Anti-war theme in the works of L. Tolstoy and L. Andreev.

Abstract

A comparative analysis of the works by L. Tolstoy and L. Andreev shows that contemporary writers, responding to the demands of the time, developed common themes in their work, which were considered, however, in line with the tasks set by each of them. A strong rejection of any forms of violence, first of all, war, was reflected in such works as “Sevastopol Stories” and in the novel “War and Peace” by L. Tolstoy, in the story “Red Laughter” and in the novel “The Yoke of War” by L. Andreev as well as in their social and political journalism. In the works of both Tolstoy and Andreev the main idea is that war is the violation of the main law of life, according to which a person should live as long as God has given them. Anti-war agenda is especially vital today. The aim of the article is to demonstrate how modern the protest against any wars sounds in the works by Tolstoy and Andreev. Both the writers stand with ‘the little man’ the victim of “the yoke of war” and “the red laughter”. The call “Come to your senses!” that sounded at the beginning of the XX century was unfortunately not heard, which we can judge about by the wars and revolutions of the XX–XXI centuries.