[monkey]

As A.N. Wilson points out in his excellent Tolstoi biography, Tolstoi was a great character, given to outrageous statements, a literary Cassius Clay. Despite Tolstoi's condemnations of Shakespeare, he on a few occasions referred to the bard with reverence. Tolstoi also condemned Beethoven, but could be heard humming his music (and wrote that great story for newlyweds, The Kreutzer Sonata).

This was a man who nearly fought a duel with Turgenev over a trifle, and refused to meet Dostoevski (although he fasted for several days before reading The Brothers). He had a raucous relationship with his poor wife, ended association with a cousin when they were both around eighty because she was "immoral", defended a peasant in court (despite his lack of qualifications), lost (destroying the man) and shrugged. He stated on several occasions that there should be no sexual relations at all, and the human race should die out (although he, himself, was quite randy). And on and on. Tolstoi was a bit of a nut.

None of that addresses his arguments, just the seriousness with which he held the opinions. Many of Tolstoi's comments are really addressing the differences in structure between poetry/drama and the novel. It is particularly difficult for poetry to make an impact, because it doesn't have characters. I still have an intense impression of Prince Andrey, Prince Andrey's hilarious father, Pierre and the rest of the gang from War and Peace, but I can only remember the most famous lines from the Sonnets, and few of the poetic "plots".

[cornelis]

Perhaps Orwell takes him to seriously. He should have told him to stuff it, but he didn't. Anyone who reads Tolstoy's piece knows it's rhetorical bravado and a good flame at that. Orwell got his toes stepped on. The proper response to Tolstoy's shenanigans is more like Paul Johnson's write-up of Tolstoy in Intellectuals.

P.s. there must be something good to Tolstoy--he survives!