War and Peace Again

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Chapter 1- A soiree is being held in St. Petersburg, Russia, a little over 6 months after Napoleon has crowned himself Emperor of France. The Russian Nobility attending the soiree are not pleased. Napoleon is referred to as the “AntiChrist” by Anna Pavlovna Scherer as she hosts the soiree, and during the opening paragraphs of W & P.

Something to note- St. Petersburg, where the novel begins, is on the coastal northwest of Russia. St. Petersburg was the capitol of the Russian Empire from the early 1700’s until 1917. During the USSR’s reign, St.Petersburg was also known as Leningrad.

In the first chapter we meet the two of the three main characters in the novel, Pierre Bezukhov, and Andrei Bolkonsky. I am reading what is known as the 1930 Maude translation. Louise and Aylmer Maude’s translation was first published by Macmillan Press in 1920. Louise Maude was a native Russian, born in Moscow, and spoke, Russian, English, French, and German. Alymer Maude reworked the maps in the translation and the new version was published in 1930, known as the Centenary Edition.

There is much use of French in the translation, and I am looking up any words that I need to. The juxtaposition of French words in a novel where we are introduced to a definite dislike of Napoleon is an interesting nuance in the novel for modern readers. However, in Leo Tolstoy’s W & P, French is used extensively by the aristocratic characters, because it was the international language and language of culture and prestige in the 18th and 19th centuries. French was also the preferred language of the court, aristocrats, and the educated elite, as well as a marker of social status.