War & Peace Podnotes, A Study Guide

Attendant to the Empress, Anna Pavlovna Scherer, is proud to have some of St. Petersburg's finest in her drawing room.Princess Hélène Kuragina is strikingly gorgeous. Little Princess Lise is upset her husband, Price Andrei, has joined the Coalition against Napoleon. She is pregnant with their first child and worried about becoming a widow. Little groups are forming and discussing the topics of the day, such as alliances and the latest plans for a lasting peace. Pierre Bezukhov then arrives. Pierre (not the most Russian of first names but one that is aristocratic) has returned to Russia from about a decade studying abroad, including spending time in France. Pierre believes himself to have been enriched of the ideals of the French Revolution and aftermath. Pierre is the illegitimate son of a prominent Count in Russia, who is quite ill.  The Count holds many estates that are as big as actual states in the U.S.. Pierre struggles to get in conversations and make his point known -- something Tolstoy notes -- yo

This episode provides analysis of Book 1, Part 1, Chapter 1. Podnotes by Sean Roman are intended as a study guide and to provide context to the great work by Leo Tolstoy.Chapter 1 introduces the antagonist, Napoleon, who is being discussed at an evening soirée as a threat to all Europe. The hostess, Anna Pavlovna Scherer, an unmarried socialite, around 40 years of age, posits that only Emperor Alexander can save Europe from the legendary general.  An early guest arrives, the Count Vasili Kuragin, who turns the conversation to something more relatable, his unmarried children. There is the beautiful Helene, the prodigal Anatole, and the dull Hippolyte. Anna proposes to be matchmaker for Anotole, who has the reputation of a playboy. Anna believes that Princess Mary, the soulful daughter of old General Nicholas Bolkonsky would be a perfect match. As Princess Mary is rich and from a good family, Count Vasili is encouraged by the idea.

Thank you for giving this project a chance. The goal is for it to supplement your reading of War & Peace with commentary and context. Each episode usually summarizes a chapter. The episode descriptions will also provides information on how each chapter plays out. Each episode is expected to remain under 10 minutes. A few may be a tad longer but 10 minutes is the goal.  These are Cliffnotes on a podcast, hence Podnotes. This introduction provides some of the motivation for attempting this Herculean effort: namely, this is the fictional book that stands above all others in its profundity. It is like the top part of the pyramid on the back of a dollar bill, somehow rising above, and standing apart from, all other literary works of man.This introduction also provides a quick background on Tolstoy and how his aristocratic background and military experience at the Battle of Crimea likely informed War & Peace.