Tolstoy on War: Narrative Art and Historical Truth in War and Peace

摘要

While most would agree that an interdisciplinary approach to the study of war is essential, literature's relevance to the subject is often overlooked. War is a profoundly human activity, yet it is war's human dimension that is most difficult to analyse and, as a result, least understood. This is why the analysis of literature, alongside history, is an invaluable complement to any war studies or international security programme. If one had to choose a single work that captures the connection between people and historical events, it is likely that it would be Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. The editors of Tolstoy on War have assembled a collection of essays that illuminates War and Peace as both a work of literature and a work of history. The essays shed light and understanding on the theory, practice and human dimension of war.