Crime and Punishment

Article written by Israel Njoku

Degree in M.C.M with focus on Literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

In ‘Crime and Punishment’ there are elements of the gothic, horror, comedy, and the psychological within its pages.

Key Facts About Crime and Punishment

• Book title: ‘Crime and Punishment.’
• Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Publication Date: Published serially in 1866 in The Russian Messenger.  Published in book form in 1867
• Literary Period: Russian Imperial period.
• Point of View: Third-person perspective.
• Genre: Philosophical novel, Crime novel, Detective novel.
• Setting: 19th Century Russia
• Climax: When Raskolnikov murders Alyona.
• Antagonists: Raskolnikov’s evil side, Luzhin, Svidrigailov, Nihilist ideas.
• Protagonists: Repentant Raskolnikov, Sonya, Razumikhin, Porfiry.

Fyodor Dostoevsky and Crime and Punishment

‘Crime and Punishment’ is the first of Dostoevsky’s so-called major works. Dostoevsky had rough ideas for making a novel about the psyche of a criminal while in prison in Siberia. This idea would however be combined with another work he was developing that was about a drunk, tying Raskolnikov’s storyline with the irresponsible Marmeladov and subsequently, Sonia.

‘Crime and Punishment’ is in large part Dostoevsky’s philosophical response to the radical ideas he encountered among the Russian intelligentsia dominating the Saint Petersburg cultural and intellectual scene when he returned from his imprisonment and forced exile in Siberia. Dostoevsky sought to address what he perceived to be ridiculous and dangerous nihilist ideas by placing them in an extreme form within characters like Raskolnikov, Luzhin, and Svidrigailov. They are opposed by bastions of conservative thought like Porfiry, Sonia, Razumikhin, and Dunya. The intellectual battle is a hard-fought one which the conservatives win, showing the clear supremacy of their position- and by extension, Dostoevsky’s thoughts.

Books Related to Crime and Punishment

There are several books throughout history that accurately and poignantly capture the breadth of human experience and psychological motivations under an overarching proselytizing philosophy. Dostoevsky’s own “The Idiot ” and “Brothers Karamazov” are similar in the sense that both books explore the corruption of society through detailed psychological reconstruction of specific characters. A wider cultural or sociological problem is dissected through the case study of an individual, or a few individuals. Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Grey” also captures the darkness of a character’s unsavory eccentricities manifesting in pathological narcissism in this instance. A detailed look at Dorian Grey’s life opens up wider-reaching questions about morality. Although Camus is best-known for absurdism, there are other writers who also engaged with this philosophical idea. For example, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka in which Kafka presents an absurd scenario without explanation or reason–because there isn’t one. Kafka’s The Castle and The Trail are also good examples.

The Lasting Impact of Crime and Punishment