"Crime and Punishment" is a socio-psychological novel. History of the creation of "Crime and Punishment" Ideas and meaning of the novel "Crime and Punishment"

Essay on the topic: "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoevsky and the question of the benefits of reading classical literature.

"Crime and Punishment" has been a classic literature for a long time. Dostoevsky is considered one of the world's greatest novelists. His popularity is very high, as for a Russian writer. His work has been noted by many famous thinkers, writers and scientists. There is no doubt about his genius. Many writers were influenced by Dostoevsky. Therefore, you need to understand that all of these facts have some impact on the reading experience.
I didn't like Crime and Punishment. By the way, the piece makes me feel bored and sleepy. There are too many voluminous descriptions in the book, which have a small amount of semantic load and make me tired. Everything is very cumbersome. I was very much surprised by the ending of the novel, because it seems very implausible to me. I understand that Dostoevsky was for love and forgiveness, but I do not think that Raskolnikov could not be reborn, and even more so, since the author of the work portrayed it. I have not read other works of Dostoevsky, therefore my judgment on his work is doomed to inferiority and limitation. Having opened "The Idiot" and having read several pages, I had to close it, stating that nothing had changed and the text evoked all the same feelings. Even after reading all the works of Dostoevsky, I cannot guarantee the impartiality, consistency, honesty and integrity of my opinion and, accordingly, my essay. Therefore, I do not pretend to be an expert in the field of Dostoevsky's work.
Also, I cannot consider myself in the field of literature, since the number of works I have read is small, and their understanding is far from the intentions of the authors. Despite this, I can analyze works, albeit at a primitive school level, look in them for what the author wanted to say and find it. Therefore, in this essay I will allow myself to analyze some questions regarding the classics, both Russian and foreign, as well as "Crime and Punishment", as a particular example of the Russian classics of the 19th century. This analysis will be very different from the school one, and will also have different goals.
The copy of the book I own was published by F. M. Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment. State Publishing House of Fiction, Moscow, 1959 ". In it, the novel is about 435 pages long. This is a fairly large size, which can accommodate a lot of things. Of course, one can take into account the size of L. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" (about 1247 pages, depending on the edition), but this epic novel can be considered only by way of exception. As, in my opinion, Dostoevsky was able to say more in his work than Tolstoy in War and Peace. The novel itself (Crime and Punishment) was written in 1866 and this explains that a reader who reads mainly works of the 20th and 21st centuries will feel some difference in the language in which the work is written. This problem, of course, affects not only Crime and Punishment, but also all the works written at this time and before it. For example, when reading Fonvizin's book The Minor, which was supposedly written in the 1760s, the difference in time of writing becomes obvious even to a person who is poorly versed in literature. It was this difference that served as the foundation for my dislike of Crime and Punishment. As for foreign works, this difference is erased due to the fact that works are translated by Russian translators in our time and, accordingly, the language in which these works are translated is much closer to modern.
“Being unread” is the fate of many classics. Especially, works written by Russian authors. It is now 2015 and the most popular works by foreign authors, including a number of classics. However, reading foreign classics does not mean anything. After all, if you look at it, then this is reading translations, which are quite far from the original works. Truly, one can only understand the classics, which are written in the reader's native language. Some readers see the way out in reading the original of a foreign work. These readers, like the readers of translations, are doomed to misunderstand the work due to the fact that they did not learn words among native speakers of this language, but at school or other educational institution, including self-study. And he will look for words unfamiliar to the reader in the dictionary, which will never be able to tell the reader the exact meaning of the word, the meaning it has, the emotional coloring of this word, etc. If we talk about a complete understanding of the work, which includes an understanding of psychological moments, key points, characters of the characters, the mood of the work, philosophical meaning and much more, then reading foreign literature and classics in particular is certainly doomed to incomplete understanding. But, even reading the Russian classics, the reader is doomed to the possibility of incomplete understanding and nothing can be corrected, since no one, not even the author himself, can say what is the meaning of the work and all the aspects cited in it. Therefore, it is difficult to talk about the benefits of reading Russian literature, in particular - the Russian classics considered in this essay on the example of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" or foreign works.
In my opinion, the correct approach is to read what is closest to the reader and meets his moral, ethical, philosophical and any other needs. And it doesn't matter if it is Tolstoy, Freud, Bukowski, Sartre, Camus, Dostoevsky, Akunin, Nabokov, Bulgakov, Orwell, Huxley or any other writer.

"Crime and Punishment" is one of the most famous novels by FM Dostoevsky both in Russia and abroad. This is a great work on which the writer worked in the years 1865-1866.

In the center of the plot is Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov - the main character of the novel. The name "crime and punishment" is ambiguous. A student forced to leave the university due to lack of money commits the murder of the old woman-pawnbroker Alena Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta in order to test his theory about "ordinary" and "extraordinary" people. However, by "punishment" is meant not so much a reference to hard labor as spiritual torment and remorse of the hero. It is not the law that punishes him, but his own inner morality.

Even before committing his plan, the hero doubted.

His dream about killing a horse is ambiguous. We see the real kind soul of the hero protesting against the shedding of blood: “After all, yesterday, going down the stairs, I myself said that it was mean, disgusting, low, low ... I can’t bear it, I won’t bear it! ”. There were several factors that prompted Raskolnikov to murder. This is an acquaintance with Marmeladov, who told him about the fate of his daughter Sonya, and a conversation that the hero accidentally overheard in a tavern, and a letter to his mother about the suffering that his sister had to endure.

After the commission of the crime, a new and very difficult time period begins in the life of Rodion Raskolnikov. An insurmountable gulf arises between him and the people around him. Raskolnikov feels the hopelessness of his position, he understands that he is not "extraordinary." According to his own theory, the hero falls into a fever, his own mother and sister become strangers to him. He observes the destruction of his theory, finds no place for himself in this world.

Raskolnikov finds a "kindred spirit", the same sinner as he is in the person of Sonya Marmeladova. “Now I have only you… We are damned together, together we will go!”, - he tells her.

Raskolnikov can not stand the torment of conscience, pressure from Porfiry Petrovich, and he himself confesses.

Of course, the law also punishes the hero. Sonya follows him to Siberia. She "resurrects" Raskolnikov to a new life. Through love for her, he discovers the world of Christian spiritual values.

The novel "Crime and Punishment" is a deep psychological work. In it, Dostoevsky described in detail all the feelings experienced by a person who made up his mind and committed a crime. Taking the protagonist as an example, we see that the punishment is not always prison. The most terrible punishment for a person is provided by his own conscience.

Updated: 2019-11-14

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Preparation for writing an essay based on the novel by FM Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment". The main themes of the essays.

1. The world of the humiliated and insulted in F.M. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment".

I. Introduction. "Little People" in Russian realistic literature of the 19th century

(AS Pushkin "The Stationmaster", NV Gogol "The Overcoat").

II. 1. The depiction in the novel of the life of the Petersburg poor:

a) the typical and hopeless life of the Marmeladov family;

b) the beggarly existence of the student Rodion Raskolnikov;

c) the dependent and humiliated position of Rodion's mother and sister.

2. The tragedies of the humiliated and insulted are a product of Russian life:

a) the terrible image of "yellow" Petersburg in the novel;

b) forms of protest of "little people" against the pressure of life. Raskolnikov's ideas as a protest against this world.

III. The world of violence and robbers in the novel:

a) an old woman-usurer, "sucking blood from people", as a symbol of this terrible world;

b) the world of Luzhin and Svidrigailov.

IV. Conclusion. Pain for a person is the basis of the author's position in FM Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. The natural state of man and humanity is unity, brotherhood and love. The novel sounds the author's call to people to unite "in good and good", the belief that good is indestructible in the world, that it was given to a person from the beginning, inherent in himself.

2. The theory of Raskolnikov's idea and its collapse

I. Social and philosophical origins of Raskolnikov's theory.

II. How is Raskolnikov's theory debunked in the novel?

1. Ideas of Raskolnikov about the right of a strong personality to a crime in the system of author's refutations:

a) "under-thought" of the theory to the end, inconsistency of intentions and results;

b) the fights of Raskolnikov with Porfiry Petrovich: the skill of the investigator in refuting the theory of "two categories" of people.

2. Punishment of Raskolnikov for a crime

a) the most painful feeling of "openness and separation from humanity";

b) the death of the mother;

c) popular ridicule and condemnation;

d) hard labor - legal punishment and cleansing suffering.

3. Why does Raskolnikov, despite the crime he committed, evoke not only sympathy, but even compassion?

a) Raskolnikov in assessing the positive characters of the novel: Dunya, Razumikhin, Sonya;

c) Raskolnikov's mental suffering after the crime?

d) the possibility of Raskolnikov's moral transformation from his human nature.

III. "I wanted to become Napoleon ...". The problem of Napoleonism in the novel and today.

3. Composition-reasoning

"He did not even know that he did not get a new life for nothing, that he still had to buy it dearly, pay for it with a great, future feat ..."

(How do you understand the words of F.M. Dostoevsky in the epilogue of the novel "Crime and Punishment"? What feat are you talking about? Do you believe in the moral revival of Raskolnikov?)

4 ... Writing-reasoning

"What would Raskolnikov's theory doomed people to if it triumphed?"

5. The image of Sonya Marmeladova in the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

I. The image of Sonya as a necessary counterbalance to Raskolnikov and his theory.

II. The role of the heroine Marmeladova in the structure of the novel "Crime and Punishment".

1. Reconstruction of Sonya's childhood and adolescence as a means of comprehending her character:

Relatively prosperous childhood (father is an official, does not drink, gives Sonechka the opportunity to get an education, beginnings of religiosity);

Dysfunctional youth (life with a stepmother and a drinking father who lost his job);

The decision to sacrifice yourself for the family.

2. The character of the heroine:

Sacrifice;

High morality, life according to the precepts of Christ;

Religiosity;

Sensitivity, kindness;

Defenselessness and strength in opposition to fate.

3. Ideological confrontation between Sonya and Raskolnikov:

The similarity of destinies (according to Raskolnikov): Rodion Raskolnikov kills himself, and Sonechka, having become a prostitute, kills herself;

The discrepancy between the fate and character of the heroine of Raskolnikov's theory (Sonechka does not fit into any of the categories);

The contrast of the heroes' fate: Raskolnikov, having killed the old woman and Lizaveta, “killed himself,” and Sonya retained her soul;

The heroine of Sonya is the judge and salvation of Raskolnikov.

4. Attitude of other characters - recognition of the heroine's high morality, which is expressed:

In search of Sonya's help and support (Raskolnikov, Katerina Ivanovna, Marmeladov);

In an effort to discredit her in front of the hero (Luzhin);

In an effort to help (Svidrigailov).

5. The role of the character of the heroine in the novel "Crime and Punishment":

Ideological counterbalance to Raskolnikov's theory (cleansing from sin goes through repentance, return to people)

The only character who helps the main character;

Love for Sonya is the revival of the hero according to the laws of the Gospel.

III. The heroine of Sonya is Dostoevsky's favorite ideal, the mouthpiece of his ideas about the impossibility for a person to live not according to conscience, but guided by an abstract theory.

The concept of Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment is very deep and complex. From the very beginning, the author simply introduces us to the main character, but the atmosphere of the novel is already clear - the atmosphere of stuffiness before the storm. Raskolnikov's painful and nervous state is immediately transmitted, and you can feel what will happen next.

Since the novel displays a single line of action associated with the murder of the old woman-pawnbroker, there are no side lines, and the entire work is devoted to the psychological problem of Raskolnikov, it can be said that in the whole novel the main idea lies in the main character's understanding of his own theory.

Raskolnikov experiences murder three times: before the crime - calculation, during the crime - the implementation of fatal plans, and after it - the realization of what happened. Even in his sleep, he is tormented by remorse. Three dreams reflect all his experiences. At first, Raskolnikov still does not really understand why he has strange, ridiculous thoughts about a future crime (and their inevitability is inevitable), he is afraid to think about it, but still some kind of force makes him pay attention to all the little things about the old woman -percentage women. Not only the theory of two categories of humanity, but also mere coincidences constantly contribute to crime. For example, a conversation between two students in a tavern, heard by Raskolnikov, was not the only one who thought that the old woman should be killed.

Then Raskolnikov, in a mad monologue, confesses to himself that he is plotting a terrible murder: "But really, can I really take an ax, start hitting her on the head, crush her skull." After this confession, he already feels that "he no longer has freedom of reason or will, and that everything is suddenly decided finally." He cannot find peace for himself. Alarmed by one constant thought, he is no longer able to resist it. This thought comes from his theory. But why was he, so convinced of his reasoning about "trembling creatures" and "the mighty of this world", was horrified when he saw how his theory is reflected in practice? Maybe he decided to test his principles? Or to prove to himself that he himself is not a "louse"?

Raskolnikov lived in poor conditions, and he undoubtedly wanted a better life. But was it worth all the lives of the old woman and Lizaveta, even if they were "trembling creatures"? According to Raskolnikov's theory, yes.

The very name of the protagonist characterizes him. A split occurs in his soul, both good and evil coexist in it. And there is a constant struggle between these two principles. Dostoevsky portrays Raskolnikov either as a cold-blooded killer who did not retreat before the murder of two people, or as a caring brother, a good friend. At first, evil triumphs - Raskolnikov has committed a crime. But afterwards, having comprehended all his actions, he repented, having gained faith. His theory betrayed him and helped Porfiry solve the crime.

Dostoevsky introduces almost all the heroes of the novel into dead-end situations. Many do not find a way out of this labyrinth and die (the old woman, Katerina, Marmeladov, Svidrigailov) by the will of fate or of their own free will. But other heroes survive in difficult conditions (Raskolnikov, Sonya, Dunya).

What helped Raskolnikov to avoid the impasse, what pushed him to the realization of the perfect, to repentance? Of course, if Sonya had not appeared in his life, everything would have ended with the fact that he would have committed suicide. It was Sonia who opened his soul, he was the first to tell her the truth. Maybe even while reading the Bible Raskolnikov realized his guilt to the end?