Crime and Punishment

This edition includes Introduction, Summary & Analysis.



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Dostoyevsky is a very controversial figure in the history of world literature. Some think of him as a dark Russian genius revealing the scariest realms of human souls, yet others say he was one of the funniest writers of the 19th century. For some, his novels are excruciatingly boring. Others are captivated and read them feverishly until the very last page. Moreover, some will tell you that Dostoyevsky was one of the most psychologically profound authors ever; others will tell you his stories are dull and implausible.



Where is the answer? Perhaps there is no single answer. Every reader will have to develop an individual relationship with the great writer. One way to do so is to turn to one of the most famous novels ever written-Crime and Punishment.



It was written in the mid-1860s. Literary critics of the time noted that it was a revolutionarily new novel, something that had never been seen in literature. One of the most impressing innovations was the way the protagonist was depicted.



He is Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor student, and we get to know him very closely. The way Raskolnikov's inner monologs, thoughts, and feelings are described is extraordinarily profound. In novels before Dostoyevsky, characters had not been so extensively and deeply psychologically explored.



The novel is largely dedicated to the issues of conscience and morality. The author explores the moral rights of human beings, their aspirations, and the flaws of their nature. Throughout the novel runs a theme of contradiction between what people do and why they do it.

Sergei Viatchanin