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APS TOGETHER

Day 75

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Volume IV, Part IV, i-v. (From “When a man sees a dying animal” to “a lackey has his own idea of greatness.”)

November 28, 2021 by Yiyun Li

For each reading of these chapters, a different sentence about mourning stands out to me. Today this description of Natasha and Marya feels acutely accurate: death has that effect of total eclipse. And yet no eclipse lasts forever.

Morally bowed down and shutting their eyes to the menacing cloud of death that hung over them, they did not dare to look life in the face.

Petya died after the fate of the war was already decided. How is futility measured?

Kutuzov is my favorite kind of protagonist: complex, not entirely likeable, a reader of fiction, and a writer of letters.

He wrote letters to his daughters and to Mme de Staël, read novels, enjoyed the society of beautiful women…

Daily Reading

Day 1

Volume I, Part I, i-iii. (From “Eh bien, mon prince” to “the company of intelligent women.”)

Day 2

Volume I, Part I, iv-vi (partial). (From “Anna Pavlovna smiled” to “Word of honor!”)

Day 3

Volume I, Part I, vi (second half) - x. (From “It was already past one o’clock” to “she slowly walked beside him to the sitting room.”)

Day 4

Volume I, Part I, xi-xiv. (From “The countess was so tired” to “But for both of them they were pleasant tears…”)

Day 5

Volume I, Part I, xv-xvii. (From “Countess Rostov, with her daughters” to “letting out a long, deep breath and pushing up her sleeves.”)

Day 6

Volume I, Part I, xviii-xx. (From “Just as the sixth anglaise was being danced” to “Pierre went out.”)

Day 7

Volume I, Part I, xxi-xxiii. (From “There was no one in the reception room now” to “Go to the dining room.”)

Day 8

Volume I, Part I, xxiv-xxv (end of Part I). (From “At the appointed hour” to “shook his head reproachfully, and slammed the door.”)

Day 9

Volume I, Part II, i-iii. (From “In October 1805” to “the cornet turned and left the corridor.”)

Day 10

Volume I, Part II, iv-vii. (From “The Pavlogradsky hussar regiment” to “Put a stick between your legs, that’ll do you for a horse,” rejoined the hussar.)

Day 11

Volume I, Part II, viii-ix. (From “The rest of the infantry” to “a long-past, far-off memory.”)

Day 12

Volume I, Part II, x-xiii. (From “Prince Andrei stayed in Brünn” to “women of their mutual acquaintance.”)

Day 13

Volume I, Part II, xiv-xviii. (From “On the first of November” to “after the disordered French.”)

Day 14

Volume I, Part II, xix-xxi (end of Part II). (From “The attack of the sixth chasseurs” to “Bagration’s detachment joined Kutuzov’s army.”)

Day 15

Volume I, Part III, i-ii. (From “Prince Vassily did not think out his plans” to “the counts Bezukhov in Petersburg.”)

Day 16

Volume I, Part III, iii-iv. (From “Old Prince Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky received a letter” to “raising her finger and smiling, she left the room.”)

Day 17

Volume I, Part III, v-vii. (From “They all dispersed” to “this hateful little adjutant.”)

Day 18

Volume I, Part III, viii-ix. (From “On the day after the meeting” to “remained for a time with the Izmailovsky regiment.”)

Day 19

Volume I, Part III, x-xiii. (From “At dawn on the sixteenth” to “worthy of my people, you, and myself. Napoleon.”)

Day 20

Volume I, Part III, xiv-xvi. (From “At five o’clock in the morning” to “‘And thank God!’…”)

Day 21

Volume I, Part III, xvii-xix (end of Volume I). (From “At nine o’clock” to “handed over to the care of the local inhabitants.”)

Day 22

Volume II, Part I, i-iv. (From “At the beginning of 1806” to “Everyone was silent.”)

Day 23

Volume II, Part I, v-x. (From “‘Well, begin!’ said Dolokhov” to “dinners, evening parties, and balls.”)

Day 24

Volume II, Part I, xi-xvi (end of Part I). (From “On the third day of Christmas” to “which was already in Poland.”)

Day 25

Volume II, Part II, i-iii. (From “After his talk with his wife” to “with joy and tender feeling.”)

Day 26

Volume II, Part II, iv-vii. (From “Soon after that, it was not the rhetor” to “an intimate of Countess Bezukhov’s house.”)

Day 27

Volume II, Part II, viii-x. (From “The war was heating up” to “that is, all they could.”)

Day 28

Volume II, Part II, xi-xv. (From “Returning from his southern journey” to “Rostov noticed tears in Denisov’s eyes.”)

Day 29

Volume II, Part II, xvi-xxi (end of Part II). (From "In the month of October" to "’Hey, you! Another bottle!’ he shouted.”)

Day 30

Volume II, Part III, i-v. (From "In 1808 the emperor Alexander went" to "trying not to be noticed, left the room.")

Day 31

Volume II, Part III, vi-x. (From "During the initial time of his stay in Petersburg" to "if Thou forsakest me altogether.")

Day 32

Volume II, Part III, xi-xv. (From “The financial affairs of the Rostovs" to "the way he does with these ladies.")

Day 33

Volume II, Part III, xvi-xxi. (From "Suddenly everything stirred" to "and Berg drew Pierre into it.")

Day 34

Volume II, Part III, xxii-xxvi (end of Part III). (From “"The next day Prince Andrei went to the Rostovs'" to "she loved her father and her nephew more than God.")

Day 35

Volume II, Part IV, i-v. (From “Biblical tradition says that absence of work" to "shyly smiled his childishly meek and pleasant smile.")

Day 36

Volume II, Part IV, vi-viii. (From “The old count rode home" to "Things were not cheerful in the Rostovs' house.")

Day 37

Volume II, Part IV, ix-xiii (end of Part IV). (From “Christmastime came" to "went to Moscow at the end of January.")

Day 38

Volume II, Part V, i-iv. (From “After the engagement" to "try to get the old prince used to her.")

Day 39

Volume II, Part V, v-viii. (From “Boris had failed to marry" to "Natasha also began to look.")

Day 40

Volume II, Part V, ix-xiii. (From "The stage consisted of flat boards" to "no answers to these terrible questions.")

Day 41

Volume II, Part V, xiv-xvii. (From "Morning came with its cares" to "ran back with him to the troika.")

Day 42

Volume II, Part V, xviii-xxii (end of Volume II). (From "Marya Dmitrievna, finding the weeping Sonya" to "now blossoming into new life.")

Day 43

Volume III, Part I, i-v. (From "Since the end of the year 1811" to "Alexander had sent him off.")

Day 44

Volume III, Part I, vi-viii. (From “Accustomed though Balashov was" to "presented themselves to Prince Andrei one after the other.")

Day 45

Volume III, Part I, ix-xii. (From "Prince Andrei arrived in the general headquarters" to "'Here. What lightning!' they said to each other.")

Day 46

Volume III, Part I, xiii-xviii. (From "In an abandoned tavern" to "'And it seemed to her that God heard her prayer.")

Day 47

Volume III, Part I, xix-xxiii (end of Part I). (From "Since the day when Pierre, leaving the Rostovs'" to "astonished at what they had done.")

Day 48

Volume III, Part II, i-iv. (From “Napoleon started the war with Russia" to "he spurred his horse and rode down the lane.")

Day 49

Volume III, Part II, v-vii. (From “From Smolensk the troops continued to retreat" to "He gave Lavrushka another horse and took him along”)

Day 50

Volume III, Part II, viii-x. (From “Princess Marya was not in Moscow" to "she was ready to do everything for him and for the muzhiks.")

Day 51

Volume III, Part II, xi-xv. (From “An hour later Dunyasha came to the princess” to “‘Oh, German scrupulosity!’ he said, shaking his head.”)

Day 52

Volume III, Part II, xvi-xix. (From “‘Well, that’s all now!’ said Kutuzov” to “three hours from total destruction and flight.”)

Day 53

Volume III, Part II, xx-xxiv. (From “On the morning of the twenty-fifth” to “’They’d gone to the estate outside Moscow.’”)

Day 54

Volume III, Part II, xxv-xxviii. (From “The officers wanted to take their leave” to “worthily fulfilled his role of seeming to command.”)

Day 55

Volume III, Part II, xxix-xxxii. (From “Having returned from a second preoccupied ride” to “a straining man crying out with his last strength.”)

Day 56

Volume III, Part II, xxxiii-xxxv. (From “The main action of the battle of Borodino” to “vacillating men were comforted and reassured.”)

Day 57

Volume III, Part II, xxxvi-xxxix (end of Part II). (From “Prince Andrei’s regiment was in the reserves” to “the hand of an adversary stronger in spirit.”)

Day 58

Volume III, Part III, i-v. (From “For human reason, absolute continuity” to “enormous current of people which carried him along with it.”)

Day 59

Volume III, Part III, vi-xi. (From “Hélène, having returned with the court” to “saw any more of Pierre or knew where he was.”)

Day 60

Volume III, Part III, xii-xvi. (From “The Rostovs remained in the city” to “tried to take along as much as possible.”)

Day 61

Volume III, Part III, xvii-xxi. (From “Towards two o’clock the Rostovs’ four carriages” to “the troops were now moving forward.”)

Day 62

Volume III, Part III, xxii-xxv. (From “The city itself, meanwhile, was empty” to “began shouting and dispersing the clustering carts.”)

Day 63

Volume III, Part III, xxvi-xxix. (From “Towards four o’clock in the afternoon” to “lay down on the sofa and fell asleep at once.”)

Day 64

Volume III, Part III, xxx-xxxiv (end of Volume III). (From “The glow of the first fire” to “Pierre was placed separately under strict guard.”)

Day 65

Volume IV, Part I, i-v. (From “In Petersburg, in the highest circles, a complex struggle” to “kissing her plump little hand.”)

Day 66

Volume IV, Part I, vi-x. (From “On arriving in Moscow after her meeting with Rostov” to “depriving him of life, everything, annihilating him.”)

Day 67

Volume IV, Part I, xi-xiii. (From “From Prince Shcherbatov’s house, the prisoners” to “the value or the meaning of a word or act taken separately.”)

Day 68

Volume IV, Part I, xiv-xvi (end of Part I). (From “On receiving from Nikolai the news” to “solemn mystery of death that had been accomplished before them.”)

Day 69

Volume IV, Part II, i-vii. (From “The totality of causes of phenomena” to “the push was given which Napoleon’s army was only waiting for to begin its flight.”)

Day 70

Volume IV, Part II, viii-xii. (From “Napoleon enters Moscow after the brilliant victory” to “Pierre felt that this view obliged him.”)

Day 71

Volume IV, Part II, xiii-xix (end of Part I). (From “In the night of the sixth to seventh of October” to “along their same fatal path to Smolensk.”)

Day 72

Volume IV, Part III, i-vi. (From “The battle of Borodino, with the subsequent occupation of Moscow” to “‘Well, tell me about yourself,’ he said.”)

Day 73

Volume IV, Part III, vii-xii. (From “Petya, having left his family on their departure from Moscow” to “joyful and calming thoughts, memories, and images that came to him.”)

Day 74

Volume IV, Part III, xiii-xix (end of Part III). (From “At noon on the twenty-second, Pierre” to “to threaten, but not to lash the running animal on the head.”)

Day 75

Volume IV, Part IV, i-v. (From “When a man sees a dying animal” to “a lackey has his own idea of greatness.”)

Day 76

Volume IV, Part IV, vi-xi. (From “The fifth of November was the first day” to “And so he died.”)

Day 77

Volume IV, Part IV, xii-xvi. (From “Pierre, as most often happens, felt the whole burden” to “‘It’s the first time she’s spoken of him like that.’”)

Day 78

Volume IV, Part IV, xvii-xx (end of Volume IV). (From ““Pierre was taken to the big, well-lit dining room” to “‘Right, Marie? It has to be so….’”)

Day 79

Epilogue, Part I, i-v. (From “Seven years had passed since 1812” to “that gloomy state of mind which alone enabled him to endure his situation.”)

Day 80

Epilogue, Part I, vi-ix. (From “At the beginning of winter, Princess Marya came to Moscow” to “which she involuntarily remembered at that moment.”)

Day 81

Epilogue, Part I, x-xiii. (From “Natasha was married in the early spring of 1813” to “when the stockings were finished.”)

Day 82

Epilogue, Part I, xiv-xvi (end of Part I). (From “Soon after that, the children came to say good night” to “‘I’ll do something that even he would be pleased with…’”)

Day 83

Epilogue, Part II, i-iv. (From “The subject of history is the life of peoples and of mankind” to “we will get the history of monarchs and writers, and not the history of the life of peoples.”)

Day 84

Epilogue, Part II, v-viii. (From “The life of peoples cannot be contained” to “from their plastering point of view, everything comes out flat and smooth.”)

Day 85

Epilogue, Part II, ix-xii (THE END). (From “For the solution of the question of freedom and necessity” to “it is just as necessary to renounce a nonexistent freedom and recognize a dependence we do not feel.”)

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