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    Crime and Punishment
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    Crime and Punishment
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    Crime and Punishment
    Ebook796 pages14 hours

    Crime and Punishment

    By Fyodor Dostoevsky

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    The two years before he wrote Crime and Punishment (1866) had been bad ones for Dostoyevsky. His wife and brother had died; the magazine he and his brother had started, Epoch, collapsed under its load of debt; and he was threatened with debtor's prison. With an advance that he managed to wangle for an unwritten novel, he fled to Wiesbaden, hoping to win enough at the roulette table to get himself out of debt. Instead, he lost all his money; he had to pawn his clothes and beg friends for loans to pay his hotel bill and get back to Russia. One of his begging letters went to a magazine editor, asking for an advance on yet another unwritten novel — which he described as Crime and Punishment.
    One of the supreme masterpieces of world literature, Crime and Punishment catapulted Dostoyevsky to the forefront of Russian writers and into the ranks of the world's greatest novelists. Drawing upon experiences from his own prison days, the author recounts in feverish, compelling tones the story of Raskolnikov, an impoverished student tormented by his own nihilism, and the struggle between good and evil. Believing that he is above the law, and convinced that humanitarian ends justify vile means, he brutally murders an old woman — a pawnbroker whom he regards as "stupid, ailing, greedy…good for nothing." Overwhelmed afterwards by feelings of guilt and terror, Raskolnikov confesses to the crime and goes to prison. There he realizes that happiness and redemption can only be achieved through suffering. Infused with forceful religious, social, and philosophical elements, the novel was an immediate success. This extraordinary, unforgettable work is reprinted here in the authoritative Constance Garnett translation.
    A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateMar 27, 2012
    ISBN9780486114859
    Author

    Fyodor Dostoevsky

    Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-81) was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. His most famous work includes Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. He is considered to be one of Europe's major novelists.

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    Reviews for Crime and Punishment

    4.5/5

    8,032 ratings172 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Amazing book with a true grasp on human psychology
    • 3/5
      Raskolnikov, an impoverished former student in St. Petersburg spends a 100ish pages deciding whether or not to commit a murder and then another 500ish pages going in various mental circles about whether or not to turn himself in after he does commit the murder.The writing here is well done and the translation is also excellent as it doesn't have that stilted and removed feeling I've noted in several translated novels I've read recently. I can see why it's an enduring classic but I was kind of hate reading long passages of this. There are many sections where paragraphs stretch across multiple pages, which is exhausting to read, particularly when spending so much time inside the head of a character whose thoughts are convoluted but also circular. Also, Dostoyevsky's female characters often serve as little more than window dressing with no real careful examination of their internal lives. If you're on a classics kick, this isn't a terrible read but it isn't one I'll ever recommend.
    • 4/5
      I hate to give such as well known classic a low star rating. Maybe it's because I read the Pevear & Volokhonsky translation, or listened to it in audio. Or maybe Dostoevsky intentionally set out to make the reader feel the mental sickness/madness of the main character, like an unpleasant fever-dream. The first two chapters were great and promising, but the remaining melodramatic and plodding (a trait shared by some other 1850s and 60s classic novels). The best aspects are Dostoevsky's insights on human nature, but to get those ideas requires ascribing motives, thoughts and ideas to his characters that do not feel authentic; the characters are like projections of Dostoevsky himself thus lacking a believable psychology. I'm glad to have read it because it is so famous, but life is short so I look to the classics for a sure thing and this did not deliver. I read The House of the Dead which was great, so may give Dostoevsky another try later.
    • 5/5
      It was bitter cold last night. The trip from work to the kitchen was uneventful enough. I prepared soup and awaited my wife. After dinner, I placed Sonny Rollins' 9/11 Concert on the stereo and sat down with the last 52 pages of Crime and Punishment. the greatest testament I can afford the novel conclusion is that for 25 minutes I didn't hear any jazz, only Dostoevsky's denouement
    • 4/5
      This book gripped me from beginning to end. While written off by some as melodramatic and emotional, I found Dostoyevsky's portrayal of his character's inner struggles to be real & enthralling. Raskolnikov is probably one of the best "nonsympathetic" characters ever because even so I still felt for him! Honourable mention to Svidrigailov who absolutely fascinated me throughout the story. The brief descriptions of the penal colony in the epilogue made me interested in reading more about Dostoyevsky's own experiences there (in Notes from a Dead House). I also read The Brothers K this year, which I felt had a much more satisfying arc, emotional climax, and ending on the whole. Still, C&P was a great read and I'm ready for more!
    • 4/5
      Great psychological novel.
    • 4/5
      Ordinary vs superior people.
    • 5/5
      Classic. Story of one man who commits a murder to see if he can get away with it and the effects it has on everyone
    • 3/5
      Interesting ideas about how people punish themselves and how they can be reborn, but confusing and a lot of random things
    • 5/5
      F.D. had a window into the human soul. This is an incredibly good novel.
    • 5/5
      A classic piece of fiction which is both deep and disturbing. A pefect choice for a book club to discuss.
    • 3/5
      I read this so long ago I don't remember much. I've got to reread this at some point. It's what got me into surfacey Russian lit though.
    • 5/5
      Read and pieced together 3 different versions totaling about 621 pages (see wikipedia for explanations of why so many versions) Russian writing at its best. Written after Dostoevsky returned from Siberian gulag; although this is not what the book is about. The book attempts to both solidify and crumble notions that one has about philosophy and the nature of sin. Great read! 621 pages
    • 5/5
      The rating is for this specific translation by Oliver Ready. I didn't care for the over-colloquial tone of his dialogue choices, but reading in a different translation made this book a wonderful reading experience. Comparing translations was enlightening, as well.
    • 3/5
      A depressed man does some crime, is unhappy about the consequences.2.5/4 (Okay).This is my first Russian novel, and it's a 1960's translation, so I'm a little surprised how straightforward and modern the style is. The story's not great, though. Dostoyevsky clearly started writing with some ideas he wanted to put across, but no plan for exactly how he was going to do it. And while there are a lot of characters and individual scenes that I like quite a bit, they're mostly incidental.
    • 5/5
      Amazing, phenomenal, and well deserved to be called a masterpiece. For some reason, I had in my head that it would be about the Crime, of course, and then being in prison, with long pondering about guilt, remorse, etc. - and very dry. But I was completely wrong. It was exciting, suspenseful, with intriguing sub-plots and many layers to be uncovered. Wonderful, and I highly recommend it!
    • 5/5
      It's a daunting task to review a masterpiece such as Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment", and yet I am attempting it, in a very small way. I first read this book years ago in my youth as part of high school curriculum, and even then it produced an overwhelming impression on me. Re-reading it now, the effect is similar, even though I understand and appreciate it more intensely. The depth with which Dostoyevsky delves into human feelings is incomparable, his depiction of Russian soul, with all its idiosyncrasies, is unparalleled . Love or hate - by a Russian it's felt to the extreme possible degree. And how typical of one of his characters to observe that "suffering is a great thing...". The idea that prompts Raskolnikov to commit his crime is both shocking and daring, and though one cannot justify any killing, one can see from his tormenting ruminations and his published article that he drew his lessons from history - it's just that he interpreted them in too drastic a manner. Apart from this main story line, Dostoyevsky thoroughly mocks certain layers of Russian society and yet professes feelings of harrowing pain for the suffering multitude. Dostoyevsky is always true to his genius - one cannot afford to skip a single line...Not to mention what a joy it is to read him in the original.--
    • 5/5
      Crime and Punishment is a psychological thriller that takes the reader deep into the mind of Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov is a former student who is doing nothing with his life until he devises a radical theory. This theory hypothesizes that there are such men who are extraordinary enough to actually be above the law. He finally tests his theory, which spirals his life into a story of suffering and redemption. It is set in 18th century Russia, and draws the reader into the poverty and suffering filled world of a Russian peasant. It explores a large range of classes while also developing intricate characters, such as the borderline mad Raskolnikov, and the deeply religion Sonia. This is a book that everyone should read; Dostoevsky brings the reader on an incredible journey through the mind of Raskolnikov. While I will admit it does get slightly sluggish at times because there is a lot of Raskolnikov thinking to himself, it is quite necessary to the story and pays off in the character development.Evan B.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant, and (though I don't have any Russian) seems to be a truly excellent translation.
    • 5/5
      Surprisingly brilliant"Brother, brother, what are you saying? Why, you have shed blood?" cried Dunya in despair. "Which all men shed," he put in almost frantically, "which flows and has always flowed in streams, which is spilt like champagne, and for which men are crowned in the Capitol and are called afterwards benefactors of mankind... If I had succeeded I should have been crowned with glory, but now I'm trapped."A surprising book. A book whose reputation overshadows it with those dreaded words "a worthy classic". A book of social commentary, a discussion of philosophy, of morality and justice, a plea for the Christian faith. But it’s also a playful crime novel, a crime of The Why, a wry look at art of catching criminals and with the number one genre attribute: a gripping plot. It is also beautifully written; discussion and descriptions slip of the page and their gems lurk in your brain. It is far too easy a read for such a chewy book.“It would be interesting to know what it is men are most afraid of. Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what they fear most.” Of course it's not without its faults, Personally (and though open to interpretation) the epilogue with its religion as a panacea felt a like a let down to the topics explored, a simplistic choice God or Nihilism. Sexism is endemic, although female characters abound they all lean towards self sacrificing end of the spectrum (yes Sonia is the embodiment of self sacrifice but every female character?) Racism is littered throughout too with throw away anti Semitic comments and for some reason a dislike of Germans. I can ignore these things, there is too much good stuff to take away but it depends on your sensitivity. Where is it?" thought Raskolnikov. "Where is it I've read that someone condemned to death says or thinks, an hour before his death, that if he had to live on some high rock, on such a narrow ledge that he'd only room to stand, and the ocean, everlasting darkness, everlasting solitude, everlasting tempest around him, if he had to remain standing on a square yard of space all his life, a thousand years, eternity, it were better to live so than to die at once! Only to live, to live and live! Life, whatever it may be!... How true it is! Good God, how true! Man is a vile creature!... And vile is he who calls him vile for that," he added a moment later. Overall highly recommended. Ignore the overly academic introductions and essays and dive right it, take away what you will and most of all wallow and enjoy (unless you’re a Nihilist)
    • 4/5
      Surprisingly easy read. Long though.
    • 5/5
      Amazing, phenomenal, and well deserved to be called a masterpiece. For some reason, I had in my head that it would be about the Crime, of course, and then being in prison, with long pondering about guilt, remorse, etc. - and very dry. But I was completely wrong. It was exciting, suspenseful, with intriguing sub-plots and many layers to be uncovered. Wonderful, and I highly recommend it!
    • 4/5
      Veel minder gegrepen door de lectuur dan 24 jaar geleden. Wel sterk verhaal met hoogtepunten (droom in I 5, ruzie in IV 2, zelfmoord in VI 6 en slotscene), maar soms teveel nevenplots en te pathetische scènes. Indrukwekkend blijft de psychologie van de karaktertekeningen.
    • 5/5
      gripping....extremely
    • 4/5
      Raskolnikov was a poor student in St. Petersburg. When he was in school, he manifested an idea that truly great men should be allowed to do more. They are above the law and that if someone or something stands in his way, he has every right to remove them by any means necessary, even if it means murder. Napoleon was a great man, he crushed and killed thousands, why not Raskolnikov? This rash and dangerous theory provides justification for the murder of two women, one a greedy usurer that Raskonikov is heavily indebted, and her sister, in the wrong place at the wrong time. It seems that this theory is just a way for him to get out of debt. He fantasizes about killing her and redistributing her funds all for a good cause, justifying his actions. However, he finds that those terrible actions weigh heavier on his soul than he bargained for. He doesn't redistribute the funds and doesn't even use them. And the guilt, the guilt weights on him, and when a detective discovers his guilt, it becomes a psychological game of cat and mouse. It's an exploration of guilt and how we need to punish ourselves for the wrong that we do. From murder, to neglect of duties, the wrong committed by the perpetrators will result in a dose of their own punishment. An ultimate exploration on how we punish ourselves. The real strength in this story is the character development and the internal dialogue. It's one of the first stories to get such an in-depth look inside a character's head. Each painstaking thought, insecurity, fear, and worry is etched in detail. I also loved the cat and mouse game with the detective. It's that type of dialogue that could fit into a police procedural today, the detective trying to crush the suspect without making a direct accusation, trying to wear him down so he will just give up. The psychological warfare is intense and very enjoyable. Russian literature is always a great study of people. Each character is fleshed out. It has those same qualities that make Huckleberry Finn such a classic; the characters are just as good as the story. The problems and travails of the common person of the day are told in so much detail. In one case, a dream sequence demonstrates the struggle of the common peasant of the day; an old horse is pulled out attempting to pull a full cart of drunkards as the master whips him again and again thinking he should be able to pull such a heavy load. When he cannot do it, he stands to shoot it and at that point Raskolnikov wakes from his dream (it may have been the dream that pushes him over).A very dense read, not as dense as Anna Karenina (where you definitely need a list of the cast of characters to keep up), but not as heavy as Fathers and Sons, which is more of a straightforward story. I may want to re-read this in the future to get more out of it.In short, I maintain that all great men or even men a little out of the common, that is to say capable of giving some new word, must from their very nature be criminals—more or less, of course. Otherwise it's hard for them to get out of the common rut; and to remain in the common rut is what they can't submit to, from their very nature again, and to my mind they ought not, indeed, to submit to it.""He will lie—that is, the man who is a special case, the incognito, and he will lie well, in the cleverest fashion; you might think he would triumph and enjoy the fruits of his wit, but at the most interesting, the most flagrant moment he will faint. Of course there may be illness and a stuffy room as well, but anyway! Anyway he's given us the idea! He lied incomparably, but he didn't reckon on his temperament. That's what betrays him! Another time he will be carried away by his playful wit into making fun of the man who suspects him, he will turn pale as it were on purpose to mislead, but his paleness will be too natural , too much like the real thing, again he has given us an idea! Though his questioner may be deceived at first, he will think differently next day if he is not a fool, and, of course, it is like that at every step! He puts himself forward where he is not wanted, speaks continually when he ought to keep silent, brings in all sorts of allegorical allusions, he-he! Comes and asks why didn't …"You knew I was ill and tried to work me into a frenzy to make me betray myself, that was your object! Produce your facts! I understand it all. You've no evidence, you have only wretched rubbishly suspicions like Zametov's! You knew my character, you wanted to drive me to fury and then to knock me down with priests and deputies.... Are you waiting for them? eh! What are you waiting for? Where are they? Produce them?"""She was only fourteen, but her heart was broken. And she had destroyed herself, crushed by an insult that had appalled and amazed that childish soul, had smirched that angel purity with unmerited disgrace and torn from her a last scream of despair, unheeded and brutally disregarded, on a dark night in the cold and wet while the wind howled...."Raskolnikov took the magazine and glanced at his article. Incongruous as it was with his mood and his circumstances, he felt that strange and bitter sweet sensation that every author experiences the first time he sees himself in print; besides, he was only twenty-three. It lasted only a moment. After reading a few lines he frowned and his heart throbbed with anguish. He recalled all the inward conflict of the preceding months. He flung the article on the table with disgust and anger.""Perhaps it was only from the force of his desires that he had regarded himself as a man to whom more was permitted than to others." p. 544
    • 5/5
      An idea possessed Raskolnikov. He believed there are supermen, Newton’s and Napoleon’s, who transcend ordinary men and women, who could act without moral constraint to judge evil and levy punishment, and to determine whether he belonged to this superior race, he killed the greedy and usurious pawn-broker. But unlike Napoleon in Austerlitz he didn’t execute his plan coldly and tactically. Rather, he nauseatingly dreamed his way into a double murder, the pawnbroker’s sister had returned because he had tarried, and, at the sight of blood, was so terrified that his hands could not stop trembling. He discovered that he wasn’t upright or courageous, that he could not transcend the law, and that he was just a louse, a member of the inferior class. As psychological fiction, Crime and Punishment showcases Raskolnikov’s contradictory actions and emotions that revealed a split psyche fighting for wholeness. He despised others but was preoccupied with bringing about good. After reading his mother’s letter about his sister’s misfortune, he shed sympathetic tears but also donned an evil spiteful smile. He gave the little he had to help the Marmeladovs but immediately regretted helping them. He killed the pawnbroker to prove an idea but took her money and valuables. He was detached in the first interview with the head detective Porfiry but in the second was angry and spiteful toward him.His punishment did not begin in Siberia after the verdict but immediately after killing the pawnbroker, his irritability, nervousness, suspiciousness, delusion, and mania tormenting an already fragile psyche, not allowing him to eat, drink, sleep, work or socialize, and pressing him to hide in his coffin-like apartment trying escaping from reality and to curl up under his blanket, feverish and delusional. His conscience was tormenting and implicating him even before the law did so. Only through Sonya’s help and guidance was he able to find strength to confess his crime. Through this novel’s outcome, Dostoyevsky rejected any social system that tried to replace the jagged path of life with linear reason to save people from their predicament. Although the author’s moral heavy-handedness in Raskolnikov’s repentance and redemption seemed to scar the artistry of the mental battle, Crime and Punishment is psychological novel at its best.
    • 1/5
      Nothing in this world could make me pick this book up again. This book is a slog to read. It is so easy to get irritated with the main character. Nothing about reading this is fun.
    • 2/5
      One of those heavy books which discuss about right and wrong...though provoking...
    • 5/5
      This is a true classic. The suspense and story-telling are fantastic. Character development is delightful and chilling. A must read!
    • 5/5
      What else can be said that hasn't yet been said about this book? I thoroughly enjoyed it - even though it's large, it's in Russia and it's in the late 19th century. The sheer psychological complexity, evolution and human pathos of the main character are unique in world literature. It's truly a masterpiece.