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Crime and Punishment (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels) Paperback – August 22, 2001
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Raskolnikov, an impoverished student tormented by his own nihilism, and the struggle between good and evil, believes he is above the law. Convinced that humanitarian ends justify vile means, he brutally murders an old woman—a pawnbroker whom he regards as "stupid, ailing, greedy…good for nothing." Overwhelmed afterward by feelings of guilt and terror, Raskolnikov confesses to the crime and goes to prison. There he realizes that happiness and redemption can only be achieved through suffering.
Drawing upon experiences from his own prison days, Dostoyevsky recounts in feverish, compelling tones a psychological thriller infused with forceful religious, social, and philosophical elements.
The two years before he wrote Crime and Punishment (1866) had been bad ones for Dostoyevsky. His wife and brother had died; the magazine he and his brother had started, Epoch, collapsed under its load of debt; and he was threatened with debtor's prison. With an advance that he managed to wangle for an unwritten novel, he fled to Wiesbaden, hoping to win enough at the roulette table to get himself out of debt. Instead, he lost all his money; he had to pawn his clothes and beg friends for loans to pay his hotel bill and get back to Russia. One of his begging letters went to a magazine editor, asking for an advance on yet another unwritten novel — which he described as Crime and Punishment. This extraordinary, vintage Russian classic, is reprinted here in the authoritative Constance Garnett translation.
Dover's Thrift Editions library of classic literature is a top choice for teachers, students, librarians, and recreational readers around the world, offering exceptional value in classic fiction, nonfiction, plays, and poetry.
- Print length430 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDover Publications
- Publication dateAugust 22, 2001
- Reading age18 years and up
- Dimensions5.2 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
- ISBN-100486415872
- ISBN-13978-0486415871
- Lexile measure900L
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Debuting in 1990, the Thrift Editions library of classic literature is a top choice for teachers, students, librarians, and recreational readers around the world. Dover’s longstanding mission of exceptional value has consistently offered excellence in classic fiction, nonfiction, plays, and poetry.
Dover Thrift Editions are low priced, compact (5"x8"), complete and unabridged.
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Are there any collections of stories or poetry in the Dover Thrift Editions?
In addition to single title books, Dover offers books of anthologies in fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Check out our Thrift Editions of short stories, literary collections, poetry, gothic and horror, SciFi/Fantasy, crime/mystery/thrillers and more. Happy Reading!
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From the Publisher
With his sympathetic portrayals of the downtrodden of 19th-century Russian society, Dostoyevsky exercised immense influence on modern writers.
“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.”
“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.”
One of the supreme masterpieces of world literature
Crime and Punishment catapulted Fyodor Dostoyevsky to the forefront of Russian writers and into the ranks of the world's greatest novelists.
Supreme masterpiece recounts in feverish, compelling tones the story of Raskolnikov, an impoverished student tormented by his own thoughts after he brutally murders an old woman. Overwhelmed afterwards by guilt and terror, Raskolnikov confesses and goes to prison. There he realizes that happiness and redemption can only be achieved through suffering.
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Product details
- Publisher : Dover Publications; Reprint edition (August 22, 2001)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 430 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0486415872
- ISBN-13 : 978-0486415871
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Lexile measure : 900L
- Item Weight : 11.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.2 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #21,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14 in History & Criticism of Russian & Soviet Literature
- #755 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- #2,072 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (/ˌdɒstəˈjɛfski, ˌdʌs-/; Russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский; IPA: [ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ dəstɐˈjɛfskʲɪj]; 11 November 1821 – 9 February 1881), sometimes transliterated Dostoevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky's literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. Many of his works are marked by a preoccupation with Christianity, explored through the prism of the individual confronted with life's hardships and beauty.
He began writing in his 20s, and his first novel, Poor Folk, was published in 1846 when he was 25. His major works include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). His output consists of 11 novels, three novellas, 17 short novels and numerous other works. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. His 1864 novella Notes from Underground is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature.
Born in Moscow in 1821, Dostoyevsky was introduced to literature at an early age through fairy tales and legends, and through books by Russian and foreign authors. His mother died in 1837, when he was 15, and around the same time he left school to enter the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute. After graduating, he worked as an engineer and briefly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, translating books to earn extra money. In the mid-1840s he wrote his first novel, Poor Folk, which gained him entry into St. Petersburg's literary circles.
In the following years, Dostoyevsky worked as a journalist, publishing and editing several magazines of his own and later A Writer's Diary, a collection of his writings. He began to travel around western Europe and developed a gambling addiction, which led to financial hardship. For a time, he had to beg for money, but he eventually became one of the most widely read and highly regarded Russian writers. His books have been translated into more than 170 languages. Dostoyevsky influenced a multitude of writers and philosophers, from Anton Chekhov and Ernest Hemingway to Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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My first taste of Dostoyevsky catapulted him from an unknown author to one of my favorites, which is not an easily accomplished feat by any means. His stories, while intensely wordy and much more driven by conversations and ideas than by quick sequences of action, cannot help but captivate. He has a gift for portraying the grime and pettiness of human existence while not allowing his tone to lapse into cynicism; rather, he presents the grotesque in order to argue for the true and beautiful. The plot is simple: Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student with dangerous theories about an exceptional class of persons to whom the law need not apply, commits the crime of murder and theft and then spends the rest of the book being punished for it psychologically and eventually physically (he is not caught until the very end of the novel). It is not the plot that drives the novel, but the oppressive atmosphere of guilt, concealment, and suffering, together with the remarkable characterization Dostoyevsky provides. One feels genuine repulsion and pity mingled for the clownish, drunken Marmeladov; the overbearing, deluded Luzhin; the hysterical, diseased Katerina Ivanovna; the loathsome, depraved Svidrigaïlov, and of course the mercurial and distracted protagonist Raskolnikov. The good characters, such as Raskolnikov’s mother Pulcheria Alexandrovna, his sister Dounia, and his friend Razumihin, are all marred by their own minor flaws as well; only the ‘pure prostitute’ Sonia emerges (paradoxically) unstained. Jews, Poles, and Germans, the underclasses of St. Petersburg, also populate the tale, and various clerks, constables, and other members of society round out the picture. Certain scenes, such as Katerina Ivanovna’s miserable dinner party and Svridrigaïlov’s assault on Dounia, have stuck with me throughout the years, and the hope-garnished ending provides desperately needed catharsis. Although I believe The Brothers Karamazov to be Dostoyevsky’s finest work, and one of the finest works ever written in the history of literature, I would hold that Crime and Punishment deserves nearly as high esteem. A very firm five stars.
While my first knowledge of Dover Publications came from their excellent historical and animal-themed coloring books, I have not been disappointed in their publishing for more advanced ages. Dover Publications always chooses the “standard text” when reprinting a literary classic, and they have wisely selected the Constance Garnett translation, which I find perfectly readable and artful. I do not have any knowledge of the Russian language and thus cannot evaluate translations for accuracy, but Garnett’s is the form in which the greatest Russian literature first came to be known in the English-speaking world, and while apparently other translations have since superseded the Garnett, its historical importance cannot be overlooked. In other respects, such as typesetting, front and back covers, biographical introductory note, and especially the phenomenally low price, I am quite pleased with Dover Publications. The one potential drawback is a lack of scholarly notes, but for this particular reading experience, I would opine that they are not strictly necessary.
In theory I would recommend this book to each and every reader, as it has a tremendous lot to offer and a number of universal themes and messages that are indispensable. However, since the diction can be ponderous at times and the length is considerable, in practice I would recommend the work to seasoned readers who are seeking instruction as well as pleasure in their literary consumption.
The book is much more multi-dimensional than what makes for a typical murder story. Raskolnikov’s (the protagonist) mother and sister agonizing over his ‘state’, their unconditional love for him and the tribulations they undergo on his account are all very moving. The many occasions depicting a sister’s selfless pristine fraternal love and the spectacular mother-son bondage make for the most poignant parts of the book. The story does not limit itself to this close-knit family. There is a parade of very interesting characters who are not exempt from familiar human foibles - hubris, deceit, treachery, lust and greed.
There are so many remarkable aspects of the novel that stand out but I would limit myself to the following due to paucity of space:
* Raskolnokov’s prescience in judging his sister’s suitor to be a man of evil designs, just by the description of him in a letter by his mother
* The suitor trying to besmirch Raskolinov’s fiancee’s reputation and the dramatic redemption - all happening during the course of a funeral dinner
* Raskolnikov’s large heartedness in giving away the money he receives to fund the funeral expenses of his friend
* Sofia’s unconditional love for Raskolnikov and her following him to Siberia
* Razumihin’s loyalty as a friend of Raskolnikov
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Reviewed in Brazil on January 21, 2024





















