War And Peace

9. Dolokhov and Petya infiltrate the French camp to get information.

10. Night. Petya is in a magic kingdom, dreaming. He is ready for anything.

11. In his impetuosity Petya is soon killed. Pierre is among the men rescued.

12. Pierre struggles on with the other prisoners. Karatayev is ill.

13. Pierre still derives great joy from Karatayev’s solemn happiness.

14. Karatayev lags behind and is shot. His dog is left howling.

15. They are rescued by Dolokhov. Pierre sees Petya’s dead body.

16. The French army, at half strength, is a ragged shambles.

17. Russian and French manoeuvres are like a game of blind man’s buff.

18. Even in retreat the absurd Napoleon is described as a ‘great man.’

19. Four good reasons why the Russians did not cut off the French.

Part IV (November—December 1812)

1. The Rostovs. Natasha’s grief is interrupted by bad news.

2. At first the countess cannot accept the news of Petya’s death.

3. Marya stays on with Natasha, then they leave for Moscow.

4. The Russian generals want more glory, hence the battle of Krasnoye.

5. Kutuzov’s natural good sense and total consistency.

6. Kutuzov’s speech of simplicity and sincerity moves the men.

7. A wattle wall is brought in to shield the fire.

8. Soldiers talk round the camp-fire under the night sky.

9. Two Frenchmenemerge from the woods, Ramballe and his orderly.

10. Crossing of the Berezina. Kutuzov receives the Order of St George.

11. Kutuzov, his job done, declines and dies.

12. Pierre gets used to freedom and reviews his life.

13. Pierre is happy now, full of good will and liked by everyone.

14. The people return to Moscow and the city begins to recover.

15. Pierre meets Natasha again, much changed. She is pleased to see him.

16. Natasha unburdens herself, telling the whole story of Andrey’s death.

17. Pierre spends long hours in the company of Marya and Natasha.

18. Pierre wants to marry Natasha. He leaves things to Marya.

19. Pierre is in a frenzy of joy. He loves everybody he meets.

20. Pierre has to go briefly to Petersburg, but the marriage is on.

EPILOGUE

Part I (1813—20)

1. The forces at work in history act beyond human reason.

2. The popular concepts of chance and genius are entirely superfluous.

3. An infinity of chance contingencies caused these events, not Napoleon.

4. Alexander renounces power. Why do bees exist? For no single reason.

5. Death of Count Ilya Rostov. Nikolay resigns. His position worsens.

6. Marya comes to Moscow. The match with Nikolay becomes possible.

7. They live at Bald Hills, raising a family. The debts are paid off.

8. Nikolay eschews violence. Sonya, the ‘sterile flower’, lives with them.

9. The happiness and imperfections of family life.

10. Natasha monopolizes Pierre, but gives him total freedom round the house.

11. Pierre returns, in trouble for staying away too long in Petersburg.

12. The separate microcosms at Bald Hills. Little Nikolay idolizes Pierre.

13. Pierre is worried about growing repression in the capital.

14. Pierre attacks the government, Nikolay defends, and little Nikolay listens.

15. The mutual, though different, love that exists between Marya and Nikolay.

16. Natasha’s jealous love. Little Nikolay’s desire to be worthy of his father.

Part II

1. The different faults of ancient and modern historians.

2. Historians, inconsistent and contradictory, stop short of real analysis.

3. The force of history is power, but how is it used to direct events?

4. The transfer of popular will to heroic leaders is a fallacy.

5. Will is only part of an event. Events often defy the will behind them.

6. No result stems from a given order. Orders come from the uninvolved.

7. Causation is complex. Retrospective explanations are too convenient.

8. We are not free, but consciousness creates in us an illusion of free will.

9. Actions are partly free, partly the products of necessity.

10. Freedom and necessity are interdependent. Neither is absolute.

11. Free will is an illusion. There are laws, and history must find them.

12. Free will must go. Personality depends on space, time and causality.

Appendix 2:

The Three Battles

Schöngrabern

The Russian action at Schöngrabern, or Hollabrünn on 16 November 1805 (4 November Old Style) was essentially defensive. Its purpose was to delay the French as long as possible so that the enfeebled Russian army could escape to recover its strength. The Austrian General Mack’s army had been routed at Ulm, which meant that Austria was lost, the French were pouring eastwards, and the Russian army, which had just marched a thousand miles, was pressed into service earlier than expected. General Kutuzov had pulled back to Vienna and he continued his retreat, burning down the bridges behind him. A temporary victory at Dürrenstein, against the French Commander Mortier, only served to weaken the army further. At Hollabrünn under General Bagration a Russian army of 6,000 held out against 30,000 Frenchmen.

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