War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: Discussion
Sep. 2nd, 2021 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theophaniaBefore I start discussing my experience with reading War and Peace by one of Russia's most fascinating authors, let me discuss the history of this book and why I feel that this book is a chore to read. Let me make it clear that it is not because of the book's size that makes this book difficult, but Tolstoy's writing and how he chose to present his book. War and Peace is, to be quite frank, a masterpiece. However, it is a work that I feel needs to be read when the reader is in the right headspace, and right now, I do not believe I am in that headspace to fully appreciate this book and what it is about.
Now, War and Peace is set before, during, and after the Napoleonic wars and the French invasion of Russia. So, it's got a lot of history that I do like to learn. The Napoleonic wars is of great interest to me intellectually, but as somebody who is far more interested in the history and scene of seventeenth century European history, I feel that Napoleon Bonaparte and his wars is just too young for me to be interested in with regards to European history. Especially when the history of my own country gets more interesting in the 19th century, which leaves me with a gaping hole in terms of 19th century French (or European) history knowledge.
However, Tolstoy's book is more than just the Napoleonic wars, but also a human study. To be honest here, I view Tolstoy as a bit of a Russian Dickens. Where's there's so much more than just the main plot going on in his work... and to somebody who is presently stuck in her mind, I find that this is extremely distracting.
My copy is an old shoddy edition of Wordsworth, which sits nicely at less than 1000 pages. I think my edition has a very interesting back story and if it were to speak, it would probably tell of a previous owner who had to glue pieces of paper into Book 1 because it was missing sections of print that needed to be painstakingly typed out (probably with the use of another student's copy) and glued into the bulk of the book... and seems to be at a painful size 8 or 9 font that has become increasingly difficult to want to read.
I personally find that Tolstoy is more difficult to read than Hugo or Dickens. This could be my edition, as the Wordsworth is translated by the Maudes. So the English is a little archaic in comparison to more modern translations of the Russian works. Some people do not like the fact that the French is left untranslated by the Maudes, but the French actually doesn't bother me- especially when you consider Russia's history and the way that the Russians of the upper class spoke.
However, unlike with the works Hugo or Dickens, I find that I am only enjoying War and Peace as I read the book. While, the story is interesting, along with the themes and other story lines, I find that nothing is really sticking with me and that is a bit of a problem when it comes to my enjoyment of this book. A book is meant to be enjoyed and if it seems like it is more of a chore to get through, then is it really something that should be read in the moment or should it be put off for the time when it will be better appreciated?
I have been setting War and Peace down a lot more than the others who are participating in the Group Read on Goodreads. I am currently less than half of the way through Book 2, and am extremely far behind the others who seem to be nearing Book 10 or so. Instead, I have been reading books like Percy Jackson, A Little Princess, and The Haunting of Hill House- which is all very well and good, but I need to remain focused on Tolstoy if I ever want to finish his book.
However, at the same time, I feel like my mind is not in a good enough spot to actually remain focused. I cannot appreciate a book that is only aiding me to get further inside my head instead of helping me be pulled out. So, I might have to DNF for a little bit to focus on other things that might help my mind get better.
I do have a paperback of Leo Tolstoy's short stories, but I heard that for many of these works that the writer wasn't doing very well mentally himself. Which might be interesting to look at when I am in a better mood, but which I am not in the mindset to read any time soon, either.
Now, War and Peace is set before, during, and after the Napoleonic wars and the French invasion of Russia. So, it's got a lot of history that I do like to learn. The Napoleonic wars is of great interest to me intellectually, but as somebody who is far more interested in the history and scene of seventeenth century European history, I feel that Napoleon Bonaparte and his wars is just too young for me to be interested in with regards to European history. Especially when the history of my own country gets more interesting in the 19th century, which leaves me with a gaping hole in terms of 19th century French (or European) history knowledge.
However, Tolstoy's book is more than just the Napoleonic wars, but also a human study. To be honest here, I view Tolstoy as a bit of a Russian Dickens. Where's there's so much more than just the main plot going on in his work... and to somebody who is presently stuck in her mind, I find that this is extremely distracting.
My copy is an old shoddy edition of Wordsworth, which sits nicely at less than 1000 pages. I think my edition has a very interesting back story and if it were to speak, it would probably tell of a previous owner who had to glue pieces of paper into Book 1 because it was missing sections of print that needed to be painstakingly typed out (probably with the use of another student's copy) and glued into the bulk of the book... and seems to be at a painful size 8 or 9 font that has become increasingly difficult to want to read.
I personally find that Tolstoy is more difficult to read than Hugo or Dickens. This could be my edition, as the Wordsworth is translated by the Maudes. So the English is a little archaic in comparison to more modern translations of the Russian works. Some people do not like the fact that the French is left untranslated by the Maudes, but the French actually doesn't bother me- especially when you consider Russia's history and the way that the Russians of the upper class spoke.
However, unlike with the works Hugo or Dickens, I find that I am only enjoying War and Peace as I read the book. While, the story is interesting, along with the themes and other story lines, I find that nothing is really sticking with me and that is a bit of a problem when it comes to my enjoyment of this book. A book is meant to be enjoyed and if it seems like it is more of a chore to get through, then is it really something that should be read in the moment or should it be put off for the time when it will be better appreciated?
I have been setting War and Peace down a lot more than the others who are participating in the Group Read on Goodreads. I am currently less than half of the way through Book 2, and am extremely far behind the others who seem to be nearing Book 10 or so. Instead, I have been reading books like Percy Jackson, A Little Princess, and The Haunting of Hill House- which is all very well and good, but I need to remain focused on Tolstoy if I ever want to finish his book.
However, at the same time, I feel like my mind is not in a good enough spot to actually remain focused. I cannot appreciate a book that is only aiding me to get further inside my head instead of helping me be pulled out. So, I might have to DNF for a little bit to focus on other things that might help my mind get better.
I do have a paperback of Leo Tolstoy's short stories, but I heard that for many of these works that the writer wasn't doing very well mentally himself. Which might be interesting to look at when I am in a better mood, but which I am not in the mindset to read any time soon, either.