War and Peace (U) - SKU 169929

some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences―biographical, historical, and literary―to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RThe most famous―and perhaps greatest―novel of all time, &&LSTRONG&&RTolstoy&&L/B&&R’s&&L/B&&R &&LI&&RWar and Peace&&L/I&&R tells the story of five families struggling for survival during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RAmong its many unforgettable characters is Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, a proud, dashing man who, despising the artifice of high society, joins the army to achieve glory. Badly wounded at Austerlitz, he begins to discover the emptiness of everything to which he has devoted himself. His death scene is considered one of the greatest passages in Russian literature.&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RThe novels other hero, the bumbling Pierre Bezukhov, tries to find meaning in life through a series of philosophical systems that promise to resolve all questions. He at last discovers the Tolstoyan truth that wisdom is to be found not in systems but in the ordinary processes of daily life, especially in his marriage to the novels most memorable heroine, Natasha. &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RBoth an intimate study of individual passions and an epic history of Russia and its people, &&LI&&RWar and Peace&&L/I&&R is nothing more or less than a complete portrait of human existence.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LSTRONG&&R&&L/B&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LSTRONG&&RJoseph Frank&&L/B&&R&&L/B&&R is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Princeton University and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Slavic Languages and Literature at Stanford University. He is the author of a five-volume study of Dostoevsky’s life and work.&&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R