Tolstoy's Sonya

[Brett Cooke]

Colleagues:

My proposal is a follow-up to some of the very interesting panels held on Tolstoy's "War and Peace" at the recent conference in Los Angeles. It seems to me that the character Sonya provides a useful test case for various perspectives on the novel. Although (perhaps because) she is a rather undramatic character, she continues to elicit contradictory opinions. Some critics feel she is shortchanged by her author, whereas others chastize her as self-seeking. Does she deserve the empathy accorded to others less well-behaved? Why is so much space in the novel devoted to her fate? What are the subtexts to her characterization? The topic may seem narrow but I would like to hear from anyone who might be interested in participating on a panel or roundtable devoted to this issue at the upcoming ASEEES conference in Washington, DC. 

So, if interested, please reply to me offlist: brett-cooke at tamu.edu

Brett Cooke
Texas A&M University

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