TOLSTOY’S BEGINNING OF MILITARY SERVICE AND HIS FIRST ARTISTIC CONCEPTIONS

Abstract

One of the main subjects of this article is the reflection on the choice of military service that Nikolay Tolstoy, the elder brother of Leo Tolstoy, made. The author focuses on the role of holy representatives of the Ruric’s dynasty who had been sacrificing their lives for the sake of their countrymen. The author examines the premises which prompted N. Tolstoy to make such a choice and comes to the conclusion that the most important one was the hereditary innate sense of patriotism. Particular attention is drawn to the methods of family education of the little Tolstoys. Due to thorough analyses the author comes to the conclusion that some facts from N. Tolstoy’s life were used by L. Tolstoy in “The Cossacks”.