merrydrake
06-25-2009, 02:05 PM
I have always wanted to read War and Peace as well, and I picked up the Briggs translation at The State University of New York at Buffalo. I have compared it to several other translations, and it's quite close, except more archaic terms and phrases have been replaced with more modern language - which is certainly more clear to the modern reader - especially if you aren't used to reading works that are written in such antique language.
I am a senior and a history major, and I have to say that I may not have had such a rich understanding of major themes in the book had I not been equipped with knowledge from the many classes I have taken exploring various aspects of the 19th century, and even the 18th for that matter as the former was just coming to a close when Napoleon set his sights on Russia.
Its very interesting how much influence the French had on Russian society before the Napoleonic invasion.
Enjoy!
I am a senior and a history major, and I have to say that I may not have had such a rich understanding of major themes in the book had I not been equipped with knowledge from the many classes I have taken exploring various aspects of the 19th century, and even the 18th for that matter as the former was just coming to a close when Napoleon set his sights on Russia.
Its very interesting how much influence the French had on Russian society before the Napoleonic invasion.
Enjoy!