Crime and Punishment Part I
Conflict:
External – man vs. a hostile society
(poverty, crime)
Internal – man vs. himself
(Raskolnikov’s battling dual natures calculating and caring sides)
The purpose of the novel is to unite the two factions of Raskolnikov’s personality into one whole functioning person.
Theme: Suffering leads to redemption.
The whole story is developed through duality, dual conflicts as well as dual characterization
Roskolnikov
Calculating
Cold
Uncaring
Intellectual
Caring
Warm
Compassionate
Humane
Humble & Meek
Other characters
Calculating Characters
Alyona
Svidrigalov (evil)
Porfiry
Caring Characters
Lizaveta
Sonia ("Christ like")
Friday, March 20, 2009
Reflections of Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment
• Influenced by the radical new ideas from the West that were entering Russia during the 19th century
• He became involved in some liberal, revolutionary movements and wanted Russia to catch up with the rest of Europe
• He began writing and publishing contraband articles on a variety of political questions. This was illegal because printing was controlled and censored by the government
• He (along with 14 others) was arrested in 1849 and sentenced to death before a firing squad. Moments before his execution they were reprieved. He never forgot the experience and it haunted him for years
• Dostoevsky spent the next 5 years in a Siberian prison under horrible conditions.
• In Siberia, Dostoevsky changes his life
1. Had first epileptic seizure
2. Rejects blind acceptance of new ideas
3. Becomes a Slavophil (believes the salvation of the world was in the hands of Russia and eventually Russia would rise to dominate the world, therefore each Russian must contribute his utmost to the development of Russian ideas and culture) like Porfiry
4. Formulates his ideas about suffering as the means of salvation
• His first wife is a tubercular young widow with a young son by her first marriage. The marriage was short because she dies of her disease (like Katerina)
• He became involved in some liberal, revolutionary movements and wanted Russia to catch up with the rest of Europe
• He began writing and publishing contraband articles on a variety of political questions. This was illegal because printing was controlled and censored by the government
• He (along with 14 others) was arrested in 1849 and sentenced to death before a firing squad. Moments before his execution they were reprieved. He never forgot the experience and it haunted him for years
• Dostoevsky spent the next 5 years in a Siberian prison under horrible conditions.
• In Siberia, Dostoevsky changes his life
1. Had first epileptic seizure
2. Rejects blind acceptance of new ideas
3. Becomes a Slavophil (believes the salvation of the world was in the hands of Russia and eventually Russia would rise to dominate the world, therefore each Russian must contribute his utmost to the development of Russian ideas and culture) like Porfiry
4. Formulates his ideas about suffering as the means of salvation
• His first wife is a tubercular young widow with a young son by her first marriage. The marriage was short because she dies of her disease (like Katerina)
Crime and Punishment: Historical Perspective
Historical and Literary Setting for
Crime and Punishment
The Age of Realism, generally considered the culmination of the literary synthesis of earlier generations, began in around 1850. The writers of this period shared important qualities: great attention to realistic, detailed descriptions of everyday life; the lifting of the taboo on describing the vulgar, unsightly side of life; and a satirical attitude toward mediocrity and routines. Although varying widely in style, subject matter, and viewpoint, these writers stimulated government bureaucrats, nobles, and intellectuals to think about important social issues. This period of literature, lasted from about mid-century to 1905.
The best Russian prose writers of the Age of Realism were Ivan Turgenev, Feodor Dostoyevsky, and Leo Tolstoy. Because of the enduring quality of their combination of pure literature with eternal philosophical questions, the last two are accepted as Russia's premier prose artists; Dostoyevsky's novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov , like Tolstoy's novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina , are classics of world literature.
During the 19th century, Russia was ruled by autocrats, or czars, who ruled with absolute power.
1825, Czar Nicholas I came to power. Nicholas is remembered for his much harsher treatment of the people and constant striving for more power. Nicholas was a strong conservative in his beliefs about serfdom, and did not tolerate the 500 peasant revolts following his ascension to the throne. He tried to preserve his power by restricting education so that revolutionary ideas would not spread. However, a new educated group, the Intelligentsia, rose to fight for democracy. In his struggle for more power, Nicholas's actions led to the beginning of the Crimean War.
Ruler of Russia during the events of Crime and Punishment
Nicholas was succeeded by Alexander II, a much more liberal czar, in 1855. After Russia's defeat in the Crimean War, he realized that he needed to modernize his country. His first reform was to free the serfs. Alexander II issued the Emancipation Manifesto in 1861, abolishing *serfdom. This liberal reform helped reestablish Russia as a great power. Alexander II was killed in 1881 when a student and member of the revolutionary group the Narodnaya Volya (People's will) threw a bomb at him. The Narodnaya Volya was a populist group formed by the Intelligentsia who opposed Alexander's insufficient domestic reforms.
*serf (sûrf)
definition:
n.
1. A member of the lowest feudal class, attached to the land owned by a lord and required to perform labor in return for certain legal or customary rights.
2. An agricultural laborer under various similar systems, especially in 18th- and 19th-century Russia and Eastern Europe.
3. A person in bondage or servitude.
Crime and Punishment
The Age of Realism, generally considered the culmination of the literary synthesis of earlier generations, began in around 1850. The writers of this period shared important qualities: great attention to realistic, detailed descriptions of everyday life; the lifting of the taboo on describing the vulgar, unsightly side of life; and a satirical attitude toward mediocrity and routines. Although varying widely in style, subject matter, and viewpoint, these writers stimulated government bureaucrats, nobles, and intellectuals to think about important social issues. This period of literature, lasted from about mid-century to 1905.
The best Russian prose writers of the Age of Realism were Ivan Turgenev, Feodor Dostoyevsky, and Leo Tolstoy. Because of the enduring quality of their combination of pure literature with eternal philosophical questions, the last two are accepted as Russia's premier prose artists; Dostoyevsky's novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov , like Tolstoy's novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina , are classics of world literature.
During the 19th century, Russia was ruled by autocrats, or czars, who ruled with absolute power.
1825, Czar Nicholas I came to power. Nicholas is remembered for his much harsher treatment of the people and constant striving for more power. Nicholas was a strong conservative in his beliefs about serfdom, and did not tolerate the 500 peasant revolts following his ascension to the throne. He tried to preserve his power by restricting education so that revolutionary ideas would not spread. However, a new educated group, the Intelligentsia, rose to fight for democracy. In his struggle for more power, Nicholas's actions led to the beginning of the Crimean War.
Ruler of Russia during the events of Crime and Punishment
Nicholas was succeeded by Alexander II, a much more liberal czar, in 1855. After Russia's defeat in the Crimean War, he realized that he needed to modernize his country. His first reform was to free the serfs. Alexander II issued the Emancipation Manifesto in 1861, abolishing *serfdom. This liberal reform helped reestablish Russia as a great power. Alexander II was killed in 1881 when a student and member of the revolutionary group the Narodnaya Volya (People's will) threw a bomb at him. The Narodnaya Volya was a populist group formed by the Intelligentsia who opposed Alexander's insufficient domestic reforms.
*serf (sûrf)
definition:
n.
1. A member of the lowest feudal class, attached to the land owned by a lord and required to perform labor in return for certain legal or customary rights.
2. An agricultural laborer under various similar systems, especially in 18th- and 19th-century Russia and Eastern Europe.
3. A person in bondage or servitude.
Crime and Punishment Character List
Russian Names
The middle name of all male characters end in “ovitch” and of all female characters in “ovna.” This ending simply means “son of” or “daughter of” the father whose first name is converted into their middle name and is called a patronymic. For example, Rodya and Dunya’s father was named Roman Raskolnikov. Thus, Rodya’s middle name Rodion Romanovitch means son of Roman and Dunya’s middle name, Avdotya Romanovna, means daughter of Roman.
If you remember to give strong stress to the syllable marked with an accent in this list, to give the vowels their “continental” value, and pronounce the consonants as in English, a rough approximation to the Russian pronunciation will be obtained. The consonant “kh” sounds rather like the Scottish “ch” in “loch”; the “zh” represents a sound like “s” in “measure”; and the final “v” is pronounced “f.”
`Rodion Ro`manovitch Ras`kolnikov: “raskol”=schism or split.
Svidri`gailov
Razu`mikhin: “razum”=reason or common sense.
Marme`ladov: “marmelad”= jam or jelly.
Al`yona I`vanovna
Character List
Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov (Rodya, Rodenka, or Rodka) A poverty-stricken student who conceives of a theory of the “Ubermensch” or extraordinary man who has the right and/or obligation to transgress the laws of the ordinary man in order to give a New Word or idea to all of humanity. He uses this theory as a justification or rationalization to commit murder.
Sonya Marmeladov (Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov) A quiet, modest, suffering prostitute who will become Raskolnikov’s chief redemptive figure.
Porfiry Petrovitch An official of the investigating department who is in charge of the “crime.”
Svidrigailov (Arkady Ivanovitch) A sensualist and vulgarian who asserts his own will in order to achieve his personal goals.
Dunya (Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov) Raskolnikov’s devoted sister who was previously Svidrigailov’s employee and who was propositioned by him.
Razumihkin (Dmitri Prokofitch) One of Raskolnikov’s student friends who will become enamored of his sister Dunya.
Semyon Zakharovitch Marmeladov A dismissed government clerk who is an alcoholic.
Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov Marmeladov’s consumptive wife had been previously married to an army officer by whom she had three children.
Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikov Raskolnikov’s mother who is frightened of her moody and intellectual son.
Alyona Ivanovna The sadistic and nasty moneylender whom Raskolnikov murders.
Lizaveta Ivanovna The mild, likable half sister to Alyona who is brutalized by her.
Polenka, Lyona, Kolya (Kolka) Katerina Ivanovna’s children by a previous marriage. Sonyas greatest fear is that Polenka might have to enter into prostitution—Raskolnikov plagues her with this thought.
Marfa Petrovna Svidrigailov’s wife who once assumed Dunya had designs on her husband.
Luzhin (Pyotr Petrovitch) A petty and miserly clerk in government who wants a poor person for his bride so that she will be indebted to him.
Lebezyatnikov (Andrey Semyonovitch) Luzhin’s roommate who calls himself an “advanced liberal.”
Praskovya Pavlovna Raskolnikov’s shy and plump landlady.
Nastasya Praskovya Pavlovna’s maid who befriends Raskolnikov and looks after him when he is ill.
Amalia Fyodorovna The Marmeladov’s landlady who is particularly disliked by Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov.
Kapernaumovs Sonya and Svidrigailov rent rooms from these rather depressed people.
Zossimov The doctor who cares for Raskolnikov during his illness.
Nikodim Fomitch A handsome police officer who was also at Marmeladov’s death scene and reports this fact to Porfiry.
Zametov (Zamyotov), Alexander Gigorevitch The chief clerk at the police station.
Ilya Petrovitch A loud and somewhat overbearing police official to whom Raskolnikov makes his confession when there was no one else to confess to.
Nikolay (Milkolka) and Dmitri (Mitka) The painters who were working in the flat below the pawnbroker’s flat at the time of the crime
(Cliff’s Notes)
The middle name of all male characters end in “ovitch” and of all female characters in “ovna.” This ending simply means “son of” or “daughter of” the father whose first name is converted into their middle name and is called a patronymic. For example, Rodya and Dunya’s father was named Roman Raskolnikov. Thus, Rodya’s middle name Rodion Romanovitch means son of Roman and Dunya’s middle name, Avdotya Romanovna, means daughter of Roman.
If you remember to give strong stress to the syllable marked with an accent in this list, to give the vowels their “continental” value, and pronounce the consonants as in English, a rough approximation to the Russian pronunciation will be obtained. The consonant “kh” sounds rather like the Scottish “ch” in “loch”; the “zh” represents a sound like “s” in “measure”; and the final “v” is pronounced “f.”
`Rodion Ro`manovitch Ras`kolnikov: “raskol”=schism or split.
Svidri`gailov
Razu`mikhin: “razum”=reason or common sense.
Marme`ladov: “marmelad”= jam or jelly.
Al`yona I`vanovna
Character List
Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov (Rodya, Rodenka, or Rodka) A poverty-stricken student who conceives of a theory of the “Ubermensch” or extraordinary man who has the right and/or obligation to transgress the laws of the ordinary man in order to give a New Word or idea to all of humanity. He uses this theory as a justification or rationalization to commit murder.
Sonya Marmeladov (Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov) A quiet, modest, suffering prostitute who will become Raskolnikov’s chief redemptive figure.
Porfiry Petrovitch An official of the investigating department who is in charge of the “crime.”
Svidrigailov (Arkady Ivanovitch) A sensualist and vulgarian who asserts his own will in order to achieve his personal goals.
Dunya (Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov) Raskolnikov’s devoted sister who was previously Svidrigailov’s employee and who was propositioned by him.
Razumihkin (Dmitri Prokofitch) One of Raskolnikov’s student friends who will become enamored of his sister Dunya.
Semyon Zakharovitch Marmeladov A dismissed government clerk who is an alcoholic.
Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov Marmeladov’s consumptive wife had been previously married to an army officer by whom she had three children.
Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikov Raskolnikov’s mother who is frightened of her moody and intellectual son.
Alyona Ivanovna The sadistic and nasty moneylender whom Raskolnikov murders.
Lizaveta Ivanovna The mild, likable half sister to Alyona who is brutalized by her.
Polenka, Lyona, Kolya (Kolka) Katerina Ivanovna’s children by a previous marriage. Sonyas greatest fear is that Polenka might have to enter into prostitution—Raskolnikov plagues her with this thought.
Marfa Petrovna Svidrigailov’s wife who once assumed Dunya had designs on her husband.
Luzhin (Pyotr Petrovitch) A petty and miserly clerk in government who wants a poor person for his bride so that she will be indebted to him.
Lebezyatnikov (Andrey Semyonovitch) Luzhin’s roommate who calls himself an “advanced liberal.”
Praskovya Pavlovna Raskolnikov’s shy and plump landlady.
Nastasya Praskovya Pavlovna’s maid who befriends Raskolnikov and looks after him when he is ill.
Amalia Fyodorovna The Marmeladov’s landlady who is particularly disliked by Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov.
Kapernaumovs Sonya and Svidrigailov rent rooms from these rather depressed people.
Zossimov The doctor who cares for Raskolnikov during his illness.
Nikodim Fomitch A handsome police officer who was also at Marmeladov’s death scene and reports this fact to Porfiry.
Zametov (Zamyotov), Alexander Gigorevitch The chief clerk at the police station.
Ilya Petrovitch A loud and somewhat overbearing police official to whom Raskolnikov makes his confession when there was no one else to confess to.
Nikolay (Milkolka) and Dmitri (Mitka) The painters who were working in the flat below the pawnbroker’s flat at the time of the crime
(Cliff’s Notes)
Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky Biography
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
• Born: 11 November 1821
• Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
• Died: 28 January 1881
• Best Known As: Author of Crime and Punishment
• 19th century Russian author who wrote the classic novels Crime and Punishment (1866) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880).
• Dostoevsky turned to writing as a profession after a brief military career
• In 1849 he was arrested for his participation in a literary/political group and sentenced to prison.
• He narrowly escaped execution, having been stood before a firing squad
• He spent nearly ten years isolated in Siberia (four of them in prison) before returning to St. Petersburg.
• His novels explored the psychology and moral obligations of modern man
• He is famous for creating the "underground hero," a protagonist alienated from society and in search of redemption.
• One of Russia's greatest authors and a strong influence on 20th century literature
• His other works include House of the Dead (1862), Notes from the Underground (1864) and The Idiot (1868).
• Born: 11 November 1821
• Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
• Died: 28 January 1881
• Best Known As: Author of Crime and Punishment
• 19th century Russian author who wrote the classic novels Crime and Punishment (1866) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880).
• Dostoevsky turned to writing as a profession after a brief military career
• In 1849 he was arrested for his participation in a literary/political group and sentenced to prison.
• He narrowly escaped execution, having been stood before a firing squad
• He spent nearly ten years isolated in Siberia (four of them in prison) before returning to St. Petersburg.
• His novels explored the psychology and moral obligations of modern man
• He is famous for creating the "underground hero," a protagonist alienated from society and in search of redemption.
• One of Russia's greatest authors and a strong influence on 20th century literature
• His other works include House of the Dead (1862), Notes from the Underground (1864) and The Idiot (1868).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)