Chapter 188 Tolstoyism

Early 1860s to late 1870s, mid-period for Tolstoy. Russia in the early 1960s coincided with a special stage of major social changes (that is, before and after the serfdom reform). Writers with various tendencies paid attention to "using the past as a mirror" at this time, looking for solutions to practical issues from historical experience. The answer is that the role of the people in history has become the focus of attention of writers, so they often turn their artistic vision to historical themes.Inspired by this trend of thought, Tolstoy completed an immortal masterpiece describing the theme of war—an epic novel that is rare in the history of world literature.It is an artistically original work—a combination of epic, chronicle, and historical novel; complex plot, numerous characters, grand scale, grandeur, as colorful and rich as real life itself.It centers on the Russian Patriotic War against Napoleon's aggression in 1812, and focuses on the lives of the four noble families of Bolkonsky, Rostov, Bezhukhov (both manor nobles) and Kuragin (court nobles) As a clue to the plot, it reveals such a core theme: describe the fate of the Russian nation under the severe test of the war, praise the patriotism, heroism and optimism contained in the Russian people, and point out that the people are the key factors and factors that determine the outcome of the war. The decisive force that drives history forward.

At this time, Tolstoy still stood on the ideological standpoint of the aristocratic class, and continued to explore the social outlet of progressive aristocratic youth.Andrei Bolkonsky and Bezhukhov Beer in the book are ideal positive aristocratic models carefully shaped by him, which belong to the series of autobiographical and exploratory images written by Tolstoy.The two of them experienced different life paths and spiritual explorations, and finally reached the same goal by different routes. Both of them reached the moral realm of "living for God" and "loving all people", revealing the same strain as the so-called "Tolstoyism" later, The moral teaching of the "Kadalayev spirit" of fraternity, tolerance, obedience to the destiny, and non-resistance to evil.

The period from the 1970s to Tolstoy's death was his late creative period. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a fundamental qualitative change took place in Tolstoy’s world view—breaking with the aristocratic landlord class, and shifting from the original position of the aristocratic landlord class to the position of the feudal patriarchal peasants.At this time, Tolstoy absorbed Christian teachings and Eastern classical philosophies (such as Confucianism, Laozhuang Taoism, and Indian Buddhism), and mixed them into Tolstoy-style teachings-"Tolstoyism". The drastic changes in the world view caused some significant changes in his literary thought and artistic creation: on the one hand, he made the most violent criticism of the Russian social politics, economy, law, and religion under the tsarist autocracy, and showed "the most sober spirit of tearing off all masks." On the other hand, it spares no effort to carry out the moral preaching of "Tolstoyism", and regards "love all people", "resist evil without violence", and "moral self-improvement" as the elimination of social evils, The fundamental way to transform the existing system.

The so-called "Tolstoyism" refers to a set of "helping the world" theory formed by the Russian critical realist writer Tolstoy in solving social problems after the radical change in the world outlook in the 1880s.Its main connotation is to promote "non-violence against evil" and "moral self-improvement", which shows Tolstoy's attempt to oppose violent revolution and try his best to find a social outlet from religion and ethics.This notable characteristic of the author's thought and art in his later years is concentrated in his long masterpieces.The publication of the novel marks the peak of Russian critical realism literature.

For Tolstoy, a great writer whose thoughts and creations are not lacking in contradictions and complexities, but has had an important influence on Russian and even the entire world literature, Lenin once made a comprehensive and profound scientific evaluation: "In Tolstoy's works In it, both the strength and weakness of the peasant mass movement are shown, as well as its power and limitations.... As a prophet who invented a new technique of salvation, Tolstoy is ridiculous... As millions of Russian peasants in the On the eve of the Russian bourgeois revolution, Tolstoy is great as the expresser of thoughts and emotions on the eve of the Russian bourgeois revolution"; thus he can be called "a mirror reflecting the Russian revolution".