Tolstoy

Soul Probes

In Tolstoy: Soul Probes, Bradley Jersak and Ron Dart each contribute an analysis of one of Leo Tolstoy's literary works.

After an insightful introduction on Tolstoy and his writing, Part 1 begins with Bradley Jersak's essay on Tolstoy's Confessions, a nonfiction memoir of Tolstoy's faith journey. Jersak (author of Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction, 2022) presents what he describes as an "Anatomy of a Great Deconstruction." He offers a description of each bend on the Tolstoy's spiritual path, along with some reflection questions that ask listeners to ponder their own spiritual progress or regress.

In Part 2 of the book, Ron Dart analyzes the archetypal significance of five main characters from Tolstoy's War and Peace.

1. Pierre Bezukhov—Hamlet Redeemed
2. Andrei Bolkonsky— Brittle Idealism Redeemed
3. Natasha Rostov—Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience
4. Maria Bolkonsky—The Orthodox Mystic
5. Nikolai Rostov—Swing to the Right

Each chapter walks through the character development of figures who represent familiar stories and movements today.

©2023 Bradley Jersak (P)2023 Bradley Jersak