F. M. Dostoevsky nurtured the idea of ​​the novel “Crime and Punishment” for six years: in October 1859 he wrote to his brother: “In December I will begin the novel...

Do you remember, I told you about one confession - a 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 penal servitude, lying on a bunk, in a difficult moment...” - judging by the writer’s letters and notebooks, we are talking specifically about the ideas of “Crime and Punishment” - the novel initially existed in the form of Raskolnikov’s confession. In Dostoevsky’s rough notebooks, the following is found entry: “Killed Aleko. The consciousness that he himself is unworthy of his ideal, which torments his soul.

This is crime and punishment" (we are talking about Pushkin's "Gypsies"). The final plan is formed as a result of the great upheavals that Dostoevsky experienced, and this plan united two initially different creative ideas. After the death of his brother, Dostoevsky finds himself in dire material need.

The threat of debtor's prison hangs over him. Throughout the year, Fyodor Mikhailovich was forced to turn to St. Petersburg moneylenders, interest-bearers and other creditors.

In July 1865, he proposed a new work to the editor of Otechestvennye Zapiski, A. A. Kraevsky: “My novel is called “Drunken” and will be in connection with the current issue of drunkenness. Not only the issue is examined, but all its ramifications are presented, mainly paintings families, raising children in this environment, etc...

and so on." Due to financial difficulties, Kraevsky did not accept the proposed novel, and Dostoevsky goes abroad to concentrate on creative work, away from creditors, but even there history repeats itself: in Wiesbaden, Dostoevsky loses everything at roulette, even his pocket watch. In September 1865, addressing the publisher M. N. Katkov in the magazine “Russian Messenger,” Dostoevsky outlined the idea of ​​the novel as follows: “This is a psychological report of a crime. The action is modern, this year.

A young man, expelled from the university students, a tradesman by birth and living in extreme poverty, due to frivolity, due to unsteadiness in concepts, succumbing to some strange, “unfinished” ideas that were floating in the air, he decided to get out of his bad situation at once. He decided to kill one old woman, a titular councilor who gave money for interest... in order to make his mother, who lived in the district, happy, and to save his sister, who lived as a companion with some landowners, from the voluptuous claims of the head of this landowner family - claims that threatened her death, finish the course, go abroad and then spend your whole life being honest, firm, unswerving in the fulfillment of your “humane duty to humanity,” which, of course, will “make up for the crime,” if you can call this act against a deaf, stupid old woman a crime, angry and sick, who herself does not know why she lives in the world and who in a month, perhaps, would have died of her own accord... He spends almost a month before the final catastrophe. There is not and cannot be any suspicion against him. This is where the entire psychological process of the crime unfolds.

Unsolvable questions arise before the killer, unsuspected and unexpected feelings torment his heart. God's truth, earthly law takes its toll, and he ends up being forced to denounce himself.

Forced to die in hard labor, but to join people again, the feeling of isolation and disconnection from humanity, which he felt immediately after committing the crime, tormented him. The law of truth and human nature took their toll. The criminal himself decides to accept torment in order to atone for his deed...” Katkov immediately sends the author an advance.

F. M. Dostoevsky works on the novel all autumn, but at the end of November he burns all the drafts: “...

much was written and ready; I burned everything... the new form, the new plan captivated me, and I started again."

In February 1866, Dostoevsky informed his friend A.E. Wrangel: “Two weeks ago, the first part of my novel was published in the January book of the Russian Messenger. It’s called Crime and Punishment.” I have already heard many enthusiastic reviews.

There are bold and new things there." In the fall of 1866, when "Crime and Punishment" was almost ready, Dostoevsky began again: according to the contract with the publisher Stellovsky, he was supposed to present a new novel by November 1 (we are talking about "The Gambler"), and in case of failure to fulfill the contract, the publisher will have the right for 9 years “for free and as he pleases” to print everything that is written by Dostoevsky. By the beginning of October, Dostoevsky had not yet begun to write “The Gambler,” and his friends advised him to turn to the help of shorthand, which that time was just beginning to enter into life. The young stenographer Anna Grigorievna Snitkina, invited by Dostoevsky, was the best student of the St. Petersburg stenography courses, she was distinguished by her extraordinary intelligence, strong character and deep interest in literature. "The Player" was completed on time and handed over to the publisher, and Snitkina soon became his wife and assistant writer.

Introduction

F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” is socio-psychological. In it, the author raises important social issues that worried people of that time. The originality of this novel by Dostoevsky lies in the fact that it shows the psychology of a contemporary person who is trying to find a solution to pressing social problems. At the same time, Dostoevsky does not give ready answers to the questions posed, but makes the reader think about them. The central place in the novel is occupied by the poor student Raskolnikov, who committed murder. What led him to this terrible crime? Dostoevsky tries to find the answer to this question through a thorough analysis of the psychology of this person. The deep psychologism of F. M. Dostoevsky’s novels lies in the fact that their heroes find themselves in complex, extreme life situations, in which their inner essence is revealed, the depths of psychology, hidden conflicts, contradictions in the soul, ambiguity and paradox of the inner world are revealed. To reflect the psychological state of the main character in the novel “Crime and Punishment”, the author used a variety of artistic techniques, among which dreams play an important role, since in an unconscious state a person becomes himself, loses everything superficial, alien and, thus, his thoughts manifest themselves more freely and feelings. Throughout almost the entire novel, a conflict occurs in the soul of the main character, Rodion Raskolnikov, and these internal contradictions determine his strange state: the hero is so immersed in himself that for him the line between dream and reality, between sleep and reality is blurred, an inflamed brain gives rise to delirium , and the hero falls into apathy, half-sleep, half-delirium, so it is difficult to say about some dreams whether it is a dream or delirium, a play of the imagination.

The history of the creation of “Crime and Punishment”

Creative history of the novel

“Crime and Punishment,” originally conceived in the form of Raskolnikov’s confession, stems from the spiritual experience of hard labor. It was there that F.M. Dostoevsky first encountered strong personalities who stood outside the moral law, and it was at hard labor that the writer’s beliefs began to change. “It was clear that this man,” Dostoevsky describes the convict Orlov in “Notes from the House of the Dead,” “was able to control himself, infinitely despised all kinds of torment and punishment, and was not afraid of anything in the world. In him you saw one endless energy, a thirst for activity, a thirst for revenge, a thirst to achieve the intended goal. By the way, I was amazed at his strange arrogance.”

But in 1859 the “confessional novel” was not started. The hatching of the plan lasted 6 years, during which F.M. Dostoevsky wrote “The Humiliated and Insulted” and “Notes from the Underground.” The main themes of these works - the theme of poor people, rebellion and the theme of the individualist hero - were then synthesized in Crime and Punishment.

In a letter to the Russian Messenger magazine, talking about his new story, which he would like to sell to the editors, Dostoevsky described his story like this: “The idea of ​​the story cannot, as far as I can assume, contradict your magazine in any way, even on the contrary. This is a psychological report of one crime. The action is modern, this year. A young man, expelled from university students, living in extreme poverty, due to frivolity, due to unsteadiness in concepts, succumbing to some strange, unfinished ideas that were floating in the air, decided to get out of his 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 is good for nothing,” “what does she live for?”, “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 as a companion with some landowners, from the voluptuous claims of this landowner family - claims that threaten her with death - to finish the course, to go abroad and then all your life be honest, firm, unswerving in the fulfillment of your “humane duty to humanity” - which, of course, will atone for the crime, if you can call this act against an old woman deaf, stupid, evil, sick, who herself does not know, for what lives in the world, and which in a month, perhaps, would die by itself.

Despite the fact that such crimes are terribly difficult to commit - i.e. they almost always expose ends, evidence, etc. to the point of rudeness. and they leave an awful lot to chance, which always almost betrays the culprit; he - completely by chance - manages to commit his crime both quickly and successfully.

He spends almost a month after that, until the final catastrophe, there is and cannot be any suspicion of him. This is where the psychological process of crime unfolds. Unsolvable questions arise before the killer, unsuspected and unexpected feelings torment his heart. God's truth and earthly law take their toll, and he ends up being forced to denounce himself. Forced, although to die in hard labor, to join people again, the feeling of isolation and disconnection from humanity, which he felt immediately after committing the crime, closed him off. The law of truth and human nature took their toll, killing convictions, even without resistance. The criminal decides to suffer torment himself in order to atone for his deed. However, it is difficult for me to explain my thought.

In my story there is, in addition, a hint of the idea that the imposed legal punishment for a crime frightens the criminal much less than legislators think, partly because he himself morally demands it.

I have seen this even in the most undeveloped people, in the rudest accidents. I wanted to express this specifically on a developed person, on a new generation, so that the thought would be brighter and more clearly visible. Several recent cases have convinced me that my plot is not at all eccentric, namely that the murderer is a young man of developed and even good inclinations. Last year I was told in Moscow (correctly) about a student's story - that he decided to break the mail and kill the postman. There are still many traces in our newspapers about the extraordinary instability of concepts that lead to terrible deeds. In a word, I am convinced that my plot partly justifies modernity.”

The plot of the novel is based on the idea of ​​an “ideological killer”, which splits into two unequal parts: the crime and its causes and, the second, main part, the effect of the crime on the soul of the criminal. This two-part concept will be reflected in the final version of the title of the novel - “Crime and Punishment” - and in the structural features: of the six parts of the novel, one is devoted to the crime and five to the influence of this crime on the essence of Raskolnikov and his gradual overcoming of his crime.

Dostoevsky sent the chapters of the new novel in mid-December 1865 to the Russian Messenger. The first part had already appeared in the January 1866 issue of the magazine, but the novel had not yet been completely completed. Work on further text continued throughout 1866.

The first two parts of the novel, published in the January and February books of the Russian Messenger, brought F.M. Dostoevsky success.

In November and December 1866, the last, sixth part and epilogue were written. The magazine finished publishing the novel in its December 1866 book.

Three notebooks with drafts and notes for “Crime and Punishment” have been preserved, i.e. three handwritten editions: the first (short) “story”, the second (lengthy) and the third (final) edition, characterizing three stages, three stages of work: Wiesbaden (letter to Katkov), St. Petersburg stage (from October to December 1865, when Dostoevsky began the “new plan”) and, finally, the last stage (1866). All handwritten editions of the novel have been published three times, the last two being done at a high scientific level.

So, in the creative process of hatching the idea of ​​“Crime and Punishment”, in the image of Raskolnikov, two opposing ideas collided: the idea of ​​love for people and the idea of ​​contempt for them. The draft notebooks for the novel show how painfully F.M. Dostoevsky searched for a way out: either to leave one of the ideas, or to reduce both. In the second edition there is an entry: “The main anatomy of the novel. It is imperative to bring the matter to a real conclusion and eliminate uncertainty, that is, to explain the whole murder one way or another and make its character and relationships clear.” The author decides to combine both ideas of the novel, to show a person in whom, as Razumikhin says about Raskolnikov in the final text of the novel, “two opposing characters alternately alternate.”

Dostoevsky also painfully searched for the ending of the novel. In one of the draft entries: “The ending of the novel. Raskolnikov is going to shoot himself.” But this was the finale only for “Napoleon’s idea.” The writer also outlines the finale for the “idea of ​​love,” when Christ himself will save the repentant sinner.

But what is the end of a person who combines both opposite principles? F.M. Dostoevsky understood perfectly well that such a person would not accept either the author’s court, or the legal court, or the court of his own conscience. Raskolnikov will face only one court - the highest court, the court of Sonechka Marmeladova, the same Sonechka in whose name he raised his ax, the same humiliated and insulted one who has always suffered since the earth stood.

The meaning of the novel's title

The problem of crime is considered in almost every work of F. M. Dostoevsky. The writer talks about crime in a universal human sense, comparing this view with various social theories popular at that time. In “Netochka Nezvanova” it is said: “Crime will always remain a crime, sin will always be sin, no matter what degree of greatness a vicious feeling ascends to.” In the novel “The Idiot” F. M. Dostoevsky states: “It is said “thou shalt not kill!”, so for the fact that he killed, and kill him? No, that’s not possible.” The novel “Crime and Punishment” is almost entirely devoted to the analysis of the social and moral nature of crime and the punishment that follows it. In a letter to M.N. Katkov, F.M. Dostoevsky said: “I am writing a novel about a modern crime.” Indeed, crime for a writer becomes one of the most important signs of the time, a modern phenomenon. The writer sees the reason for this in the decline of public morality, which was obvious at the end of the 19th century. The old ideals on which more than one generation of Russian people were brought up are crumbling, life gives rise to various social theories that propagate the idea of ​​​​a revolutionary struggle for a wonderful, bright future (let us remember N. Chernyshevsky’s novel “What is to be done?”). Elements of bourgeois European civilization are actively penetrating into the existing way of Russian life. And - most importantly - Russian society is beginning to move away from the centuries-old tradition of the Orthodox view of the world, atheism is becoming popular. Pushing his hero to murder, F. M. Dostoevsky strives to understand the reasons why such a cruel idea arises in the mind of Rodion Raskolnikov. Of course, his “environment stuck.” But she ate poor Sonechka Marmeladova, and Katerina Ivanovna, and many others. Why don't they become murderers? The fact is that the roots of Raskolnikov’s crime lie much deeper. His views are greatly influenced by the theory of the existence of “supermen”, popular in the 19th century, that is, people who are allowed more than an ordinary person, that “trembling creature” that Raskolnikov thinks about.

Accordingly, the writer understands the crime of Rodion Raskolnikov much more deeply. Its meaning is not only that Raskolnikov killed the old pawnbroker, but also that he himself allowed this murder, imagining himself as a person who is allowed to decide who lives and who does not. According to Dostoevsky, only God is capable of deciding human destinies. Consequently, Rodion Raskolnikov puts himself in the place of God, mentally equates himself with him. What does this entail? F. M. Dostoevsky had no doubt that only God, Christ, should be the moral ideal of man. The commandments of Christianity are unshakable, and the way to approach the ideal is to fulfill these commandments. When Rodion Raskolnikov puts himself in the place of God, he himself begins to create a certain system of values ​​for himself. This means that he allows himself everything and gradually begins to lose all his best qualities, violating generally accepted moral standards. F. M. Dostoevsky has no doubt: this is a crime not only of his hero, but also of many people of this era. “Deism gave us Christ, that is, such a high concept of man that it is impossible to understand him without reverence, and one cannot help but believe that this is the eternal ideal of humanity. What did the atheists give us?” - F. M. Dostoevsky asks Russia and answers himself: theories that give rise to crime, because atheism inevitably leads to the loss of the moral ideal, God in man. Can a criminal return to normal life? Yes and no. Maybe, if he goes through long physical and moral suffering, if he can abandon those “theories” that he created for himself. This was Raskolnikov’s path.

The idea of ​​the novel

Objective reality, the living conditions of people living in the first half of the nineteenth century, are closely connected with the history of the creation of Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”. In the work, the writer tried to present his thoughts about the current problems of his contemporary society. He calls the book a novel - a confession. “My whole heart will pour itself into this novel,” the author dreams.
The desire to write a work of this kind appeared to Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky during hard labor in Omsk. The hard life of a convict and physical fatigue did not prevent him from observing life and analyzing what was happening. Being convicted, he decided to create a novel about the crime, but did not dare to start working on the book. A serious illness did not allow me to make plans and took away all my moral and physical strength. The writer managed to bring his idea to life only a few years later. Over the years, several other famous works were created: “The Humiliated and Insulted,” “Notes from the Underground,” “Notes from the House of the Dead.” The issues raised in these novels will be reflected in Crime and Punishment.

Dreams and cruel reality

Life unceremoniously interfered with Dostoevsky's plans. Creating a great novel took time, and the financial situation worsened every day. To make money, the writer suggested that the magazine “Otechestvennye zapiski” publish a short novel, “Drunk People.” In this book, he planned to draw public attention to the problem of drunkenness. The storyline of the story was supposed to be connected with the stories of the Marmeladov family. The main character is an unfortunate official who is a drunkard and dismissed from service. The editor of the magazine put forward other conditions. The hopeless situation forced the writer to agree to sell the rights to publish the complete collection of his works for a negligibly low price and, at the request of the editors, to write a new novel in a short time. Thus, urgent work on the novel “Crime and Punishment” suddenly began.

Starting work on a piece

Having signed the contract with the publishing house, F. M. Dostoevsky, at the expense of the fee, managed to improve his affairs, relaxed and succumbed to temptation. A keen gambler, he was unable to cope with his illness this time either. The result was disastrous. The remaining money is lost. Living in a hotel in Wiesbaden, he could not pay for light and board, and he did not end up on the street only by the grace of the hotel owners. To finish the novel on time, Dostoevsky had to hurry. The author decided to briefly tell the story of a crime. The main character is a poor student who decides to commit murder and robbery. The writer is interested in the psychological state of a person, the “process of crime.” The plot was moving towards 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 Russian Bulletin magazine.

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 main character 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 Player”, sends it to the publishing house and returns to creating “Crime and Punishment”. The study of crime chronicles convinces the reader of the relevance of the problem. “I am convinced that my plot partly justifies modernity,” wrote Dostoevsky. Newspapers reported that cases were becoming more frequent when young, educated people like Rodion Raskolnikov became murderers. The printed parts of the novel were a great success. This inspired Dostoevsky and charged him with creative energy. He finishes 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

Studying 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 work and painstaking work on the word was put into the work. The creative concept changed, the range of problems expanded, and the composition was restructured. In order to better understand the character of the hero and the motives of his actions, Dostoevsky changes the form of the narrative. In the final third edition, the story is told in 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. The workbooks tell how painfully long the writer himself tries to understand the motives for Raskolnikov’s crime. Not finding an answer, the author decided to create a hero in which “two opposing characters alternately alternate.” In Raskolnikov, two principles are constantly fighting: love for people and contempt for them. It was not easy for Dostoevsky to write the ending 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.

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

Abeltin E.A., Litvinova V.I., Khakass State University. N.F. Katanova

Abakan, 1999

In 1866, the magazine "Russian Bulletin", published by M.N. Katkov, published the manuscript of Dostoevsky’s novel, which has not reached our time. The surviving notebooks of Dostoevsky give reason to assume that the idea of ​​the novel, its theme, plot, and ideological orientation did not take shape immediately; most likely, two different creative ideas later merged:

1. On June 8, 1865, before leaving abroad, Dostoevsky suggested to A.A. Kraevsky - editor of the magazine "Domestic Notes" - the novel "Drunk": "it will be connected with the current issue of drunkenness. Not only the issue is examined, but all its ramifications are presented, mainly pictures of families, raising children in this environment, etc. Listov will at least twenty, but maybe more."

The problem of drunkenness in Rus' worried Dostoevsky throughout his creative career. The gentle and unhappy Snegirev says: “...in Russia, drunk people are the kindest. Our kindest people are also the drunkest. People in an abnormal state become kind. What is a normal person like? Evil. Good people drink, but they also act badly.” the good ones. The good ones are forgotten by society, the evil ones rule life. If drunkenness flourishes in a society, this means that the best human qualities are not valued in it."

In “The Diary of a Writer,” the author draws attention to the drunkenness of factory workers after the abolition of serfdom: “The people went on a spree and drank - first out of joy, and then out of habit.” Dostoevsky shows that even with a “huge and extraordinary turning point,” not all problems are solved by themselves. And after the “turning point”, the correct orientation of people is necessary. Much here depends on the state. However, the state actually encourages drunkenness and the growth of the number of taverns: “Almost half of our current budget is paid for by vodka, that is, in today’s way, popular drunkenness and popular debauchery - therefore, the entire people’s future. We, so to speak, pay for our future with our future.” "The majestic budget of a European power. We cut the tree at the very root in order to get the fruit as quickly as possible."

Dostoevsky shows that this stems from the inability to manage the country's economy. If a miracle happened and people all stopped drinking at once, the state would have to choose: either force them to drink, or financial collapse. According to Dostoevsky, the reason for drunkenness is social. If the state refuses to take care of the future of the people, the artist will think about it: “Drunkenness. Let those who say: the worse, the better rejoice in it. There are many of them now. We cannot see the roots of the people’s strength poisoned without grief.” This entry was made by Dostoevsky in drafts, and in essence this idea was set out in the “Diary of a Writer”: “After all, the people’s strength is drying up, the source of future wealth is dying out, the mind and development are pale - and what will the modern children of the people bear in their minds and hearts? who grew up in the filthiness of their fathers."

Dostoevsky saw the state as a breeding ground for alcoholism, and in the version presented to Kraevsky, he wanted to talk about the fact that a society where drunkenness flourishes and the attitude towards it is lenient is doomed to degeneration.

Unfortunately, the editor of Otechestvennye Zapiski was not as far-sighted as Dostoevsky in identifying the reasons for the degradation of the Russian mentality and refused the writer’s proposal. The plan for "Drunks" remained unfulfilled.

2. In the second half of 1865, Dostoevsky began working on a “psychological report of a crime”: “A modern action, this year. A young man, expelled from the university students, a tradesman by birth and living in extreme poverty... decided to kill an old woman ", a titular adviser who gives money for interest. The old woman is stupid, deaf, sick, greedy... evil and eats up someone else's life, torturing her younger sister as her housekeeper." This version clearly states the essence of the plot of the novel "Crime and Punishment". Dostoevsky’s letter to Katkov confirms this: “Unsolvable questions arise before the murderer, unsuspected and unexpected feelings torment his heart. God’s truth, earthly law take their toll, and he ends up forced to denounce himself. Forced, even to die in hard labor, but to join the people again. The laws of truth and human nature have taken their toll."

Upon returning to St. Petersburg at the end of November 1855, the author destroyed almost the entire written work: “I burned everything. The new form (a novel-confession of a hero - V.L.), the new plan captivated me, and I started again. I work days and nights and still I don’t work much.” From that time on, Dostoevsky decided on the form of the novel, replacing the first-person narration with a narration from the author, its ideological and artistic structure.

The writer liked to say about himself: “I am a child of the century.” He really was never a passive contemplator of life. “Crime and Punishment” was created on the basis of Russian reality of the 50s of the 19th century, magazine and newspaper disputes on philosophical, political, legal and ethical topics, disputes between materialists and idealists, followers of Chernyshevsky and his enemies.

The year the novel was published was special: on April 4, Dmitry Vladimirovich Karakozov made an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Tsar Alexander II. Mass repressions began. A.I. Herzen spoke about this time in his “Bell”: “Petersburg, followed by Moscow, and to some extent the whole of Russia are almost under martial law; arrests, searches and torture go on continuously: no one is sure that he tomorrow will not fall under the terrible Muravyovsky court..." The government oppressed student youth, censorship achieved the closure of the magazines Sovremennik and Russian Word.

Dostoevsky's novel, published in Katkov's magazine, turned out to be an ideological opponent of the novel "What is to be done?" Chernyshevsky. Polemicizing with the leader of revolutionary democracy, speaking out against the struggle for socialism, Dostoevsky, nevertheless, treated with sincere sympathy the participants in the “split of Russia”, who, in his opinion, being mistaken, “selflessly turned to nihilism in the name of honor, truth and true benefit ", revealing the kindness and purity of their hearts.

Criticism immediately responded to the release of Crime and Punishment. The critic N. Strakhov noted that “the author took nihilism in its most extreme development, at the point beyond which there is almost nowhere to go.”

M. Katkov defined Raskolnikov’s theory as “an expression of socialist ideas.”

DI. Pisarev condemned Raskolnikov’s division of people into “obedient” and “rebels,” and reproached Dostoevsky for calling for obedience and humility. And at the same time, in the article “Struggle for Life,” Pisarev argued:

“Dostoevsky’s novel made a deeply stunning impression on readers thanks to the correct mental analysis that distinguishes the works of this writer. I radically disagree with his beliefs, but I cannot help but recognize in him a strong talent, capable of reproducing the most subtle and elusive features of everyday human life and its internal process. He notices painful phenomena especially accurately, subjects them to the strictest assessment and seems to experience them himself."

What was the first stage of working on the novel? Its outcome? The story "Drunk", issues of raising children in families of alcoholics, the tragedy of poverty, lack of spirituality, etc. The story remained unfinished because Kraevsky refused to publish Dostoevsky.

What fundamentally new features did the new version of the novel include? The earliest sketches of the work date back to July 1855, the latest - to January 1866. Analysis of the drafts allows us to state:

first person narration is replaced by author narration;

it is not the drunkard who is brought to the fore, but the student, driven by environment and time to murder;

the form of the new novel is defined as the confession of the protagonist;

the number of characters has been significantly expanded: the investigator, Dunya, Luzhin and Svidrigailov are represented as psychological doubles of Raskolnikov;

Various episodes and scenes from the life of St. Petersburg were developed.

What elements and images of "The Drunk" found artistic expression in the 2nd version of the novel?

the image of a drunken Marmeladov;

tragic pictures of his family's life;

a description of the fate of his children;

In what direction did Raskolnikov's character develop?

In the original version of the novel, the narration is told in the first person and is a confession of the criminal, recorded a few days after the murder.

The first person form made it possible to explain some of the “oddities” in Raskolnikov’s behavior. For example, in the scene with Zametov: “I wasn’t afraid that Zametov would see that I was reading it. On the contrary, I even wanted him to notice that I was reading about it... I don’t understand why I was drawn to risk this bravado, but I was drawn to take a risk. Out of anger, maybe out of animal anger that doesn’t reason.” Rejoicing at the successful coincidence of circumstances, the “early Raskolnikov” reasoned: “It was an evil spirit: how else could I have overcome all these difficulties.”

In the final text, the hero says these same words to Sonya after his confession. Here there is a noticeable difference in the depiction of the character of the hero. In the second version, where the narration is already conducted in the third person, the humanity of his intentions is more clearly visible: thoughts of repentance come immediately after committing a crime: “And then, when I become a noble, a benefactor of all, a citizen, I will repent. I prayed to Christ, lay down and sleep."

Dostoevsky did not include an episode in the final text - Raskolnikov’s reflection after a conversation with Polenka: “Yes, this is a complete resurrection,” he thought to himself. He felt that life had suddenly turned upside down, hell had ended and another life had begun... he was not alone, not cut off from people, but with everyone. Risen from the dead. What happened? That he gave away his last money - is that what? What nonsense. This girl? Sonya? - Not that, but all together.

He was weak, he was tired, he almost fell. But his soul was too full."

Such thoughts are premature for the hero; he has not yet drunk the cup of suffering in order to be healed, therefore Dostoevsky transfers the description of such feelings to the epilogue.

The first manuscript describes the meeting with his sister and mother differently:

"Nature has mysterious and wonderful outcomes. A minute later he squeezed them both in his hands and never before had he experienced a more impetuous and enthusiastic feeling, and a minute later he was already proudly aware that he was the master of his mind and will, that no one he is not a slave and that consciousness has again justified him. The illness is over - the panic fear is over."

Dostoevsky does not include this passage in the final text, as it destroys the ideological focus. Raskolnikov must be completely different: a meeting with loved ones, as well as a conversation in the office, are the cause of his fainting. This is confirmation that human nature is unable to bear the severity of a crime and reacts in its own way to external influences. She no longer obeys reason and will.

How do the relationships develop between Raskolnikov and Sonya in various versions of the novel?

Dostoevsky carefully developed the nature of the relationships between the heroes. According to an early plan, they fell in love with each other: “He is on his knees in front of her: “I love you.” She says: “Surrender yourself to justice.” In the final version, the heroes were united by compassion: “I did not bow to you, I bowed to all human suffering.” Psychologically it is more profound and artistically justified.

The scene of Raskolnikov’s confession to Sonya initially sounded in a different key: “She wanted to say something, but remained silent. Tears burst from her heart and ached her soul. “And how could he not come?” she suddenly added, as if illuminated... " O blasphemer! God, what is he saying! You have departed from God, and God has struck you with deafness and dumbness and handed you over to the devil! Then God will send you life again and resurrect you. He miraculously resurrected Lazarus! and he will resurrect you...Darling! I will love you...Darling! rise again! Go! repent, tell them...I will love you forever and ever, you unfortunate one! We are together...together...together and we will rise again...And God will bless...Will you go? Will you go?

Sobs stopped her frantic speech. She grabbed him and seemed to freeze in this embrace, she didn’t remember herself.”

In the final text, the characters’ feelings are just as deep and sincere, but more restrained. They don't talk about love. The image of Sonya sometimes now merges for him with the image of Lizaveta, whom he killed, evoking a feeling of compassion. He sees her future tragically: “throw into a ditch, end up in a madhouse... or go into debauchery, stupefying the mind and petrifying the heart.” Dostoevsky knows more and sees further than his hero. At the end of the novel, Sonya is saved by her deep faith, capable of working miracles.

Why are the images of Sonya and Svidrigailov more fully revealed in the final version of Crime and Punishment?

As a result of his experiment, Raskolnikov came to the conclusion that the path of a “strong personality” who achieves power through “blood according to conscience” is wrong. He looks for a way out and stops at Sonya: she also overstepped, but found the strength to live. Sonya trusts in God and awaits deliverance and wishes the same for Raskolnikov. She correctly understood what happened to Rodion: “What are you doing, that you did this to yourself!” Suddenly the word “hard labor” comes out of her mouth, and Raskolnikov feels that in his soul the struggle with the investigator has not ended. His suffering reaches its highest intensity, “he had a presentiment of some kind of eternity in the yard of space.” Svidrigailov also spoke about such eternity.

He also stepped “over obstacles,” but seemed calm.

In the drafts, Dostoevsky decided Svidrigailov’s fate differently: “A gloomy demon, from whom he cannot get rid of himself. Suddenly the determination to expose himself, all the intrigue, repentance, humility, goes away, becomes a great ascetic, humility, the thirst to endure suffering. Betrays himself. Exile. Asceticism.”

In the final version, the outcome is different, more psychologically justified. Svidrigailov walked away from God, lost his faith, lost the possibility of “resurrection,” but he could not live without it.

How did Dostoevsky's contemporaries see the relevance of Crime and Punishment?

Since the late 50s of the 19th century, St. Petersburg newspapers have reported with alarm about the increase in crime. Dostoevsky to some extent used some facts from the criminal chronicles of those years. This is how the “case of student Danilov” became widely known in its time. For profit, he killed the moneylender Popov and his maid. The peasant M. Glazkov wanted to take his guilt upon himself, but was exposed.

In 1865, newspapers reported on the trial of the merchant son G. Chistov, who hacked to death two women and took possession of their wealth in the amount of 11,260 rubles.

Dostoevsky was greatly impressed by the trial of Pierre Lacenaire (France), a professional killer who tried to present himself as a victim of an unfair society, and his crimes as a form of struggle against evil. At his trials, Lacenaire calmly stated that the idea of ​​becoming a killer in the name of revenge was born to him under the influence of socialist teachings. Dostoevsky spoke of Lacenaire as “a phenomenal, mysterious, terrible and interesting personality. Low sources and cowardice in the face of need made him a criminal, and he dared to present himself as a victim of his age.”

The scene of the murder committed by Raskolnikov is reminiscent of Lasener’s murder of an old woman and her son who accidentally ended up in the apartment.

Dostoevsky took a fact from life, but tested it with life. He triumphed when, while working on Crime and Punishment, he learned from the newspapers about a murder similar to Raskolnikov’s crime. “At the same time,” recalls N. Strakhov, “when the book “Russian Messenger” was published describing Raskolnikov’s offense, news appeared in the newspapers about a completely similar crime that occurred in Moscow. Some student killed and robbed a moneylender, and, "by all indications, he did this out of a nihilistic conviction that all means are permitted to correct the unreasonable state of affairs. I don’t know whether the readers were amazed by this, but Fyodor Mikhailovich was proud of such a feat of artistic prophecy."

Subsequently, Dostoevsky more than once put in one line the names of Raskolnikov and the killers approaching him from the newspaper chronicle. He made sure that Pasha Isaev did not become “Gorsky or Raskolnikov.” Gorsky is an eighteen-year-old high school student, born from poverty, who killed a family of six for the purpose of robbery, although according to reviews, “he was a remarkably mentally developed young man who loved reading and literary pursuits.”

With extraordinary sensitivity, Dostoevsky was able to single out individual, personal facts, but indicating that the “primordial” forces had changed the direction of their movement.

Bibliography

Kirpotin V.Ya. Selected works in 3 volumes. M., 1978. T.Z, pp. 308-328.

Friedlander G.M. Realism of Dostoevsky. M.-L. 1980.

Basina M.Ya. Through the twilight of white nights. L. 1971.

Kuleshov V.I. Life and work of Dostoevsky. M. 1984.

The idea of ​​the novel

Objective reality, the living conditions of people living in the first half of the nineteenth century, are closely connected with the history of the creation of Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”. In the work, the writer tried to present his thoughts about the current problems of his contemporary society. He calls the book a novel - a confession. “My whole heart will pour itself into this novel,” the author dreams.
The desire to write a work of this kind appeared to Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky during hard labor in Omsk. The hard life of a convict and physical fatigue did not prevent him from observing life and analyzing what was happening. Being convicted, he decided to create a novel about the crime, but did not dare to start working on the book. A serious illness did not allow me to make plans and took away all my moral and physical strength. The writer managed to bring his idea to life only a few years later. Over the years, several other famous works were created: “The Humiliated and Insulted,” “Notes from the Underground,” “Notes from the House of the Dead.” The issues raised in these novels will be reflected in Crime and Punishment.

Dreams and cruel reality

Life unceremoniously interfered with Dostoevsky's plans. Creating a great novel took time, and the financial situation worsened every day. To make money, the writer suggested that the magazine “Otechestvennye zapiski” publish a short novel, “Drunk People.” In this book, he planned to draw public attention to the problem of drunkenness. The storyline of the story was supposed to be connected with the stories of the Marmeladov family. The main character is an unfortunate official who is a drunkard and dismissed from service. The editor of the magazine put forward other conditions. The hopeless situation forced the writer to agree to sell the rights to publish the complete collection of his works for a negligibly low price and, at the request of the editors, to write a new novel in a short time. Thus, urgent work on the novel “Crime and Punishment” suddenly began.

Starting work on a piece

Having signed the contract with the publishing house, F. M. Dostoevsky, at the expense of the fee, managed to improve his affairs, relaxed and succumbed to temptation. A keen gambler, he was unable to cope with his illness this time either. The result was disastrous. The remaining money is lost. Living in a hotel in Wiesbaden, he could not pay for light and board, and he did not end up on the street only by the grace of the hotel owners. To finish the novel on time, Dostoevsky had to hurry. The author decided to briefly tell the story of a crime. The main character is a poor student who decides to commit murder and robbery. The writer is interested in the psychological state of a person, the “process of crime.” The plot was moving towards 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 Russian Bulletin magazine.

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 main character 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 Player”, sends it to the publishing house and returns to creating “Crime and Punishment”. The study of crime chronicles convinces the reader of the relevance of the problem. “I am convinced that my plot partly justifies modernity,” wrote Dostoevsky. Newspapers reported that cases were becoming more frequent when young, educated people like Rodion Raskolnikov became murderers. The printed parts of the novel were a great success. This inspired Dostoevsky and charged him with creative energy. He finishes 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

Studying 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 work and painstaking work on the word was put into the work. The creative concept changed, the range of problems expanded, and the composition was restructured. In order to better understand the character of the hero and the motives of his actions, Dostoevsky changes the form of the narrative. In the final third edition, the story is told in 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. The workbooks tell how painfully long the writer himself tries to understand the motives for Raskolnikov’s crime. Not finding an answer, the author decided to create a hero in which “two opposing characters alternately alternate.” In Raskolnikov, two principles are constantly fighting: love for people and contempt for them. It was not easy for Dostoevsky to write the ending 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.