Chapter Summaries: Dole: The guests. Pierre. Nariushkin's story. Shinshin's jest. Count I.A. Rostof's solicitude. Bagration's apperance. Nikolai presented. Moscow hospitality personified. P.I. Kutuzof's cantata. The toasts.
Briggs: The dinner at the English Club, Count Rostov's finest hour.
Maude: The dinner. Bagration as guest of honor.
Pevear and Volkhonsky: The festivities begin. Bagration arrives.
III. On the 3rd of March in all the rooms of the English club stood the moan of talking voices and, as bees in the spring fly by, scurried about back and forward, were sitting, were standing, converged and diverged, in uniforms, tailcoats and still some who were in powder and caftans, members and visitors of the club. Powdered, in stockings and shoes, liveried lackeys were standing at each door and tensely tried to catch each movement of the guests and members of the club, so that to propose their service. The majority present were old, respectable people with broad, self-confident faces, thick fingers, solid movements and voices. The families of visitors and members were sitting by their famous, habitual places and converged on the famous, habitual circles. A small part present consisted of random guests — predominantly youth, in the number of which were Denisov, Rostov and Dolohov, who was again a Semenovsky officer. In the face of the youth, especially the military, was this expression and contemptuous respectfulness feeling to the elderly, as if saying to the old generation: "to respect and esteem you we are ready, but remember that all the same for us is the future.” Nesvitsky was here the same as an old member of the club. Pierre, by order of his wife let his hair go, took off his glasses and dressed fashionable, but with a sad and dull look went by the halls. He, as everywhere was surrounded by the atmosphere of people who worshiped before his wealth, with the habit of reigning and absent-minded contempt approached them. By years he should have been with the young, by wealth and relations he was a member of the circles of the old, venerable guests, and because of it went over from one circle to another. The elderly of the most significant formed the center circles, to which respectfully moved closer even the unfamiliar so that to listen to famous people. Big circles formed about Count Rastopchin, Valuev and Naryshkin. Rastopchin talked about how the Russians were crumpled by the running Austrians and must have with bayonets paved themselves a road through the fugitives. Valuev confidentially talked about how Uvarov was sent from Petersburg, so to know the opinion of Muscovites about Austerlitz. In the third circle Naryshkin spoke about a meeting of the Austrian military council in which Suvurov shouted like a rooster in an answer to the stupidity of the Austrian generals. Shinshin, standing here already, wanted to joke, saying that for Kutuzov, it was seen, this easy art — to shout as a young rooster — could not be learned from Suvorov; but the old men strictly looked at the joker, giving him that feeling that here and on the current day it was so indecent to speak about Kutuzov. Count Ilya Andreich Rostov, concerned, hastily laughed in his soft boots from the dining room and in the living room, hastily and completely equally greeting important and unimportant faces, whom he all knew, and occasionally looking for the eyes of the slim fine fellow that was his son, happily stopping at him with his look and winking at him. Young Rostov stood at the window with Dolohov, whom he had recently met, and whose acquaintance he cherished. The old count came up to him and shook the hand of Dolohov. — I beg mercy, here you are with my well done familiar... together there, together were heroic... Ah! Vasiliy Ignatich... great, old, — he turned to a held old man, but did not have the time still to finish greetings, as all stirred, and came running a lackey with a scared face, reporting: "The favored!" Hearing the calls; the foremen threw forward; the scattered into different rooms visitors, as shaken up rye in a shovel, crowded into one lot and stopped in the big living room in the doors of the halls. At the front doorway was seen Bagration, without hat and sword, which he, by club custom, left at the doorman. He was not in his Smushkovo cap with a whip across his shoulder, as saw Rostov him on the night on the eve of the battle of Austerlitz, but in a new narrow uniform with Russian and foreign orders and with St. George’s stars on the left side of his breast. He apparently now, before dinner, trimmed his hair and whiskers, which unprofitably changed his physiognomy. On his face was something naively festive, giving a connection with his firm, courageous features, even some comic expressions of his face. Bekleshov and Fedor Petrovich Uvarov, arrived with him together, stopped in the doorway, wishing for him, as the main guest, to pass forward of them. Bagration mixed up, not wishing to benefit from their courtesy; had occurred to stop in the doorway, and finally Bagration all the same passed forward. He was walking, not knowing where to put his hand, shyly and awkwardly, by the parquet of the reception: he was more familiar with and it was easier for him to walk under bullets by a plowed field as he was walking before the Kursky regiment at Schongraben. The foremen met him at the first door, said to him a few words about the joys of seeing so dear a guest, and not waiting for his answer, as if taking possession of them, surrounded him and led him into the living room. In the doorway of the living room there was not an opportunity to take from the crowding members and guests, crushing each other and across the shoulders of each other trying, as a rare beast, to consider Bagration. Count Ilya Andreich, more energetic than all, laughing and saying: "let it go, mon cher (my dear), let it go, let it go," pushed through the crowd, spent the guests in the living room and planted onto the middle sofa. The bigwigs, the most honorable members of the club, surrounded the arrivals again. Count Ilya Andreich, pushing again through the crowd, got out of the living room and with another foreman in a moment appeared, carrying a great silver dish, which he brought to Prince Bagration. On the dish lay a composed and printed in his honor heroic poem. Bagration, seeing the dish, scaredly turned back, as if looking for assistance. Yet all eyes were demanding for him to submit. Feeling himself in their authority, Bagration resolutely, with both hands, took the dish and angrily, reproachfully looked at the count offering it. Someone helpfully took the dish out from the hands of Bagration (but would he, it seemed, have found to keep it so until the evening and so go to the table) and turned his attention to the poems. "Well and I will read it," as if said Bagration and directing his tired eye onto the paper, began to read with a focused and severe look. The writer himself took the poems and began to read. Prince Bagration bowed his head and listened. "So glorious is the century of Aleksandr and we guard Titus on the throne. Be brought the terrible chief and kind person, Riphean in the homeland, but Caesar on the battlefield. Yes happy Napoleon, knowing through experience what is Bagration, dares not to bother Alcides Russians more..." But still he had not finished the poem, as the loud butler proclaimed: "Food is ready!" The door opened, thundered from the polished dining room: "the thunder victory gives out, have fun brave Russe," and Count Ilya Andreich, angrily looking at the author who continued to read the poem, bowed before Bagration. All got up, feeling that the dinner was more important than the poem, and again Bagration ahead of all went to the table. In the first location, between two Alexanders — Bekleshov and Naryshkin, that too had matters by relation to the name of the sovereign, was planted Bagration: 300 people settled down in the dining room by rank and importance, who was more important, — closer to the honored guest: so the same naturally, as water spills over deeper, where the terrain is lower. Before this very dinner Count Ilya Andreich represented the prince to his son. Bagration, upon learning of him, said a few awkward, clumsy words, as all the words that he spoke on this day. Count Ilya Andreich happily and proudly looked around all at that time as Bagration spoke with his son. Nikolay Rostov with Denisov and his new acquaintance Dolohov sat down together almost at the middle of the table. Opposite them sat Pierre nearby with Prince Nesvitsky. Count Ilya Andreich sat opposite Bagration with other foremen and treated the prince, personifying in himself Moscow’s hospitality. His proceedings had not gone for nothing. His dinners, lean and bold, were gorgeous, but completely calm he all the same could not be before the end of the dinner. He winked at the barman, stomp ordered the lackeys, and not without excitement saw each of his dishes. All was perfect. At the second dish, together with the gigantic sterlet (which seeing, Ilya Andreich was red from joys and shyness), Now lackeys became jammed and smacked to pour the champagne. After the fish, which produced some impression, Count Ilya Andreich looked with the other foremen. —"There will be many toasts, time to begin!" — he whispered and took the glass in his hand — getting up. All fell silent and waited for what he would say. — The health of the sovereign emperor! — he shouted, and at that same moment his kind eyes got wet in tears of joys and delight. At that same moment started playing: "the thunder victory gives out." All got up from their places and screamed hoorah! And Bagration shouted hoorah! by that same voice how he shouted on the Schongraben field. The enthusiastic voice of young Rostov was heard from behind all 300 voices. He cried not a little bit. — The health of the sovereign emperor, — he shouted, — hoorah! — drinking in one gulp his glass, he threw it on the floor. Many followed his example. And for long continued the loud shouting. When the voices fell silent, the lackeys picked up the broken dishes, and all sat down, and smiled at the screaming talk. Count Ilya Andreich rose again, looked at a little note lying beside his plates and proclaimed a toast for the health of the hero of our last campaign, Prince Peter Ivanovich Bagration and again the blue eyes of the count got wet in tears. Hoorah! Again screamed the voices of 300 guests, and instead of music was heard singers, singing a cantata of the work of Pavel Ivanovich Kutuzov. "Futile to the Russe are all obstacles, bravery is victory’s pledge, In us is Bagration, will all our enemies be at his feet" and etc. Only when the singers finished, followed new and new toasts, in which all more and more felt sorry for Count Ilya Andreich, and still more knocked glassware, and still more screamed. Drinking for the health of Bekleshov, Naryshkin, Uvarov, Dolgorukov, Apraksin, and Valuev, for the health of the foremen, for the health of the steward, for the health of all the members of the club, for health of all the guests of the club and finally separately for the health of the founder of the dinner Count Ilya Andreich. At this toast the count took out his handkerchief and, covering his face, completely burst into tears.
Time: 3d of March (fifteenth of March in Dole.)
Locations: English club in Moscow
Mentioned: Russians (and Russ in Wiener and Pevear and Volkhonsky (the latter using an ellipsis to suggest that this was a cut off. Wiener also uses Russes.)), Austrians, St. Petersburg, Muscovites, Austerlitz, Kursk, Schongraben
Pevear and Volkhonsky: Drone and bees, a big analogy Tolstoy makes later in the book (and in Anne Karenina). But now, we are talking about the English Club. Re-reminder of Dolokhov getting his rank back, as if Tolstoy is afraid we will forget. Pierre has changed due to “his wife’s orders”. He does not fit in either the young or the older group. Again, parties and gatherings are described as circles that people enter and exit from.
Briggs: The dinner at the English Club, Count Rostov's finest hour.
Maude: The dinner. Bagration as guest of honor.
Pevear and Volkhonsky: The festivities begin. Bagration arrives.
III. On the 3rd of March in all the rooms of the English club stood the moan of talking voices and, as bees in the spring fly by, scurried about back and forward, were sitting, were standing, converged and diverged, in uniforms, tailcoats and still some who were in powder and caftans, members and visitors of the club. Powdered, in stockings and shoes, liveried lackeys were standing at each door and tensely tried to catch each movement of the guests and members of the club, so that to propose their service. The majority present were old, respectable people with broad, self-confident faces, thick fingers, solid movements and voices. The families of visitors and members were sitting by their famous, habitual places and converged on the famous, habitual circles. A small part present consisted of random guests — predominantly youth, in the number of which were Denisov, Rostov and Dolohov, who was again a Semenovsky officer. In the face of the youth, especially the military, was this expression and contemptuous respectfulness feeling to the elderly, as if saying to the old generation: "to respect and esteem you we are ready, but remember that all the same for us is the future.” Nesvitsky was here the same as an old member of the club. Pierre, by order of his wife let his hair go, took off his glasses and dressed fashionable, but with a sad and dull look went by the halls. He, as everywhere was surrounded by the atmosphere of people who worshiped before his wealth, with the habit of reigning and absent-minded contempt approached them. By years he should have been with the young, by wealth and relations he was a member of the circles of the old, venerable guests, and because of it went over from one circle to another. The elderly of the most significant formed the center circles, to which respectfully moved closer even the unfamiliar so that to listen to famous people. Big circles formed about Count Rastopchin, Valuev and Naryshkin. Rastopchin talked about how the Russians were crumpled by the running Austrians and must have with bayonets paved themselves a road through the fugitives. Valuev confidentially talked about how Uvarov was sent from Petersburg, so to know the opinion of Muscovites about Austerlitz. In the third circle Naryshkin spoke about a meeting of the Austrian military council in which Suvurov shouted like a rooster in an answer to the stupidity of the Austrian generals. Shinshin, standing here already, wanted to joke, saying that for Kutuzov, it was seen, this easy art — to shout as a young rooster — could not be learned from Suvorov; but the old men strictly looked at the joker, giving him that feeling that here and on the current day it was so indecent to speak about Kutuzov. Count Ilya Andreich Rostov, concerned, hastily laughed in his soft boots from the dining room and in the living room, hastily and completely equally greeting important and unimportant faces, whom he all knew, and occasionally looking for the eyes of the slim fine fellow that was his son, happily stopping at him with his look and winking at him. Young Rostov stood at the window with Dolohov, whom he had recently met, and whose acquaintance he cherished. The old count came up to him and shook the hand of Dolohov. — I beg mercy, here you are with my well done familiar... together there, together were heroic... Ah! Vasiliy Ignatich... great, old, — he turned to a held old man, but did not have the time still to finish greetings, as all stirred, and came running a lackey with a scared face, reporting: "The favored!" Hearing the calls; the foremen threw forward; the scattered into different rooms visitors, as shaken up rye in a shovel, crowded into one lot and stopped in the big living room in the doors of the halls. At the front doorway was seen Bagration, without hat and sword, which he, by club custom, left at the doorman. He was not in his Smushkovo cap with a whip across his shoulder, as saw Rostov him on the night on the eve of the battle of Austerlitz, but in a new narrow uniform with Russian and foreign orders and with St. George’s stars on the left side of his breast. He apparently now, before dinner, trimmed his hair and whiskers, which unprofitably changed his physiognomy. On his face was something naively festive, giving a connection with his firm, courageous features, even some comic expressions of his face. Bekleshov and Fedor Petrovich Uvarov, arrived with him together, stopped in the doorway, wishing for him, as the main guest, to pass forward of them. Bagration mixed up, not wishing to benefit from their courtesy; had occurred to stop in the doorway, and finally Bagration all the same passed forward. He was walking, not knowing where to put his hand, shyly and awkwardly, by the parquet of the reception: he was more familiar with and it was easier for him to walk under bullets by a plowed field as he was walking before the Kursky regiment at Schongraben. The foremen met him at the first door, said to him a few words about the joys of seeing so dear a guest, and not waiting for his answer, as if taking possession of them, surrounded him and led him into the living room. In the doorway of the living room there was not an opportunity to take from the crowding members and guests, crushing each other and across the shoulders of each other trying, as a rare beast, to consider Bagration. Count Ilya Andreich, more energetic than all, laughing and saying: "let it go, mon cher (my dear), let it go, let it go," pushed through the crowd, spent the guests in the living room and planted onto the middle sofa. The bigwigs, the most honorable members of the club, surrounded the arrivals again. Count Ilya Andreich, pushing again through the crowd, got out of the living room and with another foreman in a moment appeared, carrying a great silver dish, which he brought to Prince Bagration. On the dish lay a composed and printed in his honor heroic poem. Bagration, seeing the dish, scaredly turned back, as if looking for assistance. Yet all eyes were demanding for him to submit. Feeling himself in their authority, Bagration resolutely, with both hands, took the dish and angrily, reproachfully looked at the count offering it. Someone helpfully took the dish out from the hands of Bagration (but would he, it seemed, have found to keep it so until the evening and so go to the table) and turned his attention to the poems. "Well and I will read it," as if said Bagration and directing his tired eye onto the paper, began to read with a focused and severe look. The writer himself took the poems and began to read. Prince Bagration bowed his head and listened. "So glorious is the century of Aleksandr and we guard Titus on the throne. Be brought the terrible chief and kind person, Riphean in the homeland, but Caesar on the battlefield. Yes happy Napoleon, knowing through experience what is Bagration, dares not to bother Alcides Russians more..." But still he had not finished the poem, as the loud butler proclaimed: "Food is ready!" The door opened, thundered from the polished dining room: "the thunder victory gives out, have fun brave Russe," and Count Ilya Andreich, angrily looking at the author who continued to read the poem, bowed before Bagration. All got up, feeling that the dinner was more important than the poem, and again Bagration ahead of all went to the table. In the first location, between two Alexanders — Bekleshov and Naryshkin, that too had matters by relation to the name of the sovereign, was planted Bagration: 300 people settled down in the dining room by rank and importance, who was more important, — closer to the honored guest: so the same naturally, as water spills over deeper, where the terrain is lower. Before this very dinner Count Ilya Andreich represented the prince to his son. Bagration, upon learning of him, said a few awkward, clumsy words, as all the words that he spoke on this day. Count Ilya Andreich happily and proudly looked around all at that time as Bagration spoke with his son. Nikolay Rostov with Denisov and his new acquaintance Dolohov sat down together almost at the middle of the table. Opposite them sat Pierre nearby with Prince Nesvitsky. Count Ilya Andreich sat opposite Bagration with other foremen and treated the prince, personifying in himself Moscow’s hospitality. His proceedings had not gone for nothing. His dinners, lean and bold, were gorgeous, but completely calm he all the same could not be before the end of the dinner. He winked at the barman, stomp ordered the lackeys, and not without excitement saw each of his dishes. All was perfect. At the second dish, together with the gigantic sterlet (which seeing, Ilya Andreich was red from joys and shyness), Now lackeys became jammed and smacked to pour the champagne. After the fish, which produced some impression, Count Ilya Andreich looked with the other foremen. —"There will be many toasts, time to begin!" — he whispered and took the glass in his hand — getting up. All fell silent and waited for what he would say. — The health of the sovereign emperor! — he shouted, and at that same moment his kind eyes got wet in tears of joys and delight. At that same moment started playing: "the thunder victory gives out." All got up from their places and screamed hoorah! And Bagration shouted hoorah! by that same voice how he shouted on the Schongraben field. The enthusiastic voice of young Rostov was heard from behind all 300 voices. He cried not a little bit. — The health of the sovereign emperor, — he shouted, — hoorah! — drinking in one gulp his glass, he threw it on the floor. Many followed his example. And for long continued the loud shouting. When the voices fell silent, the lackeys picked up the broken dishes, and all sat down, and smiled at the screaming talk. Count Ilya Andreich rose again, looked at a little note lying beside his plates and proclaimed a toast for the health of the hero of our last campaign, Prince Peter Ivanovich Bagration and again the blue eyes of the count got wet in tears. Hoorah! Again screamed the voices of 300 guests, and instead of music was heard singers, singing a cantata of the work of Pavel Ivanovich Kutuzov. "Futile to the Russe are all obstacles, bravery is victory’s pledge, In us is Bagration, will all our enemies be at his feet" and etc. Only when the singers finished, followed new and new toasts, in which all more and more felt sorry for Count Ilya Andreich, and still more knocked glassware, and still more screamed. Drinking for the health of Bekleshov, Naryshkin, Uvarov, Dolgorukov, Apraksin, and Valuev, for the health of the foremen, for the health of the steward, for the health of all the members of the club, for health of all the guests of the club and finally separately for the health of the founder of the dinner Count Ilya Andreich. At this toast the count took out his handkerchief and, covering his face, completely burst into tears.
Time: 3d of March (fifteenth of March in Dole.)
Locations: English club in Moscow
Mentioned: Russians (and Russ in Wiener and Pevear and Volkhonsky (the latter using an ellipsis to suggest that this was a cut off. Wiener also uses Russes.)), Austrians, St. Petersburg, Muscovites, Austerlitz, Kursk, Schongraben
Pevear and Volkhonsky: Drone and bees, a big analogy Tolstoy makes later in the book (and in Anne Karenina). But now, we are talking about the English Club. Re-reminder of Dolokhov getting his rank back, as if Tolstoy is afraid we will forget. Pierre has changed due to “his wife’s orders”. He does not fit in either the young or the older group. Again, parties and gatherings are described as circles that people enter and exit from.
Count Ilya Rostov greets everyone the same, no matter how important they are. The connection between Nikolai Rostov and Dolokhov, further setting up the duel plot line.
Long long description of Prince Bagration, the one who the gathering is sort of organized around. Concept that being at battle is easier for him than being in this kind of societal function. Even Ilya Rostov can’t contain his excitement and
does not treat him as he treats everyone else. Comic, strange scene with the platter and the poem. So many people get angry at each other in a span of just a couple paragraphs.
does not treat him as he treats everyone else. Comic, strange scene with the platter and the poem. So many people get angry at each other in a span of just a couple paragraphs.
“Three hundred people were then seated in the dining room by rank and importance, the more important closer to the guest of honor, as naturally as water flows deeper where the terrain is lower.”
As the note says, Rostov allows for his guests to fast or not fast for lent, serving both.
It is the sovereign that sort of unites everyone, with Bagration turning back into the one we have seen previously and Nikolai Rostov getting that old passion back.
The real songs and poems Tolstoy uses to color the chapter.
The importance is the effect all this toasting and ceremony has on Ilya Rostov, which is a swelling of emotion, a sincere weeping.
Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):
Denisof
Rostof (often differentiated via “Young Rostof”)
Dolokhof
Prince Nesvitsky
Pierre
Ellen (only “his wife”)
Count Rostopchin
Valuyef
Alexander Naruishkin (“Naryshkin” in Dunnigan, Maude, and Edmonds.)
Feodor Petrovitch Uvarof (“Fedor Petrovich Uvarov” in Wiener. “Fedor Petrovitch Ouvarow” in Bell. “Fyodor Uvarov” in Mandelker and Briggs. “Fyodor Petrovitch Uvarov” in Garnett. “Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov” in Dunnigan. “Fiodr
Petrovich Uvarov” in Edmonds. “Theodore Uvarov” in Maude.)
Suvarof
Shinshin
Kutuzof
Count Ilya Andreyitch Rostof
Vasili Ignatyitch (a “little old man”. See chapter 1 for variations of Vasili and chapter 28 for variations of Ignatyitch)
Prince Piotr Ivanovitch Bagration (see chapters 16 and 39 for alternative spellings of “Piotr.” Dunnigan, Maude, and Edmonds use “Ivanovich”, while Garnett and Dole retain the t.)
Alexander Bekleshof (“Bekleshov” in Wiener, Briggs, and Mandelker. “Beclechow” in Bell.
Czar Alexander (just Alexander, “the sovereign”, and “the emperor”)
Napoleon
Pavel Ivanovitch Kutuzof (see above for alternative “Ivanovitch” and “Kutuzof” spellings. Bell and Mandelker call his first name “Paul”. Dole, Garnett, and Wiener use “Pavel.” Briggs full names him as “Pavel Ivanovich
Golenishchev-Kutuzov.”)
Dolgorukof
Apraksin (this would assumedly be the male instead of the female Apraksin)
(a footman, a Swiss, and of course many people at the party, the person who hands Bagration the “salver” and the person who grabs it from him, who may also be the composer of the verses)
(Titus, Ripheus, Caesar, and Hercules are all referenced, but these are all mythological characters that shouldn’t count as characters in the book.)
Abridged Versions: No chapter break for Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 3.
Gibian: Chapter 3.
Fuller: Only two sentences from this chapter are used, the opening with the date and “the hum of voices” and where Rostof is sitting. It then immediately goes into the next chapter without a break in a way that flows very
naturally (the abridgment especially makes it obvious how irrelevant what goes on in this chapter has to do with the main plot with our main characters).
naturally (the abridgment especially makes it obvious how irrelevant what goes on in this chapter has to do with the main plot with our main characters).
Komroff: A little of the early division of the different circles is removed. Belkeshof and Uvarof are cut. Bagration’s disgust with holding the platter with the poem on it is removed, but the platter and poem are kept. The
second poem/song is cut but everything else is pretty much kept and followed by a line break.
second poem/song is cut but everything else is pretty much kept and followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: Only a small section is preserved introducing the party before cutting to the next chapter focusing on Pierre with no break in a similar but not exact decision to Fuller’s.
Bromfield: Chapter is preserved except, as with the previous chapter, we lose the old count centrality. No break.
Simmons: Chapter 3: cut and replaced with: "Bagration is presented a gift, and a cantata is sung in his honor at the dinner. Toasts are drunk. Count Ilya is radiant over the success of the dinner and the fact that Bagration remembers
his son. Among those present are Nicholas, Pierre, Denisov, and Dolokhov."
Simmons: Chapter 3: cut and replaced with: "Bagration is presented a gift, and a cantata is sung in his honor at the dinner. Toasts are drunk. Count Ilya is radiant over the success of the dinner and the fact that Bagration remembers
his son. Among those present are Nicholas, Pierre, Denisov, and Dolokhov."
Bienstock and Martel: Rather than the celebration dinner for Bagration (there have been no War sections in the play yet), the Rostovs are at Scherer's and female society is included. Berg and Vera are already fiances. Julie is here,
but doesn't know the Rostovs and Andre has to introduce them. Natasha and Anna have a conversation about Andre similar to the one had during the ball (this seems to be a mix of the ball and Bagration dinner) between her and
Peronskaya. Petia is also given a more active role in conversations. Pierre's marriage (and its unhappiness) are revealed here. Mademoiselle George's singing is introduced here, as is Maria Dmitrievna. Hippolyte and Bilibine are
here, but the former doesn't do much. Bilibine discusses Napoleon's nearness to the Niemen and with Scherer talks about the Continental blockade. Basile, Rostov, and Bilibine discuss the bad wording of the note. Scherer and
Rostov discuss the Lauriston and emperor incident. Basile gets Rostopchin's lines (from the novel) about every part of their society being French (though Dokhtourov gets the line about Peter the Great's baton). Dolokhov then
dances with Helene and Anatole asks for money (here is also where Basile talks about his charity of taking an estate off Pierre's hands). Pierre tells Andre he will kill Dolokhov and they have a conversation about Pierre's initial
attraction to and then marriage to Helene (Andre also gets some of his lines about women from early in the novel here). They also discuss the anonymous letter. Berg comes to Pierre and tells him about his idea for marrying Vera.
Natasha cries and wants to leave for not being asked to dance. Maria Dmitrievna arrives and here mostly has her role from the Rostov party in the novel.
Pierre asks Andre to dance with her and Berg has the conversation about the dowry with Count Rostov. Andre and Natasha talk about the time he heard her talking about the moonlight. Pierre and Andre immediately have the
conversation about him marrying Natasha. Vera has her conversation about Natasha with Andre. Andre and Pierre have a discussion about the coming war that includes some quotes from Tolstoy's essay at the beginning of
volume 3. Andre is more pro-war here, seeing it as leading men to great and noble feelings. Dolokhov joins the conversation and goads Pierre by talking about his wife. Pierre challenges him to a duel (here Nesvitzki will be
Dolokhov's second while Andre will be Pierre's). The post-duel confrontation with his wife happens immediate after the challenge here (he actually calls here a "slut"). Boris gives news about Napoleon passing the Nieman
(showing that this act is not only a combination of the Bagration dinner, ball, but also the ball where Alexander and Boris learn of Napoleon crossing the border). After a discussion of the tsar's word, Count Rostov's declaration
that they will sacrifice everything is here. Bilibine uses the time to mention the baton of Peter the Great.
Additional Notes: Maude: “The verses read and sung at the banquet are in very bad Russian...The verses are by Nikolov, a minor Russian poet.” Briggs gives us N.P. as his first initials and tells us that Pavel Kutuzov really was
at this Bagration celebration handing out his verses.
at this Bagration celebration handing out his verses.
Garnett note compares the bees analogy in the English club to he metaphor in Nikolay Gogol’s Dead Souls to flies on a bread loaf.
Mikaberidze: Page 27: .Rostopchin..his quirky and eccentric character turned many people away from him and the Empress herself teasingly called him ‘Fedor the mad’.”
Mikaberidze: Page 27: .Rostopchin..his quirky and eccentric character turned many people away from him and the Empress herself teasingly called him ‘Fedor the mad’.”
Troyat/Amphoux: Page 315: "Pogodin expressed a far more critical view of the same novel in an article in The Russian: "What the novelist absolutely cannot be forgiven is his offhand treatment of figures such as Bagration,
Speransky, Rostopchin and Ermolov, who belong to history. To study their lives and then judge them on the basis of evidence is all well and good; but to present them, without any reason, as ignoble or even repellent, mere
outlines and silhouettes of men, is in my opinion an act of unpardonable irresponsibly and provocation, even in an author of great talent."
Fremont-Barnes: Page 131: "Despite the collapse of the Third Coalition, Europe did not return to peace; on the contrary, it was to be convulsed by war for the next decade, until the final denoument at Waterloo in June 1815.
It is instructive, therefore, to view Austerlitz in the context of the remainder of the Napoleonic Wars, explaining how, despite the decisive nature of that battle, France eventually fell victim to a fatal case of what may today be
called 'imperial overstretch'...The Fourth Coalition came into being after a breakdown in Franco-Prussian relations, which was largely the result of Napoleon's failure to cede Hanover to Prussia, as promised"
Speransky, Rostopchin and Ermolov, who belong to history. To study their lives and then judge them on the basis of evidence is all well and good; but to present them, without any reason, as ignoble or even repellent, mere
outlines and silhouettes of men, is in my opinion an act of unpardonable irresponsibly and provocation, even in an author of great talent."
Fremont-Barnes: Page 131: "Despite the collapse of the Third Coalition, Europe did not return to peace; on the contrary, it was to be convulsed by war for the next decade, until the final denoument at Waterloo in June 1815.
It is instructive, therefore, to view Austerlitz in the context of the remainder of the Napoleonic Wars, explaining how, despite the decisive nature of that battle, France eventually fell victim to a fatal case of what may today be
called 'imperial overstretch'...The Fourth Coalition came into being after a breakdown in Franco-Prussian relations, which was largely the result of Napoleon's failure to cede Hanover to Prussia, as promised"
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