The creative history of the creation of the novel "Crime and Punishment"

Prehistory of the novel

"Crime and Punishment" created in 1865-1866. But at the same time it is also the result of many years of earlier reflections of Dostoevsky. From his letters to A.N. Maikov and M.M.Dostoevsky, we know that even at hard labor in the creative mind of the writer was formed "a great final ... story" (letter to A.N. Maikov dated January 18, 1856). Its idea was replaced by a number of other novelistic ideas that remained unfulfilled or realized according to the conditions of Dostoevsky's life and writing in the 1850s and early 1860s, only in a truncated form in comparison with the original, broader plans. As you might think, the plot of "Crime and Punishment" has absorbed many elements from these earlier, at one time unrealized plans.

The fact that one of the central ideas of the novel had fully developed by 1863 is evidenced by the diary of A.P. Suslova. Here, on September 17, 1863, A.P. Suslova, who was at that time with Dostoevsky in Italy, in Turin, made the following entry: “When we were having lunch (at the hotel), he (Dostoevsky), looking at the girl who was taking lessons , said: "Well, imagine, such a girl with an old man, and suddenly some Napoleon says:" Destroy the whole city. "" It has always been like this in the world. "

This entry is the first documentary evidence that introduces us to the circle of the main philosophical ideas of the future "Crime and Punishment". However, Dostoevsky later turned to creative work on the novel and to pondering its plot. Murashova, O.A. The topic of sin and punishment, or "The psychological account of one crime." Literature at school. - 2006. - No. 9. - S. 25-28

An essential stage on the path that brought the author closer to Crime and Punishment was the work on Notes from the Underground. The tragedy of a thinking individualist hero, his proud ecstasy of his "idea" and defeat in the face of "living life", which is embodied in the "Notes" by the direct predecessor of Sonya Marmeladova, a girl from a brothel, whose image in "Notes", however, does not yet bear the deep philosophical and ethical load that the image of Sonya carries - these basic general outlines of the Notes directly prepare Crime and Punishment.

The next link known to us in the history of the development of the concept of "Crime and Punishment" is the plan of the novel "The Drunken", conceived in 1864. The only note to it that has come down to us is in the notebook of 1861-1864.

Back in 1847, in the Petersburg Chronicle, Dostoevsky wrote about the “thirst for activity” and the absence of preconditions for it as a painful phenomenon characteristic of Russian post-Petrine society. This theme was further developed in the articles of the Dostoevsky period of "Time", where the separation of the educated society and the people in Russia after the Peter's reform became for Dostoevsky the central tragic knot of Russian life. She was also supposed to appear as one of the main in the novel "Drunken". The outline in it says that the decline of "morality" in Russia is associated with the absence of "action" for 150 years, that is, since the time of Peter I.

In June 1865 Dostoevsky offered the conceived novel to the publisher of Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti VF Korsh and in Otechestvennye zapiski to AA Kraevsky. He wrote to Kraevsky on June 8: “I am asking for 3000 rubles. now, forward for the novel, which I undertake to formally deliver to the editorial office of Otechestvennye zapiski no later than the first days of the beginning October this year. My novel is called "The Drunken" and will be in connection with the current question of drunkenness. Not only the question is sorted out, but all its ramifications are presented, mainly pictures of families, raising children in this situation, etc., etc. - There will be at least 20 sheets , but maybe more. 150 rubles for the sheet ... (For the "Dead House" I received 250 rubles in the "Russian World" and in "Vremya") "A. Kraevsky replied on June 11 with a refusal - - due to the lack of money and a large stock of fiction at the editorial office. ”Korsh even earlier, on June 5, wrote two letters at once, personal and official, - also with an actual refusal.

There is no doubt that Dostoevsky proposed a work that had not yet been written, and hardly even begun. Almost simultaneously with his appeal to A.A. for these labors I did not have time to write almost a single line. I have now begun one job for which I can take money only in the fall. It is necessary to finish this work as soon as possible in order to start, having received money, paying off debts. "

Perhaps Dostoevsky, as usual, made notes for the novel in a notebook of the first half of 1865, which was later lost. He reported this loss on May 9, 1866 to his friend AE Wrangel, asking him to recall the amount of last year's debt: "... I lost my notebook and remember my debt approximately, but not exactly."

On July 2, 1865, Dostoevsky, experiencing severe hardship, was forced to conclude an agreement with the publisher FT Stellovsky. For the same three thousand rubles, which Kraevsky refused to pay for the novel, Dostoevsky sold Stellovsky the right to publish the complete collection of his works in three volumes and, in addition, was obliged to write for him a new novel of at least ten sheets by November 1, 1866. The agreement was onerous, but it allowed to pay off priority debts and go abroad for the summer. Three months later, Dostoevsky remarked in a letter to A. Ye. Wrangel that he "went abroad to improve his health and write something." He added: "I wrote to write, but my health became worse." Belov S.V. Roman F.M. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment". M., Education, 1984, p. 237-245

Leaving "The Drunken", Dostoevsky abroad conceived a story, the idea of ​​which was the seed of the future "Crime and Punishment". In September 1865 he offered it to the publisher of the Russian Bulletin MN Katkov. Before that, the writer had never been published in Katkov's magazine. The very idea to turn now to the "Russian Bulletin" was, in all likelihood, submitted by Princess N. P. Shalikova, a writer (pseudonyms E. Narekaya and P. Gorka), a distant relative of Katkov. In a later letter to Dostoevsky (1873), she recalled “a meeting in Wiesbaden at Fr. Yanishev "(the local priest) and" a short, sincere conversation in the alleys of Wiesbaden. "

Dostoevsky did not immediately dare to turn to the Russian Bulletin. In August 1865, he still hoped to receive an advance payment for the story and for the promised “Letters from Abroad” from the Library for Reading. August in Wiesbaden: “We cannot expect money from the editorial board of the Library for Reading before the end of Russian August. When I get it, I will hasten to send them to you, and I humbly ask you to make it easier for me either with your story, or with your letters, and even better with both. All this would be a gain for us, but for me personally it would still be a great joy ... In conclusion, I humbly ask you to allow me to send you at least one hundred francs, before August 26, if they had accumulated with us, for which, however, they are not very reliable " ... Having received no money from the Library for Reading, Dostoevsky wrote from Wiesbaden to his old acquaintance (from the time of the Petrashevsky circle) LP Milyukov at the beginning of September. The letter has not survived, but in his memoirs Miliukov recounts its content and quotes: “I am sitting in a hotel, I have to be around, and they threaten me; not a penny money "; the plot of the conceived story “expanded and got rich”. Then followed a request "to sell the story wherever it is, but only with the condition that 300 rubles be sent immediately." Miliukov walked around the editorial offices of the Library for Reading, Sovremennik, and Notes of the Fatherland; was refused everywhere. Almi I.L. About one of the sources of the concept of the novel "Crime and Punishment". Literature at school. - 2001. - No. 5. - S. 16-18.

The Belova text of Dostoevsky's letter to Katkov is unknown. But the letter was sent, since in October 1865 the requested money was sent to Dostoevsky by the editorial board of the Russian Bulletin. Later, in November - December, when in the course of work the idea was transformed and the story turned into a novel, complications arose due to the size of the fee, but at first 300 rubles in advance for the story were sent to the author immediately. True, Dostoevsky did not receive this money on time. They came to Wiesbaden when the writer had already left there, and were sent to him by I. L. Yanyshev in St. Petersburg.

Dostoevsky attached great importance to his letter to the publisher of the Russian Bulletin: in his notebook with preparatory materials for the novel, there is his draft. These few pages are of prime importance for dating the early stages of the work and for understanding its nature. Dostoevsky wrote to Katkov:

“Can I hope to put my story in your journal P (Russian) V (estnik)”?

I have been writing it here in Wiesbaden for 2 months and now I am finishing it. It will contain five to six printed sheets. There is still work to be done for another two weeks, maybe even more. In any case, I can say for sure that in a month, and by no means later, it could have been delivered to the editorial office of R (ussky) V (istnya) ka. Altman M. S. Dostoevsky. 1975, p. 67-68

The idea of ​​the story cannot, as far as I can guess, contradict your journal in anything; even the opposite. This is a psychological record of one crime. The action is modern this year. A young man, expelled from university students, a philistine by birth and living in extreme poverty, out of frivolity, but vacillation in concepts, succumbing to some strange, "unfinished" ideas that are in the air, decided to get out of his bad situation at once. one old woman, a titular counselor who gives money for interest. The old woman is stupid, deaf, sick, greedy, takes Jewish interest, is angry and seizes someone else's age, torturing her younger sister in her workers. lives? "," is she useful to anyone? " and so on - 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 in companions with some landowners, from the voluptuous claims of the head of this landowner family - claims that threaten her with death - to finish the course, to go abroad and then all my life to be honest, firm, unswerving in the fulfillment of a “humane duty to humanity” - which, of course, will “ameliorate the crime”, if only one can call this act of a deaf, stupid, evil and sick old woman a crime She herself does not know why she lives in the world, and in a month, perhaps, she would have died by itself. Kunarev, A.A. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, or the Secret of the “former student”. Russian language. - 2002. - No. 1. - S. 76-81

Despite the fact that such crimes are terribly difficult to commit - that is, almost always rudely expose the ends, evidence, etc. and an awful lot is left to chance, which almost always betrays the culprit; he - in a completely random way - manages to complete his enterprise both quickly and successfully.

He spends almost a month after that until the final catastrophe, there is no suspicion of him and cannot be. This is where the entire psychological process of crime unfolds. Unsolved questions rise up before the killer, unsuspecting and unexpected feelings torment his heart. God's righteousness, the earthly law takes its toll, and he ends up compelled to convey to yourself. Compelled, though to perish in hard labor, but to join the people again; the feeling of being disconnected and disconnected from humanity, which he felt immediately after committing the crime, tortured him. The law of truth and human nature took their toll, killed beliefs, even without resistance). The offender himself decides to accept the torment in order to atone for his cause. However, it is difficult for me to fully explain my idea.

In addition, my story hints at the idea that the imposed legal punishment for a crime is much less intimidating the criminal than the legislators think, in part because he himself his morally demands.

I saw this even in the most undeveloped people, in the most gross accident. I wanted to express this precisely on a developed person, on a new generation, so that the thought would be brighter and more tangible. Several recent incidents have convinced plot mine is not at all eccentric, namely that the killer of a developed and even good inclination (s) m (young) person. I was told last year in Moscow (right) about a student who was turned off from the university after the Moscow student (s) history - that he decided to break the mail and kill the postman. There are still many traces in your newspapers about the extraordinary vacillation of concepts that lead to terrible deeds. (The seminarian who killed the girl by agreement with her in the barn and who was taken an hour later for breakfast, etc.). In short, I am convinced that my plot partly justifies the present.

It goes without saying that I have missed the whole plot in this present presentation of the idea of ​​my story. I can vouch for the amusement, and I don’t take it upon myself to judge the artistic performance. I have happened to write too many very, very bad things, in a hurry, on time, and so on. However, I wrote this thing slowly and eagerly. I will try, at least for myself only, finish it as best you can. "

Without touching at all what constituted a particular difficulty in the work - the search for the desired tone, artistic form, Dostoevsky defined in detail the content and main idea of ​​the story in his letter. A "psychological account" about a crime that was born under the influence of modern "unfinished ideas" and about the moral repentance of a criminal who was thus convinced of the inconsistency of these ideas - this is the main meaning of the story. Even at this stage of work, it did not envisage that huge social background that was present in the idea of ​​"The Drunken" and entered the novel "Crime as Punishment" with Marmeladov's line. There is no title for the story in the letter; since the record of its beginning in the notebook has been lost, it remains unknown to us. Perhaps at that time it was not yet. Dostoevsky, F.M. Full collection Op. in 30 volumes. L., 1972-1990, vol. 7, p. 387-399

In addition to the letter to Katkov, two September letters have survived To AE Wrangel with evidence of work on the story. On September 10 (22), talking about his plight and asking for a loan of 100 thalers, Dostoevsky wrote: “I was hoping for my story, which I am writing day and night. But instead of 3 sheets, it stretched out into 6, and the work is still not finished. True, I will have more money, but in any case, I will not receive it from Russia before a month. Until then? Here they are already threatening with the police. What should I do?" Six days later, in a letter dated September 28, 1865, Dostoevsky thanked Wrangel for the money sent, told about the letter to Katkov and about his work: I wrote if they give me time to finish it. Oh my friend! You will not believe what kind of flour it is to write to order. "

This is the end of the epistolary and memoir evidence relating to the first - foreign - period of work. The most essential, inner, creative side of it is revealed by the author's manuscripts. Dostoevsky, F.M. Full collection Op. in 30 volumes. L., 1972-1990, vol. 7, p. 410-412

When was the novel "Crime and Punishment" few people remember, although everyone remembers his plot.

"Crime and Punishment" year of writing

The novel "Crime and Punishment" was written in 1866 year by the writer F.M.Dostoevsky.

Dostoevsky wrote the novel from 1865-1866. “Crime and Punishment” reproduces the life of the urban poor, reflects the growth of social inequality and crime.

The novel was published in parts from January to December 1866. Dostoevsky worked a lot on the novel, hurrying to add fresh chapters to each regular book of the magazine. Soon after the publication of the novel in the magazine, Dostoevsky published it as a separate edition: “A novel in six parts with an epilogue by FM Dostoevsky. Revised edition ”. For this edition, Dostoevsky made significant reductions and changes in the text: three parts of the journal editorial office were transformed into six, partly changed and the division into chapters.

The main motive of the novel "Crime and Punishment"- this is a fall in morality. In his work FM Dostoevsky talks about people living an intense spiritual life, who painfully, persistently seek the truth.
The writer shows the life of different social groups: the disadvantaged urban people, crushed by want and humiliation, the educated poor, rebelling against evil and violence, successful businessmen. Dostoevsky deeply investigates not only the inner world of an individual person, but also his psychology. He poses complex social, moral and philosophical questions. The search for answers to these questions, the struggle of ideas - that is what constitutes the basis of the novel.

Crime and Punishment is the most famous novel by F.M. Dostoevsky, who made a powerful revolution in public consciousness. Writing a novel symbolizes the discovery of a higher, new stage in the work of a genius writer. In the novel, with the psychologism inherent in Dostoevsky, the path of the restless human soul through the thorns of suffering to the comprehension of the Truth is shown.

History of creation

The way of creating the work was very difficult. The idea of ​​the novel with the underlying theory of the "superman" began to emerge while the writer was in hard labor, it matured for many years, but the very idea of ​​revealing the essence of "ordinary" and "extraordinary" people crystallized during Dostoevsky's stay in Italy ...

The beginning of work on the novel was marked by the merger of two drafts - the unfinished novel "Drunken" and the outline of the novel, the plot of which is based on the confession of one of the convicts. Subsequently, the plot was based on the story of a poor student Rodion Raskolnikov, who killed an old money-lender for the good of his family. The life of the big city, full of drama and conflict, became one of the main characters of the novel.

Fyodor Mikhailovich worked on the novel in 1865-1866, and almost immediately after graduation in 1866 it was published in the journal "Russian Bulletin". The response among reviewers and the literary community at that time was very stormy - from wild admiration to strong rejection. The novel has undergone repeated dramatization and was subsequently filmed. The first theatrical performance in Russia took place in 1899 (it is noteworthy that it was staged abroad 11 years earlier).

Description of the work

The action takes place in a poor area of ​​St. Petersburg in the 1860s. Rodion Raskolnikov, a former student, pays the last valuable thing to the old woman-usurper. Filled with hatred for her, he is plotting a terrible murder. On the way home, he looks into one of the drinking establishments, where he meets the completely degraded official Marmeladov. Rodion listens to painful revelations about the unfortunate fate of his daughter, Sonya Marmeladova, who, at the suggestion of her stepmother, was forced to earn a living for her family by prostitution.

Soon Raskolnikov receives a letter from his mother and is horrified by the moral violence against his younger sister Dunya, which was perpetrated on her by the cruel and depraved landowner Svidrigailov. Raskolnikov's mother hopes to arrange the fate of her children by marrying her daughter to Pyotr Luzhin, a very wealthy man, but at the same time everyone understands that there will be no love in this marriage and the girl will again be doomed to suffering. Rodion's heart breaks with pity for Sonya and Duna, and the thought of killing the hated old woman is firmly entrenched in his mind. He is going to spend the money of the pawnbroker, earned in an unrighteous way, on a good cause - the deliverance of suffering girls and boys from humiliating poverty.

Despite the aversion to bloody violence rising in his soul, Raskolnikov nevertheless commits a grave sin. In addition, in addition to the old woman, he kills her meek sister Lizaveta, an unwitting witness to a serious crime. Rodion hardly manages to escape from the scene of the crime, while he hides the old woman's wealth in a random place, without even assessing their real value.

Raskolnikov's mental suffering causes social alienation between him and those around him, and Rodion falls ill from his experiences. Soon he learns that another person is accused of the crime he committed - a simple village guy Mikolka. Painful reactions to the conversations of others about the crime become too noticeable and suspicious.

Further, the novel describes the grievous ordeals of the soul of a student-murderer, trying to find peace of mind, to find at least some moral justification for the crime committed. A bright thread runs through the novel Rodion's communication with the unfortunate, but at the same time kind and highly spiritual girl Sonya Marmeladova. Her soul is troubled by the inconsistency of inner purity with a sinful way of life, and Raskolnikov finds a kindred spirit in this girl. Lonely Sonya and university friend Razumikhin become a support for the tormented former student Rodion.

Over time, the investigator in the murder case, Porfiry Petrovich, finds out the detailed circumstances of the crime and Raskolnikov, after long moral torment, recognizes himself as a murderer and goes to hard labor. Selfless Sonya does not leave her closest friend and goes after him, thanks to the girl, the spiritual transformation of the main character of the novel takes place.

The main characters of the novel

(Illustration by I. Glazunov Raskolnikov in his closet)

The duality of emotional impulses lies in the surname of the protagonist of the novel. His whole life is permeated with the question - will violations of the law be justified if they are committed in the name of love for neighbors? Under the pressure of external circumstances, Raskolnikov, in practice, goes through all circles of moral hell associated with murder for the sake of helping loved ones. Catharsis comes thanks to the most dear person - Sonya Marmeladova, who helps the soul of a restless murderer student to find peace, despite the difficult conditions of a convict existence.

Wisdom and humility bears the image of this amazing, tragic, and at the same time sublime heroine. For the sake of the well-being of her neighbors, she trampled on the most precious thing she has - her female honor. Despite her way of earning money, Sonya does not arouse the slightest contempt, her pure soul, adherence to the ideals of Christian morality delights the readers of the novel. Being a faithful and loving friend of Rodion, she goes with him to the very end.

The mysteriousness and ambiguity of this character makes you once again think about the versatility of human nature. A cunning and vicious person on the one hand, by the end of the novel he shows his care and concern for his orphaned children and helps Sonya Marmeladova restore her damaged reputation.

A successful entrepreneur, a person with a respectable appearance, makes a deceptive impression. Luzhin is cold, greedy, does not shun slander, he wants from his wife not love, but exclusively servility and obedience.

Analysis of the work

The compositional construction of the novel is a polyphonic form, where the line of each of the main characters is multifaceted, self-sufficient, and at the same time actively interacts with the themes of the other characters. Also, the peculiarities of the novel are the amazing concentration of events - the time frame of the novel is limited to two weeks, which, with such a significant volume, is a rather rare phenomenon in world literature of that time.

The structural composition of the novel is quite simple - 6 parts, each of them, in turn, is divided into 6-7 chapters. A feature is the lack of synchronization of Raskolnikov's days with the clear and laconic structure of the novel, which emphasizes the confusion of the protagonist's inner state. The first part describes the three days of Raskolnikov's life, and from the second, the number of events grows with each chapter, reaching an amazing concentration.

Another feature of the novel is the hopeless doom and tragic fate of most of its heroes. Until the end of the novel, only young characters will remain with the reader - Rodion and Dunya Raskolnikov, Sonya Marmeladova, Dmitry Razumikhin.

Dostoevsky himself considered his novel "a psychological account of one crime," he is sure that mental anguish prevails over legal punishment. The main character departs from God and is carried away by the ideas of nihilism, popular at that time, and only towards the end of the novel there is a return to Christian morality, the author leaves the hero with a hypothetical possibility of repentance.

Final conclusion

Throughout the novel "Crime and Punishment", Rodion Raskolnikov's worldview is transformed from one close to Nietzsche, who was obsessed with the idea of ​​a "superman", to a Christian one with his teaching of Divine love, humility and mercy. The social concept of the novel is closely intertwined with the evangelical teaching of love and forgiveness. The entire novel is imbued with the true Christian spirit and makes us perceive all the events and actions of people taking place in life through the prism of the possibility of spiritual transformation of humanity.

Dostoevsky's book Crime and Punishment touches upon social and psychological issues that worried people of that time. The author does not give direct answers, but makes readers think about them.

He just tried to analyze the delusions and correctness of the protagonist and understand how the idea arises to break out of the bottom of the system and dominate the crowd. The novel was published in 1866.

How did you get the idea to write this work?

Dostoevsky's idea to write about a person who would not be tormented by remorse, since he would consider himself a "superman", arose in hard labor. The book has gone a long way from writing to publication. First, the author wrote "Notes from the House of the Dead", where these "abilities" endowed the convict Orlov.

Then the storyline of the Marmeladov family appeared in the novel "The Drunken", which will take the leading place in the story about Raskolnikov. Abroad in Italy, Dostoevsky lost all his money in a casino and history took on new shapes. In Milan, he began writing a new book, Crime and Punishment, in which he combined old thoughts and added new criminal motives.

In the novel, he draws attention to the inner world of the killer and reflects on the structure of life in which the main character lived. Thus, the book expanded to the framework of a socio-philosophical work. The author chose St. Petersburg as the place of action.

The novel is completely an artistic fiction of the author, however, shortly before publication in the newspapers, news appeared that a certain student Danilov had killed the usurer Popov and his servant, who accidentally entered through an unlocked door. When the book "Crime and Punishment" came out, it attracted by an unusual coincidence and was very popular in this regard.

Criticism

• The work is so deep that you only understand the completely true message of the author to readers in adulthood.
• The image of Rodion Raskolnikov changes throughout the entire story, and with it the opinion of readers about him - from a prudent killer to a man distraught with the consciousness of what he had done.
• The book makes you think and analyze, forcing you to pay attention to the many shades and meanings of the characters' phrases.
• The book will teach young readers kindness and compassion. Shows what becomes of a person, we will deliberately commit a crime.

"Crime and Punishment" - summary

Former student Rodion Raskolnikov, who lives in a poor area of ​​St. Petersburg, decided to kill the old usurer Alyona Ivanovna and takes a valuable thing to her as a mortgage. On the way back, he entered a tavern, where he saw the drunken official Marmeladov.

He says that his second wife sent his stepdaughter Sonya to earn money in prostitution because of his unrestrained drunkenness. In the morning Rodion received a letter informing him of the imminent arrival of Dunya's mother and younger sister to visit. The arrival is connected with the imminent marriage of his sister to Luzhin.

The mother hopes that the rich groom will help Rodion graduate from the university. All the news only convinced the student to commit an atrocity, because, in his opinion, this will bring relief from the suffering of his relatives, who will not need a marriage of convenience and Sonya, who will be freed from the shameful craft.

At the same time, Raskolnikov is disgusted by the sight of blood that he saw in childhood when an innocent dog was killed. He made up his mind and killed. Not only the old woman, but also her sister Lizaveta, who came in during the crime. Having stolen the pawnbroker's things, he did not even glance at them and hid them in the first place that caught his eye.

Raskolnikov got sick from the experience and does not want to communicate with people, except for a friend with whom he studied together, Razumikhin. From that he learned that the painter Mikolka was suspected of the murder. Raskolnikov is tormented and ready to surrender to the authorities, but this did not happen. It is necessary to read "Crime and Punishment" in full, this is the only way to evaluate this work.

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The concept of the novel

Objective reality, the living conditions of people living in the first half of the nineteenth century, are closely related to the history of the creation of "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoevsky. In the work, the writer tried to present his reflections on the urgent problems of contemporary society. He calls the book a novel - a confession. “My whole heart will rely with blood on this novel,” the author dreams.
The desire to write a work of this kind appeared in Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky in hard labor in Omsk. The hard life of a convict, physical fatigue did not prevent him from observing life and analyzing what was happening. Being convicted, he decided to create a novel about a crime, but he did not dare to start work on the book. A serious illness did not allow making plans and took away all moral and physical strength. The writer managed to bring his idea to life only after a few years. Over the years, several other famous works were created: "Humiliated and Insulted", "Notes from the Underground", "Notes from the House of the Dead".

The problems raised in these novels will be reflected in Crime and Punishment.

Dreams and cruel reality

Life unceremoniously interfered with Dostoevsky's plans. The creation of a great novel took time, and the financial situation deteriorated every day. In order to earn money, the writer offered the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine to publish a short novel "Drunken". In this book, he planned to draw public attention to the problem of drunkenness. The storyline of the narrative was to be connected with the stories of the Marmeladov family. The main character is an unfortunate, drunken official, dismissed from service. The editor of the magazine put forward other conditions. The impasse forced the writer to agree to sell the rights to publish the complete collection of his works for a negligible price and, at the request of the editors, write a new novel in a short time. So, all of a sudden, the rush work on the novel Crime and Punishment began.

Getting started on a work

Having signed the contract with the publishing house, FM Dostoevsky managed to improve his affairs at the expense of the fee, relaxed and succumbed to temptation. A keen gambler, he failed this time to cope with his illness. The result was disastrous. The remaining money is lost. Living in a hotel in Wiesbaden, he could not pay for the light and the table, he did not find himself on the street only by the mercy of the hotel owners. To finish the novel on time, Dostoevsky had to hurry. The author decided to briefly tell the story of one crime. The main character is a poor student who decided to murder and rob. The writer is interested in the psychological state of a person, the "process of crime."

The plot moved to a denouement when, for some unknown reason, the manuscript was destroyed.

Creative process

The feverish work began anew. And in 1866 the first part was published in the journal "Russian Bulletin". The time allotted for the creation of the novel was coming to an end, and the writer's plan was only expanding. The life story of the protagonist is harmoniously intertwined with the story of Marmeladov. To satisfy the customer's requirements and avoid creative bondage, F.M.Dostoevsky interrupts work for 21 days. During this time, he creates a new work called "The Gambler", gives it to the publisher and returns to the creation of "Crime and Punishment". The study of the crime chronicle convinces the reader of the urgency of the problem. “I am convinced that my plot partly justifies the present,” Dostoevsky wrote. Newspapers reported that there were more cases when young educated people like Rodion Raskolnikov became murderers. The printed parts of the novel were a great success. This inspired Dostoevsky, charged him with creative energy. He is finishing his book in Lublin, on his sister's estate. By the end of 1866, the novel was completed and published in the Russian Bulletin.

Diary of hard work

The study of the history of the creation of the novel "Crime and Punishment" is impossible without the writer's rough notes. They make it possible to understand how much labor and painstaking work on the word has been invested in the work. The creative concept changed, the range of problems expanded, the composition was rebuilt. To better understand the character of the hero, in the motives of his actions, Dostoevsky changes the form of the narrative. In the final third edition, the story is told from the third person. The writer preferred "a story from himself, not from him." It seems that the main character lives his own independent life and does not obey his creator. Workbooks tell how painfully long the writer himself is trying to understand the motives of Raskolnikov's crime. Not finding an answer, the author decided to create a hero in which "two opposite characters alternately change." In Raskolnikov, two principles are constantly fighting: love for people and contempt for them. It was not easy for Dostoevsky to write the finale of his work. “Inscrutable are the ways in which God finds man,” we read in the writer's draft, but the novel itself ends differently. It keeps us thinking, even after the last page has been read.