

I felt like Tolstoy is giving us this book called "War & Peace" and what a big slice of life that obligates him to show! So it is just natural that chaos would reign otherwise it would end up being disingenuous.
Tracy, I agree, so far Volume II does seem to be going faster. I think, for me anyway, part of that is that I'm finally getting a better grip on the bazillions of characters. And the action is a bit less chaotic so far. He's focusing more on certain story lines that he introduced in Volume I.
Brian, I think your question of morals is a good opening line to become buddies with your hero Morrissey!