Genre and stylistic originality of F. Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment"

Genre and composition. The genre and compositional structure of the novel is complex. In terms of plot, it is close to the detective-adventure genre, but the detailed and thoroughly depicted background against which the events unfold, and the effectiveness of the very image of St. Petersburg allow us to speak about the genre of a social and everyday novel. There is also a love line in it (Dunya - Svidrigailov, Luzhin, Razumikhin; Raskolnikov - Sonya). An in-depth study of the inner world of the characters, so characteristic of Dostoevsky, makes this novel also psychological. But all these genre features, intertwined in a single artistic whole of the work, create a completely new type of novel.

“Crime and Punishment” is the first of Dostoevsky’s “great” novels, in which his artistic and philosophical system was embodied. At the center of this novel is the idea of ​​individualism, which is opposed to the idea of ​​​​Christian humility and redemptive suffering. This determines the highly ideological nature of the text of the work, which is rich in deep and complex philosophical issues. Therefore, Dostoevsky’s novel is rightfully classified as an ideological and philosophical novel. Indeed, the author’s attention, despite the adventurous detective plot, is focused not on the events rapidly unfolding before the reader’s eyes, but on the thoughts, philosophical reasoning, and ideological disputes of the characters. In essence, the writer shows the fate of the idea that pushed the hero to commit a crime, which allows him to organically include the most complex philosophical problems in the work. At the same time, the novel does not become a philosophical treatise, since it is not about an abstract idea, but about a hero who is completely embraced by it.

This is how a special type of hero arises, who began to be called the hero-idea (or hero-ideologist). This is a special type of literary hero, which first appeared in Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment, the peculiarity of which is that it is not just a social or psychological type, a certain character or temperament, but, first of all, a person gripped by an idea (sublime or destructive) that “turning into nature,” requires “immediate application to the case” (F.M. Dostoevsky). Such heroes - carriers of ideas - in the novel are primarily Raskolnikov (the idea of ​​individualism) and Sonya Marmeladova (the Christian idea). But in their own way, each of the characters in this novel also represents “their” idea: Marmeladov embodies the idea of ​​a dead end in life, which he himself substantiated; investigator Porfiry Petrovich expresses a whole system of arguments in defense of the idea of ​​Christian humility and redemptive suffering, which he, like Sonya, proposes to perceive Raskolnikova. Even the almost speechless Lizaveta, killed by Raskolnikov, participates in the duel of ideas waged by the main characters.

This is how a special artistic structure arises in which ideas, through their carriers, enter into a free dialogue. It is conducted not only at the level of various discussions, disputes, various statements of the heroes (aloud or to themselves), but, most importantly, it is embodied in the destinies of these heroes. The author’s position is not directly expressed; the action moves as if by itself as a result of the development of the main idea (the idea of ​​individualism), which manifests itself in constant collision and intersection with the Christian idea that contrasts it. And only the final result of the complex movement and development of ideas allows us to speak about the author’s position in this unique ideological and philosophical dispute.

In this way, a completely new type of novel is formed, which became Dostoevsky’s artistic discovery. The theoretical justification for this new type, called the polyphonic novel, was made only in the 20th century by M.M. Bakhtin. He also proposed the name “polyphonic” (from polyphony - polyphony). The role of “voices” in it is played by hero-ideas. The peculiarity of such a novel is that the philosophical views of the writer, which are at the center of the work, are not expressed in direct statements of the author or characters (the principle of objectivity), but are revealed through the clash and struggle of different points of view embodied in the heroes-ideas (dialogical structure). Moreover, the idea itself is realized through the fate of such a hero - hence the in-depth psychological analysis that permeates all levels of the artistic structure of the work.

The psychological analysis of the state of the criminal before and after committing the murder in the novel is merged with the analysis of Raskolnikov’s “idea”. The novel is structured in such a way that the reader is constantly in the sphere of consciousness of the hero - Raskolnikov, although the narration is told from the 3rd person. That is why his words, incomprehensible to the reader, about the “test” sound so strange when he goes to the old woman. After all, the reader is not privy to Raskolnikov’s plan and can only guess what “matter” he is talking to himself about. The specific plan of the hero is revealed only 50 pages from the beginning of the novel, immediately before the crime. We become aware of the existence of Raskolnikov’s complete theory and even an article outlining it only on the two hundredth page of the novel - from a conversation with Porfiry Petrovich. This method of silence is used by the writer in relation to other characters. So only at the very end of the novel do we learn the history of Dunya’s relationship with Svidrigailov - immediately before the denouement of this relationship. Of course, this, among other things, helps to make the plot more entertaining.

All this is very unlike the psychologism traditional in Russian literature. “I am not a psychologist,” Dostoevsky said about himself, “I am only a realist in the highest sense, that is, I depict all the depths of the human soul.” The great writer was distrustful of the very word “psychology,” calling the concept behind it a “double-edged sword.” In the novel we see not just a study, but a test of the soul and thoughts of the hero - this is the semantic and emotional core to which all the plot moves, all the events of the work, all the feelings and sensations of both the leading and episodic characters are drawn. The method of Dostoevsky the psychologist consists in the writer’s penetration into the consciousness and soul of the hero in order to reveal the idea he carries, and with it his true nature, which comes out in unexpected, extreme, provoking situations. No wonder the word “suddenly” is used 560 times in Crime and Punishment!

The uniqueness of Dostoevsky's psychologism also determines the specificity of his plot constructions. Believing that the true essence of a person is revealed only in moments of greatest upheaval, the writer strives to knock his characters out of their usual rut in life and into a state of crisis. The dynamics of the plot lead them from disaster to disaster, depriving them of solid ground under their feet, forcing them again and again to desperately “storm” unsolvable “cursed” issues.

The compositional structure of “Crime and Punishment” can be described as a chain of catastrophes: Raskolnikov’s crime, which brought him to the threshold of life and death, then the death of Marmeladov, the madness and death of Katerina Ivanovna that soon followed, and, finally, the suicide of Svidrigailov. The prehistory to the novel's action also tells about Sonya's catastrophe, and in the epilogue - Raskolnikov's mother. Of all these heroes, only Sonya and Raskolnikov manage to survive and escape. The intervals between catastrophes are occupied by intense dialogues between Raskolnikov and other characters, of which two conversations with Porfiry Petrovich stand out. The second, most terrible “conversation” for Raskolnikov with the investigator, when he drives Raskolnikov almost to the point of insanity, hoping that he will give himself away, is the compositional center of the novel, and conversations with Sonya are located before and after, framing it.

Dostoevsky believed that only in such extreme situations: in the face of death or in moments of final determination of the purpose and meaning of his existence, is a person able to renounce the vanity of life and turn to the eternal questions of existence. Subjecting his characters to merciless psychological analysis precisely in these moments, the writer comes to the conclusion that in such circumstances the fundamental difference in character disappears and becomes unimportant. After all, despite the uniqueness of individual feelings, the “eternal questions” face the same ones. This is why another phenomenon of Dostoevsky’s polyphonic novel arises - duality. We are talking not only about the specifics of the heroes and the peculiarities of psychological analysis, but also about one of the most important principles for constructing Dostoevsky’s polyphonic novel - the system of doubles.

The action of Dostoevsky's polyphonic novel is based on the collision of contrasting ideological poles with complete equality of ideas, which are further revealed through a system of doubles. In Crime and Punishment, the idea of ​​individualism, the main bearer of which is Raskolnikov, is clarified in the images of Luzhin and Svidrigailov, who become his doubles, or rather, doubles of the idea embedded in him. The bearer of the Christian idea is Sonechka Marmeladova, and her counterparts (doubles of the idea) are Lizaveta, Mikolka, Dunya. The inner essence of Sonechka Marmeladova, as a hero-idea, consists of the foundations of the Christian idea: doing good and taking on the suffering of the world. This is what fills Sonechka’s life with deep meaning and light, despite the surrounding dirt and darkness. Associated with the image of Sonechka is Dostoevsky’s belief that the world will be saved by fraternal unity between people in the name of Christ and that the basis of this unity must be sought not in the society of the “powerful of this world,” but in the depths of people’s Russia. The special form of the novel helps the writer to express it - polyphonic, as well as the entire system of artistic means inherent in it, first of all, the system of images of the novel.

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By genre "Crime and Punishment" - a completely new type of work. The novel “Crime and Punishment” combines several genre varieties of the novel and adds fundamentally new thoughts. This helps the author to comprehensively reveal the problems he raises. The genre of the work “Crime and Punishment” is a novel, however, it mixes several types of novel. This is a carnival-adventurous novel (the presence of a criminal crime, a steep development of events), and a detective novel (solving the crime by the investigating officer Porfiry), and a psychological novel (the psychology of the characters is revealed in extreme detail), and a philosophical novel (the philosophical system of Raskolnikov is described, the emphasis is on the meaning philosophical system in human life). There is an idea to define the genre of “Crime and Punishment” as a tragedy novel. The novel uses the principle of polyphony.

Dostoevsky character are contradictory, Nevertheless, full-fledged individuals. their point of view seems to be independent of the image of the author, who is invisibly present in the novel, from the point of view of one another. So, the novel contains several equal “voices” - hence the principle of polyphony. The novel's problems cover almost all spheres of human existence. These are social, moral, ethical, psychological, philosophical problems. The main problems of the novel are: the problem of a strong personality and the limits of his freedom, the clash of people’s interests, the problem of the possible inequality of people in their moral and ethical rights. The motive of sin and redemption, the problem of personality disintegration, the problem of internal conflict of the individual, the problem of morality and its values ​​in society are important.

To depict characters and disclosure of problems F. Dostoevsky uses many artistic techniques, for example, the technique of doubling, a special technique of creating an image of the city, etc. Each of them needs detailed study and analysis. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the novel “Crime and Punishment” by F. Dostoevsky for Russian and world literature. This novel has been translated into many languages ​​and is read and loved all over the world. The depth of the characters and the fundamental nature of the problems raised evoke a real fascination with the literary genius of the outstanding Russian writer F. Dostoevsky.

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Genre originality of F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”

Features of the genre of the novel “Crime and Punishment”

The genre uniqueness of this novel by F.M. Dostoevsky lies in the fact that this work cannot be completely definitely attributed to genres already known and tested in Russian literature.

Detective traits

First of all, formally the novel can be classified as a detective story:

• The plot is based on a crime and its solution,
• there is a criminal (Raskolnikov),
• there is a smart investigator who understands the criminal and leads him to exposure (Porfiry Petrovich),
• there is a motive for the crime,
• there are red herrings (Mikolka’s confession), evidence.

But none of the readers will even think of calling “Crime and Punishment” a detective story, because everyone understands that the detective basis of the novel is only an excuse for setting other tasks.

A new type of novel

This work does not fit into the framework of a traditional European novel.

Dostoevsky created a new genre - the psychological novel.

At its core is man as a great mystery into which the author looks into together with the reader. What drives a person, why is one or another capable of sinful acts, what happens to a person who crosses the line?

The atmosphere of the novel is a world of the humiliated and insulted, where there are no happy ones, no unfallen ones. This world combines reality and fantasy, so a special place in the novel is occupied by Raskolnikov’s dreams, which do not predict the hero’s fate in the same way as in a traditional novel. No, the protagonist’s dreams reflect the state of his psyche, his soul after the murder of the old woman, project reality (a dream about killing a horse), and accumulate the hero’s philosophical theory (Rodion’s last dream).

Each hero is placed in a situation of choice.

This choice puts pressure on a person, forces him to go forward, to go without thinking about the consequences, to go only in order to find out what he is capable of, in order to save another or himself, in order to destroy himself.

Polyphonic solution of the figurative system

Another genre feature of such novels is polyphony, polyphony.

In the novel there are a huge number of characters who have conversations, pronounce monologues, shout something from the crowd - and each time this is not just a phrase, it is a philosophical problem, a question of life or death (dialogue between an officer and a student, Raskolnikov’s monologues, his dialogues with Sonya, with Svidrigailov, Luzhin, Dunechka, Marmeladov’s monologue).

Dostoevsky's heroes carry either hell or heaven in their souls. So Sonechka Marmeladova, despite the horrors of her profession, carries heaven in her soul, her sacrifice, her faith save her from the hell of life. A hero like Raskolnikov, according to Dostoevsky, is subordinate to the devil in his mind and chooses hell, but at the last moment, when the hero looks into the abyss, he recoils from it and goes to denounce himself. There are also heroes of hell in Dostoevsky's novels. They long ago and consciously chose hell not only with their minds, but also with their hearts. And their hearts hardened. Such is the case in Svidrigailov’s novel.

For the heroes of hell, there is only one way out - death.

Heroes like Raskolnikov are always intellectually superior to the rest: it’s not for nothing that everyone recognizes Raskolnikov’s intelligence; Svidrigailov expects some new word from him. But Raskolnikov is pure in heart, his heart is full of love and compassion (for the girl on the boulevard, for his mother and sister, for Sonechka and her family).

The human soul as the basis of psychological realism

Understanding the human soul cannot be unambiguous, which is why in Dostoevsky’s novels (in “Crime and Punishment” too) there is so much left unsaid.

Raskolnikov names the reason for the murder several times, but neither he nor the other heroes can finally decide why he killed. Of course, first of all, he is guided by a false theory, subjugating him, tempting him with verification, forcing him to lift the ax. It is also unclear whether Svidrigailov killed his wife or not.

Unlike Tolstoy, who himself explains why the hero acts this way and not otherwise, Dostoevsky forces the reader, along with the hero, to experience certain events, see dreams, and in all this everyday confusion of inconsistent actions, unclear dialogues and monologues, independently find a pattern.

A huge role in the genre of psychological novel is played by the description of the situation. It is generally accepted that the very description of St. Petersburg corresponds to the mood of the heroes. The city becomes the hero of the story. The city is dusty, dirty, a city of crimes and suicides.

The uniqueness of Dostoevsky’s artistic world is that his heroes go through a dangerous psychological experiment, allowing “demons” and dark forces into themselves. But the writer believes that in the end the hero will break through them to the light. But every time the reader is stopped before this riddle of overcoming “demons”, because there is no definite answer.

This inexplicable always remains in the structure of the writer’s novels.

Materials are published with the personal permission of the author - Ph.D. Maznevoy O.A. (see "Our Library")

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Dostoevsky's genre crime and punishment

Like most Russian novels of the 19th century, Crime and Punishment is a philosophical novel. The definition of “philosophical novel” is conditional. It denotes a fairly large number of novels of the 19th-20th centuries, the heroes of which, solving specific issues of their own lives, begin to realize their general meaning, or whose authors, drawing specific situations and specific characters, discover their universal meanings and meanings.

A philosophical novel is at the same time a moral and psychological novel: the subject of its depiction is the inner world of the individual, issues of morality; in the process of depiction, a deep understanding of the psychology of the individual occurs; the main criterion for the author’s assessment is moral principles.

The specificity of Crime and Punishment as a philosophical novel is largely determined by its polyphonic nature. The theory of the polyphonic (polyphonic) novel by F. M. Dostoevsky was developed by M. M. Bakhtin back in the 1920s (the first edition of his book was published in 1929), but it became accessible and entered into scientific use many years later (the second edition books - 1963). According to the scientist, a feature of F. M. Dostoevsky’s novels is “the multiplicity of independent and unmerged voices and consciousnesses, a true polyphony of full-fledged voices.” Speaking about the “voice,” M. M. Bakhtin means the special status of the hero in F. M. Dostoevsky: the writer is interested in the hero not as a phenomenon of reality, with socially-typical certain features, but as “a special point of view on the world and on himself himself"; “What is important to Dostoevsky is not what his hero is in the world, but, first of all, what the world is for the hero and what he is for himself.” Reading the novel, we notice that the world appears from Raskolnikov’s perspective: Raskolnikov listens to and experiences Marmeladov’s confession, learns from the letter the vicissitudes of Dunina’s fate, sees a drunk girl on the boulevard, etc. In other words,

F. M. Dostoevsky shows what the world is for a hero who is offended by this world, outraged by its unrighteousness, etc. Moreover, it is not F. M. Dostoevsky who describes Raskolnikov’s condition, but Raskolnikov, with his “word” and “voice”, reveals him: not the writer about the hero, but the hero about himself; he is not an object, but a full-fledged subject of the image.

But in F. M. Dostoevsky, each hero has his own “consciousness and self-awareness,” “his own point of view on the world and on himself in the world.” Marmeladov, Katerina Ivanovna, Luzhin, Sonya, Svidrigailov, Razumikhin, Porfiry Petrovich, Pulcheria Alexandrovna have it. And all the “voices” - “consciousnesses” of these heroes are not subordinate to Raskolnikov, but are equal in rights, independent and independent of him and each other.

The hero of F. M. Dostoevsky is a hero-ideologist, that is, a person who merges with his idea, which becomes his passion and the defining feature of his personality. “The image of the hero is inextricably linked with the image of the idea and is inseparable from it. We see the hero in the idea and through the idea, and we see the idea in him and through him.” In addition, F. M. Dostoevsky discovered the “dialogical nature of an idea,” which becomes an idea only as a result of dialogue with another, someone else’s idea or ideas. We first learn about Raskolnikov’s idea-theory from Porfiry’s retelling of his (Raskolnikov’s) article, that is, we learn through the “alien” exaggerating and provoking consciousness that challenges Rodion to dialogue. Raskolnikov, in turn, sets out the main provisions of his theory, and Porfiry constantly interrupts him with remarks. Revealing different facets in the dialogue, the idea appears differently in Raskolnikov’s dialogues with Sonya, and even differently in Svidrigailov’s presentation during a conversation with Dunya. As a result, in all these dialogues a complex, contradictory and voluminous image of Raskolnikov’s idea emerges. As a result, F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel becomes not a novel with an idea, but a novel about an idea, about its living life in the minds and souls of people.

In a polyphonic novel, the author's position in relation to the hero also changes. In a monologue-type novel, like Tolstoy's for example, the author knows more about the hero than he knows about himself, and can say the final word about him. In a polyphonic novel, only the hero himself can make a final judgment about himself. In this sense, the hero of a polyphonic novel takes on part of the author's functions of a monologue novel. The author in a polyphonic novel is next to and together with the characters, and not above them. All this does not mean, however, that the author's position in the novel is not revealed. Revealed, but only in other ways than in a monologue novel: not in the author’s word (narration), but in the structure of the novel, in its moves.

The polyphonic novel is a new page in the history of the genre, opened by F. M. Dostoevsky and which had a very great influence on the literature of the 20th century.

The two-part title of the novel - “Crime and Punishment” - reflects the two unequal parts into which it falls: the crime and its causes - the first, and the second and main one - the effect of the crime on the soul of the criminal. This two-part nature is also manifested in the structure of the novel: of the six parts, only one, the first, is devoted to the crime, and the other five are devoted to spiritual and psychological punishment and Raskolnikov’s gradual overcoming of his crime.

History of the creation of the work

Origins of the novel date back to the time of hard labor by F.M. Dostoevsky. On October 9, 1859, he wrote to his brother from Tver: “In December I will begin a novel. Don’t you remember, I told you about one confessional novel that I wanted to write after everyone else, saying that I still had to experience it myself. The other day I completely decided to write it immediately. My whole heart and blood will pour into this novel. I conceived it in hard labor, lying on a bunk, in a difficult moment of sadness and self-destruction. » Initially, Dostoevsky planned to write “Crime and Punishment” in the form of Raskolnikov’s confession. The writer intended to transfer the entire spiritual experience of hard labor to the pages of the novel. It was here that Dostoevsky first encountered strong personalities, under whose influence his previous beliefs began to change.

The idea of ​​your new novel Dostoevsky carried it for six years. During this time, “The Humiliated and Insulted,” “Notes from the House of the Dead” and “Notes from the Underground” were written, the main theme of which was the stories of poor people and their rebellion against existing reality. On June 8, 1865, Dostoevsky proposed to A.A. Kraevsky for "Domestic Notes" his new novel called "Drunk". But Kraevsky refused the writer, who explained that the editors had no money. On July 2, 1865, Dostoevsky, in dire need, was forced to enter into an agreement with the publisher F.T. Stellovsky. For the same money that Kraevsky refused to pay for the novel, Dostoevsky sold Stellovsky the right to publish the complete works in three volumes and undertook to write for him a new novel of at least ten pages by November 1, 1866.

Having received the money, Dostoevsky paid off his debts and at the end of July 1865 he went abroad. But the money drama didn't end there. During five days in Wiesbaden, Dostoevsky lost everything he owned, including his pocket watch, at roulette. The consequences were not long in coming. Soon the owners of the hotel where he was staying ordered him not to serve him dinner, and a couple of days later they deprived him of light. In a tiny room, without food and without light, “in the most difficult situation,” “burned by some kind of internal fever,” the writer began work on the novel “Crime and Punishment,” which was destined to become one of the most significant works of world literature.

In September 1865, Dostoevsky decided to offer his new story to the Russian Messenger magazine. In a letter to the publisher of this magazine, the writer said that the idea of ​​his new work would be “a psychological report of a crime”: “The action is modern, this year, a young man expelled from university students, a tradesman by birth and living in extreme poverty, due to frivolity, due to instability in concepts, succumbing to some strange, “unfinished” ideas that were floating in the air, I decided to get out of my bad situation at once. He decided to kill one old woman, a titular councilor who gave money for interest. The old woman is stupid, deaf, sick, greedy, takes Jewish interest, is evil and eats up someone else's life, torturing her younger sister as her worker. “She’s worthless,” “what does she live for?”, “is she useful to anyone?” etc. - these questions confuse the young man. He decides to kill her, rob her, in order to make his mother, who lives in the district, happy, to save his sister, who lives as a companion with some landowners, from the voluptuous claims of the head of this landowner family - claims that threaten her death - to finish the course, to go for border and then be honest, firm and unwavering throughout your life in fulfilling your “humane duty to humanity” - which, of course, will “make amends for the crime”, if only you can call this act against an old woman deaf, stupid, evil and sick, who herself is not knows why she lives in the world, and who in a month, perhaps, would have died of her own accord. »

According to Dostoevsky, in his work there is a hint of the idea that the imposed legal punishment for a crime frightens the criminal much less than the guardians of the law think, mainly because he himself morally demands this punishment. Dostoevsky set the goal of clearly expressing this idea using the example of a young man - a representative of the new generation. Materials for the story on which the novel “Crime and Punishment” is based, according to the author, could be found in any newspaper published at that time. Dostoevsky was sure that the plot of his work partly justified modernity.

The plot of the novel “Crime and Punishment” was originally conceived by the writer as a short story of five or six printed pages. The last plot (the story of the Marmeladov family) eventually became part of the story about Raskolnikov’s crime and punishment. From the very beginning of its emergence, the idea of ​​an “ideological killer” fell into two unequal parts: the first – the crime and its causes, and the second, main one – the effect of the crime on the soul of the criminal. The idea of ​​a two-part plan is reflected in the title of the work - “Crime and Punishment”, and in the features of its structure: of the six parts of the novel, one is devoted to the crime and five to the influence of the crime on Raskolnikov’s soul.

Dostoevsky worked hard on the plan for his new work in Wiesbaden, and later on the ship, when he returned from Copenhagen, where he was visiting one of his Semipalatinsk friends, to St. Petersburg, and then in St. Petersburg itself. In the city on the Neva, the story imperceptibly grew into a great novel, and Dostoevsky, when the work was almost ready, burned it and decided to start over. In mid-December 1865, he sent chapters of a new novel to the Russian Messenger. The first part of Crime and Punishment appeared in the January 1866 issue of the magazine, but work on the novel was in full swing. The writer worked intensely and selflessly on his work throughout 1866. The success of the first two parts of the novel inspired and inspired Dostoevsky, and he set to work with even greater zeal.

In the spring of 1866, Dostoevsky planned to go to Dresden, stay there for three months and finish the novel. But numerous creditors did not allow the writer to travel abroad, and in the summer of 1866 he worked in the village of Lublin near Moscow, with his sister Vera Ivanovna Ivanova. At this time, Dostoevsky was forced to think about another novel, which was promised to Stellovsky when concluding an agreement with him in 1865. In Lublin, Dostoevsky drew up a plan for his new novel, entitled The Gambler, and continued to work on Crime and Punishment. In November and December, the last, sixth, part of the novel and the epilogue were completed, and the Russian Messenger at the end of 1866 completed the publication of Crime and Punishment. Three notebooks with drafts and notes for the novel have been preserved, essentially three handwritten editions of the novel, which characterize the three stages of the author’s work. Subsequently, all of them were published and made it possible to present the writer’s creative laboratory, his hard work on every word.

The Wiesbaden “story,” like the second edition, was conceived by the writer in the form of a confession of a criminal, but in the process of work, when the material of the novel “Drunk” was added to the confession and the plan became more complicated, the previous form of confession on behalf of the murderer, who actually cut himself off from the world and deepened into his “fixed” idea, it became too cramped for new psychological content. Dostoevsky preferred a new form - a story on behalf of the author - and burned the original version of the work in 1865.

In the third, final edition, an important note appeared: “The story is from myself, not from him. If it’s a confession, then it’s too extreme, everything needs to be clarified. So that every moment of the story is clear. » The rough notebooks of Crime and Punishment allow us to trace how long Dostoevsky tried to find the answer to the main question of the novel: why did Raskolnikov decide to kill? The answer to this question was not clear even for the author himself. In the original plan of the story, this is a simple idea: to kill one insignificant, harmful and rich creature in order to make many beautiful but poor people happy with his money. In the second edition of the novel, Raskolnikov is depicted as a humanist, burning with a desire to stand up for the “humiliated and insulted”: “I am not the kind of person to allow a scoundrel defenseless weakness. I'll step in. I want to step in." But the idea of ​​killing because of love for other people, killing a person because of love for humanity, is gradually “overgrown” with Raskolnikov’s desire for power, but he is not yet driven by vanity. He strives to gain power in order to fully devote himself to serving people, he longs to use power only to perform good deeds: “I take power, I gain power - whether it’s money, power - not for the worst. I bring happiness." But in the course of his work, Dostoevsky penetrated deeper and deeper into the soul of his hero, discovering behind the idea of ​​killing for the sake of love for people, power for the sake of good deeds, the strange and incomprehensible “idea of ​​Napoleon” - the idea of ​​power for the sake of power, dividing humanity into two unequal parts: the majority - “creatures” trembling" and the minority - "lords" called upon to rule the minority, standing outside the law and having the right, like Napoleon, to transgress the law in the name of necessary goals. In the third, final, edition, Dostoevsky expressed the “ripe”, complete “idea of ​​Napoleon”: “Is it possible to love them? Is it possible to suffer for them? Hatred of humanity. »

Thus, in the creative process, in comprehending the concept of “Crime and Punishment,” two opposing ideas collided: the idea of ​​love for people and the idea of ​​contempt for them. Judging by the draft notebooks, Dostoevsky was faced with a choice: either leave one of the ideas, or keep both. But realizing that the disappearance of one of these ideas would impoverish the concept of the novel, Dostoevsky decided to combine both ideas, to portray a person in whom, as Razumikhin says about Raskolnikov in the final text of the novel, “two opposing characters alternately alternate.” The ending of the novel was also created as a result of intense creative efforts. One of the draft notebooks contains the following entry: “The ending of the novel. Raskolnikov is going to shoot himself.” But this was the finale only for Napoleon's idea. Dostoevsky also sought to create a finale for the “idea of ​​love,” when Christ saves a repentant sinner: “The Vision of Christ. He asks for forgiveness from the people." At the same time, Dostoevsky understood perfectly well that a person like Raskolnikov, who united two opposing principles in himself, would not accept the judgment of his own conscience, nor the court of the author, nor the legal court. Only one court will be authoritative for Raskolnikov - the “highest court,” the court of Sonechka Marmeladova, the same “humiliated and insulted” Sonechka in whose name he committed the murder. That is why in the third, final edition of the novel, the following entry appeared: “The idea of ​​the novel. I. Orthodox view, what is Orthodoxy. There is no happiness in comfort; happiness is bought through suffering. This is the law of our planet, but this direct consciousness, felt by the everyday process, is such a great joy, for which you can pay for years of suffering. Man is not born for happiness. A person deserves happiness, and always suffering. There is no injustice here, because life’s knowledge and consciousness is acquired by the experience of “pros” and “cons”, which must be carried on oneself.” In the drafts, the last line of the novel read: “Inscrutable are the ways in which God finds man.” But Dostoevsky ended the novel with other lines that can serve as an expression of the doubts that tormented the writer.

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Features of the genre of the novel “Crime and Punishment”

The genre uniqueness of this novel by F.M. Dostoevsky lies in the fact that this work cannot be completely definitely attributed to genres already known and tested in Russian literature, since it contains different style features.

Detective traits

First of all, formally the novel can be classified as a detective story:

• The plot is based on a crime and its solution,
• there is a criminal (Raskolnikov),
• there is a smart investigator who understands the criminal and leads him to exposure (Porfiry Petrovich),
• there is a motive for the crime,
• there are red herrings (Mikolka’s confession), evidence.

But none of the readers would even think of calling “Crime and Punishment” a simple detective story, because everyone understands that the detective basis of the novel is just an excuse for setting other tasks.

A new type of novel - psychological

This work does not fit into the framework of a traditional European novel.

Dostoevsky created a new genre - the psychological novel.

It is based on man as a great mystery into which the author looks into together with the reader. What drives a person, why is one or another capable of sinful acts, what happens to a person who crosses the line?

The atmosphere of the novel is a world of the humiliated and insulted, where there are no happy people, no unfallen ones. This world combines reality and fantasy, so a special place in the novel is occupied by characters who predict the fate of the hero differently than in a traditional novel. No, the protagonist’s dreams reflect the state of his psyche, his soul after the murder of the old woman, project reality (a dream about killing a horse), and accumulate the hero’s philosophical theory (Rodion’s last dream).

Each hero is placed in a situation of choice.

This choice puts pressure on a person, forces him to go forward, to go without thinking about the consequences, to go only in order to find out what he is capable of, in order to save another or himself, in order to destroy himself.

Polyphonic solution of the figurative system

Another genre feature of such novels is polyphony, polyphony.

In the novel, they are having conversations, pronouncing monologues, shouting something from the crowd - and each time this is not just a phrase, it is a philosophical problem, a question of life or death (dialogue between an officer and a student, Raskolnikov’s monologues, his dialogues with Sonya, with Svidrigailov, Luzhin, Dunechka, monologue of Marmeladov).

Dostoevsky's heroes carry either hell or heaven in their souls. So, despite the horrors of the profession, she carries heaven in her soul, her sacrifice, her faith and save her from the hell of life. A hero like this, according to Dostoevsky, is subordinate to the devil in his mind and chooses hell, but at the last moment, when the hero looks into the abyss, he recoils from it and goes to denounce himself. There are also heroes of hell in Dostoevsky's novels. They long ago and consciously chose hell not only with their minds, but also with their hearts. And their hearts hardened. Such is the case in Svidrigailov’s novel.

For the heroes of hell, there is only one way out - death.

Heroes like Raskolnikov are always intellectually superior to the rest: it’s not for nothing that everyone recognizes Raskolnikov’s intelligence; Svidrigailov expects some new word from him. But Raskolnikov is pure in heart, his heart is full of love and compassion (for the girl on the boulevard, for his mother and sister, for Sonechka and her family).

The human soul as the basis of psychological realism

Understanding the human soul cannot be unambiguous, which is why in Dostoevsky’s novels (in “Crime and Punishment” too) there is so much left unsaid.

Raskolnikov names the reason for the murder several times, but neither he nor the other heroes can finally decide why he killed. Of course, first of all, he is guided by a false theory, subjugating him, tempting him with verification, forcing him to lift the ax. It is also unclear whether Svidrigailov killed his wife or not.

Unlike Tolstoy, who himself explains why the hero acts this way and not otherwise, Dostoevsky forces the reader, along with the hero, to experience certain events, see dreams, and in all this everyday confusion of inconsistent actions, unclear dialogues and monologues, independently find a pattern.

A huge role in the genre of psychological novel is played by the description of the situation. It is generally accepted that it itself corresponds to the mood of the heroes. The city becomes the hero of the story. The city is dusty, dirty, a city of crimes and suicides.

The uniqueness of Dostoevsky’s artistic world is that his heroes go through a dangerous psychological experiment, allowing “demons” and dark forces into themselves. But the writer believes that in the end the hero will break through them to the light. But every time the reader is stopped before this riddle of overcoming “demons”, because there is no definite answer.

This inexplicable always remains in the structure of the writer’s novels.

Materials are published with the personal permission of the author - Ph.D. Maznevoy O.A. (see "Our Library")

The genre-compositional structure of the novel is complex. Plot-wise, it is close to the detective-adventure genre, but the detailed and thoroughly depicted background against which events unfold, the effectiveness of the very image of St. Petersburg allows us to speak about the genre of a social and everyday novel. There is also a love line in it (Dunya - Svidrigailov, Luzhin, Razumikhin; Raskolnikov - Sonya). An in-depth study of the inner world of the characters, so characteristic of Dostoevsky, makes this novel also psychological. But all these genre features, intertwined in a single artistic whole of the work, create a completely new type of novel.

“Crime and Punishment” is the first of Dostoevsky’s “great” novels, in which his artistic and philosophical system was embodied. At the center of this novel is the idea of ​​individualism, which is contrasted with the idea of ​​Christian humility and redemptive suffering. This determines the highly ideological nature of the text of the work, saturated with deep and complex philosophical problems. Therefore, Dostoevsky’s novel is rightfully classified as an ideological and philosophical novel. Indeed, the author’s attention, despite the adventure-detective plot, is focused not on the events rapidly unfolding before the reader’s eyes, but on the thoughts, philosophical reasoning, and ideological disputes of the characters. In essence, the writer shows the fate of the idea that pushed the hero to commit a crime, which allows him to organically include the most complex philosophical problems in the work. At the same time, the novel does not become a philosophical treatise, since it is not about an abstract idea, but about a hero who is completely embraced by it.

This is how a special type of hero arises, who began to be called the hero-idea (or hero-ideologist). This is a special type of literary hero, which first appeared in Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”, the peculiarity of which is that it is not just a social or psychological type, a certain character or temperament, but first of all a person captured by an idea (sublime or destructive), which “turning into nature” requires “immediate application to the case” (F.M. Dostoevsky). Such heroes - carriers of ideas - in the novel are primarily Raskolnikov (the idea of ​​individualism) and Sonya Marmeladova (the Christian idea). But in their own way, each of the characters in this novel also represents “their” idea: Marmeladov embodies the idea of ​​a dead end in life, which he himself substantiated, investigator Porfiry Petrovich expresses a whole system of arguments in defense of the idea of ​​Christian humility and redemptive suffering, which he, like Sonya, offers to accept Raskolnikov. Even the almost speechless Lizaveta, killed by Raskolnikov, participates in the duel of ideas waged by the main characters.

This is how a special artistic structure arises in which ideas, through their carriers, enter into a free dialogue. It is conducted not only at the level of various discussions, disputes, various statements of the heroes (aloud or to themselves), but, most importantly, it is embodied in the destinies of these heroes. The author’s position is not directly expressed; the action moves as if by itself as a result of the development of the main idea (the idea of ​​individualism), which manifests itself in constant collision and intersection with the Christian idea that contrasts it. And only the final result of the complex movement and development of ideas allows us to talk about the author’s position in this unique ideological and philosophical dispute.

In this way, a completely new type of novel is formed, which became Dostoevsky’s artistic discovery. The theoretical justification for this new type, called the polyphonic novel, was made only in the 20th century by M.M. Bakhtin. He also suggested the name “polyphonic” (from polyphony - polyphony). The role of “voices” in it is played by heroic ideas. The peculiarity of such a novel is that the philosophical views of the writer, which are at the center of the work, are not expressed in direct statements of the author or characters (the principle of objectivity), but are revealed through the clash and struggle of different points of view embodied in the hero-ideas ( dialogue structure). Moreover, the idea itself is realized through the fate of such a hero - hence the in-depth psychological analysis that permeates all levels of the artistic structure of the work.

The psychological analysis of the state of the criminal before and after committing the murder in the novel is merged with the analysis of Raskolnikov’s “idea”. The novel is structured in such a way that the reader is constantly in the sphere of consciousness of the hero - Raskolnikov, although the narration is told from the third person. That is why his words, incomprehensible to the reader, about the “test” sound so strange when he goes to the old woman. After all, the reader is not privy to Raskolnikov’s plan and can only guess what “matter” he is talking about with himself. The specific plan of the hero is revealed only 50 pages from the beginning of the novel, immediately before the crime itself. We become aware of the existence of Raskolnikov’s complete theory and even an article outlining it only on the two hundredth page of the novel - from a conversation with Porfiry Petrovich. This method of silence is used by the writer in relation to other heroes. So only at the very end of the novel do we learn the history of Dunya’s relationship with Svidrigailov - immediately before the denouement of this relationship. Of course, this, among other things, helps to make the plot more entertaining.

All this is very unlike the psychologism traditional in Russian literature. “I am not a psychologist,” Dostoevsky said about himself, “I am only a realist in the highest sense, that is, I depict all the depths of the human soul.” The great writer was distrustful of the word “psychology” itself, calling the concept behind it a “double-edged sword.” In the novel we see not just a study, but a test of the soul and thoughts of the hero - this is the semantic and emotional core to which all the plot moves, all the events of the work, all the feelings and sensations of both the leading and episodic characters are drawn. The method of Dostoevsky the psychologist consists in the writer’s penetration into the consciousness and soul of the hero in order to reveal the idea he carries, and with it his true nature, which comes out in unexpected, extreme, provoking situations. No wonder the word “suddenly” is used 560 times in Crime and Punishment!

The originality of Dostoevsky’s psychologism also determines the specificity of his plot constructions. Believing that the true essence of a person is revealed only in moments of greatest upheaval, the writer strives to knock his characters out of their usual rut in life and into a state of crisis. The dynamics of the plot lead them from disaster to disaster, depriving them of solid ground under their feet, forcing them again and again to desperately “storm” unsolvable “damned” questions.

The compositional structure of “Crime and Punishment” can be described as a chain of catastrophes: Raskolnikov’s crime, which brought him to the threshold of life and death, then the death of Marmeladov, the madness and death of Katerina Ivanovna that soon followed, and, finally, the suicide of Svidrigailov. The prehistory to the novel’s action also tells about Sonya’s catastrophe, and the epilogue about Raskolnikov’s mother. Of all these heroes, only Sonya and Raskolnikov manage to survive and escape. The intervals between catastrophes are occupied by intense dialogues between Raskolnikov and other characters, of which two conversations with Porfiry Petrovich stand out. The second, most terrible “conversation” for Raskolnikov with the investigator, when he drives Raskolnikov almost to the point of insanity, hoping that he will give himself away, is the compositional center of the novel, and conversations with Sonya are located before and after, framing it. Material from the site

Dostoevsky believed that only in such extreme situations: in the face of death or in moments of final determination of the purpose and meaning of his existence, is a person able to renounce the vanity of life and turn to the eternal questions of existence. Subjecting his characters to merciless psychological analysis precisely in these moments, the writer comes to the conclusion that in such circumstances the fundamental difference in character disappears and becomes unimportant. After all, despite the uniqueness of individual feelings, the “eternal questions” face the same ones. This is why another phenomenon of Dostoevsky’s polyphonic novel arises - duality. We are talking not only about the specifics of the characters and the peculiarities of psychological analysis, but also about one of the most important principles of constructing Dostoevsky’s polyphonic novel - the system of doubles.

The action of Dostoevsky's polyphonic novel is based on the collision of contrasting ideological poles with complete equality of ideas, which are further revealed with the help of a system of doubles. In Crime and Punishment, the idea of ​​individualism, the main bearer of which is Raskolnikov, is clarified in the images of Luzhin and Svidrigailov, who become his doubles, or rather, doubles of the idea inherent in him. The bearer of the Christian idea is Sonechka Marmeladova, and her doubles (doubles of the idea) are Lizaveta, Mikolka, Dunya. The inner essence of Sonechka Marmeladova, as a hero-idea, consists of the foundations of the Christian idea: doing good and taking on the suffering of the world. This is what fills Sonechka’s life with deep meaning and light, despite the surrounding dirt and darkness. Connected with the image of Sonechka is Dostoevsky’s belief that the world will be saved by fraternal unity between people in the name of Christ and that the basis of this unity must be sought not in the society of the “powerful of this world,” but in the depths of people’s Russia. The special form of the novel helps the writer to express it - polyphonic, as well as the entire system of artistic means inherent in it, first of all, the system of images of the novel.

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The history of the novel The idea of ​​writing the novel
probably dates back to the time
stay of F. M. Dostoevsky
in hard labor. October 9, 1859 from
Tver he writes to his brother: “In December
I'll start a novel... Don't you remember
I told you about a confession, a novel that I wanted to write
after all, saying what else
you have to experience it yourself. The other day
I completely decided to write it
immediately... My whole heart is with
blood will be put into this novel. I
conceived it in hard labor, lying on
bunk, in a difficult moment of sadness and
self-destruction... Confession
will finally establish my name.”

The history of the novel

Plot, composition

Novel genre

Symbolism of colors, names and numbers in the novel

Symbolism of colors, names and numbers in the novel

Symbolism of colors, names and numbers in the novel

Symbolism of colors, names and numbers in the novel

Symbolism of colors, names and numbers in the novel

Symbolism of colors, names and numbers in the novel

REFLECTION

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Homework

“Crime and Punishment” is one of the most famous and widely read novels by F.M. Dostoevsky. The novel brought him fame. Here he touches on the same theme as in the novels “The Idiot” and “The Brothers Karamazov”, the theme of sin and redemption. In most of his works, Dostoevsky talks about the degradation of Russian society and family. This novel was no exception, since it is about a poor student Raskolnikov, who kills the old pawnbroker Alena Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta Ivanovna, killing for the highest goal, to free people from her oppression.

Since the novel contains murder planning, investigation and a judge's decision, it can be called a crime novel. But the novel also contains elements of other genres. It is considered psychological, since Raskolnikov’s inner world before and after the crime, the path to Siberia, where he is serving his sentence, is completely revealed.

Also, through the life of Raskolnikov, we can follow the life of the alcoholic Marmeladov and his family: his sick wife Katerina Ivanovna and daughter Sonya, who will sacrifice her life for the sake of the family.

In addition, there is the family of Marfa Petrovna, who, together with other characters, symbolize poverty, revealing through them the kingdom of the poor. The novel can be called social, since there is a clear division of society into rich and poor. In addition, the novel has philosophical tendencies, since it tells the story of a murder committed for ethical reasons, in which Raskolnikov passionately believes.

He created the idea of ​​extraordinary people who have a greater right to break laws in order to achieve the highest goal that will help humanity. The novel consists of 6 parts and an epilogue. The murder and the killer are presented in the first part, the investigation and internal battles of Raskolnikov in subsequent parts.

Genre: novel

Subject: Raskolnikov is tormented by the idea of ​​justice, and he will understand this as soon as he kills Alena Ivanovna, the old pawnbroker, making the poor happier with their money. After the murder, his conscience does not allow him to live in peace.

Place: Russia

Time: 19th century

Crime and punishment retelling

The time span of the plot is only 9 and a half days, the action takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia. Everything takes place in the 19th century. The story unfolds around a young, poor law student, Rodion Raskolnikov. He misses more and more lectures, and absorbs more and more ideas from Western Europe.

Raskolnikov believes that humanity is divided into two parts. Ordinary mortals who must live in harmony with the laws and exceptions, such as Napoleon, who can commit any crime if in return they can offer something more valuable to humanity.

Raskolnikov decides to implement his ideas in life by killing Alena Ivanovna. She was an old, greedy pawnbroker; by killing her, at least more than a thousand people would be saved. With her disappearance, many would be simply happy, for example, her sister Lizaveta Ivanovna, who suffers from the harassment of her older sister. At first, Raskolnikov pushes these thoughts away from himself, although he had already decided to develop a murder plan for himself, but was not completely sure that he would be able to pull off this plan.

He depends on many small details that incite him to commit crimes, such as letters from his mother. Conversations with Marmeladov, meeting with Sonya. His mother wrote that the only way to save her sister from Svidrigailov was to marry her to Luzhin. The money and position that she can get will help Raskolnikov graduate from law school. He was not able to accept such a sacrifice from his sister, and the sad Sonya also plunges him into even greater depression. In the end, he finds out that the old pawnbroker is left alone at about 7 o'clock.

After an internal struggle, he comes to Alena’s apartment. Kills an old, greedy woman. But things become more complicated as Lizaveta unexpectedly appears. Raskolnikov had to kill her too.

He begins to panic because he does not know what to take with him at this moment. He grabs a few things and runs away. After the murder, he falls ill and spends several days in a semi-conscious state. Razumikhin, his friend, takes care of him. While Raskolnikov is sick and lying in bed, Luzhin, his sister's rich fiancé, visits him.

In fact, Luzhin is looking for a poor and useful woman who will be grateful to him for the rest of her life. He wants to find someone who will serve him and remain faithful always. Raskolnikov asks him to leave, because he is against the superiority that he demonstrates towards his sister.

When Raskolnikov gets better, he gets out of bed and decides to go out and read the newspapers. He wants to find out the description of the crime from the newspapers. He comes close to telling the cop everything and makes himself suspect number one as he returns to the crime scene.

Raskolnikov is surrounded by terrible things. He witnessed the death of Marmeladov. He is hit by a cart when he tries to cross the road drunk. Raskolnikov wants to help by giving money to the widow.

He finds Dunya's sister and mother in his room. They are preparing for the wedding, but Raskolnikov is against this marriage. He doesn't want his sister to marry such a pathetic and terrible man. Also Svidrigailov, Dunya's ex-employer, whose wife died a suspicious death, comes to the city.

Dunya hired herself to work for him as a nanny, and Svidrigailov wanted to seduce her. He asks Raskolnikov to arrange a meeting for him with Dunya, and even offers a lot of money, but Dunya and Raskolnikov come to the conclusion that a connection with such a suspicious person would be out of the ordinary.

While the plot turns towards the lovers Razumikhin and Dunya, Raskolnikov asks the police to come and take away the watch that he pawned to Alena. He is put in an awkward position because Porfiry Petrovich asks a tricky question. The plot suddenly takes an unexpected turn when the artist Nikoy confesses to the crime.

Now he can be happy and free from accusations, but Raskolnikov’s conscience does not give him peace. He wants to confess to the murder.

He comes to Marmeladov’s daughter Sonya. Since her family is now in even greater distress, she has no choice but to turn to prostitution to support her family.

Despite her job, she is a woman of high morals, and is very religious. She advised Raskolnikov to confess and repent for his crimes. He soon learns that Nikolai confessed only because he was a religious fanatic, believing that he could atone for his sins by taking on others.

The story takes a turn when Svidrigailov overhears a conversation between Raskolnikov and Sonya, in which he confesses to the murder of Alena. Since he receives valuable information, he decides to use it to blackmail Dunya. Dunya rejects and shoots him. The bullet only scratches him, but then he takes the gun and kills himself.

Svidrigailov leaves all the money to Duna, Sonya and Marmeladov’s children. So he decided to do one good thing by undoing his bad life.

In the end, Raskolnikov admits to what he did. He is sentenced to eight years in Siberia. Sonya decides to join him and next to her he goes through spiritual renewal.

Characters: Rodion Raskolnikov, Marmeladov, Katerina Ivanovna, Alena Ivanovna, Lizaveta, Sonya, Dunya, Porfiry, Svidrigailov, Pulcheria Aleksandrovna Raskolnikova, Razumikhin, Luzhin...

Character Analysis

Rodion Raskolnikov- the main character of the novel. He is tall and has dark eyes. Forced to live in a small room in St. Petersburg, which reminds him of a coffin, where the streets are dirty with waste. He is described as a law student with a sensitive character, representing both a criminal and a righteous man.

One of the starting points of a crime novel is the motive of the crime.

(revenge, passion, mental imbalance...) The hero enjoys moments when he feels in control of the situation. Raskolnikov is a more complex character than an ordinary criminal. He wants to prove his point by committing murder, and for him the crime is nothing more than a moral decision, since he kills the fearful pawnbroker who is harassing other people. In this way he tested his moral and mental strength.

The protagonist thinks that if he is able to kill the reptile who has been the cause of pain in society, then he clearly belongs to the chosen ones, the driving force that will be perceived as the creation of history.

A person can take someone's life only for a higher purpose. The main character wants to help the Marmeladov family. He doesn't think about the profit from killing.
He fell ill in Siberia, and his ego was also hurt. He did not suffer, accepting life broadly, but not being able to achieve the highest goal. And only love could cure him; Sonya forces him to read the Gospel. The Christian way of thinking overcomes his mind and he becomes a different person

Alena Ivanovna- an old, greedy pawnbroker who is killed by Raskolnikov. He wanted to kill her with good intentions for humanity.

Marmeladov– an alcoholic whose family lives in poverty. He is a true example of life, becomes unhappy due to sad events, and becomes a victim of his vice

Sonya– Marmeladov’s daughter becomes a prostitute to feed her family. She helps Raskolnikov change.

Dunya– Raskolnikov’s sister, is described as a person capable of doing something for her family. She was even ready to get married for money.

Fyodor Dostoevsky biography

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821 – 1881) Russian novelist, side by side with Tolstoy, one of the best writers of Russian realism. He lived a difficult life in poverty and suffered from epilepsy. He suffered a death sentence, a Siberian prison and the death of loved ones.

To please his father, he entered the military academy in January 1838, when he was 16 years old. He never liked studying there. He began writing at the age of 20, and in May 1845 he wrote his first novel, Poor People.

A big turn in life was his participation in the utopian idea of ​​a socialist society, because of which he was sentenced to death in 1849. But he was saved by hard labor in Siberia, where he spent 10 years.

Early in his career he followed in Gogol's footsteps and introduced some ideas of social policy. After serving his sentence, described in the work “Notes from Underground” in 1861, he not only abandoned the path of revolution, but also condemned this idea (the novel “Demons” from 1871 - 1872) and plunged deeply into the world of mysticism and the Orthodox Church.

Dostoevsky worked as a journalist. He began traveling around Western Europe, where he became a gambler, which led to financial difficulties. For some time he borrowed money, but in the end, he became one of the most read Russian writers.

His books have been translated into more than 170 languages. His main novels are “Crime and Punishment”, “Poor People”, “Notes from Underground”, “The Idiot” and “The Brothers Karamazov”.

He died in January 1881 from pulmonary hemorrhage.