War_&_Peace

War & Peace “All’s fair in love and war” said Francis Edward Smedley. Such could be the summarization of – according to critics – the greatest classic of our time, L.N. Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Themes of dedication to one’s homeland, war strategies, fate, bravery, rebirth, religion and love are portrayed in the novel as seen both through the eyes of the aristocracy and the peasantry. The theme that carries throughout the entire novel is the coming together of the classes to protect their motherland. “There were some that adopted all the army procedures and had infantry, artillery, a staff, and the conveniences of life; some consisted only of Cossack cavalry; others were scratch groups of foot and horse, of landowners and peasants, and remained unknown. A deacon commanded such a band, which captured several hundreds prisoners in the course of a month. There was also Vasilisa, the wife of a village elder, who slew hundreds of the French.” All mingled, rich and poor, those who were armed and those who were not properly equipped fought with equal fervor. A rising of the nation in such a manner, a merging into an indivisible strength and life, tolstoy, novel, tolstoy’s, war, through, peace, natasha, andrei, young, religion, together, love, because, russian, pierre, people, theme, prince, himself, felt, brotherhood, very, spirit, peasants, own, one, oak, nature, happy, battle, andrei’s, again