HIST333 - NAPOLEONIC ERA & TOLSTOY

In this course we will read what many consider to be the greatest book in world literature. This work, Tolstoy's War and Peace, is devoted to one of the most momentous periods in world history, the Era of the French Revolutions and of Napoleon (1789-1815). We will study both the novel and the era of the Napoleonic Wars: the military campaigns of Napoleon and his opponents, the grand strategies of the age, political intrigues and diplomatic betrayals, the ideologies and human dramas, the relationship between art and history. How does literature help us to understand this era? How does history help us to understand this great novel? This semester marks the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's attempt to conquer Russia and achieve world domination, the campaign of 1812. Because we will read War and Peace over the course 2 of the entire semester, readings will be manageable (circa 100 pages of the epic and 50 pages of additional reading per week) – and very enjoyable.