The guests are leaving Anna Pavlovna's event. The horse carriages and coats are readied by footmen. Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov enjoy briefly interacting with one another. They are two of the great characters of literature and are not together all that often, so these moments are special.

Tolstoy provides a description of Pierre. He uncommonly tall, stout and has large reddish hands. Whenever entering or leaving a room, he does so clumsily. At the soirée, instead of his own hat, he grabs the three-cornered hat of a General. He has a massive heart to go along with his frame. A level of favor seems to follow him, like many a Biblical character with a transcendent essence. It is important to remember that Tolstoy was heavily influenced by Scripture.

Prince Andrei has no interest in conversing with the society crowd - but he has a warm affinity for Pierre and looks forward to conversing with him after the party.

The scene shifts to Andrei's study, where Pierre picks out Julius Caesar's Commentaries. This is likely a subtle reference to the novel's anti-hero, Napoleon, being regarded as one of the all-time great generals. Tolstoy condemns war with uncanny ability but Napoleon's reputation still places him among the legends.

Pierre relays he is undecided on his path in life, though his father has given him two choices: to enter the Army (Calvary Division) or the Diplomatic Service. Neither are appealing. We receive background information that Pierre was sent away at around age 10 with a tutor to experience the great cities of Europe. At 20, he returned to Moscow (the ages aren't precise) and his father sent him to St. Petersburg.

Pierre knows one thing above all - he has no inclination to join the governments of England, Austria and Russia against "the Greatest Man in the World" (Napoleon). He then turns the conversation around and asks Andrei: with such a good life in St. Petersburg, why is Andrei is venturing to war? Andrei responds that his current life is not the one he was looking for. Andrei strives for something more.

Anna Pavlovna's soirée reaches its climax. The elderly Princess Anna Drubetskoya grabs Prince Vasili Kuragin's hand as he attempts to leave. She will not let go and the Aristocrat knows he is going to be asked for a big favor. Princess Anna lost her societal connections but has one card to play. She knows Prince Vasili was helped early in her life by her father. Tolstoy points out, "Influence is a capital to be used with economy if it is to last."

Anna reminds Vasili of the old days in effort to get her son Boris a position with the Imperial Guard and also as an adjunct to the historic General Mikhail Kutuzov. Gen. Kutuzov has a central role in this work and holds the reputation of a great military leader whose chief virtue was patience. The impassioned appeal works and Vasili will take up her son's cause.

For those who have not left, the talk centers around Napoleon. The hostess feels the powers of Europe are bound to stop him. A French exile, the Vicomte de Mortemart is leading the choir against Bonaparte, the "Usurper."

Napoleon has his admirers among the aristocracy, including from the two main characters of the book, Pierre and Prince Andrei. The Prince handles the discussion with more polish, such as by quoting Napoleon at his coronation "Dieu me la donne; gâre à qui la touche." {God gave me this; beware who touches it!}

Pierre feels the need to be heard and forces his way in the discussion. He describes that the controversial execution of the Duke d'Enghien (of French nobility) was a political necessity. He argues Napoleon is a man for the ages towering above others; he restored order; preserved the ideals of the Revolution and stopped the abuses. Pierre is reduced to an awkward smile after general rebuke.

Prince Andrei suggests there are both noble and ignoble qualities of Napoleon, referencing his loyalty to his soldiers but also notes how some prisoners thought to be under his control (particularly in Egypt) were treated cruelly.

Anna's reception is full swing. As Tolstoy describes, "The spindles hummed steadily and ceaselessly on all sides." The patrons settle into a number of groups and discuss how an alliance is needed to stop Napoleon and that Russia should spearhead the effort. 

The beautiful Hélène gets a chance to walk between the groups and garner quite a bit of attention. A French expatriate, the Vicomte de Mortemart, tells a tale about Napoleon ordering the killing of a rival. The Vicomte explained that it was a romantic rival but historically it was a political rival from France, Louis Antoine de Bourbon, (the duc d'Enghien), who was generally regarded as a threat to the French Republic. 

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky arrives and is NOT thrilled to see his peers from High society, nor his lovely wife, who is pregnant.  He announces that he will be heading to war as an aide-de-camp to the historic General Mikhail Kutuzov.  Andrei is very happy, however, to see his old friend Pierre Bezukhov. The two agree to break bread after the event. Both acknowledge the loveliness of Hélène.

Attendant to the Empress, Anna Anna Pávlovna Schérer, is proud to have some of St. Petersburg's finest nobles in her drawing room.

Princess Hélène Kuragina is noted by all to be strikingly gorgeous. Little Princess Lise is upset her husband, Price Andrei Bolknosky, has joined the military cooalition against Napoleon. She is pregnant with their first child and is worried about soon becoming a widow. 

She notes: “my husband is deserting me? He is going to get himself killed. Tell me what this wretched war is for?”

Little groups are forming and discussing the topics of the day, such as alliances and the latest plans for peace. 

Pierre Bezukhov then arrives. Pierre (not the most Russian of first names but one that would be common in the aristocracy that preferred speaking French) has returned home from about a decade studying abroad, including spending time in France. Pierre believes himself enriched by the ideals of the French Revolution and aftermath. 

Pierre is the illegitimate son of the most prominent Count in Russia, who is quite ill.  The Count holds many estates that are as big as actual states in the United States. Pierre struggles to get into conversations and once he sees an opening, feels the irresistible need to make his point known -- something Tolstoy notes -- young people are apt to do.

Podnotes by Sean Roman are intended as a study guide and to provide common sense descriptions and context to this great work.

Chapter 1 introduces the antagonist, Napoleon, who is being discussed at an evening soirée as a threat to all Europe. The hostess, Anna Pávlovna Schérer, an unmarried socialite who is an attendant to the Empress, posits that only Emperor Alexander can save Europe from the legendary general referred to as an "Antichrist."

Anna is so concerned she notes,

“Can one be well while suffering morally? Can one be calm in times like these if one has any feeling?”

One of the guests, Prince Vasili Kuragin, a man of high rank and importance, turns the conversation to something more relatable, his unmarried children. There is the beautiful Hélène, the prodigal Anatole and the dull Hippolyte. Anna proposes to be matchmaker for Anotole, who has the reputation of a playboy. Anna believes that Princess Marya, the soulful daughter of old (fictional) General Nicholas Bolkonsky would be an ideal match. As Princess Marya is from a wealthy family, Count Vasili is encouraged by the idea.

Cover Image is from French painter Jacques Louis David, The Distribution of the Eagles, created 1809-10.

The goal of podcast is to supplement your reading of War & Peace with a down-to-earth description of what is happening and to provide commentary as well as context. Most episodes summarize a chapter. Particularly complex chapters are divided into two episodes.

The episode descriptions can also assist readers with descriptions on how each chapter plays out. Each podcast is expected to come in under 10 minutes. A few may be a tad longer but 10 minutes is the goal.  Recitation (review) chapters and bonus episodes can be longer.

The episodes are something like summaries/Cliffnotes on a podcast, hence Podnotes. This introductory podcast provides some of the motivation for attempting this Herculean effort: namely, a belief that this fictional book that stands above all others. It is like the top part of the pyramid on the back of a dollar bill, somehow rising above and standing apart from all other fictional works.

This introduction also provides a quick background on Tolstoy and how his aristocratic background and military experience during the Crimean War informed War & Peace.