31 January 2011

Just a Quick Note to Say...

...we've officially hit over 300 views, people! Way to go and thanks for supporting your local literature buff!

"Pierre understood one thing while reading this book [Thomas a Kempis' Of the Imitation of Christ]; he understood the delight, previously unknown to him, of the possibility of achieving perfection and the possibility of brotherly and active love among people..."
- Leo Tolstoy (II.2.iii)
Day Count: 31
Page Count: 377

28 January 2011

Musings on the Verge of My First Milestone

"And however near and dear many people are to me - my father, my sister, my wife - the dearest people to me -- but, however terrible and unnatural it seems, I'd give them all now for a moment of glory, of triumph over people, for love from people I don't know and will never know, for the love of these people here... And still the only thing I love and cherish is triumph over all of them, I cherish that mysterious power and glory hovering over me here in this mist!"
- Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (I.3.xii)

Day Count: 27
Page Count: 290

 The time stamp on this post is dated sometime Friday morning, January 28, but the reality of the situation is that I am writing it on Thursday night, January 27 at 9:37pm. The day and post counts above reflect the facts of the matter at the time of the writing of this post - that is to say, I have been reading War and Peace for 27 days now and have completed over 290 pages. These are the facts of the matter at this time, but they have little to do with my excitement at this moment.

I am almost finished with Volume One! I am a scant four pages away from completing the first major section of War and Peace and am closing in on 300 pages... and some two-plus months ahead of schedule!

I feel like I have something of a feather for my cap now. In less than a month, I've managed to read three hundred pages of one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever written. I find myself being slowly drawn into the world that Tolstoy has created, sympathizing with and loving his characters as they begin to take on shape and dimension. They are ceasing to be characters in a book, but are becoming like real people whose highs and lows I am privileged enough to share in.

All that being said, I will leave you for now. I had a longer, more detailed post that I had originally planned on posting tonight, but it will have to wait for sometime this weekend. In the meantime, I wonder who will reach 300 first... me or this blog?!

The following are my counts at the time of the posting of this entry:

Day Count: 28
Page Count: 303

(Looks like I hit 300 pages before my blog hit 300 views. Not sure if I win or lose on that one... ;) I am, however, about a quarter of my way through War and Peace! w00t!)

23 January 2011

All Quiet on the Russian Front

"Just then the sun came all the way out from behind the clouds, and the beautiful sound of the solitary shot and the shining of the bright sun merged into one cheerful and merry impression."
- Leo Tolstoy (I.2.vi)

Day Count: 23
Page Count: 256

The last couple of weeks have been difficult ones for my reading of War and Peace and have, as such, been difficult ones for "Tackling Tolstoy." Those of you who follow the official "Tackling Tolstoy" Twitter feed - @TweetingTolstoy - know that I've been keeping up on my reading and those of you who are good at math and looked at the Page Count on this post know that I'm well ahead of my initially proposed 'three-a-day' schedule (more than a month ahead of schedule, actually - I'm not good enough at math to figure out exactly how far).

Through the vast majority of those weeks, I found myself embroiled in Volume One, Part Two.  Dealing predominantly with life on the Russian front in their war with Napoleon, Part Two took my hundred-pages-a-week momentum that I'd built up and ground it to a near halt. Tolstoy's attention to characterization took a backseat to his attention to tactics, something I know little to nothing about. Characters I was comfortable with and enjoyed - like Pierre Bezukhov, the "little princess" Liza Bolkonsky, and Natasha Rostov - were abandoned for new characters that I had little to know familiarity or connection with - men like commander-in-chief Kutuzov, the speech-impediment-wielding Denisov, and the heroic Bagration. The only bastions of familiarity in this sea of confusion were Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (easily the most quotable character in the book so far) and Nikolai Rostov (who I seem to like less and less the more I read about him).

Apparently, I'm not the only one who had some 'issues' making it through this section of the book. My department head - whom I now refer to as my 'brother in Tolstoy' - said that when he was reading War and Peace this fall, he definitely had some struggles making it through as well. His wife said that she had difficulties on her first time through, but has since grown to enjoy it on subsequent readings. It's good to know that if I ever want to read War and Peace again - a question I will likely broach at the end of this experiment - I will enjoy that laborious section a bit more.

However, I finished that section Thursday night and began Part Three on Friday. I felt a lot better immediately after I started reading. Here were the characters that I knew and loved in challenging situations and circumstances: Pierre Bezukhov being manipulated by Prince Vassily Kuragin into marrying Vassily's beautiful daughter Helene in hopes of gaining access to Pierre's substantial inheritance. Marya Bolkonsky standing by her principles in spite of pressure from her father, pressure from a suitor and his family, and even pressure from her own heart. Natasha Rostov attempting to come to grips with what love means at her tender, fragile age while the rest of her family sighs with relief at their first word from son Nikolai, who was wounded on the front. Even the moments on the battlefield have been full of more life and energy than they previously were. Young Nikolai Rostov becomes more well-rounded and developed as we see his inexplicable love for his sovereign and his country and unwillingness to follow his childhood friend Boris Drubetskoy or newfound rival Prince Andrei Bolkonsky into a 'comfortable' position as adjutant to a commander or general.

In fact, just over this weekend, I have already read over fifty pages... so it would appear that my lost momentum has returned. I return to reading War and Peace somewhat energized... and happier for having finished Volume One, Part Two! :)

07 January 2011

A French (Dis)Connection ...or... "Aaa-AAH, the French...!"

"You talk of Bonaparte; but Bonaparte, when he was working, went step by step towards his goal, he was free, he had nothing except his goal - and he reached it. But bind yourself to a woman - and, like a prisoner in irons, you lose all freedom."
- Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (I.1.vi)

Day Count: 7
Page Count: 104

One of the things that has been most challenging about the translation of War and Peace that I've chosen (the Richard Pevear/Larissa Volokhonsky translation) is that the translators have chosen to leave the large portions of French dialogue intact. Having taken Spanish in both middle and high school, I can honestly say that the only French I know (much like the German and Russian phrases that I know) come from plays that I have done or seen, books I have read, or films that I've watched. This means that the limitations placed on my ability to understand the language are myriad.

Tolstoy wrote War and Peace in both Russian and French, which a lot of translations apparently do not allude to. I can see the reasons behind translating the French into English - after all, so few Americans do speak French fluently - but he did write the French there for a reason.

My department head - the one who got me started on the idea of reading War and Peace - says that, in Russia around 1805, Russia was obsessed by French culture, to the point of conversing heavily in the French language. It was evidently not a rare thing to hear a Russian - particularly those of the higher class - making use of French phrases or corresponding entirely in French (as Julie Karagin and Marya Bolkonsky do in I.1.xxii).

I find this obsession with the French odd and ironic, especially considering that much of the dialogue in the book thus far - at least the dialogue spoken at 'social events' like dinners, parties, soirees, and the like - is almost entirely regarding Russia's dislike of France's emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, whose military victories over the neighbors of Russia had gained much attention. Indeed, many of these social figures are cursing Napoleon and his oncoming armies in one breath* and speaking to one another in the man's native tongue the next. The whole thing seems very inconsistent and incredibly ironic to me.

So, I asked my department head: "Is this irony merely something that Tolstoy includes as a way of maintaining historical accuracy or he attempting to bring the reader's mind to the irony inherent within this viewpoint?"

My department called his wife (who is the one who got him interested in reading War and Peace in the first place) who had taken a class on the book and asked her. She likened Russia's obsession with France to many parts of the world being so influenced by American culture. While America is certainly not the most 'well-liked' country in the world right now, aspects and elements of our culture are very influential worldwide. In the same way, France was one of the world's superpowers and, while the Russians did not like their 'foreign policy,' it seems likely that they were still strongly influenced by their culture.

My department head went on to say that, while he doesn't necessarily believe that the irony was intentional on Tolstoy's part (but simply a way of being true to that place and time), he doesn't feel it should be ignored either.

It feels good to have picked up on something like that, even if it wasn't the author's intent. I feel I'm being diligent and perceptive when that kind of thing goes down!

In a way of closing, I'd like to give a shout-out to another new-comer to the literary blogging community. He is one of my colleagues - an English lit teacher at the school where I work - and, in preparation for teaching it next semester, he has started blogging his reading and studies through James Joyce's immortal Ulysses. I applaud his efforts - Ulysses is by no means an easy book to read (maybe I'll get around to it someday) and, I'm sure, even harder to teach.

While we both have similar ideas - blogging our way through a piece of classic literature - I find that the two of us are taking vastly different approaches, which is appropriate given that we are very different people. While my blog is about a quintessential Russian novel and is more loosely focused on my experiences with the book, his blog teems with scholarly insights and teaching strategies on a quintessential Irish novel. He has started roughly around the same time I have and will very likely finish much sooner, but if you enjoy this blog and what it attempts to do, I would recommend checking out Unraveling Ulysses... and tell him Foxy sent you!

*EDIT NOTE (1/8/2010) - This is not to say that all of Tolstoy's socialites are anti-Napoleon. In fact, Pierre Bezukhov (the character many scholars say is closest to Tolstoy himself) is, at this point, an unapologetic Bonapartist, which creates problems for him at Anna Pavlovna's soiree. In fact, many young intellectuals would have been sympathetic to the French and Napoleon despite the coming war.


05 January 2011

Hitting the Wall... For the First Time

"In the best, the friendliest and simplest relations, flattery or praise is necessary, just as grease is necessary to keep wheels turning."
- Leo Tolstoy (I.1.vi)

Day Count: 5
Page Count: 70

The last couple of days don't feel like they've been quite as productive as the first couple. And, while the numbers seem to disagree with that statement, I feel like a general feeling of blase has hit with regard to the overwhelming excitement to read that consumed me on those first couple of days. Indeed, reading yesterday and day has seemed somewhat laborious in comparison with those first couple of can't-put-it-down days.

In my experience with reading through books, this is called "The Wall" - the point at which you hit your first barrier to completion. Climbing these walls (or digging under them or tunneling through them - pick your analogy of choice) is an essential part of marathon reading. Unfortunately, I tend to fall apart at The Wall.

Over the last several years, I have picked up a number of books and put them down after hitting The Wall. A few of those I've managed to pick up again, but if I hit The Wall too early, the temptation is pretty overwhelming to set the book down and go about my day sans literature. Some great books have been set aside for this reason: The Brothers Karamazov. Love in the Time of Cholera. Crime and Punishment. The Complete Short Stories of Nikolai Gogol. Lolita. (As you can see, I have an issue finishing Russian novels...) The list is endless...

However, I have managed to overcome The Wall before... even on some pretty hefty books. Usually, overcoming The Wall happens if I've gotten far enough along in a book that, even if I have ceased to be interested, I'm still committed to see it through 'til the end. Other times, I'm bored with the action, but am dedicated to certain characters or storylines enough to see them through. Examples of this include East of Eden, The Magnificent Ambersons, To Kill a Mockingbird, and This is Orson Welles.

At this point, I'm still very early on in the reading process. In a book with over 1200 pages, seventy down is hardly a dent... however, I feel I have something this time that I've not had in the past: accountability. Already, I've been encouraged by those who have read the book before me, letting me know that I need to commit early to taking time to read everyday - even if it's only a few pages. Also, this blog is a great source of accountability. Knowing that I am accountable to my readership (which has expanded to two - HOLLA!) is a big source of motivation for me to continue reading.

With your help, gentle readers, I shall overcome The Wall at every turn. Support your local literature buff, people!

02 January 2011

Meeting the Principal Players

"Nothing is so necessary for a young man as the company of intelligent women."
- Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, War and Peace (I.1.iii)

Day Count: 2
Page Count: 20

I'm twenty pages in at the start of the second day, which is well above the rate I need to be reading at to make it through War and Peace in a year! Establishing a good pace early is important, I think, as it will help establish a good momentum for the remainder of my reading. The book itself is 1215 pages (not including Tolstoy's "A Few Words Apropos of the Book War and Peace" which Pevear and Volokhonsky include in this volume as an appendix. (I'll very likely be reading that as well.) That means about three to three and a half pages a day to finish by December 31, 2011... so it looks like I'm making some good progress so far.

Secondly, a note with regard to format: I like the idea of starting every entry with a quote or two from the text that stands out to me - whether for its literary, artistic, or philosophical merit, I will leave for you, gentle reader, to decide. The quote may have something to do with what the given entry will be about; then again, it may not. The quotes will be followed by the volume number (capital Roman numeral), part number (Western numeral: 1, 2, 3, etc.), and chapter number (lower case Roman numeral), all separated by periods. This way, if you'd like to attempt to find the quote yourself (for those of you following along at home), you may do so.

I also would like to keep the readership (all one of you from the looks of my 'Followers' sidebar - "Hi, Kyle!") abreast of my progress. As such, I will be keeping a running tally of both how many days I've been reading and how many pages I've read in those days. This is more for my accountability than anything else.

With regard to the narrative: very little in the way of plot propulsion has happened so far, but I suppose I can forgive Tolstoy that 'indiscretion.' As he has 1200+ pages to begin the story, I can hardly fault him for not jumping directly into the action. In fact, I rather like it - it seems very much as though he is building a foundation of context and character, setting the stage for the bulk of the work that is to come. I remain patient at the outset, preparing myself for what I'm certain are greater things still to come.

The book opens on a conversation in preparation for a society party (a soiree, as Tolstoy says). Prince Vassily and Anna Pavlvona (the hostess) are discussing politics, which, indeed, most of the guests at this party seem to be obsessed with. Granted, the looming figure of Napoleon on the march through Europe is enough of a happening to spark many to heated discussion.

The hostess, Anna Pavlovna Scherer, is a pillar of society (by which Tolstoy seems to mean high society) and very much in command of the various guests and their conversations. All the while, she is the air of Russian social mores and pleasantries circa 1805. She is the hub around which a wheel of activity spins, pulling the other players of this tale into its wake.

I have thus far met only a handful of the rest of those whom I will call "The Principal Players".
  • Pierre Bezukhov - The fat, bespectacled, illegitimate son of a Count. He has little knowledge of 'society life,' having been raised and educated "abroad." He is brusque and outspoken, more than happy to interject his own thoughts into any passing conversation both loudly and without regard for how others might receive them, much to the chagrin of Anna Pavlovna. He appears to be friends with Prince Andrei.
  • Prince Andrei Bolkonsky - An attractive man of average height and build (also, apparently a prince). He is apparently bored with the entirety of the 'society life' in which he has been raised, almost to the point of contempt. I've seen very little of him, but he does not appear to think much of his wife, but does seem to think a great deal of Pierre, Anna Pavlovna, and Helene Kuragin.
  • Liza Bolkonsky a.k.a. "the little princess" - Prince Andrei's pregnant wife. In terms of substance of character, there doesn't seem to be all that much to her, really. Much is said by Tolstoy about her beauty and she seems to know how to play the game of society and gets swept up in it rather easily. While her husband is bored with it all, she comes to life... but, oddly, seems content with her 'handwork' (I would assume some form of needlepoint?), which I'm guessing is due to her pregnancy. The phrase "silly little nit" comes to mind when I think of her. I wonder if there's more to her than meets the eye.
I've met a few other characters (Vassily, Helene, Ippolit, and the Viscount of Mortemart), but I prefer to wait until I've read a little more about them before I begin to profile them. I am interested in seeing the groundwork being laid. I do enjoy the party as a means of introducing the Principal Players, as it seems a very natural device for such exposition. You get it all in just the opening scene - all the Players, their interactions with one another, their thoughts on the issues of the day (which, at this point, seems to include only Napoleon), etc. Great beginning!