Crime and Punishment

Dostoevsky is notoriously good at investigating the psychology of his characters, and from that standpoint his treatment of Raskolnikov is probably the best in all of his work. While, as in many of his works, Dostoevsky includes a meek saint-figure (in this case Sonia, the prostitute mentioned above) through whose Christian love the other characters will hopefully be redeemed, Dostoevsky's most remarkable characters tend to be not the ones he idolizes but rather the "devil's advocates" with whom he disagrees, and Raskolnikov is probably the finest example of that. There are lots of other interesting characters too, and the plot is fairly action-packed with many moving and haunting scenes (Katerina Marmeladov's final descent into consumptive madness especially comes to mind), making the novel a surprisingly quick and enjoyable read considering its length and depth.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a tendency among some readers of the novel to be interested in it exclusively for Raskolnikov's proto-Nietzschean philosophy of the "Extraordinary Man" who, like Napoleon and, or so he believes, Raskolnikov himself, has a duty to overstep the most basic bounds of morality in order to achieve a high end. I say this is unfortunate for a couple of reasons: First, the majority of the action of the novel has nothing directly to do with the idea of the Extraordinary Man, so a reader who is concentrating exclusively on Dostoevsky's treatment of this idea will be missing out on the many other redeeming qualities of the book and will probably find most of the book a bit boring as a result. Second, especially from a modern, post-Nietzschean, point of view, Dostoevsky's treatment of the Extraordinary Man doesn't strike me (especially after a second reading, by which time the novelty had worn off) as being especially interesting philosophy. Granted, given that he was writing in 1866, it does seem somewhat impressive, but I'd have to say Nietzsche advocated the position better than Raskolnikov does, and I'm not sure how much enduring value there really is in this philosophical aspect of the novel. There is, however, immense enduring value in both the characters and the action of Crime and Punishment, and that strikes me as clearly the best reason to read the book. If you read Crime and Punishment in hopes of deriving as much as you can from the work, and not just in order to read arguments about a once-fashionable philosophical idea, I can't imagine that you'll disagree with myself and the vast number of others who regard this as one of the greatest works of world literature.


an outstanding example of understanding personality   November 11, 1999
asphlex (Philadelphia, PA USA)
27 out of 59 found this review helpful

You know, for years I avoided Dostoevsky. What had I heard about this guy, this looney, Christian fanatic that some pompous jerk in a university somewhere anonymous proclaimed as, "The greatest author--ever"? Hell, I'm an American and we got our pride, right?

So everything I knew about Dostoevsky is that he wrote long books that dissect every minute detail of every character, no matter how small. Sounds dull, right?

But this book (and all the others I have thus far read: The Brothers Karamozov, Notes From Underground, The Idiot, The Eternal Husband--the list goes on, but I'll spare you) is formed by the plot, by the actions and activities of its so dissected characters. Crime and Punishment is the rare book when we, the reader, can truly understand the character. We see the germ of a thought forming and how this affects Raskolikov, how he acts on it and the consequences for him personally, both physically and, moreso, emotionally. Dostoevsky had initially planned this novel as a shorter work (perhaps half its length), a chronicle of the psychological ramifications of a crime. He succeeded with this probably better than he had set out to do (though of this I can't be sure--I've heard Fyodor was a tremendously arrogant guy). So here, take this, pick it up, buy it right now. It is not some lofty, unaccessable work of 'high art' (although it is a work of art), but a slam-bang, thrilling, action-packed study of a crazy guy getting crazier until he finally gets sane, understanding himself, what he's done and why. Also, the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky is wonderful, far more lucid than the still good but dated version by Constance Garnett.


Dostoyevsky At His Best   October 15, 2000
Adam (Adelaide, Australia)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

Dostoyevsky probed more deeply into the mind than any other novelist, especially into the abnormal and criminal mind. This novel explores Raskolnikov, a student, driven to neurotic frenzy by his powerlessness to change the injustices of the world, describes to demonstrate the freedom of his soul by a single gratuitous act of murder. Instead of being liberated, however, he is enslaved by his own guilt feelings, and the book describes, in a remorseless and clinical way, the disintegration of his personality. The part of his "conscience" is embodied in Inspector Petrovich, who harries him, goads and cajoles him to admit his guilt and so to purge his soul. Dostoyevsky was fascinated by people driven to extreme behaviour by despair or lack of external moral guidance. This is shown especially by Raskolnikov, the central character of "Crime and Punishment", making himself a moral outsider by committing murder. An insightful book indeed and a book that makes you think.


Wonderful new translation   April 25, 2001
Amy L. (Chicago, Il.)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

Crime and Punishment centers upon the story of a young Russian student, Raskolnikov, who plots and carries out a brutal murder. However, this is less than a quarter of the story. The rest centers upon his attempts to come to terms with the philosophical and psycological consequences of his act. Aiding, or hindering, him in this endevor are a series of characters from the kind-hearted prostitute Sonia and her drunken father, the unrepentant scoundrel Svidrigailov, Raskolnikov's best friend Razumihin, and the police detective come amateur psychologist Porfiry Petrovich. Though the story develops slowly, with many detours, Raskolnikov's journey through crime and punishment remains gripping until the very last page.

I first encountered Crime and Punishment in the classic translation by Constance Garnett and loved it for Dostoyevsky's careful balance of character and philosophy. Dostoyevsky's genius lies in his ability to create simultaneously a psychological novel and a novel of ideas. Though each character represents a certain philosophy of life, they never become lifeless or stereotyped. Instead, each is a memorably developed and psychologically deep person, who could easily carry a story in their own right. Dostoyevsky's genius is in the perfect counterpoint between conflict of personality and conflict of philosophy between each of these fascinating people. Dostoyevsky also specializes in garnering the reader's interest and sympathy for the most unlikely characters. This is a novel, after all, with an ax murderer as the protagonist.

However, until I read this new translation of Dostoyevsky, I never realized that besides psychologist and philosopher, Dostoyevsky was also a masterful stylist. Pevear and Volokhonsky succeed in faithfully translating the literal meaning of the original Russian, while still capturing the vivid liveliness of Dostoyevsky's prose. The heat of a St. Petersburg summer night fairly radiates off the page in the first part, while his descriptions of Raskolnikov's cramped bedroom gave me claustrophobia.

Admittedly, this is no beach-read thriller. The Russian names can be confusing, and Dostoyevsky's manages to be both dense and long-winded. Nontheless, this is one of the greatest works of fiction ever written that should be read both as a "classic book" and as a gripping psychological exploration of crime.


the verdict---amazing   December 15, 1999
Anne (Arlington, Virginia)
7 out of 18 found this review helpful

I am a high school junior, and was slightly intimidated to receive such a novel to read over this past summer. And, although I got caught up in the fascinating action involving the murder, I did not understand the significance of this kind of existential novel--well I didn't even know what existentialism is, never mind understand the theories of people like Kierkegaard or Nietzsche.

But now, after fully analyzing this novel over a period of several months, I have come to realize that this book is one of the landmarks in world literature. Not only did it change my life and expand my thinking, but it also gave me insight on the historical perspective of 19th Century Russia. This particular translation (Richard Pevear) was absolutely FANTASTIC, and compares to no other. It is definitely my top recommendation for translations.

This is truly a novel of epic proportions--not exactly bedside table reading. I would say to read at your own risk, but if you do, be sure to relish it as best you can, for once you finish, you will realize that you have read something truly great.