Chapter 1
Pierre learns of the death of Joseph Alexeevich and of Natasha and Andrew's engagement at the same time, and is suddenly much less enamoured with his new Masonic lifestyle. He stops keeping his diary, avoids meetings, starts drinking again, and generally begins to live his bachelor life again. Helene tells him off about it - and, honestly, fuck her - but Pierre goes to Moscow to avoid upsetting her. Moscow is "warm and dirty" to Pierre, like an old dressing gown. His purse is always empty, because it's open to everyone, and Moscow society loves and welcomes him for that. He comes to realise that all of society is hypocritcal, even his masonic brothers who spout ideals but don't act on them, and even himself. Whatever he tries to do, he sees the essential falsehood and insincerity beneath it. "Drinking became more and more a physical and also a moral necessity". Basically, as Terry Pratchett would put it, he's become knurd - so far out of the other side of sober that he needs two stiff drinks just to be comfortable. He's read that soldiers will often seek some trivial pursuit so they don't need to focus on what they're actually facing, and he thinks everyone is a little bit that way.
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| Danger walks the deck, we say what the heck We laugh at the perils we're facing! Every storm we ride is its own reward And people die by falling overboard People die by falling overboard! |
Chapter 2
It's the beginning of winter and Prince Nikolai Bolkonski - the elder - and Maria move to town. I'm going to go back to call Maria 'Mary', as the text usually does. I like the name Maria, so I've been trying, but she really is such a Mary.
Prince Alexander is now less popular, and people are very patriotic and anti-French. Prince Nikolai is therefore very popular, because he's never like Alexander, or the French, and he's very much a relic of a bygone age, with his big old-fashioned house, gruff manner, religious daughter, and pretty French hanger-on (Amelie Bourienne). However, he's aged very much and become a little senile. Also, the visitors are present for only two hours of everyday and don't witness what goes on the other 22, which basically involves Mary getting to do none of the things she enjoys - talking to pilgrims, wandering around Bald Hills in solitude - and having to care for her father, so she doesn't get to experience the joys of city life, like going out to dinners and parties. I think we're basically at The Private and Intimate Life of the House, from Great Comet.
I think that song's actually set a bit later, but the description is taken from here, sometimes line for line. Mary no longer as any hope of getting married, having seen how her father treats her possible suitors. She's no longer friends with Amelie, who has "become unpleasant to her", no other explanation given. Possible it's the Anatole thing. She's corresponded with Julie by letter for years, but when they meet in Moscow they don't get along at all. Julie's now a very rich heiress and surrounded by suitors, and also at the age where she needs to decide who to marry quickly. They meet every week, but Mary misses having someone to write to, and the conversations aren't the same. She's supposed to be preparing her father for Andrew's marriage, since the year is almost up, but hasn't been. The old Prince throws a tantrum every time Natasha Rostova's name is mentioned. Mary's also finding herself getting irritable with her six-year-old nephew, Nikolai, in a way that reminds her uncomfortably of her father. They both cry when that happens. Her father's also become much more cruel, and also more intimate with Amelie Bourienne. Apparently, he liked the joke he made about marrying her, and has decided to go with it. One day, Mary tells Amelie off for taking advantage of her father's weakness, but that only prompts her father to show Amelie more favours and force Mary to apologise. She hates him, but when she sees signs of his age - looking for his spectacles and not seeing them right in front of him, taking a false step and looking round to see if anyone notices, falling asleep at dinner - she feels sorry for him, and hates herself.
Chapter 3
In this chapter, we meet Metivier, a handsome and popular French doctor living in Moscow. Old Nikolai has also ridiculed medicine, but on Amelie's advice, he receives the doctor as all the best houses do. On December 6th, which is St Nicholas' day and the prince's name day, all of Moscow tries to visit but he refuses to allow anyone in, except for a select few. Metivier arrives early, to find the old Prince in one of his worst moods. Mary's been waiting for the inevitable explosion, but it hasn't happened yet, not until Metivier walks in. Old Nikolai accuses him of being a spy for Napoleon and chases him out of the house, before directing his rage at poor Mary because Metivier wasn't on the list. He tells her she must leave, insists that he hasn't said it in anger, and rails to the sky for a fool to marry her.The invited guests include Pierre and darling Bory. Bory's had arrived a few days before and impressed the old Prince so well that he broke his rule about receiving bachelors in the house. Bory is pleased about this because, while the gathering is not fashionable, the other guests are very far above him in social station and those who are invited would not miss it for the world.
Chapter 4
Princess Mary doesn't pay attention to the dinner talk, except to wonder if anyone has noticed her father's hostile attitude. She doesn't even notice Bory's attempts to court her.
After the dinner, Pierre asks to stay a little longer, and asks Mary about Bory and whether she likes him. She says she finds him agreeable, and Pierre points out that, when young men behave as Bory has been doing, he's usually trying to marry an heiress. Pierre has noticed that Bory appears torn between Julie Karagina and Mary Bolkonskaya. The whole time, Mary is wondering whether to confide in Pierre about how her father treats her. When he asks if she would marry Bory, she bursts out that, at times, she would marry anyone, just to get out of the house., and bursts into tears Pierre is very concerned and tries to get more out of her, but she backpedals, and insists that her only worry is how her father will react to Andrew's second marriage. There's no way to improve matters now, but she does hope she can be friends with Natasha, and begs Pierre to tell her about her. Pierre picks up that Mary is hoping he disapproves of Natasha but can only answer that he finds her enchanting but can't explain why.
Chapter 5
Bory has indeed been courting both Julie and Mary. He likes Mary more, but he finds courting her awkward - he knows she wasn't listening to a word he said at the dinner party. Things with Julie are going better. She's now convinced that she's a beautiful woman, which isn't objectively true. However, she is now very rich, and she's also of an age where bachelors can hang around freely without worrying about offending her virtue or making promises to her. She's become very melancholy, as if some great tragedy has happened to her, like her lover dying at sea, even though nothing of the sort has. She likes the men who indulges her melancholia best, and Bory's very good at it. He draws pictures of tombs and writes mournful French poetry beneath them, which she likes a lot. I think Julie Karagina might have invented Goth, and Bory is playing the romantic and deep poet. His mother is also carefully inquiring about Julie's dowry - two large estates - and explaining how sensitive Bory is and that his soul has finally found a home. The only thing that keeps him from proposing is the fact that he just really doesn't like Julie.
Sometimes, Julie notices that Bory just isn't that into her, but she's still pretty sure she's gorgeous, so she ignores it and convinces herself that Bory is just that shy and sensitive.
Julie decides to make a play for Anatole Kuragin, to make Bory jealous. Bory is jealous. He really doesn't like the idea of Julie's estates - the income from which he has already spent, in his mind - falling into someone else's hands, especially Anatole's. He also doesn't like the idea of wasting all the time he's spent pretending to be a dark and brooding poet. He resolves to propose to her, but almost loses his nerve looking into her face. He pushes through - with thoughts of the estates and the idea of not marrying an heiress - and they begin planning the wedding.
Chapter 6
All of that happened in the winter of 1811. We're now caught up to January 1812, and old Count Rostov is coming to Moscow with Sonya and Natasha. They're staying with Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, Natasha's godmother, because their Moscow house has not been heated for the winter. Marya lives alone - her daughter is married and her sons are soldiers. She reminds me a lot of Old Nikolai - very opinionated, with strict routines. When the Rostovs arrive, they get on with greeting one another and organising their visit, and Marya catches them up on gossip - mostly fashions and Darling Bory's engagement. She gets a chance to talk to Natasha alone, and warns her about the old Prince, while also explaining that Mary is looking forward to meeting her, which will happen tomorrow. Natasha doesn't enjoy the conversation, because she doesn't want mortal concerns around her great love, but she thanks her godmother for her advice.
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