Listen & Learn: War and Peace

Learn about a masterpiece of Russian literature

• serial: a book that is published in small parts over a period of time
• notorious: famous, especially for a negative reason
• realistic: similar to real life; not overly dramatic or fantastical
• philosophical: containing ideas about complicated topics like life, morals, and existence
• reputation: the opinions that people generally have about something
• masterpiece: an amazing work of art

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

War and Peace is a book by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It was originally serialized in a magazine in 1865, but Tolstoy left the serial and published the whole book in 1869. The story follows five Russian during the Napoleonic Wars. War and Peace is notorious for its and complexity. It is more than 1,000 pages long, and it contains almost 600 different characters. It is also famous for its realistic treatment of war and human experiences. Even though War and Peace is a work of fiction, Tolstoy did not consider it a novel. Many of its chapters are descriptions of events. Others are philosophical . War and Peace has a reputation for being difficult to read, but it is widely considered a literary masterpiece.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. War and Peace is set during
   a. The Russian Revolution
   b. The Napoleonic Wars
   c. World War I
   
2. The number of characters in War and Peace is nearly
   a. 600
   b. 800
   c. 1,000
   
3. War and Peace can be described as
   a. simple
   b. fantastical
   c. realistic

Discussion/essay questions

1. What is the longest book you have ever read? Do you prefer long books or short ones?
2. What is the purpose of reading fictional stories about history? Do you think fiction is as useful as facts? Why or why not?

Transcript

War and Peace is a book by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It was originally serialized in a magazine in 1865, but Tolstoy left the serial unfinished and published the whole book in 1869. The story follows five Russian families during the Napoleonic Wars. War and Peace is notorious for its length and complexity. It is more than 1,000 pages long, and it contains almost 600 different characters. It is also famous for its realistic treatment of war and human experiences. Even though War and Peace is a work of fiction, Tolstoy did not consider it a novel. Many of its chapters are descriptions of historic events. Others are philosophical arguments. War and Peace has a reputation for being difficult to read, but it is widely considered a literary masterpiece.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2a 3c