Twentieth Century Interpretations Of Crime And Punishment;: A Collection Of Critical Essays (a Spectrum Book)

Henry James claimed he couldn’t finish it; Robert Louis Stevenson said it was, “the greatest book I have read in ten years... it nearly finished me.” These are just two of the varied responses that Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment has evoked since its publication. Offering numerous insights into why the novel has provoked such intense reaction among readers, this volume brings together comments by renowned Russian, European, and American critics. The first section includes Dostoevsky’s own explanation of his intention in writing Crime and Punishment, as well as analyses of the “motives” of Raskolnikov’s crime and the moral and philosophical dialectic leading to the murder. The other sections explore the novel’s main characters, deal with the questions of guilt and evil, examine the novel’s social setting, and assess the integral role played by the epilogue in Crime and Punishment. Containing many newly translated essays by contributors who range from early critics Berdyaev and Madaule to later scholars Kozhinnov, Jackson, and Frank, this volume is a significant contribution to critiques of the novel whose portrayal of murder, conscience, and human suffering remains unsurpassed even today. This Book Presents Modern Commentary On A Great Work Of Literature By Analyzing Themes, Style, Genre, Structural Elements, Artistic Influences, And Historical Background. The Essays Offer Numerous Insights Into Why The Russian Novel Has Provoked Such Intense Reaction. Introduction : The Clumsy White Flower / Robert Louis Jackson -- On Crime And Punishment (letter To Katkov) / Fyodor M. Dostoevsky -- Dostoevsky's Search For Motives In The Notebooks Of Crime And Punishment / Konstantin Mochulsky -- The First Sentence In Crime And Punishment, The Work Crime And Other Matters / Vadim V. Kozhinov -- Philosophical Pro And Contra In Part One Of Crime And Punishment / Robert Louis Jackson -- Raskolnikov / Jacques Madaule -- A Great Philosophical Novel / Nicholas M. Chirkov -- The Problem Of Evil / Nicholas Berdyaev -- The Problem Of Guilt / Alfred L. Bem -- The World Of Raskolnikov / Joseph Frank -- Raskolnikov's Theory On The Rights Of Great Men And Napoleon Iii's History Of Caesar / F.i. Evnin -- Toward Regeneration / Yury F. Karyakin -- The Death Of Svidrigailov / Aron Z. Steinberg -- The Death Of Marmeladov / Konrad Onasch -- Disease As Dialectic In Crime And Punishment / James M. Holquist. Bibliography: P. 122. Contents Introduction. The Clumsy White Flower (Robert Louis Jackson) Part One. Into Crime and Punishment On Crime and Punishment (Letter to Katkov) (Fyodor M. Dostoevsky) Dostoevsky’s Search for Motives in the Notebooks for Crime and Punishment (Konstantin Mochulsky) The First Sentence in Crime and Punishment, the Word “Crime,” and Other Matters (Vadim V. Kozhinov) Philosophical Pro and Contra in Part One of Crime and Punishment (Robert Louis Jackson) Part Two. Two Overviews of Crime and Punishment Raskolnikov (Jacques Madaule) A Great Philosophical Novel (Nicholas M. Chirkov) Part Three. The Metaphysical Point of View The Problem of Evil (Nicholas Berdyaev) The Problem of Guilt (Alfred L. Bern) Part Four. The World of Crime and Punishment The World of Raskolnikov (Joseph Frank) Raskolnikov’s Theory on the “Rights” of Great Men and Napoleon Ill’s History of Caesar (F. I. Evnin) Part Five. Ends and Beginnings Toward Regeneration (Yury F. Karyakin) The Death of Svidrigailov (Aron Z. Steinberg) The Death of Marmeladov (Konrad Onasch) Disease as Dialectic in Crime and Punishment (James M. Holquist) Chronology of Important Dates Notes on the Editor and Contributors Selected Bibliography An excerpt from a letter by Dostoevsky revealing his intentions in writing Crime and Punishment accompanies the comments of Russian, American, and European critics on the novel