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Description
ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP Dostoyevsky's penetrating study of a man for whom the distinction between right and wrong disappears, and a riveting portrait of guilt and retribution. EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES: • A concise introduction that gives... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Summary
Raskolnikov, an impoverished student, conceives of himself as being an extraordinary young man and then formulates a theory whereby the extraordinary men of the world have a right to commit any crime if they have something of worth to offer humanity. To prove his theory, he murders an old,... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Cast of Characters
- Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov: The protagonist of the novel. A former student, Raskolnikov is now destitute, living in a cramped garret at the top of an apartment building.
- Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov: Raskolnikov’s love and Marmeladov’s daughter.
- Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov: Raskolnikov’s sister. Dunya is as intelligent, proud, and good-looking as her brother, but she is also moral and compassionate.
- Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov: Dunya’s depraved former employer.
- Dmitri Prokofych Razumikhin: Raskolnikov’s friend. A poor ex-student, he responds to his poverty not by taking from others but by working even harder.
- Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov: The consumptive wife of Marmeladov.
Memorable Quotes
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“Why am I going there now? Am I capable of that? Is that serious? It is not serious at all. It's simply a fantasy to amuse myself; a plaything! Yes, maybe it is a plaything.”
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“Where is it I've read that someone condemned to death says or think, 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!”
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“I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity.”
First Sentence
At the beginning of July, during a spell of exceptionally hot weather, towards evening, a certain young man came down on to the street from the little room he rented from some tenants in S- Lane and slowly, almost hesitantly, set off towards K-n Bridge.
Table of Contents
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Epilogue
Glossary
- Ach, mein Gott!: "Oh my God!" Dostoevsky uses both the German phrase and a humorous type of German speech pattern for the purpose of satirizing the landlady and satirizing Germans in general.
- Dussauts: A famous hotel/restaurant and gathering place for advanced thinkers.
- Hay Market: A section of the city best known for its low and bohemian life. Around the square are cheap student housings such as Raskolnikov's room and also houses of prostitution that were easily accessible to Sonya. Drunks such as Marmelodov would also congregate here in the square.
Awards
- Guardian 1000 (Crime)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2008)
- BBC's Big Read (2003: Best Loved Novel, #60)
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