War and Peace · Character
Catherine the Great
Also known as the Great Catherine, Catherine's, Catherine
- Minor
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 119
Catherine the Great is a minor character in War and Peace (Book 1).
- Gender
- female
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 119
- Books
- 1
Catherine the Great appears not as an active participant in the novel’s present, but as a measure of imperial memory and possibility. Andrew recalls the Empress Mother’s gracious reception of him, then remembers the same plump, sallow face lying in state on the catafalque. Elsewhere, her legacy sharpens a comparison between what Napoleon might offer Alexander through friendship and what Catherine herself had once been able to accomplish. Tolstoy leaves her as a presence from the past whose remembered authority complicates the ambitions of the present.
Description
Catherine is described as short and stout, with a plump figure and a rather sallow face. Her smile and gracious manner are among the few personal details preserved in Andrew’s recollection; no reliable details of her hair, eyes, or particular dress are given. She carries the composed, weighty presence of an empress, even in memory.
Story so far
BOOK 1War and Peace
Appearances
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