Description of the Battle of Borodino occupies twenty chapters of the third volume of War and Peace. This is the center of the novel, its climax, a decisive moment in the life of the whole country and many of the heroes of the work. Here the paths of the main characters cross: Pierre meets Dolokhov, Prince Andrei - Anatole, here each character is revealed in a new way, and here for the first time the enormous force that won the war manifests itself - the people, men in white shirts.
The picture of the Battle of Borodino in the novel is given through the perception of a civilian, Pierre Bezukhov, the most seemingly unsuitable hero for this purpose, who does not understand anything in military affairs, but perceives everything that happens with the heart and soul of a patriot. The feelings that took possession of Pierre in the first days of the war will be the beginning of his moral rebirth, but Pierre does not yet know about it. “The worse the state of affairs was, and especially his affairs, the more pleasant it was for Pierre ...” For the first time, he felt himself not a lonely, useless owner of enormous wealth, but part of a single multitude of people. Having decided to go from Moscow to the place of the battle, Pierre experienced “a pleasant feeling of consciousness that everything that makes up the happiness of people, the convenience of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense, which is pleasant to discard in comparison with something ...”
This feeling is naturally born in an honest person when the common misfortune of his people hangs over him. Pierre does not know that Natasha, Prince Andrei in the burning Smolensk and in the Bald Mountains, as well as many thousands of people, will experience the same feeling. Not only curiosity prompted Pierre to go to Borodino, he strove to be among the people, where the fate of Russia was being decided.
On the morning of August 25, Pierre left Mozhaisk and approached the location of the Russian troops. Along the way, he met numerous carts with the wounded, and one old soldier asked: “Well, fellow countryman, will they put us here, or what? Ali to Moscow? In this question, not only hopelessness, it feels the same feeling that owns Pierre. And another soldier, who met Pierre, said with a sad smile: “Today, not just a soldier, but I have seen peasants! The peasants and those are being driven away ... Today they don’t sort it out ... They want to pile on all the people, one word - Moscow. They want to make one end." If Tolstoy had shown the day before the Battle of Borodino through the eyes of Prince Andrei or Nikolai Rostov, we would not have been able to see these wounded, to hear their voices. Neither Prince Andrei nor Nikolai would have noticed all this, because they are professional soldiers, accustomed to the horrors of war. But for Pierre, all this is unusual, as an inexperienced spectator, he notices all the smallest details. And looking along with him, the reader begins to understand both him and those with whom he met near Mozhaisk: “the conveniences of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense that is pleasant to put aside in comparison with something ...”
And at the same time, all these people, each of whom may be killed or maimed tomorrow - they all live today, without thinking about what awaits them tomorrow, look with surprise at Pierre's white hat and green coat, laugh and wink at the wounded. The name of the field and the village next to it has not yet gone down in history: the officer addressed by Pierre still confuses him: “Burdino or what?” But on the faces of all the people met by Pierre, “an expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the coming minute” is noticeable, and this consciousness is so serious that during the prayer service even the presence of Kutuzov with his retinue did not attract attention: “the militia and soldiers, without looking at him, continued to pray.”
“In a long frock coat on a huge body thickness, with a stooped back, with an open white head and with a leaky, white eye on a swollen face,” this is how we see Kutuzov before the battle of Borodino. Kneeling before the icon, he then “tried for a long time and could not get up from heaviness and weakness.” This senile heaviness and weakness, physical weakness, emphasized by the author, enhances the impression of spiritual power emanating from him. He kneels before the icon, like all people, like the soldiers he will send tomorrow into battle. And just like them, he feels the solemnity of the present moment.
But Tolstoy recalls that there are other people who think otherwise: "For tomorrow, great awards must be given out and new people put forward." The first among these "catchers of awards and nominations" is Boris Drubetskoy, in a long frock coat and with a whip over his shoulder, like Kutuzov. With a light, free smile, at first, confidentially lowering his voice, he scolds Pierre's left flank and condemns Kutuzov, and then, noticing Mikhail Illarionovich approaching, he praises both his left flank and the commander in chief himself. Thanks to his talent to please everyone, he "managed to stay at the main apartment" when Kutuzov kicked out many like him. And at that moment, he managed to find words that might be pleasing to Kutuzov, and says them to Pierre, hoping that the commander-in-chief will hear them: “The militia - they put on clean, white shirts directly to prepare for death. What heroism, count! Boris calculated correctly: Kutuzov heard these words, remembered them - and along with them Drubetskoy.
The meeting between Pierre and Dolokhov is not accidental either. It is impossible to believe that Dolokhov, a reveler and a bully, can apologize to anyone, but he does it: “I am very glad to meet you here, Count,” he told him loudly and not embarrassed by the presence of strangers, with special determination and solemnity. - On the eve of the day on which God knows which of us is destined to remain alive, I am glad to have the opportunity to tell you that I regret the misunderstandings that have been between us, and would like you not to have anything against me. Please forgive me."
Pierre himself could not explain why he went to the Borodino field. He only knew that it was impossible to remain in Moscow. He wanted to see with his own eyes that incomprehensible and majestic thing that was to happen in his fate and the fate of Russia, and also to see Prince Andrei, who was able to explain everything that was happening to him. Only Pierre could believe him, only he expected important words from him at this decisive moment in his life. And they met. Prince Andrei behaves coldly towards Pierre, almost hostile. Bezukhov, with his very appearance, reminds him of his former life, and most importantly, of Natasha, and Prince Andrei wants to forget about her as soon as possible. But, after talking, Prince Andrei did what Pierre expected from him - he skillfully explained the state of affairs in the army. Like all soldiers and most officers, he considers the removal of Barclay from business and the appointment of Kutuzov as commander-in-chief as the greatest blessing: “While Russia was healthy, a stranger could serve her, and there was a wonderful minister, but as soon as she was in danger, she needed her own, dear Human".
Kutuzov for Prince Andrei, as for all soldiers, is a man who understands that the success of the war depends on "the feeling that is in me, in him," he pointed to Timokhin, "in every soldier." This conversation was important not only for Pierre, but also for Prince Andrei. Expressing his thoughts, he himself clearly understood and fully realized how sorry he was for his life and his friendship with Pierre. But Prince Andrei is the son of his father, and his feelings will not manifest themselves in any way. He almost forcibly pushed Pierre away from him, but, saying goodbye, "quickly approached Pierre, hugged him and kissed him ..."
August 26 - the day of the battle of Borodino - through the eyes of Pierre we see a beautiful sight: the bright sun breaking through the fog, flashes of shots, "lightning of morning light" on the bayonets of the troops ... Pierre, like a child, wanted to be where these smokes were, these brilliant bayonets and cannons, this movement, these sounds. For a long time he did not understand anything: having arrived at the Raevsky battery, “I never thought that this ... was the most important place in the battle,” did not notice the wounded and killed. In Pierre's view, war should be a solemn event, but for Tolstoy it is hard and bloody work. Together with Pierre, the reader is convinced that the writer is right, watching with horror the course of the battle.
Everyone in the battle occupied his own niche, performed honestly or not very much his duty. Kutuzov understands this very well, almost does not interfere in the course of the battle, trusting the Russian people, for whom this battle is not a conceited game, but a decisive milestone in their life and death. Pierre, by the will of fate, ended up on the "Raevsky battery", where decisive events took place, as historians later write. But even without them, Bezukhov "it seemed that this place (precisely because he was on it) was one of the most significant places of the battle." The blind eyes of a civilian do not see the whole scale of events, but only what is happening around. And here, as in a drop of water, all the drama of the battle was reflected, its incredible intensity, rhythm, tension from what was happening. The battery changes hands several times. Pierre fails to remain a contemplative, he actively participates in protecting the battery, but does everything on a whim, out of a sense of self-preservation. Bezukhov is scared of what is happening, he naively thinks that “... now they (the French) will leave it, now they will be horrified by what they have done! But the sun, veiled in smoke, was still high, and in front, and especially to the left of Semyonovsky, something was seething in the smoke, and the rumble of shots, shooting and cannonade not only did not weaken, but intensified to the point of desperation, like a man who, overstrained , screaming with all his might.
Tolstoy sought to show the war through the eyes of its participants, contemporaries, but sometimes looked at it from the point of view of a historian. So, he drew attention to poor organization, successful and unsuccessful plans that collapsed due to the mistakes of military leaders. Showing military operations from this side, Tolstoy pursued another goal. At the beginning of the third volume, he says that war is "an event contrary to human reason and all human nature." There was no justification for the last war at all, because the emperors waged it. In the same war, there was truth: when the enemy comes to your land, you are obliged to defend yourself, which was what the Russian army did. But be that as it may, the war still remained a dirty, bloody affair, which Pierre understood at Raevsky's battery.
The episode when Prince Andrei was wounded cannot leave the reader indifferent. But the most annoying thing is that his death is meaningless. He did not rush forward with a banner, as at Austerlitz, he was not on the battery, as at Shengraben, he only walked across the field, counting steps and listening to the noise of shells. And at that moment he was overtaken by the enemy core. The adjutant standing next to Prince Andrei lay down and shouted to him: “Lie down!” Bolkonsky stood and thought that he did not want to die, and "at the same time he remembered that they were looking at him." Prince Andrew could not do otherwise. He, with his sense of honor, with his noble prowess, could not lie down. In any situation, there are people who cannot run, cannot be silent and hide from danger. Such people usually die, but in the memory of others they remain heroes.
The prince was mortally wounded; was bleeding, Russian troops stood on occupied lines. Napoleon was horrified, he had not seen anything like it yet: “two hundred guns are aimed at the Russians, but ... the Russians are still standing ...” He dared to write that the battlefield was “magnificent”, but he was covered with the bodies of thousands, hundreds thousands of dead and wounded, but this no longer interested Napoleon. The main thing is that his vanity is not satisfied: he did not win a crushing and bright victory. Napoleon at that time was “yellow, swollen, heavy, with cloudy eyes, a red nose and a hoarse voice ... he was sitting on a folding chair, involuntarily listening to the sounds of firing ... He was waiting with painful anguish for the end of the cause, which he considered himself the cause of, but which he could not stop.
Here Tolstoy for the first time shows it as natural. On the eve of the battle, he took care of his dress for a long time and with pleasure, then he received a courtier who had arrived from Paris and played a small performance in front of a portrait of his son. For Tolstoy, Napoleon is the embodiment of vanity, the very one that he hates in Prince Vasily and Anna Pavlovna. A real person, according to the writer, should not care about the impression that he makes, but should calmly surrender to the will of events. This is how he portrays the Russian commander. “Kutuzov was sitting, his gray head bowed and his heavy body lowered, on a bench covered with a carpet, in the very place where Pierre had seen him in the morning. He did not make any orders, but only agreed or did not agree to what was offered to him. He doesn't fuss, trusting people to take the initiative where it's needed. He understands the meaninglessness of his orders: everything will be as it will be, he does not interfere with people with petty care, but believes in the high spirit of the Russian army.
The great humanist L.N. Tolstoy truthfully, accurately documented the events of August 26, 1812, giving his own interpretation of the most important historical event. The author denies the decisive role of personality in history. It was not Napoleon and Kutuzov who led the battle, it went on as it should have, how the thousands of people participating in it from both sides were able to “turn” it. An excellent battle painter, Tolstoy managed to show the tragedy of war for all participants, regardless of nationality. The truth was on the side of the Russians, but they killed people, died themselves for the sake of the vanity of one "little man." Speaking of this, Tolstoy, as it were, "warns" humanity against wars, against senseless hostility and bloodshed.
Maria Anokhina
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MBOU "Verkhneuslonskaya gymnasium" of the Verkhneuslonsky municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Anokhina Maria Mikhailovna, 10th grade student
Teacher Tikhonova Tatyana Nikolaevna
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BATTLE OF BORODINO IN HISTORY AND IN L.N. TOLSTOY'S NOVEL "WAR AND PEACE"
“My disagreement in the description of historical events
with the stories of historians is not accidental, but inevitable.
Historian and artist, describing the historical era,
have two completely different things."
L.N. Tolstoy
On August 24-26, the Battle of Borodino took place in the Patriotic War of 1812, which is the main object of my research, the reflection of this main event in Leo Tolstoy's epic novel "War and Peace" became the subject of study. Of course, a lot of different literature, both historical and artistic, has been created on this issue, but to this day there are moments that have not been fully clarified. Based on the topic of the report, my main source is Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", and additional - a number of other, mainly office documents and sources of personal origin.
The purpose of my research: to consider how reliable the description of the Battle of Borodino in Leo Tolstoy's epic novel "War and Peace" is, and also how much it is consistent with historical sources and research literature. To do this, it is necessary to solve a number of problems:
1. Study the description of the Battle of Borodino in the novel "War and Peace";
2. Analyze other sources;
3. Try to compare two or more descriptions of the Battle of Borodino;
4. Try to resolve a number of contentious issues, such as:
The number of Russian and French troops before and after the battle;
The reasons for the victory or defeat of one or another army;
And, probably, the main problem is who won the Battle of Borodino.
Of course, this work does not pretend to resolve all controversial issues, I tried to consider the material already accumulated by historical science, extract new information and, possibly, try to draw some “fresh” conclusions regarding the historical authenticity of L. N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”, opportunity to use it as a historical source.
Research methods: historical, logical, analytical, comparative historical, statistical.
Literature preserves the historical memory of society, reflects life in certain years. “Even if a writer or artist refers to the past, it is a reflection of the current state of public opinion and a way of updating history.
Tolstoy himself noted that"The difference between his descriptions of battles and historical descriptions is the same as between the landscape and the topographical plan."
Considering all of the above, I will admit that a work of art, and even more so “War and Peace”, the author of which talked so much with the participants, studied documents, will be able to penetrate the true meaning of Borodino Day.
Of course, in order to finally understand the question posed, it is necessary to consider Tolstoy's sources when writing a novel. Tolstoy writes about what he was told about the Battle of Borodino by "many living, intelligent participants in this case." But the most important is the writer's statement that "wherever historical figures speak and act in my novel, I did not invent, but used materials from which I formed a library of books during my work."
L. N. Tolstoy begins his narrative, relating directly to the Battle of Borodino, in the XIX chapter of the second part of the third volume: th Battle of Borodino took place. Later in this chapter, the author debunks the theories of historians. And he offers his own battle plan (even giving readers a map). According to this plan, the initial position of the Russian troops is “the left flank in Shevardin, the right flank near the village of Novy and the center in Borodino”. However, in connection with the attack of the French troops on the redoubt, the left wing of the Russian front shifted to the Semyonov Heights. Tolstoy emphasizes that the Russians took the fight in an almost unfortified position, which, of course, complicated the defense and emphasizes the heroism of the Russian soldiers.
Chapter XXVIII is devoted to the reasons why the French emperor did not win the Battle of Borodino. Tolstoy here asserts his concept of history, according to which events occur by predestination, and not by the will of individuals.
“The main action of the battle of Borodino took place in the space of a thousand sazhens between Borodin and the fleches of Bagration in the simplest, most unsophisticated way.
Tolstoy shows that almost all reports of adjutants to Napoleon were false or outdated. By this, the author shows that the orders of the generals have little effect on the outcome of the battle.
"At noon," many of Napoleon's generals sent adjutants demanding reinforcements. Further, Tolstoy describes the famous episode that instead of Claparede's division, Napoleon sent Friant's division. Tolstoy writes that this change played no role. Historians point to a number of errors in this episode.
Tolstoy used a wonderful artistic technique: we learn about how the Russians fought to the death from the thoughts of the French emperor. The news of a sudden attack on the left flank of the French by our cavalry "aroused horror in Napoleon."
Tolstoy writes that Kutuzov did not make any orders. He only agreed or disagreed with what was offered to him. There were heated debates about the image created by Tolstoy in the literature: some believed that he incorrectly showed a decrepit old man, but in fact the commander-in-chief actively led the battle. Others argue that the great classic showed Kutuzov, according to his concept, as the most suitable commander. Still others deny that Tolstoy showed him as passive: despite a number of phrases, the author constantly shows: what is the influence of Mikhail Illarionovich on the course and result of the battle.
About the capture of certain fortifications, whether it be flushes or Semenovskoe, we will learn in between times, because according to Tolstoy's concept, it is not this that decides who is the winner and who is the loser.
Kutuzov considered the battle won and was going to continue the battle in the morning.
We can see that Tolstoy does not pay attention to the external outline of events, it is given by statistical data, he concentrates on the internal state of the soldiers, the psychological aspect.
The number of troops for the wars of the XIX century. was still an important parameter that determines the outcome of the battle. Interestingly, both sources and all literature (except for the case described above) give the same number of guns: 640 for the Russian army and 587 for the French. However, there are enough versions of the number of troops of both armies. The school textbook gives, as far as we understand, fairly recognized and relatively new data: 132 thousand people are Russian, 135 thousand are the French army. Memoirs give different data: the number of Russians is 100 thousand. Literature is not distinguished by unity. Zemtsov writes that the most accurate calculations were made by A. A. Vasiliev and V. A. Egorov, who claim that without the warriors of the Moscow and Smolensk militias, the Russian army numbered about 118 thousand people, the militias - 31.7 thousand people. The authors are unanimous in determining the number of French troops - 135 thousand. When taking into account the balance of forces, an important indicator is how the opponents assessed each other. It is known that the Russians exaggerated the number of the French, believing that Napoleon had more than 185 thousand people and about 1000 guns, which, as we know, was not true. This largely explains the defensive nature of the battle, and the special attention to the reserves, and a number of other actions of the Russian command.
In different ways, the generals morally prepared their army for battle. Napoleon issued an order that was read to every military unit.
Kutuzov, knowing the piety of the Russians, ordered the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Smolensk to be carried through the ranks, the soldiers were baptized and kissed. After that, a prayer service was performed. What is seen here is not the personal inclination of the commanders, but the mentality, the character of the soldiers.
The time of the beginning of the battle sources give different from 5 to 6 in the morning. At dawn, Napoleon ordered a horse to be brought to him and said at the same time, “Well, now they are in our hands! Let's go to. Let's open the gates of Moscow! - Then, looking at the rising sun, he exclaimed - Here is the sun of Austerlitz! - and gave the order to start the battle. It began with artillery shots, apparently it was the Sorbier battery. Other historians, as a rule, do not provide such details.
Few people write about the weather conditions on this day, but they cannot be called favorable - light rain, dank, cold wind.
The battle for the Semyonov Heights is one of the key episodes of the Battle of Borodino, it is quite difficult to study, because. most of the memories are not clear enough and contradictory. The researcher is also deprived of the memoirs of the Russian commander - Bagration -, since he was mortally wounded in this battle. Confusion in French documents due to wounded commanders.
Modern researchers also clarify that only the eastern fortification was a flush, the northern and southern were lunettes.
In this direction, Napoleon concentrated about 80-85 thousand people. and 467 guns.
Position selection
On the issue of the choice of location, in principle, there is no contentious dispute, but in the literature there are several almost opposite opinions. The fact is that the former positions were stronger and that the Borodino position (the one on which the battle was given) is not only not strong, but for some reason is not at all a position more than any other place in the Russian Empire, which, guessing, one would point out pin on the map.
Most historians write that this position was quite advantageous. Kutuzov himself reported to Alexander I on August 23: “The position in which I stopped at the village of Borodino, 12 miles ahead of Mozhaisk, is one of the best that can only be found on flat areas. The weak point of this position, which is located on the left flank, I will try to correct with art. The right flank is securely covered by the high bank of the Kolocha (more than 20 m high).
Shevardino: role and significance. Battle plan
There are several points of view about what the Shevardinsky redoubt was for the Russian army, how many positions the Russian army had during August 24-26.
Tolstoy was the first who drew attention to the fact that, perhaps, the Shevardinsky Redoubt was not the forward point of the position, but was part of the left flank. The philologist S.I. Kormilov argued on this occasion: “For example, the initial plan of the Battle of Borodino proposed by Tolstoy is controversial, strategically hardly fair, if only because it turned the Russian army on the flank to the advancing French.”
Troop distributions
Tolstoy deals little with this topic, because. according to his beliefs, the outcome of the battle did not depend on the dispositions.
The fact that Kutuzov was waiting for an attack on the left flank and deliberately distributed the troops in this way is proved by his report of August 23. However, the location of the main forces of the Russians - the 1st Army on the right flank, where there was practically no fighting, apart from a demonstration undertaken by a small French force at the beginning of the day. As for the disposition of Napoleon's troops, it practically coincides with the historical one.
Battle details
M. I. Bogdanovich in his article attacks Tolstoy for the battle plan, as well as the fact that Tolstoy showed that the French army had twice "more troops than" ours. We agree with the last statement, but stipulate, the author wrote: "with only a few of the weakest Russian forces." This may have been artistic hyperbole in order to emphasize the heroism of the Russians, and similar data could be contained in the sources he used.
A. V. Gulin notes that in the sources there is a mention of the covering troops standing behind the mound. Tolstoy retains this detail as well.
Tolstoy is often accused of confusing military ranks. With regard to the French, whose marshals he calls generals, this is largely true. But it is not necessary to attribute to the writer the mistakes of his characters.
Tolstoy is mistaken in saying that marshals and generals did not participate. Only from the French side can we directly name the names of Ney, Murat, Davout, Beauharnais, etc. They not only participated, but also made orders themselves.
In the literature, one can also find Tolstoy's frank accusations that the author of the novel is not familiar with the contemporary state of historical science.
We can note that in most cases Tolstoy gives the correct picture, even if sometimes he confuses little things, but this does not interfere with a holistic perception and creation of a correct understanding of the Battle of Borodino.
Leaving Moscow: surprise or planned action?
Did Kutuzov know when he gave the Battle of Borodino that he would have to give the enemy the heart of Russia. From his documents we see that it is not. On August 27, he wrote to Rostopchin that, despite the victory, he needed troops to replenish the army so that he could withstand another battle near Moscow. However, there is an opinion according to which Kutuzov immediately assumed the abandonment of Moscow, and spoke about the continuation of the battle the next day for political reasons. But to us it seems a little stretched. The literature, and we agree with it, as a rule, recognizes the need for these actions due to objective reasons.
Kutuzov: a passive old man or a brilliant commander?
Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov is an image that occupies one of the most important places in the epic novel. In this question, we approached the problem discussed by philologists, namely, how much does Tolstoy the artist contradict Tolstoy the thinker? A number of researchers believe that “both lines intersect in the image of Kutuzov ... the line of artistic narration and the line of philosophical and historical digressions. Naturally, this introduced contradictions into the image of the great commander.
What is the most important thing in the image of Kutuzov as commander in chief? The researchers, and we agree with them, believe that this is Kutuzov's ability to understand the mood of the soldiers, that he is a real "expert in the soldier's heart." Kutuzov timely took into account changes in a particular section of the battle and reacted very quickly to them. The richest combat experience prompted Kutuzov that victory remains on the side of the one who, at the turning point of the battle, finds the strength to stand to the end.
The problem of victory in the Battle of Borodino
Probably the most difficult problem of all that we raise in the study is the question of who won the Battle of Borodino. The general trend is that Russian researchers believe that the troops under the command of Kutuzov won, and French historians claim that the victory remained with Napoleon's army.
Philosophy of history of L. N. Tolstoy
However, many interpretations of events, the completeness of their coverage will become clear if we consider the philosophy of history of L. N. Tolstoy, which was especially manifested in the pages devoted to the Patriotic War of 1812. We will try to consider those features of philosophy that influenced the depiction of the Battle of Borodino in the novel “War and world". The main point of Tolstoy's philosophical quest was the problem of the meaning of life and the related question of the role of the individual in history. What drives history? Probably every historian asks this question. Tolstoy invites the reader to look not for reasons, but for the laws by which the historical process develops. Thus, he rejects historical causation.
Tolstoy saw the essence of the historical process in the cumulative action of the masses, believing that a historical personality cannot follow the course of history, because "she is powerless before the elemental force of the masses and reason cannot control her." M. G. Katsakhyan believed that Tolstoy’s views on history prevented the writer, despite numerous arguments, from understanding the cause of historical events, from finding an answer to the “question about the strength and meaning of the people’s will” that tormented him.
In my opinion, some ethical shortcoming of Tolstoy is that he removes responsibility from Napoleon for his actions, deeds, decisions made.
It's no secret that Tolstoy attached great importance to the contribution of the Russian people to the outcome of the Patriotic War of 1812. Researchers, especially Soviet philologists and philosophers, emphasize that Tolstoy realized the people's character, he was the first to abandon official patriotism.
A number of Soviet researchers, to whom V.F. Asmus belonged, emphasized too much, absolutized the role of the people, as it is shown in Tolstoy .. However, in our opinion, such an absolutization of the people is a little unjustified, since the inconsistency of Tolstoy's philosophy was most manifested precisely when the writer is trying to combine the great importance of the behavior of the people for victory in the Patriotic War.
The philosophy of Tolstoy's history is so multifaceted and contradictory that it is rather difficult to present it in a systematic way, especially for a person. Not having a special philosophical education. As it seems to us. It is not for us to judge the correctness of Tolstoy's philosophy, but we agree with Dragomirov that it is wrong to explain certain events by the fact that it happened because it had to happen, it is wrong, especially from a methodological point of view.
CONCLUSION
Let me sum up some of the above. Analyzing the data presented in the sources and Leo Tolstoy's epic novel "War and Peace", I came to the conclusion that, of course, all the historical descriptions of the writer are based on a fairly wide base of information sources, and one can hardly talk about frank fiction of the artist, as did many critics of the great classic. Even if a writer or artist turns to the past, this is a reflection of the current state of public opinion and a way of updating history.
Thus, L. N. Tolstoy in "War and Peace" raises a number of questions concerning not only the heroism of the Russian troops, patriotism (which quite clearly and objectively corresponds to the genre of the epic), but the most important historical problems, the solution of which, of course, thanks to a special approach , in general, the great writer succeeded brilliantly.
Description of the Battle of Borodino occupies twenty chapters of the third volume of War and Peace. This is the center of the novel, its climax, a decisive moment in the life of the whole country and many of the heroes of the work. Here the paths of the main characters cross: Pierre meets Dolokhov, Prince Andrei - Anatole, here each character is revealed in a new way, and here for the first time the enormous force that won the war manifests itself - the people, men in white shirts.
The picture of the Battle of Borodino in the novel is given through the perception of a civilian, Pierre Bezukhov, the most seemingly unsuitable hero for this purpose, who does not understand anything in military affairs, but perceives everything that happens with the heart and soul of a patriot. The feelings that took possession of Pierre in the first days of the war will be the beginning of his moral rebirth, but Pierre does not yet know about it. “The worse the state of affairs was, and especially his affairs, the more pleasant it was for Pierre ...” For the first time, he felt himself not a lonely, useless owner of enormous wealth, but part of a single multitude of people. Having decided to go from Moscow to the place of the battle, Pierre experienced “a pleasant feeling of consciousness that everything that makes up the happiness of people, the convenience of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense, which is pleasant to discard in comparison with something ...”
This feeling is naturally born in an honest person when the common misfortune of his people hangs over him. Pierre does not know that Natasha, Prince Andrei in the burning Smolensk and in the Bald Mountains, as well as many thousands of people, will experience the same feeling. Not only curiosity prompted Pierre to go to Borodino, he strove to be among the people, where the fate of Russia was being decided.
On the morning of August 25, Pierre left Mozhaisk and approached the location of the Russian troops. Along the way, he met numerous carts with the wounded, and one old soldier asked: “Well, fellow countryman, will they put us here, or what? Ali to Moscow? In this question, not only hopelessness, it feels the same feeling that owns Pierre. And another soldier, who met Pierre, said with a sad smile: “Today, not just a soldier, but I have seen peasants! The peasants and those are being driven away ... Today they don’t sort it out ... They want to pile on all the people, one word - Moscow. They want to make one end." If Tolstoy had shown the day before the Battle of Borodino through the eyes of Prince Andrei or Nikolai Rostov, we would not have been able to see these wounded, to hear their voices. Neither Prince Andrei nor Nikolai would have noticed all this, because they are professional soldiers, accustomed to the horrors of war. But for Pierre, all this is unusual, as an inexperienced spectator, he notices all the smallest details. And looking along with him, the reader begins to understand both him and those with whom he met near Mozhaisk: “the conveniences of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense that is pleasant to put aside in comparison with something ...”
And at the same time, all these people, each of whom may be killed or maimed tomorrow - they all live today, without thinking about what awaits them tomorrow, look with surprise at Pierre's white hat and green coat, laugh and wink at the wounded. The name of the field and the village next to it has not yet gone down in history: the officer addressed by Pierre still confuses him: “Burdino or what?” But on the faces of all the people met by Pierre, “an expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the coming minute” is noticeable, and this consciousness is so serious that during the prayer service even the presence of Kutuzov with his retinue did not attract attention: “the militia and soldiers, without looking at him, continued to pray.”
“In a long frock coat on a huge body thickness, with a stooped back, with an open white head and with a leaky, white eye on a swollen face,” this is how we see Kutuzov before the battle of Borodino. Kneeling before the icon, he then “tried for a long time and could not get up from heaviness and weakness.” This senile heaviness and weakness, physical weakness, emphasized by the author, enhances the impression of spiritual power emanating from him. He kneels before the icon, like all people, like the soldiers he will send tomorrow into battle. And just like them, he feels the solemnity of the present moment.
But Tolstoy recalls that there are other people who think otherwise: "For tomorrow, great awards must be given out and new people put forward." The first among these "catchers of awards and nominations" is Boris Drubetskoy, in a long frock coat and with a whip over his shoulder, like Kutuzov. With a light, free smile, at first, confidentially lowering his voice, he scolds Pierre's left flank and condemns Kutuzov, and then, noticing Mikhail Illarionovich approaching, he praises both his left flank and the commander in chief himself. Thanks to his talent to please everyone, he "managed to stay at the main apartment" when Kutuzov kicked out many like him. And at that moment, he managed to find words that might be pleasing to Kutuzov, and says them to Pierre, hoping that the commander-in-chief will hear them: “The militia - they put on clean, white shirts directly to prepare for death. What heroism, count! Boris calculated correctly: Kutuzov heard these words, remembered them - and along with them Drubetskoy.
The meeting between Pierre and Dolokhov is not accidental either. It is impossible to believe that Dolokhov, a reveler and a bully, can apologize to anyone, but he does it: “I am very glad to meet you here, Count,” he told him loudly and not embarrassed by the presence of strangers, with special determination and solemnity. - On the eve of the day on which God knows which of us is destined to remain alive, I am glad to have the opportunity to tell you that I regret the misunderstandings that have been between us, and would like you not to have anything against me. Please forgive me."
Pierre himself could not explain why he went to the Borodino field. He only knew that it was impossible to remain in Moscow. He wanted to see with his own eyes that incomprehensible and majestic thing that was to happen in his fate and the fate of Russia, and also to see Prince Andrei, who was able to explain everything that was happening to him. Only Pierre could believe him, only he expected important words from him at this decisive moment in his life. And they met. Prince Andrei behaves coldly towards Pierre, almost hostile. Bezukhov, with his very appearance, reminds him of his former life, and most importantly, of Natasha, and Prince Andrei wants to forget about her as soon as possible. But, after talking, Prince Andrei did what Pierre expected from him - he skillfully explained the state of affairs in the army. Like all soldiers and most officers, he considers the removal of Barclay from business and the appointment of Kutuzov as commander-in-chief as the greatest blessing: “While Russia was healthy, a stranger could serve her, and there was a wonderful minister, but as soon as she was in danger, she needed her own, dear Human".
Kutuzov for Prince Andrei, as for all soldiers, is a man who understands that the success of the war depends on "the feeling that is in me, in him," he pointed to Timokhin, "in every soldier." This conversation was important not only for Pierre, but also for Prince Andrei. Expressing his thoughts, he himself clearly understood and fully realized how sorry he was for his life and his friendship with Pierre. But Prince Andrei is the son of his father, and his feelings will not manifest themselves in any way. He almost forcibly pushed Pierre away from him, but, saying goodbye, "quickly approached Pierre, hugged him and kissed him ..."
August 26 - the day of the battle of Borodino - through the eyes of Pierre we see a beautiful sight: the bright sun breaking through the fog, flashes of shots, "lightning of morning light" on the bayonets of the troops ... Pierre, like a child, wanted to be where these smokes were, these brilliant bayonets and cannons, this movement, these sounds. For a long time he did not understand anything: having arrived at the Raevsky battery, “I never thought that this ... was the most important place in the battle,” did not notice the wounded and killed. In Pierre's view, war should be a solemn event, but for Tolstoy it is hard and bloody work. Together with Pierre, the reader is convinced that the writer is right, watching with horror the course of the battle.
Everyone in the battle occupied his own niche, performed honestly or not very much his duty. Kutuzov understands this very well, almost does not interfere in the course of the battle, trusting the Russian people, for whom this battle is not a conceited game, but a decisive milestone in their life and death. Pierre, by the will of fate, ended up on the "Raevsky battery", where decisive events took place, as historians later write. But even without them, Bezukhov "it seemed that this place (precisely because he was on it) was one of the most significant places of the battle." The blind eyes of a civilian do not see the whole scale of events, but only what is happening around. And here, as in a drop of water, all the drama of the battle was reflected, its incredible intensity, rhythm, tension from what was happening. The battery changes hands several times. Pierre fails to remain a contemplative, he actively participates in protecting the battery, but does everything on a whim, out of a sense of self-preservation. Bezukhov is scared of what is happening, he naively thinks that “... now they (the French) will leave it, now they will be horrified by what they have done! But the sun, veiled in smoke, was still high, and in front, and especially to the left of Semyonovsky, something was seething in the smoke, and the rumble of shots, shooting and cannonade not only did not weaken, but intensified to the point of desperation, like a man who, overstrained , screaming with all his might.
Tolstoy sought to show the war through the eyes of its participants, contemporaries, but sometimes looked at it from the point of view of a historian. So, he drew attention to poor organization, successful and unsuccessful plans that collapsed due to the mistakes of military leaders. Showing military operations from this side, Tolstoy pursued another goal. At the beginning of the third volume, he says that war is "an event contrary to human reason and all human nature." There was no justification for the last war at all, because the emperors waged it. In the same war, there was truth: when the enemy comes to your land, you are obliged to defend yourself, which was what the Russian army did. But be that as it may, the war still remained a dirty, bloody affair, which Pierre understood at Raevsky's battery.
The episode when Prince Andrei was wounded cannot leave the reader indifferent. But the most annoying thing is that his death is meaningless. He did not rush forward with a banner, as at Austerlitz, he was not on the battery, as at Shengraben, he only walked across the field, counting steps and listening to the noise of shells. And at that moment he was overtaken by the enemy core. The adjutant standing next to Prince Andrei lay down and shouted to him: “Lie down!” Bolkonsky stood and thought that he did not want to die, and "at the same time he remembered that they were looking at him." Prince Andrew could not do otherwise. He, with his sense of honor, with his noble prowess, could not lie down. In any situation, there are people who cannot run, cannot be silent and hide from danger. Such people usually die, but in the memory of others they remain heroes.
The prince was mortally wounded; was bleeding, Russian troops stood on occupied lines. Napoleon was horrified, he had not seen anything like it yet: “two hundred guns are aimed at the Russians, but ... the Russians are still standing ...” He dared to write that the battlefield was “magnificent”, but he was covered with the bodies of thousands, hundreds thousands of dead and wounded, but this no longer interested Napoleon. The main thing is that his vanity is not satisfied: he did not win a crushing and bright victory. Napoleon at that time was “yellow, swollen, heavy, with cloudy eyes, a red nose and a hoarse voice ... he was sitting on a folding chair, involuntarily listening to the sounds of firing ... He was waiting with painful anguish for the end of the cause, which he considered himself the cause of, but which he could not stop.
Here Tolstoy for the first time shows it as natural. On the eve of the battle, he took care of his dress for a long time and with pleasure, then he received a courtier who had arrived from Paris and played a small performance in front of a portrait of his son. For Tolstoy, Napoleon is the embodiment of vanity, the very one that he hates in Prince Vasily and Anna Pavlovna. A real person, according to the writer, should not care about the impression that he makes, but should calmly surrender to the will of events. This is how he portrays the Russian commander. “Kutuzov was sitting, his gray head bowed and his heavy body lowered, on a bench covered with a carpet, in the very place where Pierre had seen him in the morning. He did not make any orders, but only agreed or did not agree to what was offered to him. He doesn't fuss, trusting people to take the initiative where it's needed. He understands the meaninglessness of his orders: everything will be as it will be, he does not interfere with people with petty care, but believes in the high spirit of the Russian army.
The great humanist L.N. Tolstoy truthfully, accurately documented the events of August 26, 1812, giving his own interpretation of the most important historical event. The author denies the decisive role of personality in history. It was not Napoleon and Kutuzov who led the battle, it went on as it should have, how the thousands of people participating in it from both sides were able to “turn” it. An excellent battle painter, Tolstoy managed to show the tragedy of war for all participants, regardless of nationality. The truth was on the side of the Russians, but they killed people, died themselves for the sake of the vanity of one "little man." Speaking of this, Tolstoy, as it were, "warns" humanity against wars, against senseless hostility and bloodshed.
The exposition is located in the building of the former hotel of the Spaso-Borodino Monastery, where in 1867 the author of the epic novel War and Peace, the most famous work of world fiction about the era of the Napoleonic Wars, stayed. The historical interior of the hotel has not been preserved, it has been transformed into a museum space, in which the story is told about the author of the novel and the heroes of twenty chapters of Borodino.
In the first hall L.N. Tolstoy is presented both as an artillery officer, a participant in hostilities in the Caucasus and Crimea, and as an aspiring writer who gave priority to military subjects in his work, striving "with all the strength of his soul" for a truthful description of events and phenomena. The chapters of the novel "War and Peace", dedicated to its climax - the Battle of Borodino, were rewritten several times by the writer. In order to achieve the most reliable description of the battle scenes and landscapes of the field, Tolstoy arrived in Borodino. For two days, September 26 and 27, he "walked and traveled through the area where more than a hundred thousand people had fallen half a century before, made his notes and drew a battle plan ...". Returning to Moscow, Tolstoy informed his wife: "I will write such a Battle of Borodino as has never happened before." Books, photographs, graphic sheets, reproductions of the writer's manuscripts, finds from the battlefield tell about the preliminary work on the novel, including a trip to Borodino, the details of which can be found in the multimedia program.
About the "battle, which has not yet been" is told in the second room. It is filled with images of historical characters and fictional heroes of the novel who took part in the fighting on the Borodino field in August 1812. First of all, these are the commanders-in-chief of the armies M.I. Kutuzov and Napoleon. Most of the generals of both armies mentioned in the Borodino chapters are represented here. Portraits of historical characters and quotations from the novel reflect a picture of the artful interweaving of historical realities and fiction that underlies the panorama of a grandiose battle. Well-known images of Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky are shown in the hall by illustrations and Borodino pages of the novel in the context of battle graphics and authentic weapons, equipment, and personal belongings of the battle participants. It also reflects the second life of the heroes of the novel "War and Peace", which they received thanks to small books with separate chapters of the novel, published during the Great Patriotic War, the opera of the same name by S.S. Prokofiev and the film by S.F. Bondarchuk.
The conclusion of the writer Tolstoy about the moral victory of the Russian army near Borodino was and remains undeniable.
The exposition "Heroes of the novel "War and Peace" on the Borodino field" was opened in the year of the 140th anniversary of the completion of the complete book publication of the novel and is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.
- State Borodino Military Historical Museum Reserve
The author of the project is E.V. Semenishcheva
Scientific adviser - Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation A.V. Gorbunov
Research associates-exhibitors - E.A. Rogacheva, V.N. Fedorov, S.N. Khomchenko - LLC Studio "Museum Design"
The author of the artistic concept, the artistic director of the project is the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation A.N. Konov
Artists-designers - V.E. Voitsekhovsky, A.M. Gassel
Exposition graphics - D.S. Rudko - OOO "Intmedia"
Video support and technical support - E.V. Kamenskaya, A.A. Lazebny
On August 26, 1812, the fate of Russia and the Russian people was decided. The battle near Borodino by Leo Tolstoy is the moment of the highest tension, the moment of concentration of people's hatred for the invaders and at the same time the moment of final rapprochement with the people of his favorite heroes - Andrei and Pierre.
The battle of Borodino in the novel is described mainly as Pierre Bezukhov saw it. This awkward, kind and naive person who has never seen a war, according to the author's intention, like a child, perceives the unfolding battle events, all this is new to him, and therefore one cannot even doubt his veracity. Earlier, Pierre had heard a lot about the role of the military plan, about the importance of a correctly chosen position. And having arrived, he first of all tries to understand precisely the issues of military tactics. L. N. Tolstoy likes the naivety of the hero. Drawing a picture of the battle, the writer uses his favorite technique: first he gives a “view from above”, and then “from the inside”. It is Pierre's look that is the very view from the inside, the war through the eyes of a beginner. Twice Pierre covers the entire Borodin field with his eyes: before the battle and during the battle. But both times his inexperienced look notices not a position, but a “living area”. At the beginning of the battle, a view is given from a height. Pierre is struck by the sight of the battle itself. An amazingly beautiful and lively picture of the battlefield, illuminated by the rays of the morning sun, opens before him. And Pierre wants to be there, among the soldiers. At the moment when the hero enters "into the ranks of infantry soldiers", he acutely begins to feel the power of popular patriotism. Folk and soldier scenes are also given here from Pierre's point of view. It is the simplicity and sincerity of Pierre in this case that become evidence of a great truth: the people are the main force of the Russian army in the Battle of Borodino. He hears soldiers' conversations and understands their majestic meaning not so much with his mind as with his heart. Pierre carefully watches the militias and, like Tolstoy himself, sees the extreme tension of the moral strength of the resistance of the Russian army and people. Soon Pierre meets Andrei Bolkonsky, who no longer serves at the headquarters, but takes a direct part in the battle. He also no longer believes in military science, but he knows for sure that the strength of the people is now greater than ever. In his opinion, the outcome of the battle depends on the feeling that lives in all participants in the battle. And this feeling is popular patriotism, the immense rise of which on the day of Borodin convinces Bolkonsky that the Russians will certainly win. “Tomorrow, whatever it is,” he says, “we will definitely win the battle!” And Timokhin completely agrees with him, who knows that the soldiers even refused to drink vodka before the battle, because this is “not such a day.”
In a hot battle, on the Raevsky battery, the writer, through the eyes of Pierre, observes the unquenchable fire of national courage and stamina. And it is precisely from this that their courage seems even more amazing. The more formidable the danger becomes, the brighter the fire of patriotism flares up, the stronger the strength of popular resistance becomes.
M. I. Kutuzov showed himself to be a true commander of the people's war. He is the spokesman of the national spirit. Here is what Prince Andrei Bolkonsky thinks about him before the battle of Borodino: “He will not have anything of his own. He will not invent anything, will not undertake anything, but he will listen to everything, remember everything, put everything in its place, will not interfere with anything useful and will not allow anything harmful. He understands that there is something more significant than his will... And most importantly, why you believe him is that he is Russian...”
Historians believe that Napoleon won the Battle of Borodino. But the "battle won" did not bring him the desired results. The people abandoned their property and left the enemy. Food stocks were destroyed so that the enemy would not get it. There were hundreds of partisan detachments. They were big and small, peasant and landowner. One detachment, led by a deacon, captured several hundred prisoners in a month. There was an elder, Vasilisa, who killed hundreds of Frenchmen. There was a poet-hussar Denis Davydov - the commander of a large, active partisan detachment. Possessing the inertia of the offensive and a significant numerical superiority, the French army was stopped at Borodino. The Napoleonic victories came to a logical end, and this dealt a decisive moral blow to the aggressive spirit of the conquerors. The entire course of the war in Russia steadily undermined the glory of Napoleon. Instead of a brilliant duel of swords, he met the cudgel of the people's war. L. N. Tolstoy historically correctly considers the battle of Borodino as a turning point in the war, which determined the further quick death of the French army.
Moreover, Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy clearly showed that the battle of Borodino was precisely the moral superiority of the Russian liberation army over the French predatory one. The writer regards the battle of Borodino as a victory of the moral strength of the people of Russia over Napoleon and his army.
Tasks and tests on the topic "The Battle of Borodino - the culmination of the novel by L. N. Tolstoy "War and Peace""
- Spelling - Important topics for repeating the exam in the Russian language
Lessons: 5 Assignments: 7
- Bases of past tense verbs. Spelling of the letter before the suffix -l - Verb as part of speech Grade 4