Crime and Punishment - World Literature Library

Author: Dostoevsky
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: "Crime and Punishment" is a pinnacle in Dostoevsky's creative career, bringing him worldwide acclaim. "Crime and Punishment" fully showcases Dostoevsky's creative characteristics:
1. The shaping of character traits is not achieved through the author's external-to-internal depiction of characters, but through the outward expression of characters' consciousness;
2. Based on the independence of characters from the author, the thoughts of characters and the differing viewpoints expressed in their dialogues hold equal status with the author's voice, forming the polyphony of the novel;
3. The use of artistic techniques such as symbolism, dreams, allusions, and implications expands the ideological depth of the work. For example: Raskolnikov is almost perpetually in a state of illness, mentally disoriented, symbolizing the illness of his thoughts. Another example: The dream of villagers killing a lean horse highlights Raskolnikov's conscience, as he is in the dream. Yet another example: The surname Raskolnikov carries the meaning of division, implying the split personality of the protagonist. The surname Karamazov originates from the ancient city of Gath, and everything that happens in his household reminds one of the biblical accounts of the city. "Crime and Punishment" is a pinnacle in Dostoevsky's creative career, bringing him worldwide acclaim. "Crime and Punishment" fully showcases Dostoevsky's creative characteristics:
1. The shaping of character traits is not achieved through the author's external-to-internal depiction of characters, but through the outward expression of characters' consciousness;
2. Based on the independence of characters from the author, the thoughts of characters and the differing viewpoints expressed in their dialogues hold equal status with the author's voice, forming the polyphony of the novel;
3. The use of artistic techniques such as symbolism, dreams, allusions, and implications expands the ideological depth of the work. For example: Raskolnikov is almost perpetually in a state of illness, mentally disoriented, symbolizing the illness of his thoughts. Another example: The dream of villagers killing a lean horse highlights Raskolnikov's conscience, as he is in the dream. Yet another example: The surname Raskolnikov carries the meaning of division, implying the split personality of the protagonist. The surname Karamazov originates from the ancient city of Gath, and everything that happens in his household reminds one of the biblical accounts of the city.