Tolstoy's "Deforestation" Synopsis and Comments - Tolstoy considers the humanity of the Russian people in his Kafkaesque retrospective.
This time I would like to introduce "Deforestation" published by Tolstoy in 1855. I read "Deforestation" from the 1982 fourth printing of "The Complete Works of Tolstoy 2: Early Works (I)," translated by Nakamura Shiraha, published by Kawade Shobo Shinsha.
This piece was also written based on Tolstoy's Kafkaesque retrospective.
The curious title "Deforestation" is also taken from this Kafkers retinue.
In fact, the name "deforestation" comes from a Russian military operation. In "Tolstoy" by Takashi Fujinuma, the following is an explanation of what this operation was all about.
In the early 19th century, after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Russia decided to launch a full-scale attack against Chechnya and Dagestan, and appointed Alexei Ermolov commander of the Independent Corps of the Caucasus in 1816.
The Kafkaesque wars have continued for several centuries, but the period from 1817 to 1994 was one of the climaxes of the centuries-long conflict, and the "Kafkaesque Wars" in the narrow sense of the term refers to this period.
It was during this period that stronghold fortresses were built with such unsettling names as Gloznaya (of threat), Vnesapnaya (of raid), and Bournaya (of storm), and the current capital of Chechnya, Glozny, is a remnant of the Gloznaya fortress. It would be rare in the world for a city to have such an explicit name as "Threat City."
It was also during this period that Tolstoy's "Deforestation," which gave its title to his work, began his campaign of deforestation. The purpose of the campaign was to clear away the trees in the forests to improve visibility, prevent surprise attacks by the enemy, and facilitate the passage of troops, but it destroyed the living environment and drove the residents into the mountains. It reminds one of Operation Defoliation during the Vietnam War.
Tolstoy" by Takashi Fujinuma, p. 147-148, San-san-bunmeisha, Inc.
Some line breaks have been made.
The deforestation campaign that gave Tolstoy's work "Deforestation" its title also began during this period. The purpose was to clear away the trees in the forests to improve visibility, prevent surprise attacks by the enemy, and facilitate the passage of troops, but it also destroyed the living environment and drove the residents into the mountains. It reminds me of Operation Defoliation during the Vietnam War."
An operation reminiscent of Operation Defoliation in the Vietnam War...
From the point of view of the local population, the worst possible operation was taking place in Kafkers.
And Tolstoy participated in this operation as well.
In this work, "Deforestation," Tolstoy, who served in such a mission, explores the question "What is the Russian people?" through the soldiers.
This work is described by Takashi Fujinuma, "Tolstoy," as follows.
In Tolstoy's Kafkaesque experience, the "rediscovery of the Russian people" was no less important than the denial of war. In Russia, Tolstoy tried to establish good human relations by making direct contact with the people, and failed miserably. Not only did the social structure prevent him from doing so, but the peasants were not open to it.
Tolstoy might have agreed if it were only that the peasants were distrustful and rebellious against the landowners as a result of centuries of servitude. In Tolstoy's eyes, however, the peasants appeared to be mean, lying, lazy, and morally corrupt.
However, the Russian soldiers he saw on the battlefield were indeed very handsome. In his short story "Deforestation," based on the Kafkaesque War, Tolstoy observed the Russian soldiers in detail and categorized and described them as follows.
'The most obedient. a Obedient and sober. b Obedient and attentive. c Obedient and attentive to the needs of others. d Obedient and attentive to the needs of others.
(ii) He who gives instructions. a. He is instructive and strict. b. He is instructive and good in conduct. c. He who gives instructions. d. He who gives instructions. e. He who gives instructions. f. He who gives instructions. g. He who gives instructions.
Three daredevils. a. A daredevil and cheerful. b. A daredevil and ill-behaved.Looking at this classification, the only one that is not good is the "three b's," and what's more, Tolstoy himself annotated that it was "one that, I must say to the honor of the Russian army, you see only very rarely.
In Russia at that time, almost all of the soldiers were "peasants who had changed their peasant field clothes into military uniforms," while the soldiers were as different from the peasants in the Russian villages. Which in the world is the real person? Human nature is more likely to emerge in extreme conditions of life, with death in the foreground, than in the inertia of everyday life. If this is the case, then the resolute soldier, rather than the servile serf, is the true image of the Russian people.
Tolstoy was astonished by this "rediscovery of the people. The peasants are not only equal to us aristocrats, they are even better than we are. And are we not responsible for distorting this wonderful nature?
Thus, Tolstoy had several valuable experiences in Kafkaes.
Daisan Bunmeisha, Tolstoy, by Takashi Fujinuma, p.153-154
Some line breaks have been made.
Tolstoy was astonished by this "rediscovery of the people. The peasants are not only equal to us aristocrats, they are even better than we are. And are we not responsible for distorting this wonderful nature?
These words would later become Tolstoy's life-long beliefs.
The novel shows that Tolstoy's Kafkaesque experiences had a profound influence on the formation of his thought.
In a compact work of only 30 pages, it is a gem of Tolstoy's style of "exquisite description of scenes and deep insight into human nature.
This is "Tolstoy's "Deforestation" Synopsis and Impressions - Tolstoy Considers the Humanity of the Russian People in the Kafkaesque Retinue".
Next Article.
Click here to read the previous article.
Related Articles
