The arrival of Prince Andrew in the Bald Mountains is brief. III

The role of the Bolkonsky family in the work

The Bolkonsky family plays an important role in the novel War and Peace. The main problems of the great writer’s work are inextricably linked with them. The text traces the stories of several families. The main attention is paid to the Bolkonskys, Rostovs and Kuragins. The author's sympathies are with the Rostovs and Bolkonskys. There is a big difference between them. The relationship between the Rostovs is sensual and emotional. The Bolkonskys are guided by reason and expediency. But it is in these families that Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s favorite heroes are brought up. Members of the Bolkonsky family are prominent representatives of people of “peace and light.” Their destinies are closely intertwined with the life paths of the other characters in the work. They take an active part in the development of the storyline of the story. Psychological problems, issues of morality, ethics, family foundations are reflected in the depiction of these characters.

Characteristics of relationships

The Bolkonskys belong to an ancient princely family and live on the Bald Mountains estate, located not far from the capital. Each of the family members is an extraordinary person, endowed with a strong character and remarkable abilities.

Head of the family

Old Prince Nikolai Andreevich, his son Andrei Nikolaevich and Princess Marya Nikolaevna are members of the Bolkonsky family in the novel “War and Peace”.

The head of the family is the old Prince Bolkonsky. This is a person with a strong character and an established worldview. A successful military career, honors and respect remained in the distant past for him. On the pages of the book we see an old man who has withdrawn from military service and government affairs, secluded himself on his estate. Despite the blows of fate, he is full of strength and energy. An old man's day is scheduled minute by minute. His routine includes both mental and physical labor. Nikolai Andreevich draws up plans for military campaigns, works in a carpentry workshop, and is engaged in arranging the estate. He is of sound mind and good physical shape, does not recognize idleness for himself and forces all household members to live by his rules. It is especially difficult for the daughter, who is forced to study natural sciences and endure her father’s difficult temper.

The proud and unyielding character of the old prince causes a lot of trouble for those around him, and his integrity, honesty and intelligence inspire respect.

Prince Andrey

We meet Andrei Bolkonsky in the first chapter of the work. He appears among the guests of Anna Pavlovna Scherer's social salon and immediately attracts everyone's attention. The young man stands out from the general background not only with his appearance, but also with his behavior. We understand that the people around him cause irritation and even anger. He dislikes false masks, lies, hypocrisy and empty talk of secular society. A sincere, kind smile appears on the hero’s face only when he sees Pierre Bezukhov. Andrei Bolkonsky is young, handsome, educated, but dissatisfied with his existence on this earth. He doesn't love his beautiful wife and is dissatisfied with his career. Throughout the development of the storyline, the image of the hero is revealed to the reader in all its depth.

At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is a man who dreams of becoming like Napoleon. Therefore, he decides to leave his pregnant wife and his boring lifestyle and goes to military service. He dreams of heroic deeds, glory and popular love. The high sky of Austerlitz changes his worldview and adjusts his plans for life. He is constantly searching for himself. Feats and serious wounds, love and betrayal, disappointments and victories fill the life of one of Tolstoy’s favorite heroes. As a result, the young prince finds the true meaning of life in serving the Fatherland and protecting his homeland. The hero's fate is tragic. He dies from a serious wound without realizing his dream.

Princess Marya

Andrei Bolkonsky's sister, Princess Marya, is one of the most striking and touching characters in the story. Living next to her father, she is patient and submissive. Thoughts about her husband, her family and children seem like pipe dreams to her. Marya is unattractive: “an ugly, weak body and a thin face,” insecure and lonely. The only remarkable thing about her appearance was her “large, deep, radiant” eyes: “She sees her purpose in serving the Lord. Deep faith gives strength and is an outlet in her difficult life situation. “I don’t wish for another life, and I can’t wish for it, because I don’t know another life,” the heroine says about herself.

The timid and soft Princess Marya is equally kind to everyone, sincere and spiritually rich. For the sake of her loved ones, the girl is ready to make sacrifices and take decisive actions. At the end of the novel, we see the heroine as the happy wife of Nikolai Rostov and a caring mother. Fate rewards her for her devotion, love and patience.

Family traits

In the novel War and Peace, the Bolkonsky house is an example of truly aristocratic foundations. Restraint reigns in relationships, although all family members sincerely love each other. The Spartan way of existence does not allow you to express your feelings and experiences, whine, or complain about life. No one is allowed to break the strict rules of conduct.

The Bolkonskys in the novel “War and Peace” personify the best features of the noble class that is fading into history. Once upon a time, representatives of this class were the basis of the state; they devoted their lives to serving the Fatherland, just like the representatives of this noble family.

Each of the Bolkonsky family has its own unique character traits. But there is something in common that unites these people. They are distinguished by family pride, honesty, patriotism, nobility, and a high intellectual level of development. Betrayal, meanness, cowardice have no place in the souls of these heroes. The characteristics of the Bolkonsky family develop gradually throughout the narrative.

The concept of a classic

Testing the strength of family ties, the writer takes his characters through a series of tests: love, war and social life. Representatives of the Bolkonsky family successfully cope with difficulties thanks to the support of their relatives.

According to the great writer’s plan, the chapters devoted to the description of the life of the Bolkonsky family play a huge role in the ideological content of the novel “War and Peace.” They are people of “light”, worthy of deep respect. The depiction of the family life of the favorite characters helps the classic to display the “family thought”, to build his work in the genre of a family chronicle.

Work test

Conversation on questions:

1. Tell us about the Bolkonskys. What are the relationships in this family?

2. Find “portraits” of Marya Bolkonskaya, Andrei, the old prince. What makes Tolstoy stand out in the appearance of his characters and their behavior? (Pay attention to the short stature, “dry” features, amazing eyes - “radiant”, like Marya’s, “beautiful”, like Prince Andrei’s, “smart”, like the old prince. Restraint, respect in behavior and attitude towards each other friend.)

3. What, in your opinion, are the basic principles of raising children in the Rostov and Bolkonsky families?

4. What brings the Rostovs and Bolkonskys together? How are these families different?

5. Remember the Kuragins. Why doesn't Tolstoy call them family? (Kuragins are deceitful, false, with predatory instincts, without any moral standards.)

Conclusions. The warmth and hospitality, the warmth of relationships and a sense of tact, respect for each individual, and the sincere love of the Rostovs evoke deep sympathy among the author and among us, the readers. An atmosphere of love and dreaminess reigns in the Rostovs' house. The Rostovs live not with their minds, but with their hearts. Everything is different in Bald Mountains near the Bolkonskys. Calm, measured life. The Bolkonskys are reserved people; it is not customary for them to be frank.

With an unmistakable instinct, old Bolkonsky recognizes the immoral rake in Anatol Kuragin. (And this has no place in their home.)

The Bolkonskys are people of honor and duty. The old prince loves his son endlessly, but would prefer to see him dead rather than sully his name.

What brings the smart, honest and proud Bolkonskys closer to the hospitable, kind and gentle Rostovs?

“They are brought together by the main thing: their attitude towards their homeland, incompatibility with the spirit of self-interest, lies and falsehood of the court spheres, the process of gradual rapprochement with the people.” (N. N. Naumova) .

Homework.

2. Analyze the behavior of the novel’s heroes during the war. (Kutuzov, Bagration, Tushin, Timokhin, Bolkonsky, N. Rostov, staff officers.)

Lessons 119–120
Depiction of the War of 1805–1807
Battles of Schöngraben and Austerlitz

Goals: determine L. N. Tolstoy’s attitude to war, reveal Tolstoy’s understanding of heroism; explain the reasons for the outbreak of hostilities in 1805–1807; give a brief description of the battles of Shengraben and Austerlitz, find out on what factors, in the writer’s opinion, the outcome of the battles depends; analyze the behavior of the novel's heroes during the war, show true heroism, humanity and modesty of ordinary soldiers and the cowardice, vanity and arrogance of others (staff officers).

Progress of lessons

I. Teacher's opening speech.

War in the novel

War is the most terrible and difficult test possible. What does war represent from Tolstoy's point of view? He answers quite clearly and definitely that war is “an event contrary to human reason and all human nature.” All normal Russian soldiers and officers think so. War, Tolstoy believes, should not be a way to resolve disputes between states. But in a moment of danger, the following qualities come to the fore among the Russian people: courage, patriotism, heroism.

It is necessary to dwell on the most important contradiction of the writer in War and Peace. Tolstoy affirms the determining role of the masses in history (this is his strength) and at the same time - spontaneity, as the most important basis for the actions of the people (this is his weakness). And yet, the writer asserts the importance of the moral factor in war. The strength of spirit, the fortitude of a Russian soldier can save an army in an almost hopeless situation.

Wars are depicted and assessed by the writer in different ways. Tolstoy distinguishes between aggressive and therefore unjustifiable “wars of kings” and “wars of peoples” full of true heroism.

War of 1805–1807 was senseless and useless, it was conducted outside Russia, its meaning and goals were incomprehensible and alien to the Russian people. (“War of the Kings”). Kutuzov set the task of withdrawing the Russian army from the war and saving it. Therefore, he sent Bagration’s vanguard to delay the French army in battle and give the main Russian forces the opportunity to unite. This battle was fought near Shengraben.

II. Work on the episode “Battle of Shengraben”. Retelling
(or reading).

Conversation on questions:

1. The description of the war begins with pictures of the review in Braunau. For what purpose was the review held in Braunau? How does the commander-in-chief appear? What is the attitude of ordinary soldiers towards him?

2. How is the Battle of Shengraben shown? Pay attention to the peculiarity of the composition of the description of the battle. (First, Tolstoy gives a general picture of the battlefield, then one of the heroes, and here A. Bolkonsky observes the positions “from above,” then the hero finds himself in the thick of the battle, observing the battle “from the inside.”)

According to Tolstoy, it is almost impossible to lead a battle; another leadership is needed - moral, raising the spirit of those fighting.

3. How is the soldier's mass shown? Who is the real hero of the Battle of Shengraben? (Infantry officer Timokhin, artilleryman Tushin are the most important heroes of the Battle of Shengraben in Tolstoy’s description.)

4. Why do Zherkov and Tushin behave differently in the same situation? What feat does Tushin accomplish? Why does the author emphasize non-military Tushin's appearance, Timokhin's inconspicuousness? (True greatness, true heroism is the lot of simple and humble soldiers.)

5. What is the reason for the success of the Russians in the battle? How does the author explain this “unexpected victory”? (In his description of the Battle of Shengraben, Tolstoy shows that the victory of Bagration’s detachment was determined by some kind of “internal fire,” the warmth of people’s patriotism.)

III. Work on the episode “Battle of Austerlitz”. Retelling(or reading).

Conversation on questions:

1. Tell us about the background of the battle, about the situation that developed before the battle.

2. What do the Russian Emperor, Prince Bolkonsky, and Nikolai Rostov dream about on the eve of the battle? (The Tsar thinks about the laurels of the winner, Andrei Bolkonsky thinks about his Toulon, Nikolai Rostov dreams of meeting the Tsar.)

Did their dreams come true?

3. Tell us about the battle.

What is the reason for the disorderly flight of the Absheronians?

The reason is the moral state of the army.

4. Why was the Battle of Austerlitz lost? (Not taking the battle seriously at the top, General Weyrother made a mistake in strategy, but the main reason for the defeat, according to Tolstoy, was lack of fortitude mass of soldiers.)

5. Read the episode “Prince Andrei Bolkonsky on the Field of Austerlitz.”

6. What does the sky of Austerlitz mean in the spiritual quest of Andrei Bolkonsky? (Napoleon’s rapid career awakened ambition in Andrei Bolkonsky and made him dream of his Toulon. Bolkonsky waited for his finest hour.

Andrei raises the banner in the battle of Austerlitz, stops the flight of soldiers, and is seriously wounded. A sharp mental reaction sets in, disappointment in one’s ambitious dreams. But being disappointed in his idol, Prince Andrei acquires eternal values ​​“that he did not know before: the happiness of simply living, seeing the sky.)

Homework.

1. Reading Volume II of “War and Peace.”

2. Analysis of episodes (by groups):

џ “Bolkonsky’s arrival in Bald Mountains. Birth of a son, death of a wife"
(Vol. II, Part I, Chapter 9).

џ “Pierre in Freemasonry” (vol. II, part II, ch. 4, 5).

џ “Natasha Rostova’s First Ball” (vol. II, part III, chapters 15–16).

џ “Hunting Scene”, “Natasha Rostova’s Dance” (vol. II, part IV, ch. 6, 7).

Lesson 121
“MUST LIVE, MUST LOVE, MUST BELIEVE”
(L. N. TOLSTOY)(UNDERSTANDING THE CONTENTS OF VOLUME II
novel "WAR AND PEACE")

Goals: show the peaceful life of the heroes of the epic in the period from 1806–1812, help students penetrate into the spiritual world of the heroes, comprehend the complexity and inconsistency of the behavior and quests of the heroes.

“Family in War and Peace” - How do Tolstoy the philosopher express his thoughts about family? The sense of family, the patriarchal way of life, hospitality, the enormous care of parents for their children. Diaries of Tolstoy. Barren flowers. Natasha at the ball. How are the Rostov house and the Bolkonsky house similar? What does it take to be happy? L.N. Tolstoy. “People are like rivers”: each has its own channel, its own source.

““War and Peace” book” - Bolkonsky refuses to serve at headquarters. Was it really me who allowed Napoleon to reach Moscow? “No, my Moscow did not go to him with a guilty head.” Scene of Pierre meeting with the convoy. The fate of the battle. People's commander Kutuzov. Revolt of Bogucharovsky peasants. The war began, that is, something contrary to human reason happened.

“The World of Natasha Rostova” - Russian character of Natasha Rostova. Conclusions on the image of the heroine. Natasha and Helen. Favorite heroine of Leo Tolstoy. Natasha Rostova. Natasha's image in the epilogue. Night in Otradnoye. Reading the episode "At Uncle's". Men in Natasha's life. Female images of the novel. Natasha and the wounded Prince Andrei. The ups and downs of Natasha Rostova.

“Patriotism in War and Peace” - People of the People. Serfdom. Partisan detachments. The greatness and simplicity of life. People's thought. What is patriotism according to the writer. "People's Thought" in L.N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace". False patriotism. Tolstoy's philosophy about the people. Platon Karataev. True wisdom. What is patriotism.

“Tolstoy's War and Peace” - The central event of the Patriotic War was the Battle of Borodino. Goals and objectives: Vasilisa Kozhina. Panorama of the Battle of Borodino. Tikhon Shcherbaty is “the most necessary person in the detachment.” Tolstoy devotes a number of vivid paintings to the actions of the partisans. The image of Kutuzov in the ideological orientation of the novel. D. V. Davydov. Raevsky's battery.

Before going to the army, which was in the Drissa camp in May, Prince Andrei stopped at Bald Mountains, which were on his very road, located three miles from the Smolensk highway. The last three years and the life of Prince Andrei there were so many upheavals, he changed his mind, experienced so much, re-saw (he traveled both west and east), that he was strangely and unexpectedly struck when entering Bald Mountains - everything was exactly the same, down to the smallest detail - exactly the same course of life. As if he were entering an enchanted, sleeping castle, he drove into the alley and into the stone gates of the Lysogorsk house. The same sedateness, the same cleanliness, the same silence were in this house, the same furniture, the same walls, the same sounds, the same smell and the same timid faces, only somewhat older. Princess Marya was still the same timid, ugly, aging girl, in fear and eternal moral suffering, living the best years of her life without benefit or joy. Bourienne was the same flirtatious girl, joyfully enjoying every minute of her life and filled with the most joyful hopes for herself, pleased with herself. She only became more confident, as it seemed to Prince Andrei. The teacher Desalles, who he brought from Switzerland, was dressed in a frock coat of Russian cut, distorting the language, spoke Russian with the servants, but he was still the same limited-intelligent, educated, virtuous and pedantic teacher. The old prince changed physically only in that the lack of one tooth became noticeable on the side of his mouth; morally he was still the same as before, only with even greater embitterment and distrust of the reality of what was happening in the world. Only Nikolushka grew up, changed, became flushed, acquired curly dark hair and, without knowing it, laughing and having fun, raised the upper lip of his pretty mouth in the same way as the deceased little princess raised it. He alone did not obey the law of immutability in this enchanted, sleeping castle. But although in appearance everything remained the same, the internal relations of all these persons had changed since Prince Andrei had not seen them. The family members were divided into two camps, alien and hostile to each other, which now converged only in his presence, changing their usual way of life for him. To one belonged the old prince, mlle Bourienne and the architect, to the other - Princess Marya, Desalles, Nikolushka and all the nannies and mothers.

During his stay in Bald Mountains, everyone at home dined together, but everyone felt awkward, and Prince Andrei felt that he was a guest for whom they were making an exception, that he was embarrassing everyone with his presence. During lunch on the first day, Prince Andrei, involuntarily feeling this, was silent, and the old prince, noticing the unnaturalness of his state, also fell gloomily silent and now after lunch went to his room. When Prince Andrei came to him in the evening and, trying to stir him up, began to tell him about the campaign of the young Count Kamensky, the old prince unexpectedly began a conversation with him about Princess Marya, condemning her for her superstition, for her dislike for mlle Bourienne, who, according to him, there was only one truly devoted to him.

The old prince said that if he was sick, it was only because of Princess Marya; that she deliberately torments and irritates him; that she spoils little Prince Nikolai with self-indulgence and stupid speeches. The old prince knew very well that he was torturing his daughter, that her life was very hard, but he also knew that he could not help but torment her and that she deserved it. “Why doesn’t Prince Andrei, who sees this, tell me anything about his sister? - thought the old prince. - What does he think, that I’m a villain or an old fool, I moved away from my daughter for no reason and brought the French woman closer to me? He doesn’t understand, and therefore we need to explain to him, we need him to listen,” thought the old prince. And he began to explain the reasons why he could not stand his daughter’s stupid character.

If you ask me,” said Prince Andrei, without looking at his father (he condemned his father for the first time in his life), “I didn’t want to talk; but if you ask me, then I will tell you frankly my opinion about all this. If there are misunderstandings and discord between you and Masha, then I can’t blame her - I know how much she loves and respects you. If you ask me,” continued Prince Andrei, getting irritated, because he was always ready for irritation lately, “then I can say one thing: if there are misunderstandings, then the reason for them is an insignificant woman who should not have been her sister’s friend.” .

At first the old man looked at his son with fixed eyes and unnaturally revealed with a smile a new tooth deficiency, which Prince Andrei could not get used to.

What kind of girlfriend, darling? A? I've already spoken! A?

Father, I didn’t want to be a judge,” said Prince Andrei in a bilious and harsh tone, “but you called me, and I said and will always say that Princess Marya is not to blame, but it’s the fault... this Frenchwoman is to blame...

And he awarded!.. he awarded!..” the old man said in a quiet voice and, as it seemed to Prince Andrei, with embarrassment, but then suddenly he jumped up and shouted: “Get out, get out!” May your spirit not be here!..

Prince Andrey wanted to leave immediately, but Princess Marya begged him to stay another day. On this day, Prince Andrei did not see his father, who did not go out and did not allow anyone to see him except Mlle Bourienne and Tikhon, and asked several times whether his son had left. The next day, before leaving, Prince Andrei went to see his son's half. A healthy, curly-haired boy sat on his lap. Prince Andrei began to tell him the tale of Bluebeard, but, without finishing it, he became lost in thought. He was not thinking about this pretty boy-son while he was holding him on his lap, but was thinking about himself. He searched in horror and found in himself neither remorse for having irritated his father, nor regret that he (in a quarrel for the first time in his life) was leaving him. The most important thing for him was that he was looking for and did not find that former tenderness for his son, which he hoped to arouse in himself by caressing the boy and sitting him on his lap.

Well, tell me,” said the son. Prince Andrei, without answering him, took him down from the pillars and left the room.

As soon as Prince Andrei left his daily activities, especially as soon as he entered into the previous conditions of life in which he had been even when he was happy, the melancholy of life gripped him with the same force, and he hurried to quickly get away from these memories and find something to do quickly.

Are you going decisively, Andre? - his sister told him.

Thank God I can go,” said Prince Andrei, “I’m very sorry that you can’t.”

Why are you saying this! - said Princess Marya. - Why are you saying this now, when you are going to this terrible war and he is so old! Mlle Bourienne said that he asked about you... - As soon as she started talking about this, her lips trembled and tears began to fall. Prince Andrei turned away from her and began to walk around the room.

Oh my god! My God! - he said. - And just think about what and who - what insignificance can be the cause of people’s misfortune! - he said with anger, which frightened Princess Marya.

She realized that, speaking about the people whom he called nonentity, he meant not only Mlle Bourienne, who caused his misfortune, but also the person who ruined his happiness.

Andre, I ask one thing, I beg you,” she said, touching his elbow and looking at him with shining eyes through tears. - I understand you (Princess Marya lowered her eyes). Don't think that it was people who caused the grief. People are his instrument. “She looked a little higher than Prince Andrei’s head with that confident, familiar look with which they look at a familiar place in a portrait. - The grief was sent to them, not people. People are his tools, they are not to blame. If it seems to you that someone is to blame for you, forget it and forgive. We have no right to punish. And you will understand the happiness of forgiving.

If I were a woman, I would do this, Marie. This is the virtue of a woman. But a man should not and cannot forget and forgive,” he said, and, although he had not thought about Kuragin until that moment, all the unresolved anger suddenly rose in his heart. “If Princess Marya is already trying to persuade me to forgive me, then it means I should have been punished a long time ago,” he thought. And, no longer answering Princess Marya, he now began to think about that joyful, angry moment when he would meet Kuragin, who (he knew) was in the army.

Princess Marya begged her brother to wait another day, saying that she knew how unhappy her father would be if Andrei left without making peace with him; but Prince Andrei replied that he would probably soon come back from the army again, that he would certainly write to his father, and that now the longer he stayed, the more this discord would be fueled.

Adieu, Andre! Rappelez-vous que les malheurs viennent de Dieu, et que les hommes ne sont jamais coupables, [Farewell, Andrey! Remember that misfortunes come from God and that people are never to blame. ] - were the last words he heard from his sister when he said goodbye to her.

“This is how it should be! - thought Prince Andrei, driving out of the alley of the Lysogorsk house. “She, a pitiful innocent creature, is left to be devoured by a crazy old man.” The old man feels that he is to blame, but cannot change himself. My boy is growing up and enjoying a life in which he will be the same as everyone else, deceived or deceiving. I'm going to the army, why? - I don’t know myself, and I wish to meet that person whom I despise, in order to give him a chance to kill me and laugh at me! And before there were all the same living conditions, but before they were all interconnected, but now everything has fallen apart. Some senseless phenomena, without any connection, one after another presented themselves to Prince Andrei.

Prince Andrei arrived at the army headquarters at the end of June. The troops of the first army, the one with which the sovereign was located, were located in a fortified camp near Drissa; the troops of the second army retreated, trying to connect with the first army, from which - as they said - they were cut off by large forces of the French. Everyone was dissatisfied with the general course of military affairs in the Russian army; but no one thought about the danger of an invasion of the Russian provinces, no one imagined that the war could be transferred further than the western Polish provinces.

Prince Andrei found Barclay de Tolly, to whom he was assigned, on the banks of the Drissa. Since there was not a single large village or town in the vicinity of the camp, the entire huge number of generals and courtiers who were with the army were located in a circle of ten miles in the best houses of the villages, on this and on the other side of the river. Barclay de Tolly stood four miles from the sovereign. He received Bolkonsky dryly and coldly and said in his German accent that he would report him to the sovereign to determine his appointment, and in the meantime he asked him to be at his headquarters. Anatoly Kuragin, whom Prince Andrei hoped to find in the army, was not here: he was in St. Petersburg, and this news was pleasant for Bolkonsky. Prince Andrei was interested in the center of the huge war taking place, and he was glad to be free for a while from the irritation that the thought of Kuragin produced in him. During the first four days, during which he was not required anywhere, Prince Andrey traveled around the entire fortified camp and, with the help of his knowledge and conversations with knowledgeable people, tried to form a definite concept about him. But the question of whether this camp was profitable or unprofitable remained unresolved for Prince Andrei. He had already managed to derive from his military experience the conviction that in military affairs the most thoughtfully thought-out plans mean nothing (as he saw it in the Austerlitz campaign), that everything depends on how one responds to unexpected and unforeseen actions of the enemy, that everything depends on how and by whom the whole business is conducted. In order to clarify this last question, Prince Andrei, taking advantage of his position and acquaintances, tried to understand the nature of the administration of the army, the persons and parties participating in it, and derived for himself the following concept of the state of affairs.

Lesson 121 “MUST LIVE, MUST LOVE, MUST BELIEVE” (L. N. TOLSTOY) (MASTERING THE CONTENTS OF VOLUME II OF THE NOVEL “WAR AND PEACE”)

Lesson 121
“MUST LIVE, MUST LOVE, MUST BELIEVE”
(L. N. TOLSTOY)(UNDERSTANDING THE CONTENTS OF VOLUME II
novel "WAR AND PEACE")

Goals : show the peaceful life of the heroes of the epic in the period from 1806–1812, help students penetrate into the spiritual world of the heroes, comprehend the complexity and inconsistency of the behavior and quests of the heroes.

During the classes

I. Teacher's opening speech.

The peaceful life of the heroes of the novel “War and Peace”
(summary of novel II)

Let us again leaf through the pages of War and Peace, read and re-read scenes from Volume II, in which the writer depicts the life of the heroes between 1806 and 1812. The great Tolstoy contrasts the senseless war of 1805 with the life that he considers “real.” (“Life, meanwhile, is the real life of people with all vital interests.”)

But peaceful life is not at all calm, it has its own troubles. Tolstoy's heroes make mistakes, suffer and suffer, sometimes succumb to base passions and worries. Their fate, according to the critic S. Bocharov, “is only a link in the endless experience of humanity, of all people, both past and future.” Through the private lives of his characters, the writer depicts the history of the country on the eve of the heroic year 1812.

II. Retelling of the scene “The Arrival of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in Bald Mountains. Birth of a son. Death of a Wife” (vol. II, part I, chapter 9).

Questions:

1. What role did the Battle of Austerlitz play in changing the worldview of Prince Andrei?

2. What decision did Bolkonsky make after the birth of his son and the death of his wife? (Prince Andrei returns home after the war of 1805–1807. His mental state is grave. Dreams of glory no longer occupy him. What to strive for?.. But disappointment awaits him at home. And he decides to “live for himself, avoiding only these two evil (remorse and illness) - that’s all my wisdom now.”)

3. Why does Bolkonsky suffer? (Prince Andrei is a deep man, he suffers from a lack of meaning in life. He strives to fill his life with something significant, useful. When he sees Natasha Rostova in Otradnoye, young thoughts and hopes rise in his soul. A decision is born: “to live for others.")

III. Retelling of the scene “Pierre Bezukhov’s Entry into Freemasonry”
(or conversation).

Questions:

1. What is “Freemasonry”? How does Tolstoy describe it?

2. For what purpose does Pierre join the Masonic Society?

3. What is the reason for Pierre’s spiritual crisis? Why does he begin to become disillusioned with the Masons?

Freemasonry- a religious and philosophical movement that arose in France in the 18th century. Freemasons in Russia, united in secret organizations (lodges), called for moral self-improvement. In 1822, Masonic lodges were banned by the Russian government, since the future Decembrists, having joined Masonic organizations, used them for their own political purposes.

Pierre finds his whole life meaningless. (Especially after his unsuccessful marriage to the immoral Helen and after the duel with Dolokhov.) Pierre has many questions, he looks for answers to them, but does not find them. He is experiencing a mental crisis: this is a strong dissatisfaction with himself and the associated desire to change his life, to build it on good principles.

Conclusion . The desire to change for the better and find an opportunity to “remake” an imperfect world led Pierre to the Freemasons. For some time he was fascinated by the Freemason brothers and their ideas. He accepted the teachings of the Freemasons as a call to real activity.

In moral purification for Pierre, as for Tolstoy at a certain period, lay the truth of Freemasonry, and, carried away by it, at first he did not notice what was a lie.

But soon Pierre realized that the Freemason brothers were not at all striving for useful activities, they were preoccupied with their careers. Tolstoy writes that Pierre found himself again at a dead end, disappointed. A break with the St. Petersburg Freemasons became inevitable.

IV. Expressive reading from Part III of Chapter. 1 (Sad thoughts of Prince Andrei at the sight of an old oak tree.), ch. 2 (Night in Otradnoye), ch. 3 (Second meeting with the oak tree.)

What's so great about these pages? Andrei Bolkonsky's conversation with Pierre, a moonlit night in Otradnoye, admiration for young Natasha Rostova, this helped the “rebirth” of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky to life. Life forces awakened in his soul. He now thinks about the opportunity to benefit people, about love and happiness. (“Live for others”).

V. Retelling of the scene “Natasha Rostova’s First Ball” (vol. II, part III, chapters 15–17).

Retelling, reading from the words: “Is it really possible that no one will come to me, will I really not dance between the first ones...” to the words: “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time...”.

Question: What, in your opinion, is the secret of Natasha Rostova’s success at the first ball?

VI. Retelling of “The Hunting Scene”, episodes “Uncle Playing the Guitar and Natasha Rostova’s Dance” (vol. II, part IV, ch. 6, 7).

Conversation on issues:

1. What aspects of the Rostovs’ life does the author depict?

2. What does Tolstoy emphasize in the life of the local nobility? (Lack of calculation, closeness to the ordinary Russian people and to nature.)

3. How did the heroes behave during the hunt?

4. Read from ch. Episode 7 "Natasha's Dance", with the words: “Well, niece! - shouted the uncle..." to the words: "Oh yes, niece!" (After a hunt at her uncle’s house, Natasha felt unusually strongly the charm of folk music and folk singing. Uncle “sang the way the people sing.”

A huge desire to dance takes over Natasha.

"Where, how, when sucked in into herself from that Russian air that she breathed - this countess, raised by a French emigrant, this spirit, where did she get these techniques?.. But these spirits and techniques were the same, inimitable, unstudied, Russian, which I expected from her uncle..."

This Russian dance reflected Natasha Rostova’s talent and her love for everything folk.)

Homework.

1. Excerpt by heart (optional) “Natasha Rostova’s Dance” or “Natasha’s First Ball”.

2. Reading Vol. III.

Analysis of the episodes “The French Crossing the Neman”, “The Abandonment of Smolensk by the Russians”.