The Canon Library
Cover of War and Peace

19th Century · Novel, history

War and Peace

by Leo Tolstoy. Interwoven families experience Napoleon’s invasion as Tolstoy questions leadership, historical causation, love, and mortality.

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Date
1865–1869
Origin
Russia
Era
19th Century
Genre
Novel, history
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
Very long
Collection
The Western Canon

Subjects and themes

WarFamilyHistoryMeaning

Why it matters

Interwoven families experience Napoleon’s invasion as Tolstoy questions leadership, historical causation, love, and mortality.

This work is included in the collection on the basis of great books / bloom. Its cataloged influence level is 5 out of 5.

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Reading path

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Ten capacious novels that demonstrate what the form can contain. 10 books · Intermediate.