Book 3 Part 1 Chapter 10 (Chapter 174 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Prince Andrei invited to meet the emperor. The council. Pfuhl, as a type of the German martinet. Types of conceit, French, English, Italian, German, and Russian.
Briggs: Andrey meets Pfuel, a conceited theorist and military 'expert'.
Maude: He is introduced to Pfuel

Translation:

X.

This letter was still not served to the sovereign, when Barclay behind dinner delivered to Bolkonsky that the sovereign personally saw anything for Prince Andrey, so that to question him about Turkey, and that Prince Andrey had to appear in the apartment of Bennigsen at six in the evening.

On this same day at the apartment of the sovereign was received news about a new movement of Napoleon, able to be dangerous for the army, news that afterwards turned out to be wrong. And on this same morning Colonel Michaud travelled with the sovereign to the Drissa strengthening and argued to the sovereign that this fortified camp, arranged by Pful and considered to still be on the horseback of perfection598 of tactics, due to ruin Napoleon, — that this camp is nonsense and the death of the Russian army.

Prince Andrey had arrived in the apartment of General Bennigsen, occupied in a small landlord house in the very guard of the river. Bennigsen nor the sovereign were there; but Chernyshev, a wing-adjutant of the sovereign, accepted Bolkonsky and declared to him that the sovereign went with the General Bennigsen and with Marquis Pauluchi at a different time on the current day for bypassing the fortifications of the Drissa camp, the convenience of which he began to strongly doubt.

Chernysev sat with a French novel in the window of the first room. This room, probably, before was a hall; in it still stood an organ, on which were piled up some carpets, and in one corner stood the foldable bed of the adjutant of Bennigsen. This adjutant was here. He, it was seen was tortured by a feast or business, sat on the rolled bed and dozed off. From the halls led two doors: alone all to the former living room, another to the right to the office. From the first door was heard a voice talking German and occasionally French. There, in the former living room, were gathered by the wish of the sovereign not a military advice (the sovereign loved uncertainty), but some faces, whose opinions on the lying ahead difficulty he desired to know. This was not a military advice, but as an advice chosen for clarification of some issues for the sovereign personally. At this half-council were invited: the Swedish General Armfeld, General-Adjutant Voltsogen, Wintsengerode, whom Napoleon called a runaway French subject, Michaud, Toll, quite not a military person— Count Stein, and finally Pful himself, whom, as heard Prince Andrey, was the only basis599 of affairs. Prince Andrey had the case to well consider him, as Pful soon after him had arrived and passed into the living room, stopping in a moment to talk with Chernyshev.

Pful from the first sight, in his Russian, general, badly stitched uniform, which awkwardly, as in dressing up, sat on him, seemed to Prince Andrey as if familiar, although he had never seen him. In him was Weyrother, Mack, and Schmidt, and many other German theorist generals, which Prince Andrey succeeded in seeing in the year 1805; but he was more typical than all of them. Such a German theorist, connecting in himself all that was in those Germans, still had never been seen by Prince Andrey.

Pful was not tall by height, very thin, but broad-boned, rude, with a healthy constitution, surrounded by a pelvis and bony shoulder blades. His face was very wrinkled, with deep inserted eyes. His hair in front of his temples were obviously hastily smoothed and brushed, back again naively sticking out in tassels. He, anxiously and angrily looking back, entered into the room, as if he only was afraid in the big room where he entered. He in an awkward movement, holding a sword, turned to Chernyshev, asking in German where was the sovereign. He, it was seen, as quickly as he could wanted to take the room, finish bowing and greetings and sit behind the business before a map, where he felt himself in location. He hastily nodded his head at the words of Chernyshev and ironically smiled, listening to his words about how the sovereign examined the strengthening that he, Pful himself, laid by his theory. He something bassly and coolly, as speak self-confident Germans, grunted about himself: nonsense... or: to damn everyone’s business...600 Prince Andrey did not hear and wanted to take, but Chernyshev introduced Prince Andrey with Pful, noticing that Prince Andrey had arrived from Turkey, where so happily the war was over. Pful a little bit not looked so much at Prince Andrey, as much as through him, and spoke laughing: "then it must be, tactically right was the war."601 — and, laughing contemptuously, passed to the room, from which was heard a voice.

It was seen Pful, already always ready in ironic irritation, now was especially excited by that they dared without him to examine his camp and judge about it. Prince Andrey by this one short goodbye with Pful, thanks to his Austerlitz memories, made up to himself a clear characterization of this man. Pful was one of those hopelessly, invariably, to martyrdom self-confident people, which there are only Germans, and because it is only Germans that are self-confident in the foundation of abstract ideas — science, i.e. an imaginary knowledge of perfect truths. The French are self-confident because of how he honors himself personally, as mind as in body, irresistibly charming as for men, as for women. An Englishman is self-confident in the foundation that he is a citizen of the most comfortable state in the world and because, as an Englishman, knows always, what he needs to do, and knows that all that he does as an Englishman, is undoubtedly okay. An Italian is self-confident because of how he is thrilled and forgets easily himself and others. A Russian is self-confident because of how he knows nothing and does not want to know because of how he does not believe that he can quite know something. A German self-confident is worse than all, and firmer than all and nastier than all, because of how he imagines that he knows truth, science, which he himself invented, but which for him is absolute truth. — such obviously was Pful. In him was science — a theory of oblique movements, deriving them from the history of the wars of Frederick the Great, and all that met his newest military history seemed to him nonsense, barbarism, ugly clashing, in which from both parties were made so many mistakes that this war could not be called war: they were not approached under theory and could not serve the subject of science.

In the year 1806 Pful was one of the compilers in the plan of war, ending in Jena and Auerstedt; but in the ending of this war he did not see the slightest evidence of wrongs of his theory. The opposite, the made retreats from his theory were, by his concepts, the only cause throughout the failures, and he with the peculiar to him joyful irony spoke: after all I said the same, that everyone’s business will go to the damn.602 Pful was one of those theorists that so love their theory, that they forget the objective of theory — application of its practice; he from love to theory hated all practice and did not want to know it. He even rejoiced in failure, because of how failure, happening from retreats in practice from theory, he argued only did justice to his theory.

He said a few words with Prince Andrey and Chernyshev about the present war with the expression of a man, who knows forward that all will be bad, and that he even was not displeased by this. The sticking out in the back of his head uncombed tassels of hair and the hastily combed chisel especially eloquently said this.

He passed into another room, and from there immediately the same heard bass and grumpy sounds of his voice.

598 chef-d’oeuvre (masterpiece)

599  la cheville ouvrière (kingpin)

600 Dummkopf... zu Grunde die ganze Geschichte... s’wird was gescheites d’raus werden...

601 "da muss ein schöner tactischer Krieg gewesen sein"

602 Ich sagte ja dass die ganze Geschichte zum Teufel gehen werde.

Time: six o'clock in the evening
Mentioned: morning, 1805, 1806

Locations: see previous chapter
Mentioned: Turkey, Drissa, Russian, Swedish, German, Austerlitz, Frenchmen, Englishmen, Italian, Jena, Auerstadt

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: The beginning of the chapter has a mass of events happening at once, including Andrei being invited to have dinner with Alexander, Alexander receiving information that turns out to be wrong, and Michaud trying to convince Alexander that Pfuel will lead to the destruction of the army.

Interesting aside “the sovereign liked indefiniteness”.

Pfuel’s uniform looks awkward on him and he reminds Andrei of Weyrother, Mack, Schmidt, and “many other German theorist-generals”. We get quite a description of Pfuel here and he is rude to Andrei in his introduction.

“From this one brief encounter with Pfuel, Prince Andrei, owing to his memories of Austerlitz, formed a clear notion of the man’s character for himself. Pfuel was one of those hopelessly, permanently, painfully self-assured
men as only Germans can be, and precisely because only Germans can be self-assured on the basis of an abstract idea--science, that is, an imaginary knowledge of the perfect truth. A Frenchman is self-assured because
he considers himself personally, in mind as well as body, irresistibly enchanting for men as well as women. An Englishman is self-assured on the grounds that he is a citizen of the best-organized state in the world, and
therefore as an Englishman knows what he must do, and knows that everything he does as an Englishman is unquestionably good. An Italian is self-assured because he is excitable and easily forgets himself and others.
A Russian is self-assured precisely because he does not know anything and does not want to know anything, because he does not believe it possible to know anything fully. A German is self-assured worst of all, and most
firmly of all, and most disgustingly of all, because he imagines that he knows the truth, science, which he has invented himself, but which for him is the absolute truth.”

Perhaps the worst thing for Tolstoy with Pfuel is that he does not really care if they lose, he doesn’t have skin in the game for Russia’s victory. In fact, it is better for him if they depart from the theory and lose because it
makes his theory look correct.

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 *):

Barclay

Emperor Alexander (“sovereign” and “his majesty”)

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky

General Benigsen

Napoleon

Colonel Michaud (since he has an action, you can argue he is in the chapter rather than just a mention.)

Pfuhl

Chernuishef (“the emperor’s flugel-adjutant”. “Chernyshev” in Maude, Briggs, and Dunnigan. “Tchernyshev” in Edmonds. “Chernyshov” in Mandelker. “Tchernishev” in Garnett.)

Marchese Paulucci (Weiner, Dunnigan, and Bell use “Marquis” as the title.)

Armfeldt

General-adjutant Woltzogen

Winzengerode

Toll (does not seem to be Captain von Toll of chapter 65.)

Count Stein (there seems to be some slight confusion in Dole as to “who was not at all a military man”, as the placement in Dole makes it appear that this is applied to Toll, which as the note below shows, makes no
sense. Edmonds, Maude, and Briggs, for example, apply this to Stein.)

Weirother

Mack

Schmidt

Friedrich the Great

(also Benigsen’s adjutant.)

Abridged Versions: No break in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 10.

Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.

Komroff: Entire chapter is cut.

Kropotkin: Entire chapter is cut.

Bromfield: Chapter 11: Chapter is basically the same but no break.
Simmons: Chapter 10: entire chapter is cut and replaced with "Prince Andrew is asked by the Emperor to appear at his headquarters and tell of his experiences with the army in Turkey. There he meets the pedantic
military theoretician Pfuel, who has drawn up the defenses of the Drissa camp."

Additional Notes: Mandelker: “Karl Fyodorovich von Toll (1778-1842), a Russian general of German origin, was made a count in gratitude for his service. He was a quartermaster-general of the main army in the war of 1812.”

Segur: Page 152: Wintzingerode...Napoleon…”Who are you? A man without a country! You’ve always been my personal enemy. When I was waging war against the Austrians, I found you in their ranks. Austria became my

ally and you offered your services to Russia. You’ve been one of the most ardent abettors of the present war; yet you were born in one of the states of the Confederation of the Rhine, which makes you my subject (Page 153).

You are not an ordinary enemy--you’re a rebel! As such I have the right to have you tried...Guards, lay hold of this man!”...Who are we to blame for these disasters? Why, fifty adventures like yourself, in the pay of England

and turned loose on the continent by her...Then he turned to Wintzingerode’s aide-de-camp, also a prisoner. “As for you, Count Narischkin,” he said not unkindly, “I have nothing to reproach you with. You are a Russian,

and have only done your duty. But how could you, a member of one of Russia’s oldest ffamilies, ever become the aide-de-camp of a foreign mercenary? Why not become the aide-de-camp of a Russian general? That

would be a more honorable post.”...German prisoner…”Emperor Alexander is the benefactor of my family and myself. I owe everything I possess to his generosity. Gratitude has made me his subject. The position I

occupy was assigned to me by this benefactor. Therefore, I also have been doing my duty.”...These attentions continued until we reached Lithuania, when both prisoners were rescued by the Cossacks (Page 154).

The Emperor had made a show of treating the young Russian noblemen with kindness, while he railed at the general, which proved that there was method in everything he did, even in anger.”

Fisher: Page 24: “General Mack of Austria believed that the security of the Rhine front depended on closing off the gaps that led through the mountainous Black Forest area of southern Germany, where much of 1796-97,

1799, and 1800 campaigns had been fought...At Ulm, the fortified position of the Michelsberg rose above the town, and Mack believed that this position was virtually impregnable.”

Bayley/Maude: More significantly, Peter the Great had loved foreigners and Germans, and had done his best to tidy up and 'germanise' Russian society and the Russian way of life. Tolstoy was xenophobic, particularly

disliking Germans and Russians of German origin, of whom there wre many in his time in the army and civil service." (Berg and Captain Kraut from Sevastopol Sketches comparison)...In Anna Karenina too there are

traces of Tolstoy's lifelong prejudice against foreigners and foreign customs. It is an interesting and important fact, however, that Russian high society, the 'upper ten', which in practice was preponderantly Baltic and

cosmopolitan, is not portrayed in that novel with the same warmth and affection as the native gentlemen and landowners of War and Peace...