An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 641 words)
his campaign consisted in a flight of the French during which they did
all they could to destroy themselves. From the time they turned onto
the Kalúga road to the day their leader fled from the army, none of the
movements of the crowd had any sense. So one might have thought that
regarding this period of the campaign the historians, who attributed
the actions of the mass to the will of one man, would have found it
impossible to make the story of the retreat fit their theory. But
no! Mountains of books have been written by the historians about this
campaign, and everywhere are described Napoleon’s arrangements, the
maneuvers, and his profound plans which guided the army, as well as the
military genius shown by his marshals.
The retreat from Málo-Yaroslávets when he had a free road into a
well-supplied district and the parallel road was open to him along
which Kutúzov afterwards pursued him—this unnecessary retreat along
a devastated road—is explained to us as being due to profound
considerations. Similarly profound considerations are given for
his retreat from Smolénsk to Orshá. Then his heroism at Krásnoe is
described, where he is reported to have been prepared to accept battle
and take personal command, and to have walked about with a birch stick
and said:
“J’ai assez fait l’empereur; il est temps de faire le général,” * but
nevertheless immediately ran away again, abandoning to its fate the
scattered fragments of the army he left behind.
* “I have acted the Emperor long enough; it is time to act
the general.”
Then we are told of the greatness of soul of the marshals, especially
of Ney—a greatness of soul consisting in this: that he made his way by
night around through the forest and across the Dnieper and escaped to
Orshá, abandoning standards, artillery, and nine tenths of his men.
And lastly, the final departure of the great Emperor from his heroic
army is presented to us by the historians as something great and
characteristic of genius. Even that final running away, described in
ordinary language as the lowest depth of baseness which every child
is taught to be ashamed of—even that act finds justification in the
historians’ language.
When it is impossible to stretch the very elastic threads of historical
ratiocination any farther, when actions are clearly contrary to all
that humanity calls right or even just, the historians produce a saving
conception of “greatness.” “Greatness,” it seems, excludes the standards
of right and wrong. For the “great” man nothing is wrong, there is no
atrocity for which a “great” man can be blamed.
“C’est grand!” * say the historians, and there no longer exists either
good or evil but only “grand” and “not grand.” Grand is good, not
grand is bad. Grand is the characteristic, in their conception, of some
special animals called “heroes.” And Napoleon, escaping home in a warm
fur coat and leaving to perish those who were not merely his comrades
but were (in his opinion) men he had brought there, feels que c’est
grand, *(2) and his soul is tranquil.
* “It is great.”
* (2) That it is great.
“Du sublime (he saw something sublime in himself) au ridicule il n’y
a qu’un pas,” * said he. And the whole world for fifty years has been
repeating: “Sublime! Grand! Napoléon le Grand!” Du sublime au ridicule
il n’y a qu’un pas.
* “From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.”
And it occurs to no one that to admit a greatness not commensurable with
the standard of right and wrong is merely to admit one’s own nothingness
and immeasurable meanness.
For us with the standard of good and evil given us by Christ, no human
actions are incommensurable. And there is no greatness where simplicity,
goodness, and truth are absent.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When powerful people fail catastrophically, society collectively rewrites their failures as strategic brilliance to avoid confronting uncomfortable truths about authority.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when disasters get reframed as strategy to protect those responsible.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when leaders who cause problems get praised for 'making tough decisions'—ask who actually paid the price and who benefits from that framing.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"This campaign consisted in a flight of the French during which they did all they could to destroy themselves."
Context: Tolstoy's blunt summary of Napoleon's retreat from Russia
Tolstoy cuts through all the historical mythology with brutal honesty. He's saying this wasn't strategy or genius - it was just a complete disaster where the French army basically fell apart.
In Today's Words:
The whole thing was just the French running away and screwing themselves over in the process.
"Mountains of books have been written by the historians about this campaign, and everywhere are described Napoleon's arrangements, the maneuvers, and his profound plans."
Context: Tolstoy mocking how historians turned disaster into genius
This shows how the history industry works - take an obvious failure and bury it under fancy language about 'arrangements' and 'profound plans' until people forget what actually happened.
In Today's Words:
Tons of writers have made this disaster sound like brilliant strategy with a bunch of fancy words.
"J'ai assez fait l'empereur; il est temps de faire le général"
Context: Napoleon claiming he's ready to fight personally at Krasnoe
Napoleon says 'I have played the emperor long enough; it is time to act the general' - but then immediately runs away. It perfectly captures how leaders make grand speeches about sacrifice while actually being cowards.
In Today's Words:
I've been the big shot long enough; time to actually do some real work - but then he immediately bailed.
Thematic Threads
Power
In This Chapter
Napoleon's abandonment of his army gets transformed into tales of strategic genius by historians who need to justify their belief in his greatness
Development
Throughout the novel, Tolstoy has shown how power corrupts perception—now he reveals how it corrupts historical memory itself
In Your Life:
You might see this when bad managers get promoted while their failures get reframed as 'learning experiences' or 'bold leadership.'
Truth
In This Chapter
The stark contrast between what actually happened (cowardly abandonment) and what gets recorded (brilliant strategy) exposes how truth gets buried under convenient narratives
Development
Tolstoy has consistently shown characters struggling with self-deception—here he shows how entire societies engage in collective self-deception
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you find yourself making excuses for someone's harmful behavior because admitting the truth would be too uncomfortable.
Class
In This Chapter
The soldiers who died are forgotten while Napoleon's comfort and reputation are preserved, showing how class determines whose story matters
Development
The novel's class themes culminate here in showing how historical narrative itself serves the powerful at the expense of the powerless
In Your Life:
You might see this in how workplace injuries get blamed on 'worker error' while management decisions that caused unsafe conditions get ignored.
Moral Judgment
In This Chapter
Tolstoy argues that abandoning moral standards for 'great' leaders reveals our own moral weakness, not their transcendent genius
Development
This represents the climax of Tolstoy's moral philosophy—that true greatness requires goodness, not just power or success
In Your Life:
You might catch yourself excusing harmful behavior from people you admire or depend on, rather than holding them to basic standards of decency.
Identity
In This Chapter
Society's need to maintain belief in exceptional leaders becomes more important than facing the reality of their ordinary human failures
Development
The novel's exploration of how people construct identity reaches its peak in showing how collective identity depends on shared myths about leadership
In Your Life:
You might notice how admitting your boss or partner's serious flaws feels threatening to your own sense of judgment and security.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
How did Napoleon actually behave during the retreat from Russia, and how did historians later describe the same events?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do you think society chooses to reframe leadership failures as strategic brilliance rather than admit leaders made mistakes?
analysis • medium - 3
Can you think of a recent example where a leader's harmful actions got reframed as 'tough decisions' or 'strategic thinking'?
application • medium - 4
When someone in authority over you makes a decision that hurts people, how do you decide whether to accept their explanation or trust your own judgment?
application • deep - 5
What does Tolstoy mean when he says real greatness can only exist with goodness, and why might this threaten how we usually think about powerful people?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Decode the Damage Control
Think of a time when someone in authority made a decision that hurt you or people you care about, then later justified it with impressive-sounding language. Write down what actually happened versus how they explained it afterward. Look for words like 'strategic,' 'necessary,' 'complex,' or 'long-term thinking' that might be covering up simpler truths.
Consider:
- •Who benefited from the original decision versus who got hurt?
- •What fancy language was used to make the harmful choice sound wise?
- •How did the explanation make you feel about questioning authority?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a leader you truly respect. What makes them different from those who just talk a good game after making harmful choices? How do they treat people when no one important is watching?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 317: Why Perfect Plans Always Fail
As the war draws to its close, Tolstoy will examine what happens when the smoke clears and people must rebuild their lives from the ruins of grand historical events.
