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Crime and Punishment

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Through the story of the brilliant but conflicted young Raskolnikov and the murder he commits, Fyodor Dostoevsky explores the theme of redemption through suffering. Crime and Punishment put Dostoevsky at the forefront of Russian writers when itMoreThrough the story of the brilliant but conflicted young Raskolnikov and the murder he commits, Fyodor Dostoevsky explores the theme of redemption through suffering. Crime and Punishment put Dostoevsky at the forefront of Russian writers when it appeared in 1866 and is now one of the most famous and influential novels in world literature.

The poverty-stricken Raskolnikov, a talented student, devises a theory about extraordinary men being above the law, since in their brilliance they think “new thoughts” and so contribute to society. He then sets out to prove his theory by murdering a vile, cynical old pawnbroker and her sister. The act brings Raskolnikov into contact with his own buried conscience and with two characters — the deeply religious Sonia, who has endured great suffering, and Porfiry, the intelligent and discerning official who is charged with investigating the murder — both of whom compel Raskolnikov to feel the split in his nature. Dostoevsky provides readers with a suspenseful, penetrating psychological analysis that goes beyond the crime — which in the course of the novel demands drastic punishment — to reveal something about the human condition: The more we intellectualize, the more imprisoned we become. Less

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Community Reviews

Bonnie

rated it it was amazing
almost 4 years ago

Shelves: classics , reviewed-books , to-reread
There was a time in my life when I couldn’t get enough of reading Dostoevsky. Maybe because his books made me think so deeply about being human and how we choose to live our lives. I began with Crime and Punishment, probably the work he is best known for.

What I remember... Read full review
s.penkevich

rated it it was amazing
almost 3 years ago
Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: favorites , russia , crime
‘To go wrong in one's own way is better then to go right in someone else's.’

I have been giving a lot of thought to this novel lately. Despite the three years that have gone by since reading Crime and Punishment—three years in which I’ve read some outstanding literature, j... Read full review
Matt

rated it it was ok
8 months ago

Shelves: classic-novels
The problem with being a high school student with average intelligence is that you can get fairly good grades with fairly minimal effort. It is an invitation to cut corners and utilize only one half your ass. This happened to me in English class. I'd sit back, take good n... Read full review
JSou

rated it it was amazing
almost 3 years ago

Shelves: 1001 , classics , favo-u-rites
Oh, Fyodor.

Who else could keep me up and awake night after night, even though I promise myself every morning to go to bed at a decent hour?

Who else can create such authentic human emotions that I feel I'm experiencing all of them myself?

Who else would make me subject my k... Read full review
Emily May

rated it it was amazing
over 1 year ago

Shelves: classics , 2012 , favourites
I've come to the conclusion that Russian door-stoppers might just be where it's at. "It" here meaning general awesomeness that combines the elements of history, philosophy and high readability to make books that are both thought-provoking and enjoyable. Granted, I have on... Read full review
Barry Pierce

rated it really liked it
about 2 years ago

Shelves: 19th-century , read-in-2014
Ah such beautiful pessimism. I find solace in the Russians, they make death seem like a mild disturbance in the beauty of life. Also their difficult is mere codswallop, the only difficult thing about Russian lit is the names. That's it.

Crime and Punishment is the story o... Read full review
Mahdi

rated it it was amazing
12 months ago

Shelves: محبوب-ها , داستان-خارجی
با اینکه این کتاب رو خیلی وقت پیش خوندم، هنوز که هنوزه، به نظرم شاهکار تمام اعصاره و هیچ کتابی روی دستش نیست. و جالب اینه که این کتاب، اول پاورقی روزنامه بوده و بعداً مستقلاً چاپ شده. حالا مقایسه کنید بین پاورقی های روسی و پاورقی های وطنی!

داستايوسكى و نيچه
من تا مدت های مد... Read full review
Geoff

rated it it was amazing
almost 3 years ago

I basically had to stop drinking for a month in order to read it; my friends no longer call. But it's great.

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Book Details

Paperback, Penguin Classics, 545 pages
Published December 31st 2002 by Penguin (first published January 1866
ISBN
0143058142 (ISBN13: 9780143058144)
Edition Language
English
Original Title
Преступление и наказание
Characters
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, Porfiry Petrovich, Sofia Semyonovna Marmeladova, Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova, Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov More…Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, Porfiry Petrovich, Sofia Semyonovna Marmeladova, Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova, Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov, Dmitri Prokofich Razumikhin, Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova, Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, Raskolnikoff Less

About this Author

3137322. ux50 Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky (Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский), sometimes transliterated Dostoevsky, was a Russian novelist, journalist, and short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the human soul had a profound influence on the 20th century novel.

Dostoyevsky was the second son of a former army doctor. He was educated at home and at a private school. Shortly after the...
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Quotes

Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.
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To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.
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The darker the night, the brighter the stars,
The deeper the grief, the closer is God!
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