War & Peace Summer Reading Schedule

Owen White of Ochlophobist fame has just prepared a reading schedule for and, based on a brief conversation we had, suggestions for how to proceed with online discussion of Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Anyone is welcome to join us and to contribute to the discussion through e-mails, blog posts, and/or comments.

W&P reading begins May 5

We are using the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation.

The reading schedule is as follows:

Volume One: May 5 – May 25

Volume Two: May 26 – June 8

Volume Three: June 9 – June 29

Volume Four: June 30 – July 20

Epilogue & Appendix: July 21 – August 18

Thus each segment is given a few weeks. There is not much to read in the Epilogue & Appendix, but still a three week time slot granted, which should give slackers who get behind some extra time to finish the book.

Bloggers should feel free to post on anything having to do with any portion of the book at any time they see fit, though the above schedule should be kept in mind insofar as keeping up with discussion, generally speaking. Bloggers who wish to participate should let Aaron at Logismoi and/or Owen the Ochlophobist know so that we can publicize all of the bloggers involved in the reading and keep track of their posts, to help facilitate a broader discussion.

For those too daunted by Tolstoy (most of us are, I believe, at least a little daunted!), or more interested in Orthodox theology than novels, I also recommend participating in Felix Culpa’s group reading of The Moral Idea of the Main Dogmas of the Faith by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), founding chief hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. One can see the details and schedule here. I myself will be rereading this book concurrently with Tolstoy. It is interesting to note that it is in part directed explicitly against Tolstoy’s heterodox religious ideas.

Finally, for the truly insane reader, there is talk of an online discussion group to read German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit this summer as well. More details on this as they become available.