Crime and Punishment (Readings Classics)

Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is a young thinking person who believes that he is above the normal moral order. He begins on a risky journey-a first-hand exploration of the laws of morality-and kills two people whose lives, according to his estimation, have no value for society. After the murders, he starts interacting with Porfiry Petrovich, the police officer investigating the crime. Petrovich is already familiar with an article written by Raskolnikov titled On Crime , in which the author has argued that certain rare human beings have the right to transgress existing moral boundaries if they perceive these boundaries to be a hindrance in their desire to assert their will on the world. After a while, Raskolnikov s conscience starts pestering him and he begins to explore the option of his reintegration into society. Inspired by the real-life case of Pierre François Lacenaire, a French killer, a poet and a memoirist, Crime and Punishment is a novel of immense cultural influence, a feat achieved by Dostoyevsky s intense prose and relentless exploration of the limits of collective social life. It compels readers to question their moral torpor and asks them to look at ethics and morality in a new way. The novel has led to more than twenty-five screen adaptations.