Critique: The Army is Soldiers

Critique: The Army is Soldiers

First, I must note that the new cover is very well done, very original, so bonus points for that. Right from the get go, I was on board with your ideas. "Renaming the novel The Army Is Soldiers keeps true to Tolstoy's original title and to the main action of the novel while also incorporating what we believe is the central and unifying motif: turning away from the self and finding meaning in others. Tolstoy's original title War and Peace, while incorporating one theme of the book, does not fully attest to this central spirit of the novel. The Army Is Soldiers as a title is both obvious and nuanced, stating that an army is comprised of soldiers, but also reminding the reader that an army is composed of individuals each with experiences and concerns." A point well taken. One must realize that while reading "war and peace" that there is in fact a large group to be focused on, but the individual characters have emotions that seem to take precedent, and show that the individual does go through traumatic situations: In that aspect the title was very witty, and well thought out. The essay itself was also well done. I thought all your main points came together nicely at the end for well written conclusion. I felt that at times you were a bit broad in the description of each characters progression through the novel. That being said, I thought it was great how you sort of created a community to talk about (Pierre, Andrew, Natasha, Nicholas and Mary), but were still able to zero in on details of their character in the book. Well done!