Battle of Borodino war and peace. "War and Peace": Battle of Borodino in the novel. Back to Pierre Bezukhov











Back forward

Attention! The slide preview is for informational purposes only and may not represent the full extent of the presentation. If you are interested in this work, please download the full version.

Lesson Objectives:

  1. Show the historical significance of the Battle of Borodino, its strategic importance during the Patriotic War of 1812; To trace the image of the war in the novel, based on Tolstoy's views on history; reveal their weakness and strength.
  2. To teach to compare the views of writers and historians, to draw conclusions.
  3. To educate students on vivid examples of the heroism of the Russian army, to attach to historical and material sources testifying to the courage of the Russian warrior, readiness to fight to the death, defending the Motherland.

Equipment: map, diagram, tables showing the course of the battle; novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace" (3rd volume).

During the classes

I. Message of the topic of the lesson, topic of the lesson, goals, tasks.

The history teacher gives the students a chart to work on during the lesson.

II. Opening speech of the history teacher and questions for the frontal conversation. (repetition of the past).

  1. What were the causes of the War of 1812?
  2. What was the nature of the war for the belligerents?
  3. What were the plans of the parties on the eve of the war?
  4. Why was the War of 1812 a Patriotic War for Russia?
  5. What was the nature of the war?

III. Communication plan for learning new material

  1. Plans and preparations for the general battle. The balance of power (according to historical sources)
  2. The course of the Battle of Borodino, its results and historical significance (according to historical sources) (student report)
  3. Leo Tolstoy on his disagreements with historians about the goals and preparations for the battle.
  4. Description of the Battle of Borodino in the novel War and Peace.
  5. Reading the compiled table, discussion, conclusions.

IV. Lecture with elements of conversation.

A history teacher. Having a numerical advantage, Napoleon sought to defeat the Russian army in a general battle, enter Moscow, and dictate terms of peace to Russia. Kutuzov was not inclined to look for the outcome of the war in one general battle, he understood that a general battle did not determine the final victory. Kutuzov's strategic plan was aimed at the accumulation of large forces (reserves), the depletion of the enemy and his final defeat during the counteroffensive. Kutuzov spoke about it this way: “When it comes to the glory of battles won only, but the whole goal is the aspiration to exterminate the French army ... I took the intention ... to retreat ...” (from the report)

Napoleon said: "The victory at Borodino, if it can be achieved, will be only a temporary victory, and not the final defeat of the enemy."

V. Significance of the Battle of Borodino.

Questions for students:

  1. Why did Borodino forever remain in the memory of the people?
  2. How do you explain the words of Napoleon: “Of all my battles, the most terrible is the one I fought near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians gained the glory of being invincible. Of the 50 battles I have given, in the battle near Moscow, the most valor was shown and the least success was won.
  3. How did the patriotism of Russian soldiers manifest itself?

In the Battle of Borodino, the Russian army bled the French and inflicted irreparable losses on them: 58 thousand people were killed. (43%) of the entire staff participating in the battle, including 47 generals, Russian troops lost 38 thousand people. (30%), including 23 generals, maintaining high stamina and the will to win.

Napoleon did not achieve his goals - the defeat of the Russian army - and for the first time he could not win a major general battle. According to A. Krmlev, under Borodino "the French army was crushed against the Russian." Assessing Borodino, Kutuzov wrote in a report to the emperor: “This day will remain an eternal monument of courage and excellent bravery of Russian soldiers, where infantry, cavalry and artillery fought desperately. Everyone's desire was to die on the spot and not yield to the enemy. The French army, under the leadership of Napoleon himself, being in the most excellent strength, did not overcome the firmness of the spirit of the Russian soldier, who sacrificed his life with courage for his fatherland.

In the order for the army, Kutuzov wrote: "Declare my perfect gratitude to all the troops in general who were in the last battle."

VI. Tolstoy's view of the Battle of Borodino.

Literature teacher. In previous lessons we said that Leo Tolstoy was dissatisfied with the way historians provide explanations for the causes of the Napoleonic Wars. The great writer did not agree with the views of learned historians on the goals, preparation and course of the battle of Borodino. He wrote: “My disagreement in the description of historical events with the stories of historians ... It is not accidental, but inevitable. The historian deals with the results of an event, the artist with the very fact of the event. The artist, whether from his own experience or from letters, notes and stories, derives his idea of ​​the event, and very often it turns out to be the opposite of the conclusion of the historian .... For a historian, the main source is the reports of private commanders and the commander in chief ... The artist turns away from them, finding in them the necessary lie.

So, the task of the artist and the historian is completely different, and the disagreement with the historian in the description of events and persons in my book should not strike the reader.

We read about the goals and preparations for the battle of Borodino in the 19th chapter of the 2nd part of the 3rd volume.

Why was the Battle of Borodino given? Neither for the French, nor for the Russians, it made the slightest sense ... ”(reading excerpts from the chapter).

Tolstoy notes that “... Kutuzov and Napoleon acted involuntarily and senselessly. And historians, under the accomplished facts, later summed up the intricate evidence of the foresight and genius of the commanders. ”In the text, students find lines and write in a table:“ The Russians did not find a better position ... but never before August 25, 1812, they never thought that the battle could take place on this spot…". “The battle of Borodino did not happen at all as, trying to hide the mistakes of our military leaders, and as a result, belittling the glory of the Russian army and people, they describe it. The battle of Borodino did not take place on a chosen position ... but was taken by the Russians on an open, almost unfortified area with half the strength against the French, i.e. in such conditions in which ... it was unthinkable to fight ... ".

Battle of Borodino near L.N. Tolstoy is portrayed as a "people's battle". The author gives a panorama of the battle both from above and from the side, and most importantly, from the inside. The reader sees the battle through the eyes of its participants. The teacher asks students to answer the following questions:

  1. How did Pierre Bezukhov see the battle, a purely civilian man, not versed in military affairs? (XXXI.XXXII chapter of the 2nd part of the 3rd volume)?
  2. How does Andrei Bolkonsky, an experienced military man, a participant in many battles, see the battle? (XXXVI.XXXVII chapter of the 2nd part of the 3rd volume.)
  3. How do ordinary soldiers feel about the battle, how do they fight? (XXIIXXXVIChapter XXXII)?
  4. What does L.N. Tolstoy about Kutuzov and Napoleon? What role does the writer assign to generals? Reading chapter excerptsXXVIIXXVIIIXXXV?

“…. During the battle, Napoleon was so far from him that (as it turned out later) he could not know the course of the battle and not a single order of his during the battle could be executed. “It only seemed to Napoleon that the whole thing happened according to his will.”

Kutuzov "... did not make any orders, but only agreed or disagreed with what was offered to him." "Kutuzov was in Gorki, in the center of the position of the Russian troops."

What is the result of the battle?

Pupils read passages from the 39th chapter of the 2nd part of the 3rd volume. “Several tens of thousands of people lay dead in different positions and uniforms…”

Particular attention when reading the 39th chapter should be paid to the dispute of L.N. Tolstoy with historians (“Some historians say that…”).

Yes, L.N. Tolstoy did not agree with historians on the issues of goals, preparation, and the course of the battle. But in what they were united, it was in their views on the results and consequences of the battle of Borodino.

“The moral strength of the French attacking army was exhausted ... the moral victory was won by the Russians near Borodino”; “A direct consequence of the Battle of Borodino was ...” (Chapter 39, Part 2. Volume 3, final lines).

VII. Reading the table compiled during the lesson.

Historical materials about the Battle of Borodino L.N. Tolstoy about the battle of Borodino in the novel "War and Peace"
1. Goals pursued by the Russian army To bleed the enemy, to achieve a change in the balance of power, to prevent Moscow “…didn’t make any sense…”
2. Prepare for battle The battle was carefully planned, a place was chosen, fortifications were built. "The Russians did not look for a better position ..."; “... the battle ... was accepted by the Russians in an open, almost unfortified area
3. The balance of power on the eve of the battle 120 thousand people, 624 guns at Kutuzov. 135 thousand people, Napoleon had 587 guns. 5/6, i.e. 100 thousand for the Russians and 120 thousand for the French.
4. The course of the battle Napoleon and Kutuzov led their armies in battle The course of the battle was not controlled either by Napoleon or by Kutuzov
5. Results of the battle, investigation. The Russians lost 38 thousand people (30%), the French lost 58 thousand people (43%). Kutuzov: "The French army did not overcome the firmness of the spirit of the Russian soldier ..." Napoleon: "The French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians gained the glory of being invincible" "The moral strength of the French army was exhausted ... the moral victory was won by the Russians"

VIII. Summing up the teacher of literature.

Studying historical documents relating to the war of 1812, the Battle of Borodino, we cannot but turn to the novel "War and Peace".

Tolstoy's description of the Battle of Borodino allows us to recreate a complete picture of a specific historical event and, despite L.N. Tolstoy's disagreements with scientists and military leaders, better understand the history of Russia, imbued with a sense of gratitude to the "Russian heroes" who defended the Motherland in 1812. Reading the novel "War and Peace", you are convinced of the correctness of the great humanist writer, who declared that "... the issue that has not been resolved by diplomats is even less resolved by gunpowder and blood", "... war is madness, or if people do this madness, then they not intelligent creatures at all.

L.N. Tolstoy: “A direct consequence of the Battle of Borodino was Napoleon’s unreasonable flight from Moscow, the return along the old Smolensk road, the death of the five hundred thousandth invasion and the death of Napoleonic France, which for the first time near Borodino was laid down by the hand of the strongest enemy in spirit.”

Borodino! Borodino!
At the new battle of giants
You are blessed with glory
How old is the Kulikovo field.
Here - on the fields of Borodino -
Russia fought Europe,
And the honor of Russia is saved
In the waves of the bloody flood.
Sergey Raich

Lesson Objectives:

  • to prove that the battle of Borodino was a turning point in the war with Napoleon, after which the French offensive bogged down;
  • to show that the battle of Borodino is the point of intersection of the fates of the main characters of the novel;
  • reveal the ideological and artistic features of the depiction of war in the novel;
  • to show how Tolstoy's favorite idea, "the idea of ​​the people," is realized in these chapters.

Equipment:

  • multimedia installation;
  • portraits of Leo Tolstoy and the main characters of the novel;
  • presentations of students after visiting the Borodino Museum, photographs taken by them;
  • photographs of the Borodino panorama;
  • portraits of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812: Bagration, Barclay de Tolly, Raevsky, Platov, Tuchkov and others;
  • portraits of Kutuzov and Napoleon;
  • plan for the disposition of the troops of the Russian and Napoleonic armies before the Battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812.

During the classes

Introductory speech of the teacher:

To understand the most complicated novel "War and Peace", we prepared a lot: we visited the Borodino Panorama, the State Borodino Military Historical Museum-Reserve, visited the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, near the Arc de Triomphe, which is on Kutuzovsky Prospekt.

The battle of Borodino is the culmination of the novel, since here the main idea is most clearly manifested - "the thought of the people", here Tolstoy's views on history, on personality, on his attitude to the war are expressed. The battle of Borodino is the point of intersection of the fates of the main characters of the novel.

L. N. Tolstoy could not help but write about the Battle of Borodino: his father entered the service at the age of 17 and participated in battles with Napoleon, was an adjutant to Lieutenant General Andrei Ivanovich Gorchakov, who commanded a detachment defending the Shevardino redoubt. Lev Nikolaevich visited the Borodino field, as he realized that in order to create a vivid picture of the battle, it is necessary to see the place of the historical battle. In the final text of the novel, the Battle of Borodino, according to Tolstoy's plan, should be the climax.

From a letter to his wife: "If only God would give health and tranquility, and I will write such a Battle of Borodino as never before!"

In the novel "War and Peace" the Battle of Borodino is described in 20 chapters. They included what the writer learned and saw, changed his mind, and felt. Time has confirmed the legitimacy of the main conclusion made by the great writer: "A direct consequence of the Battle of Borodino was the causeless flight of Napoleon from Moscow, the return along the Old Smolensk road, the death of the five hundred thousandth invasion and the death of Napoleonic France, which for the first time near Borodino was laid down by the strongest enemy in spirit"

Work with the text of the work

Why does Tolstoy's description of the battle begin with a description of its disposition? Why is the battle shown through the eyes of Pierre, while he knows little about military affairs?

Student:

Based on Tolstoy's views on history, we can conclude that the writer deliberately shows the battle through the eyes of Pierre, in order to emphasize that the outcome of the battle does not depend on the location of the army, but on the spirit of the army. Pierre, a non-military person, perceives everything that happens from a psychological point of view, he better feels the mood of soldiers and officers.

Tolstoy carefully studied the surrounding villages, villages, rivers, the monastery. "Gorki is the highest point" - it is from this place that the author will describe the Borodino position seen by Pierre. "Gorki and Semyonovskaya. Old Mozhaisk road. Utitsa" - these are the places that Pierre later saw, circling the Russian position with General Bennigsen before the battle (the words of the teacher are accompanied by photographs).

What was the meaning for Pierre of the soldier's words: "They want to pile on with the whole world:" / chapter 20 /

Student:

Pierre understands that soldiers are fighting not for awards, but for the Fatherland, they feel the unity of everyone - from ordinary soldiers to officers and the commander in chief. The defenders of the battery of General Raevsky shake with their moral stamina. When communicating with Russian soldiers, Pierre finds the meaning and purpose of life, realizing the falsity of his previous attitudes. He suddenly clearly understands that the people are the bearer of the best human qualities. Pierre thinks: "How to throw off all this superfluous, diabolical, all the burden of this external person?" But there was a time when Pierre was attracted by the image of Napoleon. With the beginning of the Patriotic War, this hobby passes, he understands that it is impossible to worship a despot and a villain.

What does Prince Andrei feel on the eve of the battle, is he sure of victory?

Student:

The war of 1812 brings Bolkonsky back to life. He gives himself to the service of the Fatherland, commands the regiment. Prince Andrei expresses the main idea for understanding the war: "Tomorrow, no matter what, we will win the battle"

Why is Prince Andrei so sure of victory?

Student:

He understands that this is not about some abstract land, but about the land where the ancestors lie, about the land on which close relatives live: “The French ruined my house and are going to ruin Moscow, and insulted and insulted me every second. They are my enemies, they are all criminals according to my concepts. And Timokhin and the whole army think the same way. We must execute them "

Are Andrei's words true that the French should be executed?

Student:

Here, again, one should proceed from Tolstoy's views on history, since the main favorite characters carry the author's idea. Prince Andrei, who once condemned the horrors of war, calls for cruel reprisals against the enemy: "War is war, not a toy." Tolstoy recognizes a liberating, just war, in the name of fathers and children, wives and mothers. When they want to ruin your land, when they want to kill you, you can't be generous.

Why, in your opinion, before the battle, a church procession took place and the battlefield was surrounded by the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God? What is the behavior of the soldiers before the battle?

Student:

This strengthens the morale of the troops. The soldiers put on clean shirts, refused vodka, saying that now is not the moment, they are aware of the full force of responsibility for the fate of Russia. No wonder Kutuzov, having learned about this, exclaims: "Wonderful people, incomparable people!" Russian soldiers defended not only their Fatherland, but also Orthodoxy. It can be argued that they were worthy of the crowns of martyrdom, like all those who shed blood for Christ. The tradition of an annual commemoration on the day of the Battle of Borodino of Orthodox Russian soldiers was established, "who laid down their lives for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland." On the Borodino field, this commemoration takes place on September 8, on the Day of Russia's military glory.

On the screen - the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God.

A specially trained student tells the story of the icon.

Compare the behavior of Kutuzov and Napoleon in battle / chapters 33-35 /

Student:

Napoleon gives a lot of orders, seemingly very reasonable, but those that could not be executed, since the situation is changing very quickly, and the order no longer makes sense. Troops come from the battlefield in disorganized crowds. Kutuzov, on the other hand, follows the spirit of the troops more, he gives only those orders that can support or strengthen the stamina of the soldiers

Watching an episode of the film by S. Bondarchuk "War and Peace" in the novel - chapter 35

An episode when the German General Walzogen, who serves in the Russian army, comes to Kutuzov's headquarters and reports that the situation is hopeless: "there is nothing to fight off, because there are no troops; they are fleeing, and there is no way to stop them." Kutuzov is furious: "How are you: how dare you?! ... The enemy is beaten off on the left, struck on the right flank: ... The enemy is defeated, and tomorrow we will drive him out of the sacred Russian land."

How does this episode implement Tolstoy's favorite idea - "the idea of ​​the people", his view of history and the role of the individual in history?

Student:

It is impossible to predict what the enemy will do, so the art of the commander, according to the author, does not exist. Kutuzov only agreed or disagreed with what was offered to him, did not make any orders. He understands that the battle is not a chess game where you can calculate the moves, he is concerned about something else: ": listening to the reports, he did not seem to be interested in the meaning of the words of what he was told, but something else in the facial expressions, in the tone he knew from many years of military experience and understood with an senile mind that it was impossible for one person to lead hundreds of thousands of people fighting death, and he knew that it was not the orders of the commander-in-chief, not the place on which the troops were stationed, not the number that decide the fate of the battle. guns and dead people, but that elusive force called the spirit of the army, and he followed this force and led it, as far as it was in his power. This is what Prince Andrei says before the battle: “Success has never depended and will not depend either on positions, or on weapons, or even on numbers:::, but on the feeling that is in me, in him,” he pointed out. on Timokhin, - in every soldier: The battle is won by the one who firmly decided to win it. The creator of history is the people, and one cannot interfere in the course of history.

The teacher summarizes:

Napoleon is depicted by Tolstoy as an actor, a poseur (the scene before the battle, when he is presented with a picture depicting his son): "he made a look of thoughtful tenderness." And as a player, when, after returning from a trip along the line, he says: "The chess is set, the game will begin tomorrow." Napoleon, who was so admired by many, is devoid of greatness. This is a narcissistic, hypocritical, false person, indifferent to the fate of others. War is a game for him, and people are pawns. Tolstoy calls him "the most worthless tool of history", "a man with a darkened conscience".

Kutuzov, on the contrary, is natural (the scene when he goes to bow to the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God with his senile gait, kneels heavily), is simple, and, according to Tolstoy, "there is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth." We see the manifestation of the commander's wisdom and talent in supporting the morale of the troops. Kutuzov pities every soldier.

What is Tolstoy's principle of depicting war?

Student:

The author showed the war in blood, in tears, in agony, that is, without embellishment. In chapter 39: "Several thousand people lay dead in various positions and uniforms in the fields and meadows: At the dressing stations for a tithe of a place, the grass and earth were saturated with blood." Tolstoy denies the war of conquest, but justifies the war of liberation.

Chapters 36-37 - the wounding of Prince Andrei

Watching an episode of the film by S. Bondarchuk "War and Peace"

On the map we show where the regiment of Prince Andrei was located approximately (this is the village of Knyazkovo, it burned down during the Second World War)

Student comment:

It was at the moment of injury that Andrei realized how much he loves life and how dear it is to him. He rushed about for a long time in search of the meaning of life, and the answer to the question that tormented him all his life was received here. In the dressing station, in the tent, seeing Anatole Kuragin on the third table, who insulted him, Andrei does not feel hatred, but pity and love for this man: "Suffering, love for brothers, for those who love, love for those who hate us, love for enemies - yes , that love that God preached on earth, which Princess Mary taught me and which I did not understand; that's why I felt sorry for life, that's what was left for me, if I were alive.

What is the role of landscapes in the description of the battle (vol. 3, part 3, ch. 30.28)? We noted that this is important for the author. Tolstoy's favorite heroes feel and understand nature, because it is in harmony and tranquility. Thanks to her, they find the meaning of life: Andrei and the sky, Andrei and the oak, Natasha and the beauty of the night in Otradnoye.

Student:

On the eve of the battle, the morning sun, just splashing from behind the clouds and the dissipating fog, distant forests, “as if hewn from some precious yellow-green stone” (the student reads out a description of nature, chapter 30). In the middle of the battle - the sun covered with smoke. In the end - "over the whole field, previously so cheerfully beautiful, with its spangles of bayonets and smoke in the morning sun, there was now a haze of dampness." The clouds covered the sun, it began to rain on the dead, on the wounded, on the frightened people, "as if saying:" Enough, people. Stop: Come to your senses. What are you doing?". Nature marks the stages of the battle.

On the screen are photographs taken by students: Shevardinsky redoubt, Semyonovsky flushes, Raevsky Battery

From Tolstoy's notes: "The distance is visible for 25 versts. Black shadows from forests and buildings at sunrise and from barrows. The sun rises to the left, behind. French. In the eyes of the sun", - these lines, which appeared after a detour around the field at dawn, allowed Tolstoy to create not only historically reliable, but also a majestic, picturesque picture of the beginning of the battle. The writer really wanted to find the old people who still lived in the era of the Patriotic War, but the search yielded no results. This upset Lev Nikolayevich very much.

If you remember the story of the guide when visiting the museum and compare the description of the battlefield after the battle by Tolstoy, probably none of you will remain indifferent to our history. Our ancestors died here, and their number is large: the corpses lay in 7-8 layers. The ground at the dressing stations was soaked with blood for several centimeters. So when they say about the Borodino field: "Land watered with blood" - this is not a poetic image and not an exaggeration. Not only the land, but also the streams and rivers were red. Human blood makes the earth historical - it does not let you forget what has been experienced here.

Borodino is not only a place of a great battle, it is a huge mass grave where thousands of people lie.

To this day, on the Borodino field, if you listen to the silence, you can hear the distant sounds of an August day, the sounds of a terrible battle: the screech of grapeshot, the cries of soldiers, the sonorous voices of commanders, the groans of the dying, the snoring of horses maddened by the smell of blood. But one breathes here somehow in a special way, and it is always quiet. Perhaps in this silence we can discern the flight of God's angels over the earth? Maybe the souls of those who died here for their Motherland are looking at you from heaven?

Borodino! Your land is solid!
One solemn name of yours
Brings the fallen out of oblivion
And miraculously dominates the living.
Sergei Vasiliev

We thought about the fate of Russia, about the connection of times, we were filled with pride in our ancestors, we saw the horrors of war. Summing up the lesson, I want to ask a question. The victory won by the Russian army in the battle of Borodino is special. What is this victory and how does Tolstoy define it?

Student:

A moral victory has been won. "The moral strength of the French army was depleted. Not the victory that is determined by the picked up pieces of matter on sticks, called banners, and the space on which the troops stood and are standing, but a moral victory, one that convinces the enemy of the moral superiority of the enemy and his own impotence, was won by the Russians near Borodino".

How is the memory of the Battle of Borodino immortalized?

Student:

In honor of the victory over Napoleon, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was erected with public money; the State Borodino Military Historical Museum-Reserve was opened; Borodino Panorama, Triumphal Arch on Kutuzovsky Prospekt. The people keep the memory of this event.

The teacher sums up the lesson:

So, we are convinced that the battle of Borodino is the culmination of the novel "War and Peace", you managed to prove it.

We conclude the lesson by reading a poem written by a student of the 11th grade of the village of Gorki Oksana Panfil (specially trained student):

I'm walking along a quiet birch alley,
I look at the monuments - lined up in a row,
And it seems: with fallen leaves
They talk to me about soldiers.
About those heroes who fought then,
Defending the honor of their native land.
About those soldiers who with their lives
The homeland was saved from enemies.
When I approach the grave obelisks,
I'm always silent, I don't talk to anyone.
I understand - soldiers lie here,
They all deserve silence!

Homework.

  • write an essay on one of the proposed topics: "Let's remember, brothers, the glory of Russia", "Immortal is the one who saved the Fatherland"
  • the student is preparing a message about Margarita Mikhailovna Tuchkova and the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands on the Borodino field
  • several students are preparing reports about the heroes of the battle of Borodino: about Bagration, about Barclay de Tolly, about Tuchkov, about Platov.

The exposition is located in the building of the former hotel of the Spaso-Borodino Monastery, where in 1867 the author of the epic novel War and Peace, the most famous work of world fiction about the era of the Napoleonic Wars, stayed. The historical interior of the hotel has not been preserved, it has been transformed into a museum space, in which the story is told about the author of the novel and the heroes of twenty chapters of Borodino.

In the first hall L.N. Tolstoy is presented both as an artillery officer, a participant in hostilities in the Caucasus and Crimea, and as an aspiring writer who gave priority to military subjects in his work, striving "with all the strength of his soul" for a truthful description of events and phenomena. The chapters of the novel "War and Peace", dedicated to its climax - the Battle of Borodino, were rewritten several times by the writer. In order to achieve the most reliable description of the battle scenes and landscapes of the field, Tolstoy arrived in Borodino. For two days, September 26 and 27, he "walked and traveled through the area where more than a hundred thousand people had fallen half a century before, made his notes and drew a battle plan ...". Returning to Moscow, Tolstoy informed his wife: "I will write such a Battle of Borodino as has never happened before." Books, photographs, graphic sheets, reproductions of the writer's manuscripts, finds from the battlefield tell about the preliminary work on the novel, including a trip to Borodino, the details of which can be found in the multimedia program.

About the "battle, which has not yet been" is told in the second room. It is filled with images of historical characters and fictional heroes of the novel who took part in the fighting on the Borodino field in August 1812. First of all, these are the commanders-in-chief of the armies M.I. Kutuzov and Napoleon. Most of the generals of both armies mentioned in the Borodino chapters are represented here. Portraits of historical characters and quotations from the novel reflect a picture of the artful interweaving of historical realities and fiction that underlies the panorama of a grandiose battle. Well-known images of Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky are shown in the hall by illustrations and Borodino pages of the novel in the context of battle graphics and authentic weapons, equipment, and personal belongings of the battle participants. It also reflects the second life of the heroes of the novel "War and Peace", which they received thanks to small books with separate chapters of the novel, published during the Great Patriotic War, the opera of the same name by S.S. Prokofiev and the film by S.F. Bondarchuk.

The conclusion of the writer Tolstoy about the moral victory of the Russian army near Borodino was and remains undeniable.
The exposition "Heroes of the novel "War and Peace" on the Borodino field" was opened in the year of the 140th anniversary of the completion of the complete book publication of the novel and is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.


  • State Borodino Military Historical Museum Reserve
    The author of the project is E.V. Semenishcheva
    Scientific adviser - Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation A.V. Gorbunov
    Research associates-exhibitors - E.A. Rogacheva, V.N. Fedorov, S.N. Khomchenko
  • LLC Studio "Museum Design"
    The author of the artistic concept, the artistic director of the project is the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation A.N. Konov
    Artists-designers - V.E. Voitsekhovsky, A.M. Gassel
    Exposition graphics - D.S. Rudko
  • OOO "Intmedia"
    Video support and technical support - E.V. Kamenskaya, A.A. Lazebny

Description of the Battle of Borodino occupies twenty chapters of the third volume of War and Peace. This is the center of the novel, its climax, a decisive moment in the life of the whole country and many of the heroes of the work. Here the paths of the main characters cross: Pierre meets Dolokhov, Prince Andrei - Anatole, here each character is revealed in a new way, and here for the first time the enormous force that won the war manifests itself - the people, men in white shirts.

The picture of the Battle of Borodino in the novel is given through the perception of a civilian, Pierre Bezukhov, the most seemingly unsuitable hero for this purpose, who does not understand anything in military affairs, but perceives everything that happens with the heart and soul of a patriot. The feelings that took possession of Pierre in the first days of the war will be the beginning of his moral rebirth, but Pierre does not yet know about it. “The worse the state of affairs was, and especially his affairs, the more pleasant it was for Pierre ...” For the first time, he felt himself not a lonely, useless owner of enormous wealth, but part of a single multitude of people. Having decided to go from Moscow to the place of the battle, Pierre experienced “a pleasant feeling of consciousness that everything that makes up the happiness of people, the convenience of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense, which is pleasant to discard in comparison with something ...”

This feeling is naturally born in an honest person when the common misfortune of his people hangs over him. Pierre does not know that Natasha, Prince Andrei in the burning Smolensk and in the Bald Mountains, as well as many thousands of people, will experience the same feeling. Not only curiosity prompted Pierre to go to Borodino, he strove to be among the people, where the fate of Russia was being decided.

On the morning of August 25, Pierre left Mozhaisk and approached the location of the Russian troops. Along the way, he met numerous carts with the wounded, and one old soldier asked: “Well, fellow countryman, will they put us here, or what? Ali to Moscow? In this question, not only hopelessness, it feels the same feeling that owns Pierre. And another soldier, who met Pierre, said with a sad smile: “Today, not just a soldier, but I have seen peasants! The peasants and those are being driven away ... Today they don’t sort it out ... They want to pile on all the people, one word - Moscow. They want to make one end." If Tolstoy had shown the day before the Battle of Borodino through the eyes of Prince Andrei or Nikolai Rostov, we would not have been able to see these wounded, to hear their voices. Neither Prince Andrei nor Nikolai would have noticed all this, because they are professional soldiers, accustomed to the horrors of war. But for Pierre, all this is unusual, as an inexperienced spectator, he notices all the smallest details. And looking along with him, the reader begins to understand both him and those with whom he met near Mozhaisk: “the conveniences of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense that is pleasant to put aside in comparison with something ...”

And at the same time, all these people, each of whom may be killed or maimed tomorrow - they all live today, without thinking about what awaits them tomorrow, look with surprise at Pierre's white hat and green coat, laugh and wink at the wounded. The name of the field and the village next to it has not yet gone down in history: the officer addressed by Pierre still confuses him: “Burdino or what?” But on the faces of all the people met by Pierre, “an expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the coming minute” is noticeable, and this consciousness is so serious that during the prayer service even the presence of Kutuzov with his retinue did not attract attention: “the militia and soldiers, without looking at him, continued to pray.”

“In a long frock coat on a huge body thickness, with a stooped back, with an open white head and with a leaky, white eye on a swollen face,” this is how we see Kutuzov before the battle of Borodino. Kneeling before the icon, he then “tried for a long time and could not get up from heaviness and weakness.” This senile heaviness and weakness, physical weakness, emphasized by the author, enhances the impression of spiritual power emanating from him. He kneels before the icon, like all people, like the soldiers he will send tomorrow into battle. And just like them, he feels the solemnity of the present moment.

But Tolstoy recalls that there are other people who think otherwise: "For tomorrow, great awards must be given out and new people put forward." The first among these "catchers of awards and nominations" is Boris Drubetskoy, in a long frock coat and with a whip over his shoulder, like Kutuzov. With a light, free smile, at first, confidentially lowering his voice, he scolds Pierre's left flank and condemns Kutuzov, and then, noticing Mikhail Illarionovich approaching, he praises both his left flank and the commander in chief himself. Thanks to his talent to please everyone, he "managed to stay at the main apartment" when Kutuzov kicked out many like him. And at that moment, he managed to find words that might be pleasing to Kutuzov, and says them to Pierre, hoping that the commander-in-chief will hear them: “The militia - they put on clean, white shirts directly to prepare for death. What heroism, count! Boris calculated correctly: Kutuzov heard these words, remembered them - and along with them Drubetskoy.

The meeting between Pierre and Dolokhov is not accidental either. It is impossible to believe that Dolokhov, a reveler and a bully, can apologize to anyone, but he does it: “I am very glad to meet you here, Count,” he told him loudly and not embarrassed by the presence of strangers, with special determination and solemnity. - On the eve of the day on which God knows which of us is destined to remain alive, I am glad to have the opportunity to tell you that I regret the misunderstandings that have been between us, and would like you not to have anything against me. Please forgive me."

Pierre himself could not explain why he went to the Borodino field. He only knew that it was impossible to remain in Moscow. He wanted to see with his own eyes that incomprehensible and majestic thing that was to happen in his fate and the fate of Russia, and also to see Prince Andrei, who was able to explain everything that was happening to him. Only Pierre could believe him, only he expected important words from him at this decisive moment in his life. And they met. Prince Andrei behaves coldly towards Pierre, almost hostile. Bezukhov, with his very appearance, reminds him of his former life, and most importantly, of Natasha, and Prince Andrei wants to forget about her as soon as possible. But, after talking, Prince Andrei did what Pierre expected from him - he skillfully explained the state of affairs in the army. Like all soldiers and most officers, he considers the removal of Barclay from business and the appointment of Kutuzov to the post of commander-in-chief as the greatest blessing: “While Russia was healthy, a stranger could serve her, and there was a wonderful minister, but as soon as she was in danger, she needed her own, dear human".

Kutuzov for Prince Andrei, as for all soldiers, is a man who understands that the success of the war depends on "the feeling that is in me, in him," he pointed to Timokhin, "in every soldier." This conversation was important not only for Pierre, but also for Prince Andrei. Expressing his thoughts, he himself clearly understood and fully realized how sorry he was for his life and his friendship with Pierre. But Prince Andrei is the son of his father, and his feelings will not manifest themselves in any way. He almost forcibly pushed Pierre away from him, but, saying goodbye, "quickly approached Pierre, hugged him and kissed him ..."

August 26 - the day of the battle of Borodino - through the eyes of Pierre we see a beautiful sight: the bright sun breaking through the fog, flashes of shots, "lightning of morning light" on the bayonets of the troops ... Pierre, like a child, wanted to be where these smokes were, these brilliant bayonets and cannons, this movement, these sounds. For a long time he did not understand anything: having arrived at the Raevsky battery, “I never thought that this ... was the most important place in the battle,” did not notice the wounded and killed. In Pierre's view, war should be a solemn event, but for Tolstoy it is hard and bloody work. Together with Pierre, the reader is convinced that the writer is right, watching with horror the course of the battle.

Everyone in the battle occupied his own niche, performed honestly or not very much his duty. Kutuzov understands this very well, almost does not interfere in the course of the battle, trusting the Russian people, for whom this battle is not a conceited game, but a decisive milestone in their life and death. Pierre, by the will of fate, ended up on the "Raevsky battery", where decisive events took place, as historians later write. But even without them, Bezukhov "it seemed that this place (precisely because he was on it) was one of the most significant places of the battle." The blind eyes of a civilian do not see the whole scale of events, but only what is happening around. And here, as in a drop of water, all the drama of the battle was reflected, its incredible intensity, rhythm, tension from what was happening. The battery changes hands several times. Pierre fails to remain a contemplative, he actively participates in protecting the battery, but does everything on a whim, out of a sense of self-preservation. Bezukhov is scared of what is happening, he naively thinks that “... now they (the French) will leave it, now they will be horrified by what they have done! But the sun, veiled in smoke, was still high, and in front, and especially to the left of Semyonovsky, something was seething in the smoke, and the rumble of shots, shooting and cannonade not only did not weaken, but intensified to the point of desperation, like a man who, overstrained , screaming with all his might.

Tolstoy sought to show the war through the eyes of its participants, contemporaries, but sometimes looked at it from the point of view of a historian. So, he drew attention to poor organization, successful and unsuccessful plans that collapsed due to the mistakes of military leaders. Showing military operations from this side, Tolstoy pursued another goal. At the beginning of the third volume, he says that war is "an event contrary to human reason and all human nature." There was no justification for the last war at all, because the emperors waged it. In the same war, there was truth: when the enemy comes to your land, you are obliged to defend yourself, which was what the Russian army did. But be that as it may, the war still remained a dirty, bloody affair, which Pierre understood at Raevsky's battery.

The episode when Prince Andrei was wounded cannot leave the reader indifferent. But the most annoying thing is that his death is meaningless. He did not rush forward with a banner, as at Austerlitz, he was not on the battery, as at Shengraben, he only walked across the field, counting steps and listening to the noise of shells. And at that moment he was overtaken by the enemy core. The adjutant standing next to Prince Andrei lay down and shouted to him: “Lie down!” Bolkonsky stood and thought that he did not want to die, and "at the same time he remembered that they were looking at him." Prince Andrew could not do otherwise. He, with his sense of honor, with his noble prowess, could not lie down. In any situation, there are people who cannot run, cannot be silent and hide from danger. Such people usually die, but in the memory of others they remain heroes.

The prince was mortally wounded; was bleeding, Russian troops stood on occupied lines. Napoleon was horrified, he had never seen anything like it: “two hundred guns are aimed at the Russians, but ... the Russians are still standing ...” He dared to write that the battlefield was “magnificent”, but he was covered with the bodies of thousands, hundreds thousands of dead and wounded, but this no longer interested Napoleon. The main thing is that his vanity is not satisfied: he did not win a crushing and bright victory. Napoleon at that time was “yellow, swollen, heavy, with cloudy eyes, a red nose and a hoarse voice ... he was sitting on a folding chair, involuntarily listening to the sounds of firing ... He was waiting with painful anguish for the end of the cause, which he considered himself the cause of, but which he could not stop.

Here Tolstoy for the first time shows it as natural. On the eve of the battle, he took care of his dress for a long time and with pleasure, then he received a courtier who had arrived from Paris and played a small performance in front of a portrait of his son. For Tolstoy, Napoleon is the embodiment of vanity, the very one that he hates in Prince Vasily and Anna Pavlovna. A real person, according to the writer, should not care about the impression that he makes, but should calmly surrender to the will of events. This is how he portrays the Russian commander. “Kutuzov was sitting, his gray head bowed and his heavy body lowered, on a bench covered with a carpet, in the very place where Pierre had seen him in the morning. He did not make any orders, but only agreed or did not agree to what was offered to him. He doesn't fuss, trusting people to take the initiative where it's needed. He understands the meaninglessness of his orders: everything will be as it will be, he does not interfere with people with petty care, but believes in the high spirit of the Russian army.

The great humanist L.N. Tolstoy truthfully, accurately documented the events of August 26, 1812, giving his own interpretation of the most important historical event. The author denies the decisive role of personality in history. It was not Napoleon and Kutuzov who led the battle, it went on as it should have, how the thousands of people participating in it from both sides were able to “turn” it. An excellent battle painter, Tolstoy managed to show the tragedy of war for all participants, regardless of nationality. The truth was on the side of the Russians, but they killed people, died themselves for the sake of the vanity of one "little man." Speaking of this, Tolstoy, as it were, "warns" humanity against wars, against senseless hostility and bloodshed.

On August 26, 1812, the fate of Russia and the Russian people was decided. The battle near Borodino by Leo Tolstoy is the moment of the highest tension, the moment of concentration of people's hatred for the invaders and at the same time the moment of final rapprochement with the people of his favorite heroes - Andrei and Pierre.

The battle of Borodino in the novel is described mainly as Pierre Bezukhov saw it. This awkward, kind and naive person who has never seen a war, according to the author's intention, like a child, perceives the unfolding battle events, all this is new to him, and therefore one cannot even doubt his veracity. Earlier, Pierre had heard a lot about the role of the military plan, about the importance of a correctly chosen position. And having arrived, he first of all tries to understand precisely the issues of military tactics. L. N. Tolstoy likes the naivety of the hero. Drawing a picture of the battle, the writer uses his favorite technique: first he gives a “view from above”, and then “from the inside”. It is Pierre's look that is the very view from the inside, the war through the eyes of a beginner. Twice Pierre covers the entire Borodin field with his eyes: before the battle and during the battle. But both times his inexperienced look notices not a position, but a “living area”. At the beginning of the battle, a view is given from a height. Pierre is struck by the sight of the battle itself. An amazingly beautiful and lively picture of the battlefield, illuminated by the rays of the morning sun, opens before him. And Pierre wants to be there, among the soldiers. At the moment when the hero enters "into the ranks of infantry soldiers", he acutely begins to feel the power of popular patriotism. Folk and soldier scenes are also given here from Pierre's point of view. It is the simplicity and sincerity of Pierre in this case that become evidence of a great truth: the people are the main force of the Russian army in the Battle of Borodino. He hears soldiers' conversations and understands their majestic meaning not so much with his mind as with his heart. Pierre carefully watches the militias and, like Tolstoy himself, sees the extreme tension of the moral strength of the resistance of the Russian army and people. Soon Pierre meets Andrei Bolkonsky, who no longer serves at the headquarters, but takes a direct part in the battle. He also no longer believes in military science, but he knows for sure that the strength of the people is now greater than ever. In his opinion, the outcome of the battle depends on the feeling that lives in all participants in the battle. And this feeling is popular patriotism, the immense rise of which on the day of Borodin convinces Bolkonsky that the Russians will certainly win. “Tomorrow, whatever it is,” he says, “we will definitely win the battle!” And Timokhin completely agrees with him, who knows that the soldiers even refused to drink vodka before the battle, because this is “not such a day.”

In a hot battle, on the Raevsky battery, the writer, through the eyes of Pierre, observes the unquenchable fire of national courage and steadfastness. And that makes their courage seem even more amazing. The more formidable the danger becomes, the brighter the fire of patriotism flares up, the stronger the strength of popular resistance becomes.

M. I. Kutuzov showed himself to be a true commander of the people's war. He is the spokesman of the national spirit. Here is what Prince Andrei Bolkonsky thinks about him before the battle of Borodino: “He will not have anything of his own. He will not invent anything, will not undertake anything, but he will listen to everything, remember everything, put everything in its place, will not interfere with anything useful and will not allow anything harmful. He understands that there is something more significant than his will... And most importantly, why you believe him is that he is Russian...”

Historians believe that Napoleon won the Battle of Borodino. But the "battle won" did not bring him the desired results. The people abandoned their property and left the enemy. Food stocks were destroyed so that the enemy would not get it. There were hundreds of partisan detachments. They were big and small, peasant and landowner. One detachment, led by a deacon, captured several hundred prisoners in a month. There was an elder, Vasilisa, who killed hundreds of Frenchmen. There was a poet-hussar Denis Davydov - the commander of a large, active partisan detachment. Possessing the inertia of the offensive and a significant numerical superiority, the French army was stopped at Borodino. The Napoleonic victories came to a logical end, and this dealt a decisive moral blow to the aggressive spirit of the conquerors. The entire course of the war in Russia steadily undermined the glory of Napoleon. Instead of a brilliant duel of swords, he met the cudgel of the people's war. L. N. Tolstoy historically correctly considers the battle of Borodino as a turning point in the war, which determined the further quick death of the French army.

Moreover, Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy clearly showed that the battle of Borodino was precisely the moral superiority of the Russian liberation army over the French predatory one. The writer regards the battle of Borodino as a victory of the moral strength of the people of Russia over Napoleon and his army.

Read also:

Categories:

Popular: