War and Peace (Война и мир)
Old Bezukhov Dies, as His Heirs Plot
Reading Tolstoy is like listening to a great
piece of classical music; sheer pleasure, since he is so good at what he does.
I'm learning a lot of French as I go, since the book begins in French, and the
characters of the Russian upper classes speak French better than Russian.
Just finished the scene where old
Count Bezukhov dies, while hopeful heirs to his money intrigue away in the
background. Here Tolstoy uses his favorite device of "ostranenie
(making it strange)”, presenting everything through the naive point of view of
Pierre, the illegitimate son of the count ("Je suis un bâtard"). ОСТРАНЕНИЕ
Pierre has no idea he is even in
the running for the inheritance, wonders why suddenly people are looking at him
with new eyes, even with fear and obsequiousness. Two of his rivals steal the
old count's will—which stipulates that he wants his son Pierre declared
legitimate, and leaves him all his fortune.
This happens right in the middle
of the scene describing how the count is given the last rites! Pierre's
champion—a busybody relative and indigent noblewoman, Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskoi, who assumes that if she
helps him get the inheritance she and her son Boris will be in for some of the money—wrenches
the briefcase with the will away from the bad guys. And this all to the accompaniment
of Orthodox priests singing prayers and last rites. Great stuff!
Tolstoy's greatest gift is for
portraying rounded characters. Even his minor characters are living, breathing
human beings. The busybody relative is a woman I have met, many, many times, in
Russia. Her type, elbows out, ready to plunge ahead fearlessly, strides the
streets of the Russian Federation in great profusion.
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