Tolstoy's War and Peace: Philosophical Perspectives (Oxford Studies in Philosophy and Literature)

This collection of eight essays by world-renowned philosophers and literary critics thoroughly examines the philosophical perspectives of Leo Tolstoy's immortal novel War and Peace.By examining the narrative structure, as well as the struggles and destinies of the central characters, the authors offer in-- depth analyses of the multilayered topics of this work.These topics range from those of war and peace, of the possibility of historical truths, and of freedom and determination, to the issues about friendship, love, living, and dying.Underlying all these discussions is the examination of Tolstoy's preoccupation with the pursuits of truth, goodness, and beauty in a world replete with deceptions, destructions, and artificiality.Taken together, the essays suggest that Tolstoy's novel leaves open the door for the possibility of objective values and judgments, as well as for the possibility of discerning some fundamental truths regarding the value and meaning of human life.The novel's acc