A Novice and "War and Peace"

I'm about to begin War and Peace (Tolstoy of course) and having only read a dozen or so of his short stories, I got the bright idea I would consult you bright folks for tips. I've heard people keeping notebooks to track characters, things like that. Anything that might be helpful is welcome indeed. Thanks in advance.

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Originally Posted by ZTay

I'm about to begin War and Peace (Tolstoy of course) and having only read a dozen or so of his short stories, I got the bright idea I would consult you bright folks for tips. I've heard people keeping notebooks to track characters, things like that. Anything that might be helpful is welcome indeed. Thanks in advance.

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I'm hoping to start reading W & P soon, but what I'll be doing is watching filmed versions first, so I can get the main characters set in my head. That approach helped me finally get through Lord of the Rings.

I suggest making good use of Sparknotes and, or, Wikipedia. These can be very helpful as a character reference and background information while reading, as well as giving helpful analysis for hard to understand parts. I also keep brief notes for most of the novels I read. If nothing else, writing some words down helps me to retain the information longer.

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Originally Posted by bIGwIRE

I suggest making good use of Sparknotes and, or, Wikipedia. These can be very helpful as a character reference and background information while reading, as well as giving helpful analysis for hard to understand parts. I also keep brief notes for most of the novels I read. If nothing else, writing some words down helps me to retain the information longer.

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Good idea, as there are many names and variations of the same names. This is true of most of the translations that I have seen. Sparknotes is excellent as a reference.

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Originally Posted by Calidore

I'm hoping to start reading W & P soon, but what I'll be doing is watching filmed versions first, so I can get the main characters set in my head. That approach helped me finally get through Lord of the Rings.

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I'm nearly through the first book now: it's overwhelmingly well-crafted. Keeping up with the characters hasn't been too difficult because Tolstoy gives them so much life! It's really remarkable. In doing so too, with so many characters, when 2 characters you know interact for the first time you go, "ohhh I wonder how this is going to go!". Not nearly the burden I expected.

I watched Mel Gibson's Hamlet after reading it recently. It was a help. I'm a little weary of things that will reveal the story before I read it. I've even avoided Wikipedia. Tho 1,000 pages remain, I find myself thinking about rereading the book already! Daydreams of triumph in the model of Prince Andrei!

I just finished War and Peace and felt it helpful to take a break about a third of the way through to study Napoleonic battle strategy. I was able to enjoy the long chapters taking place on the battle fields when the names of the generals, the sites and the manouvers were clarified.