War and Peace (Complete Four Volumes): The Complete Novels of Tolstoy

Author: (Russia) Tolstoy
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: A vast and extensive long by Tolstoy. It features a grand scale and numerous characters, known as "the greatest novel in the world," achieving extraordinary accomplishments. Since its publication, War and Peace has been called "the greatest novel in the world." This monumental work, with its epic grandeur, vividly depicts the major historical events and various aspects of Russian society from 1805 to 1820: "Nearly a thousand characters, countless scenes, all possible domains of national and private life, history, war, all the tragedies of humanity, various desires, all stages of life, from the cry of a newborn baby to the final outburst of emotion in an elderly person on their deathbed—everything a person can feel, all possible inner thoughts, from the sensation of a thief stealing from his companions to the noble impulse of heroism and profound contemplation—all of this is present in this picture." (Strakhov's words) The author's broad and comprehensive coverage of life, his overall grasp of individual phenomena and the whole, and his full revelation of the intrinsic connections between individual fates and the surrounding world give this novel immense ideological and artistic depth. This is Tolstoy's vast and extensive long novel. The author connects war and peace, the front and the rear, the domestic and the foreign, the army and society, the upper and the lower, reflecting the spirit of the times comprehensively while also creating vast typical environments for a wide variety of archetypal characters. The author's portrayal of characters is both complex and rich, often employing the artistic method of contrast. The genre is an innovation in Russian literary history and also transcends the traditional norms of European novels.