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Crime and Punishment (Bantam Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Fyodor Dostoevsky (Author), Constance Garnett (Author)
Key Phrases: commissariat clerk, hundred rouble note, Katerina Ivanovna, Pyotr Petrovitch, Pulcheria Alexandrovna (more...)

4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (292 customer reviews)

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Kindle Edition $5.59 Available for download now. Published November 4, 2003	Kindle Edition, November 4, 2003	$5.59	--	--
Mass Market Paperback $6.99 In Stock. Published June 30, 1984 Mass Market Paperback: A smaller paperback commonly used for bestsellers and genre fiction.	Mass Market Paperback, June 30, 1984	$6.99	$3.21	$0.01

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The best [translation of Crime and Punishment] currently available…An especially faithful re-creation…with a coiled-spring kinetic energy…Don’t miss it.” –Washington Post Book World

“This fresh, new translation…provides a more exact, idiomatic, and contemporary rendition of the novel that brings Fyodor Dostoevsky’s tale achingly alive…It succeeds beautifully.” –San Francisco Chronicle

“Reaches as close to Dostoevsky’s Russian as is possible in English…The original’s force and frightening immediacy is captured…The Pevear and Volokhonsky translation will become the standard English version.”–Chicago Tribune

From the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

A desperate young man plans the perfect crime -- the murder of a despicable pawnbroker, an old women no one loves and no one will mourn. Is it not just, he reasons, for a man of genius to commit such a crime, to transgress moral law -- if it will ultimately benefit humanity? So begins one of the greatest novels ever written: a powerful psychological study, a terrifying murder mystery, a fascinating detective thriller infused with philosophical, religious and social commentary. Raskolnikov, an impoverished student living in a garret in the gloomy slums of St. Petersburg, carries out his grotesque scheme and plunges into a hell of persecution, madness and terror. Crime And Punishment takes the reader on a journey into the darkest recesses of the criminal and depraved mind, and exposes the soul of a man possessed by both good and evil ... a man who cannot escape his own conscience.

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Bantam Classics (October 15, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553211757
ISBN-13: 978-0553211757
Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (292 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,874 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
commissariat clerk, hundred rouble note

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Katerina Ivanovna, Pyotr Petrovitch, Pulcheria Alexandrovna, Avdotya Romanovna, Marfa Petrovna, Porfiry Petrovitch, Rodion Romanovitch, Amalia Ivanovna, Sofya Semyonovna, Ilya Petrovitch, Dmitri Prokofitch, Nikodim Fomitch, Andrey Semyonovitch, Hay Market, Alyona Ivanovna, Good God, Arkady Ivanovitch, Semyon Zaharovitch, Amalia Ludwigovna, Praskovya Pavlovna, Vassilyevsky Ostrov, Lizaveta Ivanovna, Amalia Fyodorovna, Good Lord, Him Lord

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Citations (learn more)

100 books cite this book:

The Golden Age of Russian Literature by Ivar Spector on 9 pages
Smiling Through the Cultural Catastrophe: Toward the Revival of Higher Education by Mr. Jeffrey Hart on 6 pages
Eight Keys to Greatness: How to Unlock Your Hidden Potential by Gene N. Landrum on 6 pages
The Brothers Karamazov (Cliffs Notes) by James L. Roberts on 5 pages
Dostoyevsky: The Brothers Karamazov (Landmarks of World Literature) by William J. Leatherbarrow on 4 pages

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Customer Reviews

292 Reviews

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4.4 out of 5 stars (292 customer reviews)

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156 of 172 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic for a Reason, April 14, 2000

By	Paul McGrath (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

I initially approached this book with a great deal of trepidation. I had never read Dostoyevsky, and was concerned that I would get bogged down in some lengthy, mind-numbingly boring, nineteenth-century treatise on the bestial nature of man or something. I am happy to report this is not the case. Instead, and to my delight, it is a smoothly flowing and fascinating story of a young man who succumbs to the most base desire, and the impact this has both psychologically and otherwise on himself and those around him.

To be sure, the book seems wordy in places, but I suspect this has to do with the translation. And what translator in his right mind would be bold enough to edit the great Dostoyevsky? But this is a very minor problem.

What we get with Dostoyevsky is dramatic tension, detailed and believable human characters, and brilliant insight into human nature. Early in the novel our hero meets and has a lengthy conversation with Marmeladov, a drunkard. This conversation is never uninteresting and ultimately becomes pathetic and heartbreaking, but I kept wondering why so much time was spent on it. As I got deeper into the book, I understood why this conversation was so important, and realized that I was in the hands of a master storyteller. This is also indicative of the way in which the story reveals itself. Nothing is hurried. These people speak the way we actually speak to one another in real life, and more importantly, Dostoyevsky is able to flesh out his characters into whole, three-dimensional human beings.

And what a diverse group of characters! Each is fleshed out, each is marvelously complex. Razujmikhin, the talkative, gregarious, good-hearted, insecure and destitute student; Sonia, the tragic child-prostitute, with a sense of rightness in the world; Petrovich, the self-important, self-made man, completely out of touch with his own humanity; Dunia, the honorable, wronged sister: we feel like we know these people because we've met people like them. They fit within our understanding of the way human beings are.

Dostoyevsky also displays great insight into human nature. Svidrigailov, for example, talks of his wife as liking to be offended. "We all like to be offended," he says, "but she in particular loved to be offended." It suddenly struck me how true this is. It gives us a chance to act indignantly, to lash out at our enemies, to gain favor with our allies. I don't believe I've ever seen this thought expressed in literature before. In fact, it never occurred to me in real life! Petrovich, Dunia's suitor, not only expects to be loved, but because of his money, and her destitution, he expects to be adored! To be worshipped! He intentionally sought out a woman from whome he expected to get this, and is comletely flummoxed when she rejects him. His is an unusual character, but completely realized.

There is so much more to talk about: the character of Raskolnikov, which is meticulously and carefully revealed; the sense of isolation which descends on him after committing his crime; the cat and mouse game played on him by the police detective. I could go on and on. I haven't even mentioned the historical and social context in which this takes place. Suffice to say this is a very rich book.

Do not expect it to be a rip-roaring page turner. Sit down, relax, take your time, and savor it. It will be a very rewarding experience. And thank you SL, for recommending it.

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detective Novel? Not quite., December 11, 1999

By A Customer

This is the first Dostoevsky book I have read, and I liked it immensely. I decided to read it because of the intriguing plot, as well as Dostoevsky's reputation. Something interesting about this novel is that Dostoevsky used a very "backwards" sort of character development. He had Raskolnikov commit a murder- with no apparent motive- and then spent the rest of the book exploring the character, rather than the other way around. So first we watch this character commit a horrible, terrible crime, one that we should denounce him for, and then we begin to get to know him, and he is revealed to have an astoundingly good character after all. I found myself liking Raskolnikov greatly, and I was able to identify with him as well. However, this book does not seem to fall under the guidelines of a "crime novel" nor a "psychological thriller". Yes, there is a crime, as well as a study of the protoganist's psyche, but it is not exactly thrilling. This is not the sort of story where you have to keep reading and reading to find out who committed the crime. You already know. Therefore, there is no mystery to keep you interested. Despite all these obstacles, Dostoevsky does what might be impossible for most writers. He makes you care about what happens to Raskolnikov. I was not thrilled, but engrossed. What kept me reading here was the desire to see if Raskolnikov would defeat his inner demons and turn himself in, or be arrested. I'd rather not reveal the ending but I would like to say that I found it extremely satisfying. The subplot, that of Luzhin trying to gain control over Dounia, might have only gotten in the way of another writer, but Dostoevsky was able to inspire such hate in me for Luzhin that I wanted to keep reading just to see him get what he deserved in the end. After reading this, I have decided to read Dostoevky's other works as well, and hopefully they will all be of the same high quality.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essense of the Criminal's Conscience, April 5, 2007

By	fra7299 "fra7299" (California, United States) - See all my reviews

Crime and Punishment examines one man's decision to kill and his ultimate punishment for it. After one man who feels a sense of desperation (Raskolnikov) decides to kill an old pawnbroker, he delves into a realm of psychological and spiritual anguish and despair. Beforehand he concludes at points that his deed will benefit humanity, for the woman was a despicable person, but the repercussions in the aftermath, namely the isolation from several people of his life--his mother and sister, as well as his friend Razumihin--serve as an avenue to conscientiously come to terms with the act's immorality.

Dostoevsky's work creates an atmosphere which is part crime drama and part psychological thriller, but it also has deep philosophical undertones about man's existence---physically and mentally--after the most extreme of crimes. Yet the crime of killing is not the pinnacle of the story (it is committed in the early part of the book), but rather Raskolnikov's punishment, that is, his fall from the depths of society and his mental and physical sickness, that are the novel's essence. Raskolnikov not only deals with his own sense of isolation and delirium as well as the rising suspicion from several officials, but also tries to deal with the problems of his mother and sister, who come to visit him for a time.

As unsympathetic as Raskolnikov seems at points, there is also some evidence that he has a moral conscience, and this seems to bring him out of his mental stupor. Under his extreme nervous state he gives his last money to a poor family who eventually loses their father. He also feels a moral obligation to make sure his sister marries someone who is suitable, and that his mother is also taken care of. It takes him quite a deal to get to this point, and because of his agitation, he tells his friend Razumihim to go to his family and make sure they are comforted.

It is an association with another troubled character that aids the protagonist. Later in the novel, there is a spiritual connection between Raskolikov and Sonya, a girl who was forced to prostitute to support her family. Unlike Raskolikov, Sonya is deeply religious and moral, praying often and sacrificing and caring for her family and siblings, and seems to bring a healing to Raskolikov's troubled mind. Sonya, in a book rich in despicable characters, symbolizes the purity and saving grace in Raskolikov's world.

Dostoevsky's work is rich in philosophy about the nature of crime on one's conscience, this being the novel's crux. Raskolnikov's progression and the penance he must serve are not only in his own suffering, but in his experiences and observations of man's lowliness. The paramount flaw is his belief that he can escape his crime: "If he has a conscience he will suffer for his mistake. That will be punishment..." (pg. 246).

Over all, this is a complex, deep novel that makes one think; this is one of the best psychological crime novels out there, and a superbly written book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars For My Summer Reading
This book is a good high school read and I'm still enjoying reading this novel! Thanks to betterbooks I got a great price on this book. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Charleston Lewis

4.0 out of 5 stars Literary Proof that Morality Exists
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Published 10 months ago by Fydor Amadeus Beethoven

5.0 out of 5 stars Dostoevesky's magnum opus
Fantastic work of russian literature that truly delved solely into the minds of a criminal and got me to love Russian authors such as Turngev and others of the sort. Read more

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One of my children needed this book for a summer reading project. I was happy I could search Amazon by ISBN to find it. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Paula J. Hanna

5.0 out of 5 stars Arrived in good condition
While I have not yet had a chance to actually read the book (because of other reading obligations with grad school), the book itself appears to be in good condition.

Published on March 8, 2007 by C. Borgmeier

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Tale Of Guilt and Redemption
In the story of Raskolnikov , a young student in Petersburg who commits a double murder,Dostoevsky explores the themes of guilt and redemption. Read more

Published on February 14, 2007 by R. J. Marsella

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Dostoevsky is one of the best. Some people get a little lost with his philosophy but I find him very insightful. Often I see his ideas in todays movies and TV shows. Read more

Published on February 10, 2007 by Kevin Butler

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