Tag Archives: War and Peace

Tolstoy and the Forerunners of Twitter

By Robin Bates | Published: February 29, 2016

Before there were people sending tweets about the important developments of the day, there was witty repartee in European salons. We get a taste of such banter from Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.

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Panicked by Trump? Turn to Lit

By Robin Bates | Published: February 28, 2016

As Trump panic starts to set in, pundits are turning to literature to get an understanding of how it has all happened. This past week saw references to “Oedipus,” “Frankenstein,” “War and Peace,” and “Slaughterhouse Five.”

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Happy Families Are All Alike?

By Robin Bates | Published: November 5, 2015

Tolstoy may seem to say that unhappy families are more interesting that happy ones in “Anna Karenina,” but the happy families that conclude “War and Peace” appear to contradict this.

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On Sickness and the Power of Prayer

By Robin Bates | Published: October 17, 2015

In “War and Peace” Tolstoy gives a powerful account of how prayer and church attendance can help in the recovery process.

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Trump, Prince Vasili, and Pure Cynicism

By Robin Bates | Published: October 14, 2015

Prince Vasili in “War and Peace” will say anything to come out on top. He’s a lot like Donald Trump.

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Hillary before Judges Like Tolstoy’s Pierre

By Robin Bates | Published: October 7, 2015

The Congressional Committee to Investigate Benghazi is like the military tribunal in “War and Peace” that questions Pierre. It is interested only in answers to lead to conviction.

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Tolstoy Calls Us to Aid Syrian Refugees

By Robin Bates | Published: October 4, 2015

During the evacuation of Moscow in “War and Peace,” the Rostov family gives up their worldly goods to help soldiers in distress. This is much more than many in the U.S. are willing to do for Syrian refugees.

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Tolstoy and Climate Change Denial

By Robin Bates | Published: September 28, 2015

The denial of the citizens of Moscow as Napoleon approaches the city, described by Tolstoy in “War in Peace,” resembles climate change denialism.

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Tolstoyan Therapy for Mental Illness

By Robin Bates | Published: July 18, 2013

Guest poster Lucy Fuggle explains how Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” helped her cope with her PTSD.

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