The first part of "War & Peace" is effectively in three sections:

(i) the soiree at Anna Pavlovna's in Petersburg, followed by the scene in Andrei's house with Andrei, Lise & Pierre, and finishing with Pierre starting off on his night of wild dissipation.

(ii) In Moscow, with the name-day party of Countess Rostov & her daughter Natasha, juxtaposed with an account of the death of Pierre's father.

(iii) In Bald Hills (or Bleak Hills), as Andrei leaves his pregnant wife with his family before going off to war.

Let us consider (i) first.

The soiree is presented with the sort of social satire we may expect from Jane Austen. This is high society: everyone here - except Pierre - knows the social code. They may discuss politics or warfare or anything else - as long as the conversation does not get too deep. Anna Pavlovna, the hostess, walks around ensuring that the talk remains superficial: anything more could lead to unpleasantness, after all.

It is all false and insincere. Pierre, who tries to engage in debate, is rounded upon, and Andrei has to rescue him. Andrei knows the rules of the game: he is socially polished. But he clearly dislikes society, and looks upon the others with unconcealed disdain. And as for Pierre, even though he does not know how to behave in this milieu, we are left in no doubt that he is more intelligent than all those others who feel perfectly at home.

Andrei's wife, Lise, on the other hand, is in her element. She is charming, pretty, good-natured: but it is easy to see why Andrei - who should be the happiest of men - is so dissatisfied. For all her qualities, his wife is only at home in this society which he despises - this society of insincerity, frivolity, and emptiness. He feels that he is wasting his life away - that he is capable of much more.

Only two conversations at the party are sincerely meant: in the first, Prince Vasily Kuragin tries to arrange a marriage between his worthless son Anatole and Andrei's sister Maria; and in the second, Anna Mihalovna Dubretskoy persuades Prince Vasily to put a word in for her son Boris.

Anna, we already see, spends all her time trying to obtain favours for her son: that is the only way her son may progress in life. To this end, Anna puts up with all sorts of slights and humiliations, pretending she hasn't noticed. We shall see her and her son again in Moscow.

Pierre is the only person Andrei is happy to see at the soiree. Afterwards, we have an extraordinary scene between them, and with Lise. Andrei, for the first time, tells of his unhappiness, and shocks Pierre in the process. Lise then enters. She may not be her husband's intellectual equal, but she knows why he is going to war: it is to get away from her; and she does not understand why.

Despite the warmth of feeling Andrei has for Pierre, it is not unmixed with an awareness of superiority. Andrei makes Pierre promise not to spend the rest of the evening with his dissipated friends - the Anatoles of this world whom Andrei despises. What right does Andrei have to extract such a promise?

Pierre, despite being a pleasant, likeable man, has no sense of self-will. Despite the promise, he goes. And here, we have one of the most striking entrances of any character: Dolohov takes on a bet that he could sit on a second storey window ledge, both legs hanging out, and drink a bottle of brandy without removing it from his lips. Yes- they're a dissipated bunch: but what an entrance!

***

Now let us consider the second section.

We're in Moscow now, and we meet the Rostovs - charming, genial, warm-hearted. Countess Rostov's old schoolfriend is Anna, whom we have met before. She takes an interest in the very ill Prince Bezukhov (Pierre's father), and takes her son to visit him. Her only reason for going - and this she won't admit even to herself - is the hope that the old man might leave something to her son.

Her son, Boris, has grown up in this humiliating position of hanger-on. He has learnt how to make himself liked. It is noticeable that when he and Nikolai come into the room where the Rostovs are receiving guests, it is Nikolai who is flustered; Boris knows exactly what to say and how to behave. But Boris does find his position humiliating. He knows why his mother is taking him to the Bezukhovs, and he finds it insulting.

When Boris meets with Pierre, it is he who takes control of the scene. He takes Pierre by surprise by declaring that he has not come in expectation of money. And it is Pierre, not Boris, who becomes flustered.

We meet the Rostovs as well. Old Count Rostov is geniality itself. He likes company, conversation, and lavish dinners. He has no head for practical matters: he has been wasting the family fortune, and is described as walking around with a guilty look. When his wife asks him for money (to pay for Boris' uniform), he immediately asks his steward to bring him some. The steward is about to say something, but sees the expression on the count's face, and brings the money. It is money they can't afford to throw away. The money spent on the lavish name-day dinner is probably beyond their means also.

The Countess has fixed her mind on a good marriage (i.e., to an heiress) for Nikolai. She notes the obstacle: there is an understanding between Nikolai & Sonya. It is a childhood attachment, but Sonya holds on to it; Nikolai is too bound by a sense of honour to protest, even to himself. Nikolai is young, handsome, and impetuous. At dinner, he is placed next to heiress Julia Karagin for obvious reasons; and Nikolai, as any young man would, enjoys flirting with her. But every now and then, the cloying, highly-strung Sonya runs off in tears; Nikolai has to follow, and swear yet again eternal love to her.

Nikolai claims that he is going to war out of a sense of patriotism; and so he is. But, albeit unconsciously, he also wants escape from the situation at home. In this sense, he is not unlike Andrei. And, of course, both Nikolai and Andrei hope to distinguish themselves.

We meet Natasha, aged 13, who can charm everyone, young and old. Even the older Boris seems to be under her spell. There is spontaneity to her, like when she asks Boris to kiss her, or when she stands up in the middle of dinner to ask what's for pudding. She charms everyone effortlessly.

At the Bezukhovs, Pierre, who barely knew his father (Pierre was illegitimate and had spent most of his life in foreign schools), is at a loose end. He wanders around the great house, barely knowing what to do with himself.

Prince Vasily is there, scheming away as usual. He is not happy to see Anna Mihalovna, and is quite rude to her; but she is used to swallowing insults, and behaves as though nothing has happened.

During dinner, Pierre is called away. His father is dying. Here, we have one of the most extraordinary scenes. His father has been turned over in bed by the servants, but lacks the strength to drag his arm after him. Pierre watches in horror as his father - who had once been as strong as he - now lacks even the most basic power of movement. And the old dying man sees the expression of horror on his son's face and smiles at him enigmatically. This image of physical decay casts its shadow long into the novel.

There's another surprise in store for us. Vasily, having witnessed the old man's death, is unexpectedly moved:

"Ah, my freind," said he, taking Pierre by he elbow, and there was a sincerity in his voice which Pierre had never heard before. "We sin and we deceive, and for what? I am getting on for sixty, dear boy ... I, too ... Everything ends in death, everything! Death is awful..." and he burst into tears

And this to Pierre, whom he had been trying to cheat out of his inheritance!

This is typical of Tolstoy. Vasily is a shallow man, and being shallow, he had never before considered the question of his own mortality. Now, on witnessing death, the thought of his own impermanence strikes him for the very first time, and it is too much for him. This is a wonderful insight. Tolstoy can find even the depths in a shallow person!

So Pierre, now Count Bezukhov, inherits the fortune. And Anna Mihalovna gets a bit of her own back by telling - in secret, of course - how badly Prince Vasily had behaved. As we later find out from Julia's letter to Princess Maria, Prince Vasily's behaviour soon becomes a subject for gossip.

***

Now the last section of the first part.

The opening of Chapter 22 gives us a wonderful thumbnail sketch of old Prince Bolkonsky, one of the most remarkable characters in the entire novel. He is everything Count Rostov isn't. He dislikes society; is keenly intellectual, and has a wide range of interests; he looks after and oversees projects on his estate (Count Rostov leaves it all to his stewards); and he is a dominating character, inspiring both respect and fear.

He does not want his daughter growing up as empty-headed as all those "silly girls" in society: his daughter is better than that. He teaches her geometry and algebra, neither of which she can understand. (He is possibly not the best of teachers, either!) He is impatient with those of less intellect than himself. We now can understand where Andrei get his hatred of the superficialities of fashionable society.

There is an exchange of letters between Maria and Julia Karagin. Julia writes in a gushing, insincere style - not because she herself is necessarily insincere, but because that is how people in society express themselves. How Maria longs to be able to take some part in this society! But her reply is expressed in more down-to-earth terms. She disagrees with Julia on Pierre: he has been a friend of the family since childhood, and she, like everyone who knows Pierre, talks about his genuine good nature.

Juila had sent a book on "mysticism" which, we are told, is all the rage in fashionable Moscow. I think we can guess the sort of unmitigated rubbish this book is. As far as old Prince Bolkonsky is concerned, this sort of nonsense is typical of frivolous, empty-headed society. Maria is less censorious, but she has her doubts about the book as well. All in all, we may see the seeds of Bolkonsky pride in Maria - although, no doubt, she would have been mortified by any suggestion of pride on her part. She does, after all, adhere to the religion her father scoffs at.

As soon as Andrei and Lise come, Lise starts talking almost non-stop to Maria. It's not hard to guess Lise & Andrei have barely spoken to each other during the long journey to Bald Hills. And she speaks on her favourite topic - society, and all the people who populate it. Andrei prefers to be in silence rather than hear about such people, but Lise has nothing else to talk about.

The old prince, to Lise's surprise, talks to her about society; and she responds immediately. Then, having ascertained her level of intellect, the old prince starts talking abruptly about other things, and virtually ignores her. It is very, very cruel; but we must remember that old Prince Bolkonsky does not intend to be cruel. Having enjoyed absolute power on his estate, he has forgotten - or has never learnt - to be tolerant.

At dinner, the old prince has invited the architect, even though various local bigwigs would never be allowed anywhere near the Bolkonsky dinner table. This is to prove that the old prince values the architect's intelligence above the aristocratic pedigree of others. But there is something ironic about Prince Bolkonsky - the every image of aristocratic privilege - insisting upon such egalitarianism. The architect himself is quite embarrassed to be there.

Andrei, quite clearly, has been under the shadow of his father: it accounts for so much about him. Yet, on two occasions, he criticises his father to Maria. This is to prove that although he loves and honours his father, he is, nonetheless, independent of his father's influence. But who is Andrei trying to prove this to? To his sister, certainly, who has seen him under his father's dominance; but also, I think, to himself. But certainly not to Lise: he does not need to prove anything to Lise, and wouldn't dream of criticising his father to her.

Maria persuades Andrei to wear an icon. Andrei shares his father's dislike for this sort of thing, but agrees for her sake. Andrei also guesses - correctly - that Lise has been complaining to Maria about his behaviour. Maria, significantly, knows exactly why her brother should be so unhappy with Lise. But she pleads Lise's case, and asks for more understanding on his part. For the moment, it falls on deaf ears.

The first part ends with Andrei's leaving. The old prince takes Andrei by surprise by saying that the marriage was a "bad business" - but "there's no getting unmarried again". The old man is sharp and intelligent; and he knows his son.

Andrei asks for a doctor to be sent from Moscow for the birth; the old Prince doesn't like this, but agrees to it. Andrei has only asked for this for his wife's sake: she is understandably terrified. And he asks for his son - if the child is a boy - to grow up in Bald Hills, a true Bolkonsky. Andrei may well be crushed by family expectations, but his pride in being a Bolkonsky can never leave him.

At the moment he has to leave, we have another remarkable moment. The old prince cannot contain his emotion. It is overpowering - Andrei notices his lower lip quivering - but he does not want to appear sentimental. And in order not to appear sentimental, he tells his son that if he does not behave like a son of Nikolai Bolkonsky, he would be ashamed. There was no need to say this, as Andrei himself reminds him. Andrei would never behave dishonourably, and his father knows it. The old man finally holds open the door, and shouts at him to go.

Lise, on saying her farewell to her husband, shrieks, and falls swooning. She has tragedy written all over her. And so does Andrei.

Book 1, Part 2

In the second part, we have an abrupt change of scene. We are taken to the Austrian campaign, where the Russian armies have formed an alliance with the Austrian to fight against Napoleon’s French troops.

We see the campaign mainly by following the two contrasting figures who had been introduced to us in the first part - Andrei and Nikolai. Andrei is adjutant to Kutuzov, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian forces: in the scenes dealing with him, we get a picture from above. Nikolai is a cadet in the hussars; and in the scenes dealing with him, we get a view from below. They have both gone to war with the most serious and idealistic of intentions, and their paths follow parallel courses.

Tolstoy is also careful to keep Dolohov in the picture. Dolohov, after his escapades in Petersburg (which haven’t adversely affected his aristocratic comrades Anatole & Pierre) has been reduced to the ranks as a private. But we see him as insolent as ever, and determined to win back his promotion. During the conflict, he is as daredevil as we remember him to have been, and we are shown him killing a French soldier at close quarters without so much as blinking an eyelid. This is war, after all.

As for Nikolai and Andrei, they are much happier here than they had been back at home. Andrei has lost his bored and languid look; Nikolai is bursting with a sense of purpose.

Nikolai has made friends with his commanding officer Denisov. Denisov’s money goes missing, and Nikolai soon realises that it has been stolen by a fellow soldier from the same regiment as theirs. Nikolai, not realising the intricacies of the situation, accuses the man of theft, and is surprised that the colonel of the regiment is unwilling to act upon this. Even worse, it is Nikolai who is expected to apologise. Denisov doesn’t want to tell his friend that he is wrong in the matter, but agrees when another soldier explains to Nikolai that such an accusation brings the whole regiment into disrepute, and that this is the last thing they need immediately before action. Nikolai’s mind isn’t made for such intricacies: he had expected life to be simple out here. But despite everything, he feels that he cannot apologise when he hadn’t been in the wrong.

Higher up in the military echelons, we see Andrei. The campaign gets off to a bad start when the Austrian General, Mack, appears out of the blue: he has lost his entire army at Ulm. Andrei’s comrades find this quite funny, and Andrei explodes with fury. Don’t they realise how serious a setback is to the whole campaign? From now on, the alliance is on the back foot. Kutuzov has no option but to retreat his men, hoping to meet up with the fresh battalions of Russian troops that are coming to meet them.

Nikolai sees his first piece of action at the crossing of the bridge at Emms. The Russians have orders to cross the bridge, and then destroy it; and the regiment of hussars to which Nikolai belongs is protecting the rear during the crossing. The French armies are close, and for the first time, Nikolai experiences what it is like to be under fire. He is very self-conscious. It seems to him that every order he receives has been given in order to test him. Nikolai’s sense of fear when coming under fire is unforgettably described. Afterwards, he thinks to his dismay he must be a coward, and is surprised that no-one has noticed.

The crossing of the bridge itself is superbly described - with all its bustle, its confusion, its chaotic colours and movements.

Andrei, keen to become involved and to distinguish himself (as Nikolai is), is also involved in action, but Tolstoy does not describe it in any detail. For the first time, the allied troops achieve a victory over the French - modest though it is. The Austrian General Schmidt is killed in the process. Andrei is commissioned to take the news of the victory to the Austrian Emperor, who has now evacuated Vienna.

Andrei’s reception is cooler than he had expected, and he is annoyed by this. This is, after all, the sole success of the entire campaign so far. He stays with an old acquaintance, the Russian diplomat Bilibin, who explains in his typically half-jesting manner that Andrei cannot really expect the Austrians to be triumphant at the news - especially when Napoleon has taken Vienna. This is news to Andrei.

The next day, Andrei is given an audience by the Austrian Emperor Francis - and this scene should be read by anyone who thinks Tolstoy does not have a sense of humour. Francis has little interest in what Andrei has to tell him; he probably has little knowledge or interest in military matters at all. And yet, he has to pretend he has some interest in the matter by asking questions. And the only questions he asks are “What time did the battle start?” or “What time did such-and-such happen?” And Andrei, who has been dispatched merely to give the news, has to patiently and most respectfully answer these meaningless questions. And then, after meeting with the Emperor, he actually is greeted with enthusiasm, and even decorated. No doubt the Emperor has given orders for this.

At Bilibin’s, Andrei meets some other Russian diplomats - including Hyppolite, the elder son of Prince Vasily Kuragin. He is obviously known to be a fool, and is the butt of everyone’s jokes. And indeed, he is such an idiot, that he laughs along with them. And Andrei thinks back to the incident at Anna Scherer’s soiree where he had actually felt jealousy on account of the way this same fool had behaved with his wife Lise.

Bilibin offers to take Andrei to a safer zone, but Andrei declines. He still has his sense of duty.

The second part ends with the conflict at Schon Graben. The French have cut off the Russian troops from their line of communication, and the Russians have to charge their way through them. Andrei, as usual, takes the initiative by offering to examine positions on the front line. Here, he meets Captain Tushin, who is reprimanded for not wearing his boots. Tushin, who strikes one as a faintly ridiculous figure, half-heartedly says that it’s easier without boots, but he isn’t heard. Later, Tushin does not receive the order to withdraw, because the staff officer entrusted to give him that order loses his nerve, and doesn’t get to him. Tushin holds his position heroically, and Andrei helps him withdraw. Later, Tushin is brought up in front of Prince Bagration and asked why he had lost his guns. Andrei, disgusted by such treatment of a man who, despite his appearance, has been heroic, speaks out on Tushin’s behalf, and walks out quickly. Tushin later thanks Andrei for having got him out of a scrape: it never even occurs to him that he had been a hero, who should have been rewarded. This is not what Andrei had expected from war.

Nikolai, too, encounters the unexpected. The hussars are involved in a cavalry charge. Then suddenly, in a superbly described sequence, Nikolai seems to be going faster than ever without actually moving, and the noise ceases. The next thing he knows, he is on the ground, his horse is dead, and there is no-one in sight. For a moment, Nikolai wonders if he himself is dead. He has been badly wounded in the arm, although he can see no blood. Then, he sees soldiers, and his instinct is to appeal to them for help. But they are French soldiers, and they are trying to kill him. Why are they trying to kill him? This is Nikolai - whom everyone loves! His mother, his sister, Sonya - why should anyone want to kill him? And, holding his wounded arm, Nikolai runs as fast as he can - as he used to do as a child when playing tag (what a marvellous touch!) It is an unforgettable sequence.

The whole description of the campaign is absolutely masterly. Tolstoy paints the big canvas: the strategies, the movements of troops; the confusion, the chaos, the fears, the heroism, the suffering and misery. It’s all there, with incomparable vividness. And he also depicts what’s happening on the smaller scale – Nikolai’s thoughts that the orders were merely to test him, his surprise and relief to discover no-one noticed his fear. Even the minor characters are characterised. For instance, there is the man at Prince Bagration’s tent who examines the captured French standard because, being hungry himself, he’d rather not see the food being laid out at Bagration’s table. No-one is just a name: everyone is characterised to some degree, no matter how unimportant their role in the overall picture. Even the animals: there’s that marvellous detail of the horse prancing on all fours as if unsure which leg to put first on the ground. Has there ever been a fictional depiction of warfare to match this?

At the end, we’re left with both Andrei and Nikolai reflecting on how unlike their experiences have been to their expectations. We shall return to them both later. But before that, at the start of the third part, we return to Russia.

Book 1, Part 3

For the early chapters of Part 3, we’re back in Russia. Afterwards, we’re back in the Austrian campaign again. Part 3 climaxes in the depiction of the Battle of Austerlitz.

First, we see Pierre. Since inheriting the title and the fortune, he now becomes - to his amazement - the darling of society, the same society that in the past had barely tolerated him. Prince Vasily naturally takes Pierre under his wing, and Pierre, lacking any sort of will or confidence, passively submits. But Vasily has further plans: he wants to marry Pierre off to his daughter, Helene.

Once again, we’re at a soiree at Anna Scherer’s, but this time, Pierre is an honoured guest. Anna and Vasily have obviously plotted to bring Pierre and Helene together. Pierre is aware of this, but seems unable to do anything about it. He is aware as well of what an awful bunch the Kuragins are. But at that party, with Helene, wearing a very low-cut dress and employing all her skills to attract him, he finds himself helpless. At one point, Pierre has to lean forward to examine a snuff-box, which Helene holds before her spectacular cleavage. And Pierre is overcome with lust. It is irresistible. (It is quite incredible, incidentally, how convincingly Tolstoy could depict a character’s physical attractions: the depiction of Helene here is brimming with sexuality!)

He doesn’t want to marry her, but he seems to be on a trajectory that he has no power to stop. Among other things, he remembers rumours that Helene and her own brother had been in love with each other, and that Anatole had to be sent away from home on that account. These were just rumours, though.

Then, there is dinner at the Kuragins, where, once again, Pierre and Helene are thrown together. Everyone seems to be expecting something from Pierre, and the other guests leave early. Prince Vasily tells some idiotic anecdote about some Sergei Kuzmich, and, funny or not, everyone laughs at it. The characterisation, as always, is superb. Tolstoy is always interested not merely in what the characters do, or how they do it, but also why they do it. We are told, for instance, that Vasily’s wife - who barely features in the narrative - had once been a great beauty, and regards her daughter with jealousy. And when Vasily speaks to Helene. Tolstoy has to tell us not merely his tone of voice, but why he speaks in that tone:

“Well, my little girl?” he said at once, addressing his daughter in the careless tone of consistent tenderness which comes natural to parents who have petted their children from babyhood, but which Prince Vasily had only acquired through imitating other parents.

Pierre doesn’t know how it happened, but he feels it had to happen, that there’s nothing he can do about it. Finally, fed up with Pierre’s inactivity, Prince Vasily pretends that the proposal has already been made, and, with real tears in his eyes, kisses Pierre on both cheeks, and greets his son-in-law to be. It is both comic, and painful to read.

Now, we go to Bald Hills. Vasily, having succeeded with Helene, now wants to marry off Anatole. As soon as she hears of Vasily and Anatole coming to Bald Hills, Lise lets slip an innocent remark about suitors; and immediately, the old prince is beset with all sorts of thoughts, none of them agreeable to him. In the first place, he dislikes Kuragin: they’re just the sort of people who have driven him into his self-imposed exile from society. He also dislikes the obvious inference that he and his daughter have been the subject of tittle-tattle. And he is facing for the first time the possibility that his daughter - whom, we are told, he loves more than himself - may have to leave him. This last thought he realises is selfish, and so he dresses it up to himself in a different way: will marriage really make her happy? And he recognises how unhappy Lise is, despite having married the finest of men.

Maria, too, is thrown into mental turmoil by the news. She had never been in society before. She longs for love - for a husband who would love her. She has no idea of the sort of person Anatole is.

Prince Bolkonsky flies into a rage when he realises that his servants have cleared the snow off the path for the sake of the guests. The servants should be doing this for the Bolkonskys, not for the Kuragins! Who the hell are these Kuragins anyway? And he orders them to shovel the snow back on again.

In preparation, Lise and Mademoiselle Bourienne - Maria’s companion - dress themselves in their most glamorous clothes, and enjoin Maria to do the same. But Maria, who sees herself as plain (even though we are told that she has beautiful eyes) realises that no matter how she dressed, she would continue to look plain. So, hurting inside, she tells them after a while not to bother. The situation is humiliating. However, Lise has already done up Maria’s hair.

Anatole comes expecting to be amused by this eccentric old man he has heard so much about. There’s the ugly heiress, of course - but when he sees the pretty Mademoiselle Bourienne, he thinks that things may not be so bad after all.

Mademoiselle Bourienne is enchanted by this handsome man. Lise is happy simply to see someone from her own set, and speaks to him in the light, trivial manner that is commonly employed in society events, but is so very out of place here. Maria, not really knowing how to behave, keeps quiet.

The old prince enters, and sees immediately that Anatole is more attracted by Mademoiselle Bourienne than by Maria. And Anatole’s intelligence becomes quite apparent when he can’t even remember which regiment he has been posted to. Then, unable to hold in his irritation any longer, he reduces his daughter to tears by publicly upbraiding her for having done up her hair in honour of his guests. Why should she, a Bolkonsky, do herself up for such worthless people as the Kuragins?

Prince Vasily, knowing that he can’t present his son to the old prince as intelligent, tells him that he has “a good heart”. This is nonsense, of course. Prince Bolkonsky later acquaints his daughter with the proposal of marriage that has been received, and tells her that she has complete freedom in the matter. This also is nonsense: Maria cannot do anything that she thinks might hurt her father. Then, in irritation with his daughter for not having seen the obvious, he lets slip that it is Mademoiselle Bourienne Anatole is really interested in. At this point, he realises how much he has hurt his daughter, and tries to soften towards her. But soon, Maria sees for herself the truth of her father’s observation: Anatole and Mademoiselle Bourienne are in each other’s arms in the garden. This Anatole is a fast worker.

Kind-hearted as always, and utterly blind to the truth of the situation, she forgives Mademoiselle Bourienne, and actually comforts her. Still not realising what sort of person this Anatole is, she even imagines trying to arrange a match between him and Mademoiselle Bourienne. And she refuses him, with some dignity. Her father is delighted by his daughter’s actions, and while appearing to upbraid her, squeezes her hand so strongly that it hurts.

Before we return to the Austrian campaign, we have a brief chapter dealing with the Rostovs. The Countess Rostov has to be prepared to receive the news of Nikolai’s wound, which is, after all, quite slight. And Nikolai has been promoted in the bargain. Sonya still dotes on him, and is quite shocked to hear Natasha say that she can’t quite remember how her sweetheart, Boris, looks.

Now, back to the battlefront.

***

We continue to see the Austrian campaign through the parallel perspectives of Andrei and of Nikolai. As soon as we return to the scenes of battle, these two meet for the one and only time during in the entire novel.

Nikolai, now promoted, has gone to see Boris, who has letters and money for him from home. Boris, as expected, has settled in nicely to his new role, and, as ever, is always on the look-out for self-advancement. Nikolai acts as he thinks a dashing young hussar ought to act, but it's really no more than putting on airs. Boris is faintly embarrassed, but is too polished to let Nikolai perceive his embarrassment. Not that Nikolai would have noticed anyway.

Nikolai starts recounting the story about the cavalry charge at Schon-Graben, and, almost without meaning to, starts embroidering in order to make it more interesting. At this point, Andrei comes in, and detecting immediately a boastful young man spinning stories, takes an instant dislike to Nikolai. Nikolai senses Andrei's air of superiority, and resents it - especially as he is aware that he had not been telling the truth about the charge. When they speak, Nikolai is rude to Andrei, implying that Andrei was one of those who earn medals without ever seeing action. (This is untrue in Andrei's case: we know he had volunteered for dangerous missions, and had been involved in battle.) Andrei replies with his usual self-possession, and advises Nikolai - "as an older man to a younger" - to forget about the whole incident, especially as there is a more important conflict yet to come. Nikolai is flustered by the whole incident, but finds to his surprise that he would like to have this polished and self-possessed man as his friend.

The Tsar reviews the troops, and Nikolai finds himself hero-worshipping the Tsar like some star-struck teenager. To Nikolai, the Tsar is a sort of god. We get a very different perspective later.

Boris goes to visit Andrei in the hope of some advancement to his career. Andrei has taken Boris under his wing: presumably, Boris has impressed Andrei with his abilities, for Andrei is no fool, and is not easily taken in. Nothing comes of this particular visit - everyone is too busy with the imminent battle - but Boris immediately picks up on the fact that it is not the hierarchy within the military that matters so much as the social hierarchy, and whom one knows and mixes with. Such things are important for someone like Boris to know. Boris also sees Andrei refusing to step aside for or to bow to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: the fact that he is a Bolkonsky means far more than anyone's official court status.

Amongst the top military brass, everyone seems confident of defeating Napoleon, except Kutuzov, who would prefer not to give battle. But he is outnumbered. He tries to appeal to the Tsar to overrule the others, but the Tsar makes clear to him that he wants nothing to do with military decisions. Kutuzov tells Andrei frankly that he thinks they are going to be defeated, but there is nothing he can do about it.

On the night before the battle, the top military brass gathers to discuss strategy and tactics. It is pointless: it is far too late to re-deploy the troops. Kutuzov knows this, and as others talk seriously about the next day's battle, Kutuzov dozes off.

The night before the battle, both Nikolai and Andrei dream of glory. Nikolai almost falls asleep on his horse, and Tolstoy follows the nebulous and confused impressions of his mind during his drowsy state - confusing the word "sabre-tache" with his sister's name, Natasha. (It is noticeable that whenever he thinks back on home life, it is always Natasha and his mother he thinks of - not Sonya.) Nikolai then volunteers to run a quick mission for Prince Bagration to ascertain the position of the nearest French troops; as he gallops back, he is fired at, and this time, he finds the experience exhilarating. Disappointed that his squadron has been held back in reserve, he requests to serve Bagration: his request is granted.

Andrei, too, thinks of glory. He is more self-aware than Nikolai, and wonders why glory means so much to him. He knows that much though he loves his father, his sister, and his wife (significantly, Andrei includes his wife in this) he would exchange them all for just one moment of glory. Why, he cannot tell.

Then, the battle starts. The Russians are taken by surprise: the French are far closer than had been expected, and, finding themselves under fire, the Russians flee in disorder. Kutuzov tries to get them to hold their lines, but without success. Now, Andrei sees his chance for glory. Picking up the heavy standard, he charges towards the French. This helps turn the tide: many follow him. The adrenalin flowing through him, Andrei is exhilarated. Then, all goes quiet. Andrei is lying on his back, badly wounded. All he can see is the wide expanse of sky above him, and he wonders why he had never seen this before. There is, all of a sudden, a stillness, a tranquillity, that, to Andrei, seemed to make all the hurly-burly of human activity appear irrelevant.

Nikolai is entrusted by Bagration to take a message to Kutuzov; and, if he cannot find him, to deliver the message to the Tsar. Nikolai sets off excitedly, hoping to meet the Tsar first. Through Nikolai's eyes, we see the disordered images of battle - a battle that the Russian-Austrian alliance is clearly losing. Finally, Nikolai sees his idol, the Tsar, in despair. Nikolai chickens out: he feels he cannot approach the Tsar at such a time. But then, he sees someone else approach the Tsar and comfort him. Despite his courage under fire, Nikolai's nerve had failed.

We are given a horrific scene of Russian and Austrian troops fleeing in disorder, blaming each other for the defeat. The men crush each other in the process, and are torn to bits by enemy fire. The defeat is complete.

And the victorious Napoleon, triumphant amidst the mass-slaughter and happy at the outcome, walks amongst the wounded and the slain. This is what victory tastes of. He sees Andrei lying with the standard, and comments what a fine death that was. But Andrei is not dead. In his delirium, all he can sense is something that the vast sky represents - something that makes even Napoleon seem small and insignificant. Andrei is taken from the field, but is deemed unlikely to survive. He is left with the locals.

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE APRIL ISSUE OF THE DUSTY SHELF…

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Himadri Chatterjee currently works as an operational research analyst for an airline, and lives near London, UK, with his wife and two children. What spare time he has apart from his day job and family commitments, he likes to spend reading, and listening to classical music. He also loves the theatre, good conversation, and good whisky (he is a long-standing member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society).
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