A chapter by chapter guide to Tolstoy's War & Peace. These are Summaries/Cliffnotes on a podcast, hence Podnotes. It is best used as a supplement to your reading of the classic. The episodes and descriptions will provide information, context and commentary on each chapter -- and will likely take a lifetime to complete . The goal is for each episode to come in under 10 minutes. The original work fluctuates between French and Russian and there are multiple English translations of War & Peace.…
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Pierre wins the Duel and thereafter cannot stand to be in the presence of his wife. The night after the conflict he avoids the marital bedroom in preference of his late father’s room. Pierre desires to fall asleep and forget all. Yet a storm of emotions prevents any rest. Pierre relives his rash decision to marry, which he now realizes would inevitably lead to dreadful consequences. He…
This chapter involves Tolstoy’s craftsmanship of one of the most famous duels in fiction. It starts with Captain Denísov announcing the formalities and giving a vigorous countdown. On the count of three, each can advance and fire their one shot before reaching sabres that marked ten paces from the other. Dolokhov walked calmly without raising his pistol. He donned a wry smile and looked intently…
After Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in late 2024 for the heavyweight championship, the Ukrainian boxer held up a sabre that once belonged to the 17th Century Ukrainian Cossack Hetman, Ivan Mapeza, who this episode is dedicated to. Usyk’s fortitude spoke to Ukraine’s resilience against a larger foe who initiated the type of vainglorious War Tolstoy condemns, with all of his soul, in W&P.…
Pierre was stewing over his wife’s perceived infidelity with Dolokhov, who was sitting right across from him at the celebration for Bagration. As too often of late, Pierre was a glutton - eating and drinking in excess. He sensed what marrying into the Kuragin family would devolve into -- but could not resist that Siren’s call of Hélène. Pierre’s suspicions were roused by rumor as well as an…
Tolstoy addresses how divided opinions persist through the ages. There will be a prominent crisis grabbing Your attention where every opinion under the sun is stated. He posits there is a perception afforded to a select few people involved in whatever conflict is at hand. There will naturally be some who get close to an accurate prediction of how a matter turns out and are often mistaken with…
The magnificent banquet honoring General Bagration was held in Moscow on March 3, 1806 at the English Club, a great marble hall with a series of smaller saloons. This celebration is remembered for its fervor amidst defeat. A source Tolstoy used for this was the first-hand account by the English writer & diplomat, Robert Ker Porter, who ironically notes that by 1806, there were not three English…
On his return as a lieutenant in a fancy military jacket laced with silver as well as possessing a St. George’s Cross for bravery, Nicholas is treated magnificently. Nicholas gets used to it and develops an ego that leaves him open to being taken advantage of. The finances of his aristocratic family are brought out, noting how his affable father, Ilya, was bestowing a trove on his Prodigal son, as…
We are brought to early 1806, where Tolstoy uses Nicholas and Denisov to transition the story to Peace. Rostov has went from witnessing Czar Alexander crying under a tree near Austerlitz to returning to his Moscow estate. This chapter addresses his warm embrace. Nicholas was traveling with Denisov, who is partially based on the literary Hussar, Dennis Davydov. Rostov persuaded Denisov to accompany…
This is part 2 of 3 on Tolstoy’s 2nd Sevastopol Sketch, which focuses on May of 1855 and declares the ineffable value of Truth as hero. I’m presenting this episode after covering Austerlitz, a conflict symbolic of the vain pursuits of rulers. Further, similar to the result of Austerlitz, the Crimean War was a extraordinary humiliation for Russia that forced societal change. This sketch also…
Andrei lies moaning from a head wound on the Pratzen Heights, symbolic of the numerous souls dead or wounded. The depiction of Andrei chasing military glory but falling short, was influenced by how Kutuzov historically lost his son-in-law, Theodor von Tiesenhausen, at Austerlitz. Kutuzov sent the young noble, who served as an aide-de-camp , to rally retreating troops. After Tiesenhausen seized a…
