On War And Peace, "the Characters, Narrative And Style

This thesis attempts to make a more profound analysis of Leo Tolstoy's representative masterpiece War and Peace with the purpose of a better understanding of his writing style. Three parts are unfolded respectively in it when the main ideas are concerned.The first part is the analysis on characters. First of all, it is found that Tolstoy, employing a blended way, creates both series of historical and fictional characters, each of which possesses its unique features. And each protagonist owns its attractive spotlight. One thing could be admitted is the basis of each character's "love for everything". Next the writer gives more prominence to the features of characters by using an "opposite" rule when he treats with their relationships. Furthermore, the writer adopts a technique of revealing the characters' internal world by the means of describing their external features and specific movements. In addition to that, the writer's special "Dialectics of Soul" should be worthy to mention.The second part is the analysis on narrative. Firstly, it turns up that the hyperbola-structured narrative line of War and Peace makes itself clearly on the advance of time, the process of history and the representation of theme. Next the narrative rhythm is closely related to the change of the plot of the story and the mind of the characters. In addition, the writer's particular narrative way is also displayed in his organic combination of the macro manipulation and micro presentation, the insertion of comparative antithesis and philosophical essays, the exertion of correspondences and dairies, the disposal of dream and illusion, and the change of narrative space as well.The third part is the analysis on style. Firstly the encyclopedic style of War and Peace is revealed owing to its all embracing contents. Next, the epic-like style of the work is defined and analyzed, which becomes the kernel of this thesis and is illustrated emphatically. Taking Homer Epic (Iliad and Odyssey) as a comparative object, this part is gradually unfolded and discussed from 13 aspects.