I'm well into Book 3 and don't really know how to feel. It starts off with a narrative description of the novel's philosophies, which probably sounds just dandy, but it really isn't. Tolstoy discusses the idea of fatalism, which basically means that man has no control over the future and there are no real causes for events. He also doesn't think that anyone has free will, because everyone is interconnected. I don't exactly agree with his ideas, but at least now I know where Tolstoy stands on war. He describes it as being "an event contrary to human reason and to the whole of human nature," which is true. It's all very heavy, and not that interesting to read.
The dog that I'm watching over break definitely had the right idea about this section of the novel. He was sitting with me as I read earlier today, so I started to read to him. After about two minutes he stood up, barked and walked away. In all honesty I wish that I could walk away right now too, but I'm definitely not going to.
I have such an on and off relationship with this book and it's driving me crazy. Now that I'm past half way there's no way that I'm going to stop reading, but I really hope that it gets better soon.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
War and Peace: Day 43, Page 646
I guess it could be embarrassing for me to say that I hurried to finish Book 2. I should probably also be a little bit fazed by the fact that the text managed to stimulate some sort of emotion inside of me. In all honesty, I finished the last bit of this volume with an amount of enthusiasm that I've never felt about the novel before, and I'm not ashamed of it; I really am enjoying War and Peace!
Natasha and Prince Andrew's engagement finally breaks off when Natasha falls in deeply in love with Anatole in the span of three days. Pierre, Prince Andrew's half-brother, drops bomb after bomb and Natasha is finally told that Anatole is already married! Clearly, Natasha is devastated, but isn't it her own fault? She had the perfect marriage planned, and gave it all up for an infatuation. Talk about your indecisive teenager! On top of all that, I'm almost
positive that Pierre is falling for her. As he tries to comfort Natasha he tells her "If I were the handsomest man in the world and were free, I would this moment ask for your hand and love." That quote pretty much has affection written all over it!
Now that I'm not even afraid of the monstrous novel I feel even more motivated to finish. I'm so invested in the text that I don't even know how to describe it. It's almost like devouring a really good piece of cake: messy and rich, yet extremely satisfying.
Natasha and Prince Andrew's engagement finally breaks off when Natasha falls in deeply in love with Anatole in the span of three days. Pierre, Prince Andrew's half-brother, drops bomb after bomb and Natasha is finally told that Anatole is already married! Clearly, Natasha is devastated, but isn't it her own fault? She had the perfect marriage planned, and gave it all up for an infatuation. Talk about your indecisive teenager! On top of all that, I'm almost
positive that Pierre is falling for her. As he tries to comfort Natasha he tells her "If I were the handsomest man in the world and were free, I would this moment ask for your hand and love." That quote pretty much has affection written all over it!
Now that I'm not even afraid of the monstrous novel I feel even more motivated to finish. I'm so invested in the text that I don't even know how to describe it. It's almost like devouring a really good piece of cake: messy and rich, yet extremely satisfying.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
War and Peace: Day 36, Page 610
Happy World Book Day! Even though according to UNESCO it's on April 23rd-the day that Shakespeare died in 1616-I'm going to celebrate today by writing this post.
It's been a hectic couple of days, which is why I've only managed to read 30 pages since Monday. However, the few pages that I read were particularly enticing. Natasha feels her first sense of regret about her engagement to Prince Andrew (who is now referred to Andrei) in Chapter 10 when she's seduced by Anatole at the opera. Little does she know, Anatole is already married but is still interested in her. Even though the love triangles are entertaining, I'm still excited to read about the war in only 9 more chapters.
There is so much vivid detail in Tolstoy's writing, and he had such insight into human nature! I feel like all of the characters are relatable. You would think this would be difficult to achieve as a writer, but Tolstoy does it perfectly. I'm experiencing all the thrills that a Russian aristocratic family would in those times. I keep having to remind myself that War and Peace isn't focused on the characters. It's not just the story of Prince Rostosheruzantaidizania and his romance with the most beautiful girl in Moscow. The novel tells Russia's story and describes the battle with Napoleon's army. What stands out to me is the confusion and disorientation that comes with reading War and Peace. It makes me feel like I get to dissect it myself, and I'm loving it.
It's been a hectic couple of days, which is why I've only managed to read 30 pages since Monday. However, the few pages that I read were particularly enticing. Natasha feels her first sense of regret about her engagement to Prince Andrew (who is now referred to Andrei) in Chapter 10 when she's seduced by Anatole at the opera. Little does she know, Anatole is already married but is still interested in her. Even though the love triangles are entertaining, I'm still excited to read about the war in only 9 more chapters.
There is so much vivid detail in Tolstoy's writing, and he had such insight into human nature! I feel like all of the characters are relatable. You would think this would be difficult to achieve as a writer, but Tolstoy does it perfectly. I'm experiencing all the thrills that a Russian aristocratic family would in those times. I keep having to remind myself that War and Peace isn't focused on the characters. It's not just the story of Prince Rostosheruzantaidizania and his romance with the most beautiful girl in Moscow. The novel tells Russia's story and describes the battle with Napoleon's army. What stands out to me is the confusion and disorientation that comes with reading War and Peace. It makes me feel like I get to dissect it myself, and I'm loving it.
Monday, March 4, 2013
War and Peace: Day 32, Page 583
Sadly it's pretty clear that I haven't read that much since I last wrote. I'm not going to say that it is because I didn't have any time, because if you really want to do something you make the time for it. There it is, I guess I just didn't want to read. Having said that, I'm really glad that I did read some tonight, because I am enjoying it again! I've gotten through the meager text of Part 4, and so far Part 5 is keeping me entertained. It might sound awful, but reading about Pierre's misery as he gets over Natasha is really amusing.
War and Peace is not at all the kind of book that you can read discretely in a corner. People are always going to notice it and most likely make comments. Usually some of the things people said bother me, but today I was glad to hear them. While I was at orchestra practice the novel fell out of my bag, and the man next to me started a conversation about it. He turned out to be really knowledgeable about the text, which was extremely eye-opening for me. It made me wonder if I would be able to talk about the book fluently once I finished reading it; I really hope that I will be. The man had so much to say about the different themes (ambition, sexism, courage), Tolstoy's style, and the relevance of the title. Although he was speaking in French, I got a lot out of the conversation!
I know that so far I've been pretty bipolar about reading the novel, but in no way does that mean that I'm not enjoying the experience. I honestly love the way I feel when I read it and seeing the looks on peoples faces when they see me reading it. I'm powering through the mother of all books!
War and Peace is not at all the kind of book that you can read discretely in a corner. People are always going to notice it and most likely make comments. Usually some of the things people said bother me, but today I was glad to hear them. While I was at orchestra practice the novel fell out of my bag, and the man next to me started a conversation about it. He turned out to be really knowledgeable about the text, which was extremely eye-opening for me. It made me wonder if I would be able to talk about the book fluently once I finished reading it; I really hope that I will be. The man had so much to say about the different themes (ambition, sexism, courage), Tolstoy's style, and the relevance of the title. Although he was speaking in French, I got a lot out of the conversation!
I know that so far I've been pretty bipolar about reading the novel, but in no way does that mean that I'm not enjoying the experience. I honestly love the way I feel when I read it and seeing the looks on peoples faces when they see me reading it. I'm powering through the mother of all books!
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