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Author Fyodor Dostoyevsky booklist (click here)

Book Review By David Loftus
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevski

Dostoevsky's first great, big novel follows the fortunes of Raskolnikov, a poor college student in St. Petersburg who, in an explosion of rage and resentment, kills an old woman pawnbroker to whom he has had to sell many of his belongings to make ends meet. Much of the novel is devoted to his rationalizations and self-justifications -- his attempts to evade the dictates of conscience -- and his sparring with a police official who is on to him, as well as the near silent pity and understanding of the prostitute Sonia who sees through his mental games as he stumbles his way to his ultimate destiny.


Plot & Themes
Time/era of story - 1600-1899
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Struggle over
Crime & Police story Yes
Story of
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 ()
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Russia
City? Yes
City: - dirty, grimy (like New York)

Writing Style
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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