Carmen and Natasha Rostova

Vladimir G. Glaz

Carmen and Natasha Rostova

In the Eyes of a Homeopath

New York

2010

Other books byDr. Vladimir G. Glaz (in Russian)

The Treatment of Bronchial-pulmonary Diseases. “Meditcina”. Moscow, Russia. 1988 (second edition, 1990)

Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”. The Image of Natasha Rostova. Commentary of a Homeopath. “Homeopathy Center”. St. Petersburg, Russia. 2000.

The Reference Book. Volume I. Homeopathic Remedies for Various Psychological Types. Volume II. Home-opathic Remedies in Neurotic Conditions. “Znanije”. Moscow, Russia. 2002

Prosper Merimee’s Carmen. Commentaryof a Home-opath. “Homeopathy Center”. St. Petersburg, Russia. 2004

Illnesses of the Greats. Two volumes. “Melikon Service”. Moscow, Russia. 2005

The Reference book. Volume III. Homeopathic Reme-dies for Treating Neurotic Disorders and Headaches. (in preparation for publishing)

Topical Homeo Architectonics at Diagnosing Cerebral Damages and Possibilities of Homeopathic Treatments. Monograph. 4000 pp., 400 fig. (in preparation for publishing)

VladimirG. Glaz

Carmen and Natasha Rostova

In the Eyes of a Homeopath

______

No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the copyright holder.

______

Library of Congress Cataloging Number:

ISBN:

Printed in U.S.A.

To Ina – my wife,

friend and assistant

The author is deeply grateful to his teachers: Dr. Viktor I. Varshavsky, Dr. Konstantin V. Grachiov, and Dr. Nikolay S. Zenin.

He is also expresses his profound gratitude to Frida Chesakova and Hilda Spektor for inval-uable assistance in making this book possible.

CONTENTS

Preface ...... xi

Chapter I. Natasha Rostova

Book II

1806 year ...... 3

1809 year ...... 11

Book III

1812 year ...... 130

Book IV

1812 year ...... 177

Epilog.

1813 - 1820years ...... 214

Chapter II. Carmen ...... 231

Conclusion ...... 279

Bibliography ...... 287

§ 208. The next step is to learn the age of the patient, his mode of life, regimen, occupation, domestic situation, social connections, etc. He is to examine whether these various circum-stances contribute to the disease, and to what extent they may be favorable or unfavorable to the treatment. He must assess the cure in like fashion, and whether the patient’s state of mind is any obstacle to the cure, and whether it is necessary to modify or direct it.

§ 209. It is not till after repeated enquiries of this nature that the physician should endeavor to trace out, according to the directions already given, as perfect an image of the disease as possible, to enable him to distinguish the most prominent and characteristic of the symptoms by which he is to choose the first anti-psorie or other remedy, at the commencement of the treatment, observing, as a guide, the greatest possible analogy with the symptoms, etc.

Samuel Hahnemann

Organon of Homoeopathic Medicine

1836

Natasha’s illness was so serious that, fortu-nately for her and her parents, all of what had caused it – her conduct and the breaking off of her engagement – faded into the background. It was impossible for them to consider how much that was to blame for what had happened while she was so ill that she could not eat or sleep, was growing visibly thinner, coughing, and, as the doctors gave them to understand, was in danger. They could think of nothing but how to make her well again. Doctors came to see her singly and in consultations, talked a great deal in French, German, and Latin, criticized one another, and prescribed the most diverse reme-dies applicable to every disease known to them. However, the very simple idea that they could not know what Natasha was suffering from, as no illness afflicting any living person can ever be known, never occurred to any of them. Each living being has its own peculiarities, and what-ever his ailment, it is always peculiar to itself, a new, complex malady unknown to medicine – not a disease of the lungs, liver, skin, heart, nerves, and so on, as described in medical books, but a disease consisting of one of the innumerable combinations of disorders of these organs.

Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace

PREFACE

The present commentary was conceived as an attempt to ‘homeopathically’ comprehend two world famous literary fe-male characters, the two pearls of world literature.

The first is Natasha Rostova, from Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. The second is Carmen from the novel of that title, by Prosper Merimee.

Natasha is one of the most charming and captivating images ever created in world literature. This image – so vivacious, complicated, versatile and attractive – has always been perceived by the author as an image of a real woman, with her life passing right in front of his eyes.

Natasha, with her amazing ability to love and to live by loving;

-with her thirst for full-blooded life ‘right here, right now;’

-with her inner light which shines and warms up everybody who is around her;

-with her perfect sensation of freedom and at the same time her strive to always live honestly;

-with her unaccountable yet unmistakable confidence in her feelings, deeds and reactions;

-with easiness and carelessness along with profound sincerity and serious self-esteem;

-with depth and power of her sufferings, and yet her fortunate ability to ‘simply live’ to enjoy this life and to make others enjoy it;

-with healthy selfishness along with a need to love, to serve and to sacrifice – this Natasha touched every reader’s soul by complicity and at the same time harmony of her nature.

Having been one of Natasha’s most rapturous fans for many years, the author has been interested in the image just as strongly from a professional point of view.

Natasha Rostova’s image can be called “homeopathic’ in the sense that her emotions, reactions, desires, and attitude in different situations, correspond to a pathogenesis of certain homeopathic remedies. In other words, pathogenesis of many homeopathic remedies contain symptoms, con-curring with description of psychophysical states of Natasha’s being.

This is not to say that the images of Pierre, Count Andrej and others, created by Tolstoy, who precisely described subtle shades of the human soul, are less ‘homeopathic’. However, since the author loves Natasha and conceives of her as a vivacious and lively personality, he dares as a homeopath to recommend this very image to the reader.

Having decided to write this commentary, the author has set himself a goal – to select a homeopathic remedy, corresponding to Natasha Rostova’s constitutional type, as if she were a live woman in need of a doctor’s consultation under real life circumstances.

After long reflection, the author has decided that it is impossible to narrate certain episodes of Natasha’s life, given by Tolstoy, in his own words. In the author’s opinion, any narration may only distort this image, created with such profound feeling and understanding of Natasha’s nature.

The author has started this work hoping to fulfill this goal and by that – to help other homeopaths to more deeply understand people’s sufferings in our far-from-perfect world; for it is certain that a doctor can ease human suffering, both physical and spiritual by better under-standing the patient. Fortunately, homeopathy gives us such possibility.

An attempt was made to ‘prescribe’ certain homeopathic remedies coinciding with all of Natasha’s characteristics described by Tolstoy. These characteristics include both Natasha’s psychological peculiarities and her habitat, which largely determine predisposition to certain reactions, conditions, and illnesses. As a result, the author has tried to paint her ‘homeopathic’ portrait.

The author tried to give homeopathic explanations for all of Natasha’s psychological states of being without changing the chronological order of their description in the novel. This may help the curious reader, and ease his task to locate certain characteristics described in the novel.

It is interesting to notice that Tolstoy gave Natasha those very special and ‘strange’ features, which were valued so highly by Hahnemann while choosing a constitutional remedy for a patient. He thought these special, strange characteristic features to be the very ‘key’ which opens a patient’s constitutional portrait to a homeopath.

The author selected 390 descriptions of Natasha from the novel, which thoroughly recreate her constitutional portrait. Having selected several possible remedies coinciding with each given psychophysical sympton, the author eventually received an opportunity to determine the main remedy, corresponding to the description of Natasha Rostova. This remedy is Ignatia amara.

Carmen is perhaps the most fascinating literary female image ever. Carmen became a household name; there is even a monument to her installed in Seville. A free-spirited, self-assured gypsy, passionate and conniving, tender and cruel, she is still living her own bright and tragic fate.

Comparing the constitutional types of Natasha and Carmen, it is interesting to note that they lived in approximately the same historical period. In War and Peace Natasha lives part of her life from 1805 till 1820. The heroin of Carmen lives in 1830.

Besides, both Russia and Spain displayed certain historical analogies in the beginning of the 19th century, since Napoleon’s army was defeated in 1812 in Russia, and within 1808-1814 in Spain. Thus, both heroines lived in the same epoch, although their surroundings, statuses and backgrounds are completely different.

In Marilee’s novel, Carmen lives only through several months of her life. Besides, throughout this period she lives to an extreme: she wounds a vendor with a knife, and the novel culminates with her own death from Don Jose’s knife. Still, we have an opportunity to imagine Carmen’s previous life and constitutional peculiarities according to her behavior and actions during this brief period.

The author selected 146 episodes from the novel, charac-terizing the heroine’s constitutional portrait. A combination of these episodes vividly describes the character of Carmen.

Her defining quality is love of freedom, which naturally goes with treachery, insidiousness, criminal inclinations, brutality and malice.

Carmen despises people whose lifestyles are drastically different from her own. She easily manipulates and uses people, and her threats are veiled. She is quick to make others suffer. Carmen does not really give value to human life and does not consider death, whether the other’s or her own. Note that she always lives with premonition of death. Simultaneously, she is a very rigid and cruel woman, capable of love, tenderness and even loyalty to a loved one. She cares for the wounded Jose “with such adroitness and attention, like no other woman would take care of her loved one”.

Carmen is playful, moody, spontaneous (“with this woman you never get bored”), loves dancing, laughing, fun and parties. With that, even in the middle of fun and debauch, she can develop her short temper and unbalanced state, bordering with hysteria. Her free will resurfaces in everything she does. Her slogan is “I do whatever I want. I don’t want to be ordered”. Her disposition to lies and deceit is natural in her as her love to freedom (“She lied, she always lied!”)

In the author’s opinion, all Carmen’s constitutional charac-teristics described above are in pathogenesis of Ignatia amara.

Despite the striking differences in constitutional characteristics of Natasha Rostova and Carmen, both of them tend to be clear representatives of Ignatia amara.

Chapter I.

Natasha Rostova

All referencies throughout the book are made according to

Leo Tolstoy War and peace. Translated by Ann Dunnigan.

A SIGNET CLASSIC. Published by the Penguin Group,

Penguin Books USA Inc., New York

Book II

1806year

"All right, I’ll tell you now. You know that Sonya is mydearest friend—such a friend that I burned my arm for her sake. I'll show you."

She pushed up the muslin sleeve on her long, slender, delicate arm, and showed him a red mark high above the elbow, near the shoulder (in a place where it would be covered even in a ball gown).

"I did that to prove my love. I just heated a ruler in the fire and pressed it there."

p.p. 367-368

Abrotanum
Ac. aceticum
Ac. benzoicum
Ac. fluoricum
Ac. muriaticum
Ac. nitricum
Ac. oxalicum
Ac. phosphoricum
Ac. salicylicum
Ac. sulfuricum
Асоnitum
Аethusa
Agaricus
Agnus
Alumina
Аmbra
Amm. carbonicum
Anacardium
Angustura
Ant. crudum
Ant. tartaricum
Argentum n.
Arnica
Arsenicum
Arsenicum i.
Artemisia
Asclepias
Aurum m.
Aurum mur.
Aza
Azarum
Belladdonna
Bryonia
Caladium
C. arsenicosum
C. carbonicum
C. phosphoricum
C. sulfuricum
Саmрhоra
Cannabis i.
Cantharis
Carbo s.
Carbo v.
Causticum
Сhаmоmilla
Chelidonium
China
Chininum a.
Chininum s.
Cicuta / Clematis
Cobaltum
Cocculus
Coffea
Collinsonia
Colocynthis
Conium
Crocus
Crotalus
Cubeda
Cuprum m.
Cyclamen
Daphne
Digitalis
Elaps
Eucalyptus
Eupatorium per
Ferrum ars.
Ferrum i.
Ferrum m.
Ferrum ph.
Formica
Gelsemium
Glonoinum
Graphites
Helleborus
Hyoscyamus
Hypericum
Ignatia
Iodum
Juglans r.
K. arsenicosum
K. bichromicum
K. bromatum
K. carbonicum
K. iodatum
K. phosphoricum
K. sulfuricum
Kreosotum
Lac
Lachesis
Lachnanthes
Laurocerasus
Lilium
Lithium
Lycopodium
Lycopus
M. muriaticum
M. sulfuricum
Mephitis / Mercurius cor.
Mercurius sol.
Millefolium
Moschus
Naja
N. arsenicosum
N. carbonicum
N. muriaticum
N. phosphoricum
N. vomica
Opium
Paeonia
Palladium
Paris
Petroleum
Phosphorus
Plantago
Platinum
Podophyllum
Pulsatilla
Raphanus
Rheum
Rhus t.
Sabadilla
Sambucus
Sanguinaria
Secale
Selenium
Senega
Sepia
Silicea
Spongia
Stannum
Stramonium
Strychninum
Sulfur
Sumbulus
Tabacum
Tarentula h.
Tellurium
Teucrium
Thuja
Trillium
Valeriana
Veratrum a.
Verbascum
Viola o.
Vipera
Zizia

Sonya ran away, but Natasha, takingher brother's arm, ledhim to the sitting room,where they began talking. Theyscarcely gaveeach other time to askand answer all the questions concerning the thousandsof trifling matters thatwere of interest to them alone. Natasha laughed at everything either of them said, not because what they were saying was amusing, but because she was in such high spiritsshe could not contain her joy, which brimmed over in laughter.

"Oh, how nice, how splendid!" she said to everything.

p. 367

Aconitum
Agaricus
Alumina
Amm. carbonicum
Anacardium
Aurum m.
Belladonna
C. carbonicum
Cannabis i.
Carbo v.
Cicuta
Conium / Crocus
Cuprum m.
Ferrum m.
Graphites
Hyoscyamus
Kreosotum
Lachesis
N. muriaticum
N. moschata
Opium
Phosphorus / Platinum
Plumbum
Pulsatilla
Sabadilla
Sepia
Stramonium
Sulfur
Tarentula h.
Veratrum a.
Verbascum
Zincum m.

"Well, that's how she loves me... and you."

Suddenly Natasha blushed.

"Well, you remember before you went away... Well, she says you are to forget all that... Shesays: 'I shall love him always, but let him be free.' That's reallysplendid—splendid andnoble! Isn't it? Verynoble—isn't it?" asked Natasha, so seriously andwith such emotion that it wasevident that what she was now saying she had talked of before with tears.

p. 368

Ac. muriaticum
Ac. phosphoricum
Ac. sulfuricum
Aethusa

Alumina

Ambra
Amm. carbonicum
Anacardium
Angustura
Ant. crudum
Argentum m.
Arsenicum
Aurum m.
B. carbonicum
Belladonna
Borax
C. carbonicum / Cannabis s.
Causticum
Chamomilla
China
Cina
Cocculus
Coffea
Conium
Cyclamen
Euphrasia
Ferrum ars.
Ferrum m.
Guajacum
Ignatia
Iodum
Ledum
Lycopodium / Mercurius sol.
Naja
N. carbonicum
N. phosphoricum
N. moschata
Oleander
Opium
Platinum
Plumbum
Pulsatilla
Rhus t.
Senega
Spigelia
Sulfur
Thuja
Tilia
Veratrum a.

Rostov grew thoughtful. "I never go back on my word," he said. "And besides, Sonya is so charming that only a fool would renounce such happiness."

"Of course!" cried Natasha. "She and I have talked it over. We knew you would say that. But it won't do, because, don't you see, if you say that—if you consider yourself bound by your word, it would look as if she had said that on purpose. It would be just as though you were obliged to marry her, and that makes it absolutely wrong!"

p. 368

Ac. phosphoricum
Ac. picricum
Argentumn.
Chamomilla / Сina
Coffea
Gelsemium
Ignatia / Mezereum
Platinum
Rhus t.
Silicea

"Me?" repeated Natasha, and a happy smile lit up her face. "Have you seen Duport—the famous dancer?... Then you won't understand."

Curving her arms, Natasha held out her skirt as dancers do, ran back a few steps, turned, and whipping her little feet together executed an entrechat, then took a few steps on the very tips of her toes.

"See how I'm standing? Look!" But she could not stay up on her toes. "That's what I'm interested in now! I'm never going to marry anyone—I'm going to be a dancer. Only don't tell anyone."

And Natasha rose and glided out of the room on tiptoe

like a ballet dancer, but smiling as only a happy girl of fifteen can smile.

p. 369

Natasha divined what he was going to do, abandoned herself to him and, scarcely knowing how, followed his lead. First he spun her around by the righthand, then by the left, fell on one knee, twirled her around him, and again springing up dashed forward so impetuously that it seemed as if be would race through all the rooms without taking a breath, then he suddenly stopped and again performed some new and un-expected step. After dexterously spinning his partner around in front of her chair, he bowed to her with a click of the heels. Natasha did not even make him a curtsey. She gazed at him in bewilderment, smiling as if not recognizing him.

"What was that?" she gasped.

p. 409

Belladonna
Cicuta
Сосculus
Crocus
Hyoscyamus
Ignatia / Mercurius sol.
N. muriaticum
Plumbum
Robinia
Sepia / Silicea
Sticta
Stramonium
Tabacum
Tarentula h.

Among the young men introduced by Rostov, one of the first was Dolokhov, who was liked by everyone in the house except Natasha. She almost quarreled with her brother about him. She insisted that be was a bad man, that in the duel with Bezukhov Pierre was right and Dolokhov wrong, and that he was disagreeable and unnatural.

"There's nothing for me to understand!" she cried with self-willed obstinacy. "He's wicked and heartless. Now, you know I like your Denisov, though he is a rake and all that, still I like him, so you see I do understand. I don't know how to put it... with him everything is calculated, and I don't like that.