Author(s): Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Classics

Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment is set in Russia. It was first published in twelve monthly installments in the literary publication The Russian Messenger in 1866. It was eventually collected into a single volume. Following his ten-year exile in Siberia, it is the second of Dostoevsky's full-length books. Crime and Punishment is often regarded as his "mature" period's first great novel. The novel is frequently recognized as one of the greatest works of literature ever written.

Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in Saint Petersburg who wants to assassinate an unethical pawnbroker for her money, is the protagonist of Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov feels that by killing him, he will be able to free himself from poverty and go on to achieve great acts. However, once it's done, he's filled with guilt, paranoia, and revulsion over his deeds. As he battles with shame and fear, as well as the real-world implications of his actions, his reasons crumble utterly.