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What were the consequences of Tolstoy’s unusual reliance on members of his family as source material for War and Peace? Did affection for close relatives influence depictions of these real prototypes in his fictional characters? Tolstoy used these models to consider his origins, to ponder alternative family histories, and to critique himself. Comparison of the novel and its fascinating drafts with the writer’s family history reveals increasing preferential treatment of those with greater relatedness to him: kin altruism, i.e., nepotism. This pattern helps explain many of Tolstoy’s choices amongst plot variants he considered, as well as some of the curious devices he utilizes to get readers to share his biases, such as coincidences, notions of “fate,” and aversion to incest.

Characters and characteristics. --- Tolstoy, Leo, --- Criticism and interpretation. --- Characters. --- Voĭna i mir (Tolstoy, Leo, graf). --- Families --- Family --- Family life --- Family relationships --- Family structure --- Relationships, Family --- Structure, Family --- Social institutions --- Birth order --- Domestic relations --- Home --- Households --- Kinship --- Marriage --- Matriarchy --- Parenthood --- Patriarchy --- History --- Social aspects --- Social conditions --- Napoleonic Wars. --- Russian literature. --- Tolstoy. --- aesthetics. --- ancestors. --- autobiographical fiction. --- biopoetics. --- character arcs. --- evolutionary psychology. --- family. --- history. --- incest. --- kin altruism. --- literary Darwinism. --- nepotism. --- prototypes. --- relationships. --- Толстой, Лев Николаевич --- Tolstoi, Leo --- Tolstoj, Leo --- Tolstoj, Lew Nikolajewitsj --- Tolstoy, Leo --- Tolstoï, Léon --- Толстой, Лев, --- Толстой, Лев Николаевич, --- Tolstoĭ, Lev Nikolaevich, --- Dōlsdōy, L. N., --- Ṭālsṭāy, --- Ṭālsṭāy, Liyō, --- Talstoĭ, Leŭ, --- Tʻo-erh-ssu-tʻai, --- Tʻo-erh-ssu-tʻai, Lieh-fu, --- Ṭôlasṭāya, Liyo, --- Толстой, Л. М., --- Tolstoĭ, L. M., --- Толстой, Л. Н. --- Tolstoĭ, L. N. --- Tolstoi, Leo N., --- Tolstoj, Lev Nikolajevitsj --- Tolstoj, Lev Nikolaevič --- Tolstoï, Léon, --- Tolstoï, Léon Nikolaevitch, --- Tolstoi, Leone, --- Tolstói, Lev, --- Tolstoi, Lew, --- Tolstoı̂, Lion, --- Tolstoi, Lyof N., --- Tolstoj, Lav Nikolajević, --- Tolstoj, Law, --- Tolstoj, Lev Nikolajevič, --- Tołstoj, Lew, --- Tolstoy, L. N. --- Tolstoy, Léon, --- Tolstoy, Lev, --- Tolsztoj, Lev, --- Ttolsŭttoi, --- Tūlstūy, Līf, --- Tuo'ersitai, --- Tuo'ersitai, Liefu, --- Талстой, Леў, --- טאלסאטי, לעא, --- טאלסטאי, ל. --- טאלסטאי, ל., --- טאלסטאי, ל.נ --- טאלסטאי, ל. נ., --- טאלסטאי, לאװ, --- טאלסטאי, לעא --- טאלסטאי, לעא, --- טאלסטאי, לעװ --- טאלסטאי, לעװ, --- טאלסטאי, לעוו --- טאלסטאי, לעוו, --- טאלסטאי, ליעװ --- טאלסטאי, ליעוו --- טאלסטאי, גראף לעא --- טאלסטוי, ל., --- טאלסטוי, ל. נ., --- טאלסטוי, לאר, --- טאלסטוי, לעא, --- טולסטאי, לב נ., --- טולסטױ, ל. --- טולסטױ, ל., --- טולסטױ, ל. נ. --- טולסטוי --- טולסטוי, ל. --- טולסטוי, ל., --- טולסטוי, ל. נ. --- טולסטוי, ל.נ., --- טולסטוי, ל. נ., --- טולסטוי, לב --- טולסטוי, לב, --- טולסטוי, לב ניקולוביץ, --- טולסטוי, ליב --- טולסטוי, ליב, --- تولستوى، ل، --- لئون تولستوى --- レオ.トルストイ, --- 托爾斯泰, 列夫, --- Tolstojs, L̦evs N., --- Tolstoi, Leo Nikolaievich, --- Tolstojus, L. N.,