Welcome back to the R&W year-long read, War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss in depth this “time between times” of the story. Using two different quotes from this month’s reading, they talk about all the story lines from this strange time of “life and death hanging in the balance,” and all the motivations that are—or are not—for the “good of the people.”

Below are the quotes the ladies used to guide their discussion, and the questions that follow for each story line’s considering:

* Quote 1: Life and death hanging in the balance:

“...no one–least of all Natasha and Prince Andrei–spoke of this: the unsettled question of life and death, which hung not only over Bolkonsky but over all Russia, shut out all other considerations.” (991)

* Quote 2: For the good of the people…??:

“Since the world began and men have killed one another no one has ever committed such a crime against his fellow-man without comforting himself with this same idea. This idea is le bien public, the hypothetical welfare of other people.” (957)

Questions to consider as we examine each story line:

* Is life or death being chosen by the characters? Either literal or spiritual.

* What is the motivating factor behind each one’s choice and in each situation?

* Are the characters being honest about their motivations? Are they lying to themselves to justify their actions? Are they truly looking out for “the good of the people”?

Links to books, people, and ideas discussed… and Rhea’s bookmarks!:

* Rhea’s Oct - Dec Bookmarks

* Sabbath, by Abraham Joshua Heschel

* Violence and the Sacred, by René Girard

* Deceit, Desire, and the Novel, by René Girard

* The Four Quartets, by T. S. Eliot (about)

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked this episode ❤️ it and share it!

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the literary work we’re doing, become a free or paid subscriber.

Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe