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621 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Episode 621

621 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The History of Literature · Jacke Wilson / The Podglomerate

July 15, 20241h 27m

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Show Notes

For Virginia Woolf, Leo Tolstoy was "the greatest of all novelists," and her argument was simple: "[W]hat else can we call the author of War and Peace?" In this episode, Jacke takes a look at Tolstoy's original plans for the novel; the unusual nature of the book, which Henry James called a "loose, baggy monster"; the contributions of Tolstoy's wife Sophia; the reception at the time (and ever since); how Tolstoy was both right and wrong about what the book ultimately accomplished; and more.


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