▁ ▁Tol sto y ' s ▁War ▁and ▁Peace ▁offers ▁an ▁example ▁of ▁ 1 9 th - century ▁historical ▁fiction ▁used ▁to ▁critique ▁contemporary ▁history . ▁Tol sto y ▁read ▁the ▁standard ▁histor ies ▁available ▁in ▁Russian ▁and ▁French ▁about ▁the ▁Napole onic ▁Wars , ▁and ▁used ▁the ▁novel ▁to ▁challenge ▁those ▁historical ▁approaches . ▁At ▁the ▁start ▁of ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁third ▁volume ▁he ▁describes ▁his ▁work ▁as ▁bl urr ing ▁the ▁line ▁between ▁fiction ▁and ▁history , ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁get ▁closer ▁to ▁the ▁truth . ▁The ▁novel ▁is ▁set ▁ 6 0 ▁years ▁before ▁it ▁was ▁composed , ▁and ▁alongside ▁research ing ▁the ▁war ▁through ▁primary ▁and ▁secondary ▁sources , ▁he ▁spoke ▁with ▁people ▁who ▁had ▁lived ▁through ▁war ▁during ▁the ▁French ▁invasion ▁of ▁Russia ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 2 ; ▁thus , ▁the ▁book ▁is ▁also , ▁in ▁part , ▁eth n ography ▁fict ional ized . ▁ ▁The ▁Char ter house ▁of ▁Par ma ▁by ▁Marie - Hen ri ▁Bey le ▁( St end hal ) ▁is ▁an ▁ep ic ▁ret elling ▁of ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁an ▁Italian ▁no blem an ▁who ▁lives ▁through ▁the ▁Napole onic ▁period ▁in ▁Italian ▁history . ▁It ▁includes ▁a ▁description ▁of ▁the ▁Battle ▁of ▁Water lo o ▁by ▁the ▁principal ▁character . ▁St end hal ▁fought ▁with ▁Napoleon ▁and ▁participated ▁in ▁the ▁French ▁invasion ▁of ▁Russia . ▁ ▁The ▁Bet ro th ed ▁( 1 8 2 7 ) ▁by ▁Aless andro ▁Man z oni ▁has ▁been ▁called ▁the