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[jasonlulu_2000]

Napoleon, as a character in Tolstoy�s War and Peace, is more than once described as having �fat little hands.�� Nor does he �sit well or firmly on the horse.�� He is said to be �undersized.�� with�short legs�� and a �round stomach�. The issue here is not the accuracy of Tolstoy�s description--it seems not that far off from historical accounts but his choice of facts：other things that could be said of the man are not said. We are meant to understand the difference of a warring commander in the body of a fat little Frenchman. Tolstoy�s Napoleon could be any man wandering in the streets and putting a little of powdered tobacco up his nose�and that is the point.
It is a way the novelist uses to show the moral nature of a character. And it turns out that, as Tolstoy has it, Napoleon is a crazy man. In a scene in Book Three of War and Peace, the wars having reached the critical year of 1812,Napoleon receives a representative from the Tsar who has come with peace terms. Napoleon is very angry：doesn�t he have more army? He, not the Tsar, is the one to make the terms. He will destroy all of Europe if his army is stopped. �That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!� he shouts. And then, Tolstoy writes, Napoleon �walked silently several times up and down the room, his fat shoulders moving quickly.��
Still later, after reviewing his army amid cheering crowds, Napoleon invites the shaken Russian to dinner. �He raised his hand to the Russian�s�face,� Tolstoy writes, and �taking him by the ear pulled it gently�.� To have one�s ear pulled by the Emperor was considered the greatest honor and mark of favor at the French court. �Well, well, why don�t you say anything?�� said he, as if it was ridiculous in his presence to respect any one but himself, Napoleon.
Tolstoy did his research, but the composition is his own.

What does the last sentence of the passage imply?
A. A writer doesn�t have to be faithful to his findings.
B. A writer may write about a hero in his own way.
C. A writer may not be responsible for what he writes.
D. A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings.

By the way, could you paraphrase "That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!� he shouts.?

Thanks

[CP]

Assuming this is a multiple-choice question and I have to choose one answer, I probably would choose A, A writer doesn�t have to be faithful to his findings. This is because Tolstoy is picking specific details to paint the portrait of Napoleon as cuckoo, so may be ignoring lots of other evidence that he was sane but hungry for power and fame, or something like that.

Second-best answer: B, A writer may write about a hero in his own way. It's a true but sort of anemic statement, and not so closely connected to the other parts of the passage.

As for C, A writer may not be responsible for what he writes, I don't think the passage says or implies that. Maybe others have other ideas.

Finally, D, A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings, is not true and not consistent with the passage or any implication of it. If Tolstoy had little freedom to show his feelings about Napoleon, could he pick and choose only the oddest details to make the man look foolish?

I think "That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!" is just another way to say, "That's what you get!", meaning, that is the consequence of your behavior, and you should have known it would be the consequence before you ever started the war.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[jasonlulu_2000]

Thank CP for your wonderful and detailed reply.
Really appreciate it.

Jason