I started studying at the age of twelve, and it has been seven years now. I read it again and again, and finally I found that I could never finish reading it.
Some people say that Tolstoy's opportunity to write War and Peace is to explore the way out of Russian society, but I always think this view is too one-sided. In my opinion, a truly great novel should be all-encompassing, not just limited to a small purpose. From War and Peace, we can learn a lot, including philosophy, history, politics, economy, military science and even religion. These together constitute a huge ideological system. This system is both subjective and objective. It is subjective because it comes from Tolstoy's thinking and summary, and many places are marked with "Tolstoy's brand"; It is objective because it is not imposed on others, but exerts a subtle influence on people, making people gradually highlight their own personality while being entrusted.
On the other hand, I think Tolstoy's vision is high and far-sighted, and he may not take what human beings call politics seriously. Fundamentally speaking, Tolstoy should pay attention to broader spirit and eternity. In War and Peace, Tolstoy used Pierre and Andre's brains to discuss this problem more than once, and he didn't tell us the final result of the discussion, which is precisely its objectivity. He seems to want us to think independently and find out the answer. However, people's thoughts are different, and everyone has their own views and opinions. Therefore, anyone who has read War and Peace has constructed his own War and Peace in his mind.
It should be said that the greatest achievement of War and Peace lies in its ideological content, which is unparalleled. However, in other respects, its achievements are equally extraordinary.
In terms of structural arrangement, it is very difficult to deal with such a vast work, but Tolstoy was able to shuttle back and forth between war and peace in an orderly manner by virtue of his artistic talent. And Tolstoy seems to be particularly good at depicting difficult big scenes, such as wars, dances and banquets. He can express everyone's personality and psychology in very short words, but he never feels disorganized, which is beyond the reach of any other writer.
In terms of language, War and Peace has always maintained a simple and distinctive style. It's not clear-cut, but it's profound, which makes people know at a glance that Tolstoy wrote it, which is much better than Shakespeare's carved sentences.
As far as personality is concerned, War and Peace also has its own superb characteristics. First of all, almost every character in the book, including those unimportant supporting roles, such as hippolyte, Mortemart and Nicholas Jr., has his own personality (it is difficult to do this, and other novels, such as A Dream of Red Mansions and Water Margin, have similar achievements). Secondly, the characters in many books are constantly changing. For example, Pierre, from single to marriage, from illegitimate child to heir, from Helen to Natasha, from jacobins to aid society, from pre-war to wartime to post-war, from aristocratic lords to prisoners to release, from youth at the beginning of his career to studious thinking later, has been in an unstoppable state. Every time he experiences something, he will produce some new ideas and unconsciously complete his transformation. Another example is Andre, whose life has undergone many great changes, such as joining the army, being injured, losing his wife, loving Natasha, Natasha's change of heart and death. Compared with Pierre, his personality changes suddenly, which is related to his environment and his own characteristics. Natasha changed the most, especially after she married Pierre. She has changed from a lively, happy girl who loves singing and dancing to a unkempt and even stingy mother, so that Denisov will be surprised when he sees her again. However, no matter how incredible the changes of these characters are, we will feel reasonable and can't raise any objections. As if everything should be like this. Moreover, no matter how they change, Pierre or Pierre, Natasha or Natasha, Andre or Andre, their fundamental characteristics will never change. This is Tolstoy's genius. He can always stand at an objective height, objectively describe and observe the character, and will not deliberately shape it because of any subjective factors. On the surface, this bystander's sketching technique seems to lack emotion and be too cold, but if you dig deeper, you will find that Tolstoy actually entrusted many things to his characters, including the deepest feelings and compassion in the world. It is this deepest feeling that keeps Tolstoy at a certain distance from what he loves. He can judge objectively, but it is difficult to devote himself to it. I remember Gorky said in his letter to Chekhov, "You know, in your play, I think you are colder than the devil in dealing with characters. You treat them like snow, as cold as ice. " But the play Uncle Vanya moved Gorky to tears. Reading War and Peace made me feel similar.
War and Peace has given me many things, including the reasons why everything in the universe works, the inspiration of life and the comfort of the soul. I have always liked Pierre very much and regarded him as a spiritual bosom friend. He is easy-going, kind, bold, and eager to enjoy, but he has no airs of a noble master. He is often immersed in the spiritual world, which makes me feel kind. Natasha is cute, but a little frivolous, so as soon as Anatoly seduced her, she gave up her love for Andre. Natasha, who has experienced the baptism of war, is calm and mature, but at the same time she has lost her former liveliness and happiness. Andre is another personality. He is cold, intelligent, kind and sensitive, but he often lacks Pierre's tolerance, so he often regrets it. It's a pity that Andre is dead, but other than that, we can't find a better ending to arrange for him. After all, he became enlightened when he died.
There are many wonderful fragments in War and Peace, which are worth pondering. For example, when the Rostovs moved out of Moscow because of the war, Natasha said goodbye to Pierre. Natasha poked her head out of the window and greeted Pierre, who hurried by in his untidy clothes. They had a brief talk. Pierre was careless because he was infatuated with Natasha and considered his own situation. Finally, he waved goodbye to Natasha: "Tomorrow, no! Goodbye, goodbye. " Then he stopped and fell behind the carriage. Natasha stuck her head out of the window for a long time and gave Pierre a kind and happy smile.
This passage made me particularly moved. Although the conversation between them is very dull, and there is almost nothing surprising, I can still feel the sincere feelings between people in the shadow of war. Especially Pierre's sentence: "Tomorrow, no! Goodbye, goodbye. " More valuable. In his view, this kind of parting will never be a farewell to Natasha, and the war is coming, and tomorrow will be uncertain, so he said such a seemingly casual but extremely painful sentence.
Some people say that Tolstoy's monk-like disobedience makes him look like a ridiculous coward; Others say that Tolstoy belongs to the peasant class, and his view of peasant patriarchal clan system has great limitations. In this regard, I want to say that what our world lacks is Tolstoy's non-resistance. Because human beings are so competitive, they not only want to surpass their compatriots, but also want to further conquer the nature that gave birth to them. Obviously, it is impossible for human beings to conquer nature, and they will pay the price for their success. Isn't this a series of facts such as acid rain, hole in ozone layer and global warming? As for the limitations of the so-called peasant class, it is not worth mentioning. If we divide Tolstoy into such a great and advanced figure, it is as ridiculous as measuring the earth with a meter ruler.
Anyway, Tolstoy is a great man, and his thoughts are beyond many people's understanding, so we are not qualified to stand in front of such a great man and tell us what to do. Although he doesn't resist or take sides with farmers, this is his own character after all. Like many other people's personalities, we have no reason not to respect them. Moreover, I think it is precisely because of this unique personality that Tolstoy became Tolstoy, otherwise he is just a mediocre person.
What kind of work is War and Peace? Tolstoy once said, "It is not a legend, nor a long poem, nor a chronicle of history." War and Peace is exactly the form that the author wants to express, and he can express what he wants to express in it. He is telling the truth. Mencius once said something similar: "My words are just words." Words can convey meaning, as simple as that. Tolstoy believes that literature is only a form of expressing ideas, and as a form, it is far less important than the inner soul. Later generations read "War and Peace", which is often called an epic, but it is actually against Tuoweng's wishes. Those who really understand War and Peace will eventually find that it is the crystallization of thought, but it is not literature. Tolstoy, the author of this novel, is a great thinker.