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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
The perils of moral relativism, July 5 2004
First be aware that this is not a philosophy book. As every great literary achievement is, it's a book that's hard to classify. Raskolnikov is a young, intelligent, but emotionally unstable young man who has had to quit school for lack of money and a depressive crisis. He seems to be mad at the world for the injustice which prevails in it. During this difficult and sad time, a very dangerous idea starts moving around his mind. There is this old lady pawnbroker, a bad woman who cheats on the desperate people who approach her. She has money she doesn't use for the benefit of his fellow humans. On the other hand, Raskolnikov is sure that he could be a great man and achieve things that would benefit the humankind... if only he had the means to jumpstart his career to glory and fame. From these two thoughts, Raskolnikov begins a road towards rationalizing his potential crime. He poses good questions (how come people who kill a lot of persons are called heroes and achieve fame and governments erect statues to honor them, but poor bastards who kill someone for money to eat are put in prison?) and finds bad answers: some extraordinary people are above the common laws and moral rules that guide the rest of humans. These extraordinary characters can not be subject to those vulgar rules, lest they could not achieve the great things destiny has them in store. So, we get to the crime: Raskolnikov deserves that money to reach greatness, and anyway the woman he will kill is harmful to society. So he goes and kill not only the pawnbroker, but also her good, half-witted sister.What follows is the truly fascinating story of the aftermath of the crime, with a very clever, wise and interesting police detective playing cat and mouse with Raskolnikov, at the same time his life is crumbling down in guilt, paranoia, and inoportune events happening around him, to his family and friends. The story ends and begins within only a few days. Raskolnikov's mother and sister arrive in Saint Petersburg looking for him. His sister is about to marry an older, egotistic man whom Raskolnikov reads from day one as a future bad husband for his sensible, wise and beautiful sister. Meanwhile, Raskolnikov gets involved in the tragic end of the Marmeladov family. Marmeladov is a drunkard whom Raskolnikov befriends ina low-budget bar, where they have a conversation on morals that will be central to the philosophical background of the story. He dies and leaves her family broke. His wife is very near death from tuberculosis, and the eldest girl has been forced to become a prostitute, in spite of being an angelical and saintly girl. So events unfold and the logical end arrives. The plot is great and it moves faster and faster, with tension reaching exasperating heights. The book is filled with unforgettable characters: the dark, troubled but in the end good Raskolnikov, a good guy with bad ideas; his mother and sister; the sinister Petrovich, who wants to be adored by the sister; the police detective, a great guy; Sonia, the saintly prostitute; and Svidrigailov, former boss and harasser of Raskolnikov's sister, a man so degenerate, perverse and evil. Other reviewers are right that Raskolnikov's philosophy is a twisted and evil one, but some go so far as to say that this philosophy is espoused by Dostoevsky himself. I am convinced this is not the case. The novel clearly shows that moral relativism can only conduce to crime, tragedy, death, guilt and... punishment. In the best case, after the crime is committed, there is the hope of redemption through repent and love, as well as by the Christian values and faith. I think there is no doubt that, by every possible standard, this is one of the best pieces of literature ever penned. It has everything a masterpiece must have: a plot that hooks you up right from the start, deep, well-rounded characters. a dark moral and everything tightly knitted together by a master of the craft. Come stay a few days in this hotttest of summers in Petersburg.
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one of my favorite books., Aug 29 2004
I'm not fantastically well-read, but to imply that this book is somehow inferior (as one review has), because it makes use of such 'embarassingly conventional' techniques as PLOT, is kinda arrogant. 'Crime and punishment' is able to integrate the readers' logic with the emotive as a way to illuminate his philosophical preoccupations which are by no means trite. (And anyways, for Dostoevesky's time, the style of writing is far less elaborate than, say...Tolstoy or Dickens). You can read this as simply a thrilling crime drama, but more than that, it delivers an essay on meaning in modernity. You may scoff at its end implications ( by all means, please do), but i believe it was written by a refined artistic mind--no post-modern cynic could hope to equal such an achievement. ever... so filled with smug contempt that the Literary Snob is incapable of producing anything with sincerity and truth.
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Pure masterpiece., Jun 2 2004
By A Customer
This wordy book is easily one of the best i have ever read and really allows you to see the consequences of the crime.Raskolnikov, Sonya, Razumukin, and the rest are all extremely likeable and sympathetic characters. Each one has their own problems and struggles told in this beautiful book. And the work of the investigator Porfiry is wonderful to read. Every literature fan should own a copy of this book.
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A book written by ourselves, May 23 2004
Crime and Punishment", published in 1866, is one of those books that one reads many times in his/her lifetime and which impregnates your spirit and soul with the self-imprecatory and dense prose of a deranged and disillusioned man, its author being the greatest of the Russian prose writers, Fiodor Dostoievski (1821-1881).This is my second time reading and I am sure I will get back to it eventually many times still. Despite the deep density of all its characters, all of them unabashedly portraying and surrendering themselves to the reader's judgement, sometimes even anticipating them, in the most clear-cut and realistic way - but at the same time seemingly disdaining the pity that one should visit upon them - this is one of those very few books you read with the weird sensation that you are the author, not Dostoievski, something that can only be ascribed to the profoundly realistic knowledge of the human dramas that surround human condition at its worst, in this case, the poor inhabitants of czarist Saint Petersburgo of the XIX century. Also, besides being essentially Russian and universal at the same time, it is auto-biographical at its core, where the protagonist Raskolnikov is easily identified with the man Dostoievsky not only for the Oedipus complex open ajar to the reader discretion. In my opinion, this is one of the 10 best prose books of the Occidental Classical Literature ever written and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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A wonderful exploration into the depths of the criminal mind, May 17 2004
This book is a true masterpiece. It's a wonderful trip into the criminal mind. It doesn't spare a thought, it includes everything that the killer is feeling before he commits the crime, after he commits the crime, and while he's committing the crime. It's filled with his conflicting feelings of pride and regret. It displays the theme that someone can't get away with such a terrible crime because there is no escape from their own mind. Raskolnikov could never escape the constant repulsion at himself, and the repulsion of the loved ones around him who knew of his deadly sin.There were some things, though, that put a damper on the reading. I felt like a lot was lost in the translation. While reading I noticed quite a few grammatical errors, and I don't know if that's how it is with most editions of this book, or if it was only mine. It was distracting at times to have to put up with the errors, but it didn't take too much from the book. Once I looked past the errors, I found it an extremely interesting book that is definitely worth investing some time into.
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A Total Must-Read...No Joke, May 3 2004
I cant say anything more than just read this darn good book! It is definitely the best book i have read thus far. And will definitely remain at the top of my all-time list. Very few books will come close. Read read read IT!!!!!!!!
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A must for all who are really interested in a masterpiece, April 26 2004
Hundred and even kilometers of ink have been spread around articles, conferences and deep essays around the world about that monumental work.
However, there's an aspect that I'd rather to remark. It's well known the deep impact that the russian literature of the XIX century shocked all the world. The presence of Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoi and this giant Fedor Dostoievsvki signed and even made grow up the russian character to a peak that literally surpased all the expectatives.
In my opinion, Crime and Punishment establishes one of the starting point of the existencialist movement years after. Let's consider, by example that Albert Camus' brilliant work named "The happy death" , and clearly you'll feel in the ten first pages the presence of the fate struggling all the performers. Mersault is in fact a far descendent of the mean character in Crime.
A ruman writer (Virgil Gheorghiou) told once in one of his works that amazing thought:"The sin hurts much more in the memory than in the flesh" .
And this is the clue to understand the sense of loss, the feeling of desperation, the loneliness in all its crude nakedness, the shame weights much more in his mind that in the rules that his crime implies. In the case of Mersault in Camus'work, the victim follows what you might consider like a suggested homicide . In other words the fear to commit suicide seems to permeate the atmosphere in all the work.
Dostoievski makes us drowning with all these characters in an ocean of deep implications, there's no doubt in the punishement; but Dostoievski makes a moral crossroad and carries by the dark shadows of this hell so particularly russian. Consider , by example the paintings of Blockin, the sense of horror in the most remarkable symphonies of Shostakovich, the sinister phantoms of Rachmaninov in his Symphonic dances. The religion, the fact you can't ignore . all the political opression all along so many centuries, have created a human being very special in the western tradition. And all these sociological aspects that depicts a soul , the sense of nosthalgia that so well defined oncethe celebrated filmaker Andrei Tarkovski (1932-1986), when he was forced to leave URSS in 1979 whe he showed his work Stalker. Remeber that his following issue was titled Nosthalghia ( and this is not a mere casuality).
When you read this book, consider you are reading more than book, you are getting close to the soul and the fears of the russian people. May be you (like me) are able to understand deeper than any essay the essential facets of this nation, his glory and his disgraces.
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A long book you wish were longer!, Jan 30 2004
By A Customer
I'll admit I had to read this for school but I ended up loving it in a way I'd never imagined! For its length, it's actually very fast moving, with most of the action/dialogue taking place within a few days. The characters are amazing and moved me to deep feelings of pity, understanding, hatred or concern. The imagery was also uniquely fascinating and will certainly remain with me for a long time to come. This book had an atmosphere that was almost tangible. Dostoyevsky and his host of characters with names a unpronounceable as his own have definitely made an impact on me. I heartily encourage you to give Crime and Punishment a trial of your own!
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Solid, Dec 23 2003
I don't really have much to say about this book other than the fact that it was "good." It's a classic and that says a lot about the nature of the writing, which most people try to avoid. It isn't nearly as hefty as people may think and the story is a great. It combines crime and madness with salvation and love, making it a true piece of literature worthy of such acclaim.
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One of the most amazing books by Dostoevsky, Nov 7 2003
You never can't say that this book is dull! You have to read it for your own good you'll understand after it that all the books that you have read in the past can never be compared to this book...I read this book 4 times in one year...( crazy maybe ) but I just can't get enough of it's characters. Sonia, Raskolnikov,Razumihin and more.. I really recommened you to read it I just don't have words to describe how amazing it is!!
Morever you have to read Brothers Karamazov, Idiot by Dostoevsky.My name is Lena and I'm Russian so reading this book in russian it's so unic..because it's my mother tounge..but I read it in other language too.
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