Crime and Punishment

[Prestuplenié i nakazanie]

DOSTOIEVSKI, Fedor M. (a.k.a. DOSTOEVSKY)

Year:

1866

Type:

Fiction

Public:

Generic

Publisher:

Penguin

Year of publication:

2003

Pages:

720

Moral assessment:

Type: Literature

Nothing inappropriate.

Some morally inappropriate content.

Contains significant sections contrary to faith or morals.

Contains some lurid passages, or presents a general ideological framework that could confuse those without much Christian formation.

Contains several lurid passages, or presents an ideological framework that is contrary or foreign to Christian values.

Explicitly contradicts Catholic faith or morals, or is directed against the Church and its institutions.

Literary quality:

Recommendable:

Transmits values:

Sexual content:

Violent content:

Vulgar or obscene language:

Ideas that contradict Church teaching:

The rating of the different categories comes from the opinion of Delibris' collaborators

An excellent novel giving a description and psychological analysis of the inner drama of Raskolnikov, a young law student. The drama focuses on his thoughts and actions after committing a crime which at the time he felt was excusable, having built up a complex theoretical justification for it. Around the hero’s thoughts and life and those of the book’s other characters, Dostoevsky weaves a plot that grips and surprises the reader from start to finish. The realistic descriptions of the society of that era include crude passages plus certain dialogues or interior monologues that require good formation if the reader is not to be harmed by them. One of the main themes of the book is conscience, guilt and remorse for past faults which, despite attempts at self-justification, arise sooner or later in every human being and which, in the case of the novel’s hero, will not let him live in peace.

G.C. (Italy, 2016)

Other review

Moral Assessment:

Novel set in St. Petersburg during the 19th century. Raskolnikof is a young law student living in misery. To get out of this situation, and after a careful planning, he decides to murder a rich and greedy old woman, justifying his action as if it were a service to society. Thus, the narration of the remorse of the murderer, who has to live with the weight of his crime, begins. On his way he is supported by a girl who listens to him and helps him so that he can somehow find redemption. The novel is long and rich in nuances, and masterfully describes the thoughts of poor Raskolnikof. This work has become a classic of 19th century Russian literature.

Author: Jorge Gaspar, Portugal, 2019