Ever since its release in 1869, "War and Peace" has been considered the greatest novel in world literature, if just for its daunting size. While this has created an ordeal as to whether it's an easy or enjoyable read, what Leo Tolstoy's story proves to those willing to travel through its 1,300 pages is that it isn't just about war and peace. It's about the very fabric of humanity of Russian society at war with France, making the violence feel frightening even as it presents small moments of kindness amid the blood. It's a novel that's as much about history as it is deconstructing its true meaning of why certain figures like Napoleon Buonaparte and Tsar Alexander I rise to fame remembered centuries later. Tolstoy isn't just an obsessive when it comes to the minutiae of 500+ characters, it's about the ethos and logos behind them. Why is it considered the greatest novel ever written? It's probably because it says everything that needs to be said about being alive. You don't need to have been alive in the 19th century to appreciate this book, you simply need to open your heart.
For those entering the world of "War and Peace" for the first time will likely feel confused by the fifth page, where a dozen characters have been introduced at a party while mentioning their distant relatives in passing. There is so much to take in before the plot has really gotten going. If this is something that bothers you, please be aware that while these characters are at points interchangeable, there's only a few that truly matter to appreciating the subtext of the movie. It's characters like Natasha and Pierre, who journey through the story and go on small adventures. Their progression feels real as if Tolstoy was standing alongside them the entire time. It's an achievement that he feels that way about every character, even for those that escape the Russian culture. In spite of initial hostility for the French invasion that will kick off the series of wars throughout the book, there are many moments of humanity scattered throughout, such as a German doctor nursing a wounded soldier back to health.
What the book does perfectly creates an ad nauseum vision of two countries who are in a state of war. As the title will suggest, the book is split into opposing forms that shift between war and peace. The war chapters tend to be the liveliest, rich with details that turn a soldier falling off into a horse into something breathtaking and vivid. Even the uncertainty that comes with cloudy fields fill pages with suspense that never dulls. The peace chapters feel like breaks, or breaths of fresh air, as the royal families deal with the war at home. It starts with the more selfish desire of forming romances and extravagances that one would expect but slowly becomes a study of the ecosystem around them. How do they take care of the Russian society who has fallen prey to war? The forms begin to blur a third of the way through the book, and it leads to a fascinating study of why freedom isn't always the greatest desire.
For a 19th century novel, it manages to feel at times more contemporary than its setting suggests. For starters, Tolstoy's gender politics feel strangely progressive, managing to give women agency and treatment of marriage in a manner that feels more liberal. Similarly, he isn't afraid to throw in antagonistic dialogue into the war chapters, giving the story much-needed scenes of humor as it helps the audience better understand these characters on a personal level. There are references to how religion impacts characters' desires to live a just life even as a temptation for petty vengeance begins to show up. In one of the more shocking moments, Tolstoy even gives into conspiracy theory-level numerology to suppest that Napoleon was the devil. While these are clearly elements of the time, it proves how smart Tolstoy was at creating a story that was both fiction and nonfiction, creating arguably the best experience of what it must have been like to be alive in Russia.
Yes, the book will be tedious for those who dislike reading the war chapters. There are points where the violence becomes monotonous, but for good reason. Any historian will tell you that wars are an endurance test, lasting for months and years until one party gives up. The only tragedy is the many casualties who pop up throughout the novel. As much as Tolstoy uses the peace chapters to explore religion, philosophy, and economics, he uses the war chapters to understand how people work if forced to rely on impulse. There are chapters of towns being destroyed, and they're appalling in their sadness. If the feeling like "War and Peace" will never end feels that way, it's in part intentional because the story spans over years, taking tolls on a country barely trying to stay together. The fact that humanity shines through only makes it all the more powerful when it does. It's like a Trojan horse of sorts to see it grow throughout the chapters, never appearing for convenience's sake.
On a similar note, "War and Peace" earns the reputation of being a novel of importance because of its ending. The epilogue is split into two sections. One ends the story of Natasha and Pierre several years after the war. The other escapes the conventional narrative entirely to explore for dozens of pages the meaning of life. It asks the audience to wonder why figures like Napoleon could ever come to power and what stops humanity from changing the course of events. It's also about how history is viewed in the immediate and long terms, as figures of the past inform how the modern society lives. What the book inevitably preaches is that if everyone fought for their desires, there would not be war. Instead, there's too much of a desire for hierarchy, if just so that there's some convenience. He brings in history and science, managing to prove himself in a daunting and scholarly essay that defines the book so perfectly. Tolstoy mentioned in a critique of his work that "War and Peace" was a poem, and it's easy to see why.
It's a story with no conventional protagonist. There isn't one figure guiding the audience through the Russian landscape. Instead, Tolstoy serves like a hawk flying over these scenes, peering into different windows and fields to see what each character is up to. While this may be frustrating, it ends up creating an understanding that this isn't the journey of one person, but an entire country and even humanity as a broad concept. Yes, figures like Pierre never truly leave the text for long. There are figures that keep coming back, but that's how history works as it picks who are the relevant figures worthy of remembering. Tolstoy is sympathetic towards the lower class, who never get history written about them, and it's likely why he wrote the book this way. Even the most inconsequential character on the page evolves throughout the book, proving that every life matters. It's a lesson in how to pay attention to everything and not be close-minded. It's important to understand what the world around us wants, and why every life is important.
Why is "War and Peace" the greatest novel ever written? It's because of how Tolstoy manages to use his space to turn history into an ultimate lesson in empathy. It's a study of free will and why humanity is doomed to war unless they seek to change. The socioeconomic study of the characters reinvents an understanding of the war between Russia and France by proving that in spite of the deaths and chaos, there is something pure underneath. At the end of the day, there is a desire to make humanity a better place. It's just that those who want to make it worse have too much power over those who have no choice. It's a cautionary tale as well as an entertaining, heart-wrenching look into the past. It will not only give you a better understanding of war. It will give you a better understanding of yourself.
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