The exhibition is located in the building of the former hotel of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery, where in 1867 the author of the epic novel “War and Peace”, the most famous work of world fiction about the era of the Napoleonic wars, stayed. The historical interior of the hotel has not been preserved; it has been converted into a museum space, in which the story is told about the author of the novel and the heroes of Borodin’s twenty chapters.
In the first hall L.N. Tolstoy is presented both as an artillery officer, a participant in military operations in the Caucasus and Crimea, and as an aspiring writer who gave priority to military themes in his work, striving “with all the strength of his soul” for a truthful description of events and phenomena. The chapters of the novel “War and Peace”, dedicated to its climax - the Battle of Borodino, were rewritten several times by the writer. In order to achieve the most reliable description of the battle scenes and landscapes of the field, Tolstoy arrived in Borodino. For two days, September 26 and 27, he “walked and drove through the area where half a century earlier more than a hundred thousand people had died, took his notes and drew a battle plan...”. Returning to Moscow, Tolstoy told his wife: “I will write a Battle of Borodino that has never happened before.” Books, photographs, graphic sheets, reproductions of the writer’s manuscripts, finds from the battlefield tell about the preliminary work on the novel, including a trip to Borodino, details of which can be found in the multimedia program.
The “battle like never before” is described in the second room. It is filled with images of historical characters and fictional heroes of the novel who took part in the fighting on the Borodino field in August 1812. First of all, these are the commanders-in-chief of the armies M.I. Kutuzov and Napoleon. Most of the generals of both armies mentioned in Borodin's chapters are represented here. Portraits of historical characters and quotes from the novel reflect the artful interweaving of historical reality and fiction that underlies the panorama of the grandiose battle. The well-known images of Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky are shown in the hall with illustrations and Borodin’s pages of the novel in the context of battle graphics and authentic items of weapons, equipment, and personal belongings of the battle participants. It also reflects the second life of the heroes of the novel “War and Peace”, which they received thanks to small books with individual chapters of the novel, published during the Great Patriotic War, the opera of the same name by S.S. Prokofiev and the film by S.F. Bondarchuk.
The conclusion of the writer Tolstoy about the moral victory of the Russian army at Borodino was and remains undeniable.
The exhibition “Heroes of the novel “War and Peace” on the Borodino Field” was opened in the year of the 140th anniversary of the completion of the complete book publication of the novel and is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.
- State Borodino Military Historical Museum Reserve
The author of the project is E.V. Semenishcheva
Scientific supervisor – Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation A.V. Gorbunov
Researchers-exhibitors – E.A. Rogacheva, V.N. Fedorov, S.N. Khomchenko - LLC Studio "Museum Design"
The author of the artistic concept and artistic director of the project is Honored Artist of the Russian Federation A.N. Konov
Artist-designers – V.E. Voitsekhovsky, A.M. Gassel
Exhibition graphics – D.S. Rudko - LLC "Intmedia"
Video and technical support – E.V. Kamenskaya, A.A. Lazebny
The Battle of Borodino is shown in the perception of its participants, in particular Pierre Bezukhov, Andrei Bolkonsky and other characters.
“On the morning of the 25th, Pierre left Mozhaisk. One old soldier with a bandaged hand, walking behind the cart, took hold of it with his good hand and looked back at Pierre.
- Well, fellow countryman, they’ll put us here, or what? Al to Moscow? - he asked. “Today I’ve seen not only soldiers, but also peasants!” - Nowadays they don’t understand... They want to attack all the people, in a word - Moscow. They want to do one end. “Despite the vagueness of the soldier’s words, Pierre understood everything he wanted to say and nodded his head approvingly.”
“Having driven up the mountain and onto a small street in the village, Pierre saw for the first time the militia men with crosses on their hats and in white shirts, who, with loud talk and laughter, animated and sweaty, were working on something to the right of the road, on a huge mound overgrown with grass. Some of them were digging a mountain with shovels, others were transporting earth on planks in wheelbarrows, and others stood doing nothing.
Two officers stood on the mound, ordering them. Seeing these men, obviously still amusing themselves with their new, military situation, Pierre again remembered the wounded soldiers in Mozhaisk, and it became clear to him what the soldier wanted to express when he said that they wanted to attack the whole people. The sight of these bearded men working on the battlefield with their sweaty necks and some with their shirts unbuttoned at the slant, from under which the tanned bones of the collarbones were visible, affected Pierre more powerfully than anything he had seen and heard so far about the solemnity and significance of the present minutes."
- What was the meaning for Pierre of the soldier’s words: “The whole people want to attack”?
These words emphasize the solemnity and significance of the upcoming battle, the awareness of it as a general battle for the capital Moscow, and therefore for Russia.
“Having ascended the mountain, the icon stopped; The people holding the icon on towels changed, the sextons lit the incense again, and the prayer service began. The hot rays of the sun beat vertically from above; a weak, fresh breeze played with the hair of open heads and the ribbons with which the icon was decorated; singing was heard softly in the open air. A huge crowd of officers, soldiers, and militiamen with their heads open surrounded the icon.
Among this circle of officials, Pierre, standing in the crowd of men, recognized some acquaintances; but he did not look at them: all his attention was absorbed by the serious expression of faces in this crowd of soldiers and militias, monotonously greedily looking at the icon. As soon as the tired sextons (who were singing the twentieth prayer service) began to sing as usual, the same expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the coming moment, which he saw under the mountain in Mozhaisk and in fits and starts on many, many faces he met that morning, flared up on all faces; and more often heads were lowered, hair was shaken, and sighs and the blows of crosses on the chests were heard.”
“When the prayer service ended, Kutuzov went up to the icon, fell heavily on his knees, bowing to the ground, and tried for a long time and could not get up from heaviness and weakness. His gray head twitched with effort. Finally he stood up and, with a childishly naive stretching of his lips, kissed the icon and bowed again, touching the ground with his hand. The generals followed his example; then the officers, and behind them, crushing each other, trampling, puffing and pushing, with excited faces, climbed
soldiers and militias."
— What role does the “removal of the icon and prayer service” episode play in the novel?
— How is the unity of the army shown? Who, according to Pierre, is its basis?
The Icon of the Smolensk Mother of God was taken from Smolensk and from that time was constantly in the army. The prayer testifies to the unified spirit of the army, the connection between the commander and the soldiers. During the Battle of Borodino, an important truth is revealed to Pierre: the involvement of people in a common cause, despite their different social status. At the same time, the idea is held that the basis of the army is soldiers. Historical development is determined by the people, the role of the individual is determined by how the individual expresses the interests of the people.
Let's consider how Andrei Bolkonsky feels on the eve of the battle.
“Believe me,” he said, “if anything depended on the orders of the headquarters, then I would be there and give orders, but instead I have the honor of serving here, in the regiment with these gentlemen, and I believe that from us tomorrow will indeed depend, and not on them... Success has never depended and will not depend either on position, or on weapons, or even on numbers; and least of all from the position.
- And from what?
“From the feeling that is in me, in him,” he pointed to Timokhin, “in every soldier.”
In contrast to his previous restrained silence, Prince Andrei now seemed agitated. He apparently could not resist expressing those thoughts that unexpectedly came to him.
— The battle will be won by the one who is determined to win it. Why did we lose the battle at Austerlitz? Our loss was almost equal to the French, but we told ourselves very early that we had lost the battle - and we lost. And we said this because we had no need to fight there: we wanted to leave the battlefield as quickly as possible. “If you lose, then run away!” - we ran. If we hadn’t said this until the evening, God knows what would have happened. And tomorrow we
We won't say that. You say: our position, the left flank is weak, the right flank is stretched,” he continued, “all this is nonsense, there is none of this.” What do we have in store for tomorrow?
A hundred million of the most varied contingencies that will be decided instantly by the fact that they or ours ran or will run, that they will kill, will kill
another; and what is being done now is all fun. The fact is that those with whom you traveled in position not only do not contribute to the general course of affairs, but interfere with it.
They are busy only with their own small interests... for them this is only a moment in which they can undermine the enemy and get an extra cross or ribbon. For me, for tomorrow this is this: a hundred thousand Russian and a hundred thousand French troops came together to fight, and the fact is that these two hundred thousand are fighting, and whoever fights angrier and feels less sorry for himself will win. And if you want, I’ll tell you that, no matter what it is, no matter what is confused up there, we will win the battle tomorrow. Tomorrow, no matter what, we will win the battle!
“Here, your Excellency, the truth, the true truth,” said Timokhin. - Why feel sorry for yourself now! The soldiers in my battalion, believe me, didn’t drink vodka: it’s not such a day, they say.”
— What new has been revealed in the character and feelings of Prince Andrei? What conclusions does he come to? What and on whom does victory depend, in his opinion?
Unlike Austerlitz on the Borodino Field, Andrei Bolkonsky defends his homeland from the enemy, he does not think about personal glory. He understands that the spirit and mood of the troops play a decisive role.
Let's return to Pierre Bezukhov.
“The question that had been bothering Pierre since Mozhaisk Mountain and all that day now seemed to him completely clear and completely resolved. He now understood the whole meaning and significance of this war and the upcoming battle. Everything he saw that day, all the significant, stern expressions on faces that he glimpsed, were illuminated for him with a new light. He understood the hidden warmth of patriotism that was in all those people he saw, and which explained to him why all these people were calmly and seemingly frivolously preparing for death.”
“Pierre hurriedly got dressed and ran out onto the porch. It was clear, fresh, dewy and cheerful outside. The sun, having just broken out from behind the cloud that was obscuring it, splashed half-broken rays through the roofs of the opposite street, onto the dew-covered dust of the road, onto the walls of the houses, onto the windows of the fence and onto Pierre’s horses standing at the hut.
Entering the entrance steps to the mound, Pierre looked ahead of him and froze in admiration at the beauty of the spectacle. It was the same panorama that he had admired yesterday from this mound; but now this entire area was covered with troops and the smoke of gunfire, and the slanting rays of the bright sun, rising from behind, to the left of Pierre, threw upon it in the clear morning air a piercing light with a golden and pink tint and dark, long shadows.
The distant forests, completing the panorama, as if carved from some precious yellow-green stone, were visible with their curved line of peaks on the horizon, and between them, behind Valuev, cut through the large Smolensk road, all covered with troops. Golden fields and copses glittered closer. Troops were visible everywhere - in front, right and left. It was all lively, majestic and unexpected; but what struck Pierre most of all was the view of the battlefield itself, Borodino and the ravine above Kolocheya on both sides of it.”
Pierre wanted to be where these smokes were, these shiny bayonets and cannons, this movement, these sounds. He looked back at Kutuzov and his retinue to compare his impressions with others. Everyone was exactly the same as he, and, as it seemed to him, they were looking forward to the battlefield with the same feeling. All faces now shone with that hidden warmth of feeling that Pierre noticed yesterday and which he understood completely after his conversation with Prince Andrei.”
— What role does the description of nature play before the start of a battle?
This majestic picture of nature and the upcoming battle in the rays of the morning sun performs several functions: firstly, it helps to understand the meaning and scale of what is happening; secondly, the author emphasizes that everything in nature is beautiful and harmonious, but man destroys this harmony; thirdly, Tolstoy tries to lead the reader to the conclusion about the terrible essence of war, contrary to nature. War is the most disgusting thing in life,” says Andrei Bolkonsky.
Lessons No. 10-11
The Patriotic War of 1812 in L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace.”
The Battle of Borodino in the novel.
Goals:
educational:
nurturing a love for thoughtful reading of works of Russian literature, careful attention to words;
instilling patriotism, a sense of national pride for the glorious deeds of our ancestors, the heroic past of our people;
educational:
creating conditions for the formation of ideas about the Patriotic War of 1812;
generalization and systematization of knowledge obtained during the study of the epic novel by L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace” on the topic of the lesson;
developing:
improving skills in working with text, the ability to analyze what you read;
providing opportunities to unleash the creative potential of students;
developing the ability to search for information in sources of various types;
forming your own position on the issues discussed.
Lesson type: lesson to improve knowledge, skills and abilities.
Lesson type: workshop lesson.
Methodical techniques: conversation on questions, retelling the text, expressive reading of the text, watching episodes from a feature film, student reports.
Predicted result:
knowartistic text; history pages on the topic of the lesson;
be able toindependently find material on the topic and systematize it.
Equipment: notebooks, literary text, computer, multimedia, presentation, feature film.
During the classes
I. Organizational stage.
II. Motivation for learning activities. Goal setting.
The teacher's word.
The people, according to Leo Tolstoy, turn into a crowd and lose their sense of simplicity, goodness and truth when they are deprived of historical memory, and therefore of all the cultural and moral traditions that have been developed over thousands of years of their history. The problem of historical memory should resonate especially loudly in our difficult times.
There are many brilliant pages in the history of Russia that we are proud of. One of them is the victory of our people in the Patriotic War of 1812 over Napoleon. This event was appreciated not only by historians, but also by the great Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy.
Discussion of the topic and objectives of the lesson.
III . Improving knowledge, skills and abilities.
The teacher's word.
While working on the novel “War and Peace,” Lev Nikolaevich used authentic historical documents - orders, instructions, dispositions and battle plans.
Introducing into his narrative original documents borrowed from the works of historians or found in archives, Tolstoy, as a rule, does not change a single word in their text. But they all serve one purpose - a deep disclosure of the role of historical figures who became the protagonists of War and Peace.
Characterizing his work on documentary sources, the writer pointed out: “Wherever historical figures speak and act in my novel, I did not invent, but used materials...”
Student message. Historical information about the War of 1812.
Text analysis.
How does Tolstoy characterize the war that began in 1812?
“...The war began, that is, an event contrary to human reason and all human nature took place.” War is a crime. Tolstoy does not divide combatants into attackers and defenders. "Millions of people have madeagainst each other such a countless number of atrocities that the chronicle of all the courts of the world will not collect in entire centuries and which, during this period of time, the people who committed them did not look at them as crimes.”
What is the reason for this event?
How did the French army treat their emperor?
Enthusiastic adoration surrounded Napoleon. “On all the faces of these people there was one thinggeneral expression joy ... and delight and devotion to the man in the gray frock coat...” He is accompanied by “enthusiastic screams", jumping in front of him "transfixed with happiness, ecstatic ... huntsman,” he puts the telescope on the back of “the one who ran uphappy page." One reigns heregeneral mood. “People of the most diverse characters and positions in society” are equally subordinate to one aspiration, the expression (“label”) of which is this man in a gray frock coat. All these people have lost their freedom, they are driven by one desire.
What do the French troops dream about?
About palaces in Moscow, about lands in India. This is a unity born of the desire for robbery, for conquest.
Reading the episode “Crossing the Neman.”
What did the Polish lancers do during the crossing? - They swam across the river without looking for a ford. The colonel, “an old man,” “like a boy,” asked permission to swim across the river in front of the emperor. The horse hesitated by the river, but the colonel “viciously pushed" her. In the water, the lancers' instinct of self-preservation awoke. In the water “it was cold and creepy... The lancers were clinging to each other...” But they were “proud that they were swimming and drowning in this river under the gaze of a man sitting on a log and not even looking at what they were doing "
Drawn by a single thirst for enrichment, a thirst for robbery, having lost their inner freedom, the soldiers and officers of the French army sincerely believe that Napoleon is leading them to happiness.
Did the Russians expect war and how did the tsar prepare for war?
Yes, “everyone was expecting her.” But “nothing was prepared” for it, “there was no general plan of action...General boss was not over all the armies...” Tolstoy condemns the inaction of Alexander and his courtiers. All their aspirations “were aimed only at... having a good time, forgetting about the upcoming war.”
The Tsar dances with Helen, and at this time the enemy attacks Russia. Alexander writes a letter to Napoleon, beginning with the words: “Sovereign, my brother,” although this brother has already violated the fraternal agreement in Tilsit. Napoleon also writes a letter to his “brother” Alexander saying that he does not want war, having in fact already started it.
The war has just begun, and everyone around the king is already entering into competition to extract more benefits from it.
How did Napoleon appear to Balashov? Read his appearance.
“He was in a blue uniform, open over a white vest that hung down toround belly, in white leggings, tightfatty thighs of short legs... Whiteplump his neck protruded sharply from behind the black collar of his uniform...” His appearance was rather unattractive. But we must admit that this is how we know Napoleon from his portraits
What is Napoleon's manner of speech?
The word “I” never leaves his tongue: “I know everything,” “I can do it,” “my friendship,” “I’ll kick you out,” “my business.” He does not give the interlocutor the opportunity to speak. “He... had to speak alone, and he continued to speak with that eloquence and intemperance of irritation to which spoiled people are so prone”; “...The more he spoke, the less he was able to control his speech.”
Reading the episode “Nikolai Rostov at War.”
How does Nikolai Rostov understand the meaning of war now?
Nikolai realized that war is not a series of heroic deeds, but, first of all, a special way of life. And he loved this life.
How does something that is called a feat arise, for which awards are given?
Tolstoy shows how, on the initiative of Nikolai Rostov, the Pavlograd residents attacked the French dragoons and how Rostov captured one of them.
Why did Rostov decide to attack the French?
He “himself did not know how and why he did it... He saw that the dragoons were close, that they were galloping, upset; he knew that they could not stand it, he knew that there was only one minute that would not return if he missed it.” It is the one who feels such a moment who decides the outcome of the matter. Nikolai Rostov felt it, and the battle was won. Rostov was convinced that he would be punished for his willfulness, i.e.for violating the military plan , but he was awarded. And this convinces us once again: plans are nothing, but the instinct of the moment is everything. Militaryexperience developed in him the ability to instantly understand the situation, developed this instinct of a person who,useful in the army.
Did Nikolai feel like a hero, did he think that he had accomplished a feat in the name of the fatherland?
No, he asked himself in surprise: “That’s all it is. what is called heroism? And did I do this for the fatherland?”
How did Nikolai feel after he hit the French dragoon?
“The moment he did this, all the excitement in Rostov suddenly disappeared.”
What struck him about the enemy he wounded?
“His face, pale and splattered with dirt, blond, young, with a hole in the chin and light blue eyes, was not exactly for the battlefield, not an enemy face, but a very simple indoor face.” He saw not an enemy, but a man. The instinct of struggle gave way to the instinct of love for man.
What did Prince Andrei find in the Russian army?
Complete confusion, lack of unified leadership.
What new feeling and when did Andrei overcome?
“The fire of Smolensk and its abandonment were an era for Prince Andrei. A new feeling of bitterness against the enemy made him forget his grief.”
How does Prince Andrei treat people now?
“...He was caring about his people and officers and affectionate with them... But he was kind and gentle only with his regimental officers, with Timokhin, etc. ... as soon as he encountered one of his the former ones, from the staff, he immediately bristled again: he became angry, mocking, contemptuous.” He did not like the people of his former world. He joined a new world, the world of soldiers.
Has this world accepted Prince Andrei?
Yes, “in the regiment they called himour prince , they were proud of him and loved him.” The soldiers love Prince Andrei; and the king was disgusted with his whole being, and in the light of Prince Andrei he was called proud. Remember what Peronskaya said about him: “I can’t stand it... and his pride is such that there are no boundaries... Look at how he treats the ladies...” (“He doesn’t approach the ladies’ hands”). Bolkonsky himself is disgusted by this world. “Everything that connected his memories with the past repelled him...” Only the memories of his native Bald Mountains were dear to him.
The teacher's word.
While Prince Andrei, Ferapontov, soldiers, residents of Smolensk were imbued with a general feeling of hatred for the enemy, a direct feeling, not caused by any considerations - in St. Petersburg high society; this feeling did not take hold of anyone. Two circles were created in St. Petersburg: Anna Pavlovna’s circle lived the same life: Bonaparte is the enemy, here they dreamed of the defeat of Napoleon. Another circle - Helen's circle - defended the point of view: peace with Napoleon on any terms.
Did Kutuzov believe in a favorable outcome of the war for Russia?
Yes. Kutuzov had a kind of optimistic fatalism. He firmly believed in the victory of Russia and told Prince Andrei that the French, like the Turks in the previous campaign, would eat horse meat.
How did this Kutuzov confidence influence Prince Andrei?
Prince Andrei, after a meeting with Kutuzov, “returned to his regiment, reassured about the general course of affairs and about who was entrusted with it.”
Tolstoy does not deny the role of the individual in general. He argues that a military or political leader can be useful if he tries to instill his belief in a favorable outcome among the masses. Let us remember what influence Bagration’s stay on the battlefield had on the soldiers and officers during the Battle of Shengraben: “The commanders, who approached Prince Bagration with upset faces, became calmer, the soldiers and officers cheerfully greeted him and became more animated in his presence and, apparently, showed off before him with your courage.” We call this managing the morale of the troops. Tolstoy does not deny Kutuzov’s conscious influence on the spirit of the army.
Where does this power of faith and insight of Kutuzov come from?
From its connection with the national spirit. “And the main thing,” thought Prince Andrei, “why you believe him is that he is Russian... On this same feeling, which everyone more or less vaguely experienced, was based the unanimity and general approval that accompanied the popular, opposite court considerations, the election of Kutuzov as commander-in-chief.” Kutuzov is related to all the people; It is no coincidence that the word “father” is so often repeated when applied to Kutuzov. Court circles are excluded from Tolstoy’s concept of “people”.
How does Kutuzov react to Prince Andrei’s message about the death of old Bolkonsky?
“He hugged Prince Andrei, pressed him to his fat chest and did not let him go for a long time. When he let him go, Prince Andrei saw that Kutuzov’s blurred lips were trembling and there were tears in his eyes.” Later he told Prince Andrei: “Remember that... I am not your Serene Highness, not a prince or commander-in-chief, but I am yourfather " He would like to throw off the burden of ranks and titles, and just be a father to everyone. This is expressed in his appearance.
How did Prince Andrei see Kutuzov?
Kutuzov, “heavily blurring and swaying, sat on his cheerful horse.” Getting off the horse, “he took his left leg out of the stirrup, falling with his whole body, and, wincing from the effort, he hardly lifted it onto the saddle, leaned his elbow on his knee, grunted and went down into the arms of the Cossacks and adjutants who were supporting him.” Nothing from the prancing hero-commander. Leadership timehard Kutuzov.
The teacher's word.
Tolstoy's favorite heroes in the war with Napoleon want to find something great that should reveal the truth to them.
With what feeling does Pierre go to the army?
“He now experienced a pleasant feeling of awareness that everything that constitutes people’s happiness, the comforts of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense, which is pleasant to throw away in comparison with something...” Pierre does not yet know thissomething . But he knows that on the way to him he must abandon the nonsense that makes up the happiness of ordinary people. “He was not interested in what he wanted to sacrifice for, but the sacrifice itself constituted a new joyful feeling for him.”
Battle of Borodino.
Did the commanders of both troops want the battle of Borodino?
Tolstoy claims that “by giving and accepting the Battle of Borodino, Kutuzov and Napoleon acted involuntarily.”
In the perception of which hero is the Battle of Borodino shown to us?
Tolstoy chose Pierre for this role. He is a civilian, and therefore less tied to a specific battlefield.
What seemed strange to Pierre?
“Cavalrymen go to battle and meet the wounded, and do not think for a minute about what awaits them, but walk past and wink at the wounded. And of all these, 20 thousand are doomed to death...” Life and healthy joy meets death and torment and does not want to think that everything is transitory. This is the law of nature. Pierre expects that healthy, cheerful people, going into battle, will think about death. But the life force is more powerful than the death force. Pierre is overcome by a feelingsolemnity .
What did the soldier standing behind the cart say to Pierre?
“They want to attack all the people, one word - Moscow.” These words seemed unclear to Pierre, but heUnderstood everything the soldier wanted to say.
When Pierre understood even more clearly the soldier’s words that “all the people want to pile on »?
When he saw the men working on the future battlefield. “The sight of these bearded men working on the battlefield with their strange clumsy boots, with their sweaty necks and some of their shirts unbuttoned at the slanting collar, from under which the tanned bones of the collarbones were visible, affected Pierre more powerfully than anything he had seen and heard before still aboutsolemnity, significance present moment."
The moment is approaching when the essence of each person must finally be revealed, the price of his life must be determined.
What did Prince Andrei think about the upcoming battle?
“He knew that tomorrow's battle was going to be the worst of all those in which he participated
What does Prince Andrei believe in? What are his thoughts on the outcome of tomorrow's battle?
He believes that this battle will be won. His success does not depend, according to Prince Andrei, “neither on position, nor on weapons, nor even on numbers,” but depends “on the feeling that is in me, in him,” he pointed to Timokhin, “in every soldier " Prince Andrei believes in this powerful moral feeling that unites people who experience the same grief.
What does Andrei say about the war?
War is “the most disgusting thing in life, and we must understand this and not play at war. We must take this terrible necessity strictly and seriously.” Prince Andrei does not talk about just and unjust wars. War is generally a crime. “The purpose of war is murder, the weapons of war are espionage, treason and its encouragement, the ruin of the inhabitants, their robbery or theft to feed the army; deception and lies, called stratagems.
Reading the description of the picture that opened to Pierre’s admiring gaze.
Light 's golden and a pink tint", "distant forests... as if carved out of someprecious yellow-green stone", "gold fields and copses", "Sun splashed from behind the clouds, and thisfog, pierced lightning shots,” all this arouses in Pierre a feeling that he had noticed earlier on the face of Prince Andrei, and on the faces of the soldiers and militia. The beginning of the battle is depicted by Tolstoy in solemn colors. "Nand everyone their faces now shone with that hidden warmth... the feeling that Pierre noticed yesterday and which he understood completely after his conversation with Prince Andrei.” This is the very beginning of the battle. The solemnity of the coming day kindles the warmth of patriotism. Pierre is glad that everyone experiences what he experiences. He is pulled out of his loneliness, he feels partgeneral .
What is Pierre's facial expression in the first hours of Borodin?
He smiles all the time. This is both a smile of shyness (he feels superfluous on the battlefield in his civilian suit) and a smile of joy. "WITHsmile ", which did not leave his face, he looked around him"; "with an unconsciously joyful smile ... looked at what was happening around him.”
What impression did Pierre make on those around him? How did the soldiers react to him?
At first everyone is annoyed, and then they also look at him with a smile - “the feeling of unfriendly bewilderment towards him began to turn into affectionate and playful participation.” At first, the soldiers saw Pierre as simply a curious gentleman, and they shook their heads disapprovingly as they looked at him. But then they felt something in Pierre that inspired them with respect.
What surprised the soldiers about Pierre?
First of all, as they thought, his courage. He “walked along the battery under gunfire as calmly as along the boulevard.”
What did the soldiers begin to call him?
« Our master,” - just like Prince Andrei in his regiment was called “our prince." Pierre feels his kinship with this world, and the people of this world consider him theirs.
Watching an episode from the film “Pierre on the Raevsky Battery.”
What special did Pierre feel at the Raevsky battery?
“...Here one felt the same and common to everyone, as iffamily revival." Laughter and fun did not express frivolity in the face of death, but the nervous tension of people who joyfully felt that theytogether, as a family they are doing some great, useful thing. With every minute of the battle, the inner fire flared up in people more and more. Pierre felt that this fire was burning in his soul “in exactly the same way.”
But somehow imperceptibly, at some invisible threshold, this solemn feeling fades away, and horror comes to replace it.
What two impressions greatly influenced this change in Pierre’s mood?
First - the death of a young officer. “Suddenly something happened: the officer gasped and curled up and sat down on the ground, like a shot bird in flight.” Then - an explosion of boxes with charges: “Suddenly a terrible shock threw Pierre back to the ground. At the same instant, the brilliance of a large fire illuminated him, and at the same instant a deafening thunder, crackling and whistling sound rang in his ears.” If earlier Pierre's attention was focused on the flaring internal fire, now this deafening explosion forced him to look around him. The war finally reveals itself to him in all its horror. Prone to sudden mood swings, Pierre no longer “remembered himself from fear.” He runs first to the battery, and then, seeing that it is occupied by the French, he runs downhill, stumbling over the dead and wounded, who seemed to him to be catching his legs.”
Reading the episode.
Tolstoy creates an atmosphere of horror. “The young officer was sittingin a pool of blood "; "The red-faced soldier is stilltwitched , but they didn’t remove it”; “...from the family circle that accepted him, he did not find anyone.” Now nothing justifies this massacre. Pierre sees “faces disfigured by suffering.” The thought occurs to him: “No, now they will leave it, now they will be horrified by what they did!”
The teacher's word.
By the second half of the first day of the battle, Kutuzov came to the conclusion about the victory of the Russian troops, and Napoleon came to the conclusion about his defeat. But the battle continued, now without any meaning. It turned, in Tolstoy's depiction, into a senseless massacre.
Reading the episode “Description of the situation in which Prince Andrei’s regiment was located.”
"Regiment was moved forward... to that gap between Semyonovsky and the Kurgan battery, on which thousands of people were killed that day and on which, in the second hour of the day, intensely concentrated fire from several hundred enemy guns was directed”; “Without leaving this place andwithout firing a single shell , the regiment lost another third of its people here.”
What were all the efforts of Prince Andrei and the people of his regiment directed towards?
“All the strength of his soul, just like that of every soldier, was unconsciously aimed at refraining only from contemplating the horror of the situation in which they were.”
Reading the episode “The Death of Bolkonsky.”
The last thoughts of Prince Andrei: “I can’t, I don’t want to die, I love life, I love this grass, earth, air...” Wounded in the stomach, he “rushed to the side” - it was an impulse to life, an impulse to something he had not understood before, the happiness of simple enjoyment of life and love for it.
Conclusion.
Which army won the Battle of Borodino?
The external impression, as Tolstoy shows, is that no one won. But still, Tolstoy recognizes the victory for the Russians. “Not the victory that is determined... by the space on which the troops stood and are standing, but a moral victory, one that convinces the enemy of the moral superiority of his enemy and of his powerlessness...”
What significance does Tolstoy attach to the Battle of Borodino?
He believes that its consequence was “Napoleon’s flight from Moscow... the death of a 500,000-strong invasion and the death of Napoleonic France, which for the first time at Borodino was laid down by the hand of the strongest enemy in spirit.” Borodin's Day, according to Tolstoy, is the day of triumph of the Russian spirit. Tolstoy, a historian and philosopher, pursues this idea in all the chapters where he talks about the Battle of Borodino. But the second thought that grows out ofartistic descriptions of the battle is an equally dear idea to Tolstoy about cruelty, inhumanity - wars, that Wars are possible only because of the “darkening” of the human mind. To an enlightened mind, according to Tolstoy, the truth becomes clear; this truth is in love for all people, in love even for enemies.
IV . Information about homework.
1. Reading the text.
Kutuzov and Napoleon.
2. Message. Historical information about Napoleon.
3. Message. Historical information about Kutuzov.
V . Summarizing.
VI . Reflection.
The central plot of the epic “War and Peace” is the Battle of Borodino. L.N. Tolstoy devoted 20 chapters to the description of the largest battle between the Russians and the French. The climax was decisive both for the Russian Empire and for many of the heroes of the novel.
In the third volume of War and Peace, Tolstoy describes in detail the Battle of Borodino. The author alternately shows the camp of the Russian troops, Napoleon's headquarters, Raevsky's battery, where Bezukhov is present, and Bolkonsky's regiment.
Large-scale geography made it possible to most fully reproduce the events of August 1812.
The writer shows the battle of Borodino through the eyes of a civilian. In Bezukhov's view, the war looked like a solemn event, while Tolstoy showed it as hard and bloody work. Together with Pierre, the reader gradually becomes convinced that the author is right. The Count perceives what is happening around him from a psychological point of view, therefore he feels the mood of the defenders of the Fatherland. Many actions and maneuvers are incomprehensible to him; even in a collision with a French officer, he does not understand who captured whom.
Finding himself in the thick of events, Bezukhov sees the real horror of war.
He fails to remain an observer; he actively participates in the defense, although he does it automatically, out of a sense of self-preservation. At the same time, the hero notes the strong desire of his compatriots to survive the fierce battle.
The main battles take place in the middle of the field, where the infantrymen collided. Tolstoy shows Napoleon in despair: despite a strong army, careful preparations, knowledge of his enemy, “... a terrible wave of his hand fell magically and powerlessly...”. He failed to repeat the triumphs of the battles of Austerlitz and Friedland.
Kutuzov, on the contrary, is calm, he almost does not interfere in the course of the battle, he allows soldiers and officers to take reasonable initiative, since “one person cannot... lead hundreds of thousands fighting death.” The success of the war “depends on the feeling that is ... in every soldier.”
At the end of the description of the battle of Borodino, Tolstoy compares the invasion of the French army with an enraged beast, which was doomed to die from loss of blood, for “the blow was fatal.” According to Lev Nikolayevich, the consequence of the Battle of Borodino was Bonaparte’s hasty flight from Moscow, retreat along the old Smolensk road , the loss of five hundred thousand bayonets and the subsequent death of Napoleonic France.
Thus, it is the Battle of Borodino that can be considered the culmination and point of no return. It contributed to the fact that the French, led by their pompous commander, lost their “moral consciousness of superiority.”
Updated: 2017-01-21
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If it weren't God's will,
They wouldn’t give up Moscow...
M.Yu.Lermontov
Having studied Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace,” many historians argue that Tolstoy allowed himself to distort some facts of the Patriotic War of 1812. This applies to the Battle of Austerlitz and the Battle of Borodino. Indeed, the Battle of Borodino in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is described in sufficient detail, which makes it possible to study historical events through the pages of the novel. However, the opinion of historians agrees that the main battle of the entire Patriotic War of 1812 was Borodino. It was this that was the reason for the Russian victory over the French army. It was this that became decisive.
Progress of the Battle of Borodino
Let’s open L.N. Tolstoy’s novel, volume three, part two, chapter nineteen, where we read: “Why was the Battle of Borodino given? It didn’t make the slightest sense for either the French or the Russians. The immediate result was and should be - for the Russians, that we were closer to the destruction of Moscow... and for the French, that they were closer to the destruction of the entire army... This result was then completely obvious, and yet Napoleon gave, and Kutuzov accepted This is a battle."
As Tolstoy describes, on August 24, 1812, Napoleon did not see the troops of the Russian army from Utitsa to Borodino, but accidentally “stumbled upon” the Shevardinsky redoubt, where he had to start the battle. The positions of the left flank were weakened by the enemy, and the Russians lost the Shevardinsky redoubt, and Napoleon transferred his troops across the Kolocha River. On August 25, no action followed from either side. And on August 26 the Battle of Borodino took place. In the novel, the writer even shows readers a map - the location of the French and Russian sides - for a clearer picture of everything that is happening.
The Battle of Borodino in Tolstoy's assessment
Tolstoy does not hide his misunderstanding of the senselessness of the actions of the Russian army and gives his assessment of the Battle of Borodino in “War and Peace”: “The Battle of Borodino did not take place in a chosen and fortified position with somewhat weaker Russian forces at that time, but the Battle of Borodino, due to the loss of the Shevardinsky redoubt, was adopted by the Russians in an open, almost unfortified area with forces twice as weak against the French, that is, in such conditions in which it was not only unthinkable to fight for ten hours and make the battle indecisive, but it was unthinkable to keep the army from complete defeat for three hours and escape."
Heroes in the Battle of Borodino
A description of the Battle of Borodino is given in chapters 19-39 of the second part of the third volume. At the same time, not only a description of military actions is given. Tolstoy pays great attention to the thoughts of our heroes. It shows Andrei Bolkonsky on the eve of the battle. His thoughts are agitated, and he himself is somewhat irritated, experiencing a strange excitement before the battle. He thinks about love, remembering all the important moments of his life. He confidently tells Pierre Bezukhov: “Tomorrow, no matter what, we will win the battle!
Captain Timokhin tells Bolkonsky: “Why feel sorry for yourself now! The soldiers in my battalion, believe me, didn’t drink vodka: it’s not that kind of day, they say.” Pierre Bezukhov came to the mound, where they were preparing for battle, and was horrified, discovering the war “first-hand.” He sees the militia men and looks at them in bewilderment, to which Boris Drubetskoy explains to him: “The militia men just put on clean, white shirts to prepare for death. What heroism, Count!
Napoleon's behavior also makes us think. He is nervous and the last day before the battle “is not in a good mood.” Napoleon probably understands that this battle will be decisive for him. He seems unsure of his army and something is questioning him. During the very course of the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon sits on a mound near Shevardino and drinks punch. Why did the writer show it at such a moment? What did you want to show? Pettiness and indifference to his soldiers, or the special tactics of a great strategist and self-confidence? At least for us, the readers, everything becomes clear: Kutuzov would never have allowed himself to behave like that during a general battle. Napoleon showed his isolation from the people, where he was and where his army was. He showed all his superiority over both the Russians and the French. He did not condescend to take up his sword and engage in battle. He watched everything from the side. I watched how people kill each other, how Russians smash the French and vice versa, but I thought only about one thing - power.
Tolstoy says about Kutuzov’s words (order for battle): “...what Kutuzov said flowed...from the feeling that lay in the soul of the commander-in-chief, as well as in the soul of every Russian person.” For him, the significance of the Battle of Borodino was truly the outcome of the entire war. A man who felt everything that was happening to his soldiers probably could not think differently. Borodino was lost for him, but he knew, with some inner feeling, that the war was not over yet. Can this be called Kutuzov’s calculation when, by allowing Napoleon to enter Moscow, he signs the death warrant for the Emperor of France? He dooms the French army to complete devastation. He exhausts them with hunger and cold and leads them to flee Moscow. Kutuzov is helped in this by nature, and the Russian spirit, and in victory, and faith in the forces, albeit weakened, but still alive, and the large partisan movement that the people launched.
conclusions
After a short analysis of this episode, I conclude that Kutuzov recognized the Russian people as a great force, which led Russia to victory. Whether it was a calculation or pure chance does not matter, but the Battle of Borodino was the outcome of the entire war of 1812. Briefly enough, I wrote some important, in my opinion, quotes that confirm this idea.
In my essay on the topic “The Battle of Borodino in the novel “War and Peace”” I tried to reveal the significance of the Battle of Borodino in Leo Tolstoy’s assessment, in his understanding of the meaning of this military operation. And also the significance of the Battle of Borodino in the destinies of the main characters of the novel.
Work test