Chapter Summaries: Dole: The oak in leaf. Rebirth of joy. Change in Prince Andrei. Decides to go to Petersburg.
Briggs: Andrey revisits the old oak-tree, which is now bursting with new life.
III. On the next day, saying goodbye only with the count, not waiting to give an exit, Prince Andrey went home. Now it was the start of June, when Prince Andrey, returning home, entered again into that birch grove, at which this old, gnarled oak so weirdly and memorably struck him. The bells still off the beaten track rang in the wood, where one and a half months to that backwards; all was full, shady and thick; and the young, scattered by the wood, did not violate the general beauty or counterfeit the common character with the tenderly fluffy green young shoots. The whole day was warm, somewhere there was going to be a thunderstorm, but only a small cloud splashed onto the dust roads and onto the juicy leaves. The left side of the forest was dark, in shadows; on the right it was wet and glossy glistening in the sun, a little bit swaying from the wind. All was in color; the nightingales cracked and rolled over close, then long away. "Yes, here, in this wood was that oak, with which I was in agreement," — thought Prince Andrey. —"Yes where is it," — thought again Prince Andrey, looking at the left side of the road and himself not knowing and not recognizing it, admired that oak which he sought. The old oak, all transformed, spread out like a tent of juicy, dark greenery, thrilled, a little bit swaying in the rays of the evening sun. The gnarly fingers, sores, or old distrust and grief, — was not seen. Through the tough, hundred-year-old bark the juicy, young leaves made their way without knots, so that he could not believe that it was this old tree producing them. "Yes, this is that very oak," — thought Prince Andrey, and in him suddenly was found an unreasonable, spring feeling of joy and updating. All the best minutes of his life were suddenly at one and the same time remembered by him. Austerlitz with the high sky, the dead, reproachful face of his wife, Pierre on the ferry, the girl, agitated by the beauty of the night, this night, and the moon, — all of this was suddenly remembered by him. "No, life is not over at 31 years," suddenly finally and invariably decided Prince Andrey. —"What I know is that all that is in me, I need for all to know this: Pierre and this girl who wanted to fly away into the sky, I need for all to know me, so that not for only me goes my life, so that they do not live away from my life, so that in all it is reflected and so that they all live with me together!" —————— Returned from his trip, Prince Andrey decided in autumn to go to Petersburg and thought up different causes for this decision. A whole row of reasonable, logical arguments for why it was necessary to go to Petersburg and even serve was at every minute ready at his services. He even now did not understand how he could at sometime doubt the need to accept active participation in life, exactly so the same as a month to that backwards he did not understand how he could come to the idea to leave from the village. To him it seemed clear that all his experiences in life were to go missing for nothing and be nonsense, if he would not be attached to their business and not be accepted again in an active participation in life. He even did not understand how in the foundation of these same poor reasonable arguments that before he was obviously in and that he would be humiliated, should now after his lessons of life again would he believe in the opportunity to bring favor and an opportunity of happiness and love. Now his mind suggested another reality. After this trip Prince Andrey began to miss the village, the former lessons did not interest him, and often, sitting alone in his office, he got up, approaching to the mirror and for long watched his face. Then he turned away and watched the portrait of the deceased Lise, who with whipped in Greek476 curls tenderly and funnily watched him from the golden framework. She now did not say to her husband the former scary words, she simply and funnily with curiosity watched him. And Prince Andrey, laying down his hand backwards, for long went by the room, frowning, then smiling, changing his mind at those unreasonable, unspeakable words, secret as a crime of thought, related with Pierre, with glory, with the girl in the window, with the oak, with the female beauty and love that changed all of his life. And in these minutes, when someone entered to him, he must have been especially dry, strictly decisive and in particular unpleasantly logical. — My kind friend,477 — Princess Marya happened to say entering at such a moment, — Nikolushka cannot now walk: it is very cold. — If it was hot, — in such minutes especially dry was the response of Prince Andrey to his sister, — then he would go in one shirt, but as it is cold, you need to put on him warm clothes which for this were made. Here that it should be cold is not for that to stay at home, when a child needs air, — he spoke with special logic, as if to punish someone for all the secret, illogical, happenings in his inner workings. Princess Marya thought at these cases about how this mental work dries men up. 476 à la grecque (Greek) 477 Mon cher, (my dear) Time: the following day (next morning in Bell and Maude.), the beginning of June (first of June in Dole.)
Mentioned: six weeks before (dropped in Bell. fortnight in Dole. a month ago in Pevear and Volkhonsky.)
Locations: Prince Andrey's home.
Mentioned: Austerlitz, St. Petersburg, the country
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes:
Briggs: Andrey revisits the old oak-tree, which is now bursting with new life.
III. On the next day, saying goodbye only with the count, not waiting to give an exit, Prince Andrey went home. Now it was the start of June, when Prince Andrey, returning home, entered again into that birch grove, at which this old, gnarled oak so weirdly and memorably struck him. The bells still off the beaten track rang in the wood, where one and a half months to that backwards; all was full, shady and thick; and the young, scattered by the wood, did not violate the general beauty or counterfeit the common character with the tenderly fluffy green young shoots. The whole day was warm, somewhere there was going to be a thunderstorm, but only a small cloud splashed onto the dust roads and onto the juicy leaves. The left side of the forest was dark, in shadows; on the right it was wet and glossy glistening in the sun, a little bit swaying from the wind. All was in color; the nightingales cracked and rolled over close, then long away. "Yes, here, in this wood was that oak, with which I was in agreement," — thought Prince Andrey. —"Yes where is it," — thought again Prince Andrey, looking at the left side of the road and himself not knowing and not recognizing it, admired that oak which he sought. The old oak, all transformed, spread out like a tent of juicy, dark greenery, thrilled, a little bit swaying in the rays of the evening sun. The gnarly fingers, sores, or old distrust and grief, — was not seen. Through the tough, hundred-year-old bark the juicy, young leaves made their way without knots, so that he could not believe that it was this old tree producing them. "Yes, this is that very oak," — thought Prince Andrey, and in him suddenly was found an unreasonable, spring feeling of joy and updating. All the best minutes of his life were suddenly at one and the same time remembered by him. Austerlitz with the high sky, the dead, reproachful face of his wife, Pierre on the ferry, the girl, agitated by the beauty of the night, this night, and the moon, — all of this was suddenly remembered by him. "No, life is not over at 31 years," suddenly finally and invariably decided Prince Andrey. —"What I know is that all that is in me, I need for all to know this: Pierre and this girl who wanted to fly away into the sky, I need for all to know me, so that not for only me goes my life, so that they do not live away from my life, so that in all it is reflected and so that they all live with me together!" —————— Returned from his trip, Prince Andrey decided in autumn to go to Petersburg and thought up different causes for this decision. A whole row of reasonable, logical arguments for why it was necessary to go to Petersburg and even serve was at every minute ready at his services. He even now did not understand how he could at sometime doubt the need to accept active participation in life, exactly so the same as a month to that backwards he did not understand how he could come to the idea to leave from the village. To him it seemed clear that all his experiences in life were to go missing for nothing and be nonsense, if he would not be attached to their business and not be accepted again in an active participation in life. He even did not understand how in the foundation of these same poor reasonable arguments that before he was obviously in and that he would be humiliated, should now after his lessons of life again would he believe in the opportunity to bring favor and an opportunity of happiness and love. Now his mind suggested another reality. After this trip Prince Andrey began to miss the village, the former lessons did not interest him, and often, sitting alone in his office, he got up, approaching to the mirror and for long watched his face. Then he turned away and watched the portrait of the deceased Lise, who with whipped in Greek476 curls tenderly and funnily watched him from the golden framework. She now did not say to her husband the former scary words, she simply and funnily with curiosity watched him. And Prince Andrey, laying down his hand backwards, for long went by the room, frowning, then smiling, changing his mind at those unreasonable, unspeakable words, secret as a crime of thought, related with Pierre, with glory, with the girl in the window, with the oak, with the female beauty and love that changed all of his life. And in these minutes, when someone entered to him, he must have been especially dry, strictly decisive and in particular unpleasantly logical. — My kind friend,477 — Princess Marya happened to say entering at such a moment, — Nikolushka cannot now walk: it is very cold. — If it was hot, — in such minutes especially dry was the response of Prince Andrey to his sister, — then he would go in one shirt, but as it is cold, you need to put on him warm clothes which for this were made. Here that it should be cold is not for that to stay at home, when a child needs air, — he spoke with special logic, as if to punish someone for all the secret, illogical, happenings in his inner workings. Princess Marya thought at these cases about how this mental work dries men up. 476 à la grecque (Greek) 477 Mon cher, (my dear) Time: the following day (next morning in Bell and Maude.), the beginning of June (first of June in Dole.)
Mentioned: six weeks before (dropped in Bell. fortnight in Dole. a month ago in Pevear and Volkhonsky.)
Locations: Prince Andrey's home.
Mentioned: Austerlitz, St. Petersburg, the country
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes:
Andrei is now driving back and he sees the "gnarled old oak" again. "not recognizing it, he admired the very oak he was looking for. The old oak, quite transformed, spreading out a canopy of juicy, dark greenery, basked,
barely swaying, in the rays of the evening sun. Of the gnarled fingers, the scars, the old grief and mistrust--nothing could be seen...All the best moments of his life suddenly recalled themselves to him at the same time."
Again, before the break after "they all live together with me!", Andrei has again flipped to wanting to help people, to be part of a community and not just live for himself.
barely swaying, in the rays of the evening sun. Of the gnarled fingers, the scars, the old grief and mistrust--nothing could be seen...All the best moments of his life suddenly recalled themselves to him at the same time."
Again, before the break after "they all live together with me!", Andrei has again flipped to wanting to help people, to be part of a community and not just live for himself.
Now, he feels he must be active and go to the city (Petersburg). The chapter ends with the (seemingly perpetual, with the word "would" prefacing the actions of the two characters) argument over whether Nikolushka
should go outside. "On these occasions Princess Marya reflected on how such mental work dries men up."
should go outside. "On these occasions Princess Marya reflected on how such mental work dries men up."
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 *):
Prince Andrei
Count Rostov (only "the count" and is in the intro of the chapter and could possibly be considered a character in the chapter, but since he has left and does nothing, is probably just mentioned)
Pierre
Liza (also "his little wife")
Princess Mariya
Nikolushka (that is, his son)
(the ladies, that is Countess Rostova, Sonya, and Natasha, are referenced in totality but undifferentiated. Natasha is mentioned a couple times as "the maiden")
Abridged Versions:
Line break after "I may live in harmony." in Mandelker. Briggs, Maude, Dole, Garnett, Dunnigan, Wiener, Bell, and Edmonds also have one in same spot.
End of chapter 1 in Bell.
Gibian: line break after "I may live in harmony!" End of chapter 1.
Gibian: line break after "I may live in harmony!" End of chapter 1.
Fuller: The oak is removed, making Andrei's realization (or re-realization) something that comes on just by the weather and his surroundings. Everything after deciding to "it must be reflected in all of them and they must
share my life with me!" is cut down to "On getting home after his journey, Prince Andrey made up his mind to go to Petersburg in the autumn" which is followed by a line break that then cuts to Pierre at the start of what
is chapter 7 in the full versions.
share my life with me!" is cut down to "On getting home after his journey, Prince Andrey made up his mind to go to Petersburg in the autumn" which is followed by a line break that then cuts to Pierre at the start of what
is chapter 7 in the full versions.
Komroff: the first section of the chapter is cut, beginning with him making up his mind to go to Petersburg. The entire chapter is cut down to one big paragraph, eliminating the Mariya and Nikolushka episode and
keeping with Andrei's main resolve.
keeping with Andrei's main resolve.
Kropotkin: Picks up after the line break in the fuller versions, cutting the first part of the chapter. Chapter is then cut off slightly short at "which were changing his whole life." End of chapter 1.
Simmons: The setup before the oak tree is slightly shorter. Line break after "I may live in harmony!" The episode with Mary and Nicholas is cut. end of Chapter 1.
Simmons: The setup before the oak tree is slightly shorter. Line break after "I may live in harmony!" The episode with Mary and Nicholas is cut. end of Chapter 1.
Additional Notes: Cronin: Page 324: "In face of the excesses of the French Revolution, Catherine had revised her opinion of religion and now believed that only the Orthodox Church--"a deep-rooted oak," she called it--was sturdy enough to resist subversion and pseudo cults."
Briggs' introduction to The Cossacks:
Briggs' introduction to The Cossacks:
Xvi: “Through a mixture of skilled narrative and contemplative speculation he is miraculously depicted as blending into the natural scene until he and it are as one entity. His startling sense of the uniqueness of living; the thrill of human individuality, at first inescapable then dissolving into a shared, comfortable corner of the infinite universe; the welling up of human happiness and love - these sentiments are not merely worthy of the best moments in War and Peace, they actually anticipate similar occurrences in that novel, especially the famouse meditation of Prince Andrey when he lies wounded after the battle of Austerlitz (Volume One, Part Three, Chapter 16).”
Confession Page 45:
The third method of escape is through strength and energy. It consists of realizing that life is evil and senseless, and of destroying it. This is what a few strong and consistent people do. Having understood the utter stupidity of the joke that is being played on them, and realizing that the blessings of the dead are far great than the blessings of the living, and that the best thing of all is not to live, they act accordingly and instantly bring an end end to this stupid joke, using any available means: a noose around the neck, water, a stab in the heart, a train on a railway life..
Bayley Page 12:
.If the idyllic decorum of War and Peace represents the fullness of Tolstoy’s life, its richness upon every side, then the work of his later years expresses his sense of desolation. For the great seer of the flesh, the flesh became not only not enough--it became a mockery...His life presents, and his art reflects, a logical and inevitable pattern of life, but a patter on the heroic scale.”
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