Tolstoy’s Family Prototypes in "War and Peace" / / Brett Cooke.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Academic Studies Press Complete eBook-Package 2020
• VerfasserIn: Cooke, Brett,
• Place / Publishing House: Boston, MA : : Academic Studies Press, , [2020]; ©2020
• Year of Publication: 2020
• Language: English
• Series: Evolution, Cognition, and the Arts
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (318 p.)
• Other title: Frontmatter --; Contents --; List of Illustrations --; Acknowledgments --; Introduction: Aesthetic Kin Altruism --; Chapter 1. Background and Overview --; Chapter 2. Family Structures --; Chapter 3. Kin Altruism --; Chapter 4. Names and Family Traditions --; Chapter 5. Writing the Novel with the Family --; Chapter 6. The Problem with Prototypes --; Chapter 7. Genetic Allies --; Chapter 8. Unrelated Family Associates --; Chapter 9. Distant Relatives --; Chapter 10. Tolstoy’s Grandparents --; Chapter 11. Tolstoy’s Parents --; Chapter 12. The Parents’ Marriage --; Chapter 13. What about Sonya? --; Chapter 14. A Genetic Clash—and Inclusive Errors --; Chapter 15. Incest Avoidance --; Chapter 16. Self-Altruism --; Chapter 17. Kin Altruism Reconsidered --; Bibliography --; Index
• Format: Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
• ISBN: 9781644694091; 9783110688207; 9783110696295; 9783110704716; 9783110704518; 9783110704747; 9783110704532
• DOI: 10.1515/9781644694091?locatt=mode:legacy
• Access: restricted access
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: Brett Cooke.

What were the consequences of Tolstoy’s unusual reliance on members of his family as source material for War and Peace? Did affection for close relatives influence depictions of these real prototypes in his fictional characters? Tolstoy used these models to consider his origins, to ponder alternative family histories, and to critique himself. Comparison of the novel and its fascinating drafts with the writer’s family history reveals increasing preferential treatment of those with greater relatedness to him: kin altruism, i.e., nepotism. This pattern helps explain many of Tolstoy’s choices amongst plot variants he considered, as well as some of the curious devices he utilizes to get readers to share his biases, such as coincidences, notions of “fate,” and aversion to incest.