Throughout Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, the great Bolkonsky household is a home bereft of affection and the caresses of love for which perhaps every child and every parent longs. The father, Nikolai Bolkonsky, proud, intelligent, eccentric, and cynical, has tormented his daughter by his schedule, his demands, his scoffing at her faith and manners. But … Continue reading On Maria and the Death of Nikolai Bolkonsky in War and Peace
Back in Nashville after attending a Medieval Conference in Kalamazoo, MI, visiting good friends in Holland, MI, and spending two days in Chattanooga with my kids, I am in the process of making that strange and sometimes difficult transition into summer. It is not quite like turning a ship around because many of the same … Continue reading Transitio
In Tolstoy’s War and Peace, there is a terrible incident which results from the most ordinary of occurrences, a pretty young girl catches the eye of a good looking young man. How often does one enjoy the flattery of being thought handsome or charming? Is it not one of little thrills of life to catch the eye … Continue reading Natasha and the Danger of Flirtation
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