Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky Was a Big Success.
Essay on Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky was a big success. It caught the imagination of a country. It innovated Russian literature. The book was a financial success. It was an incredible asset for The Russian Messenger. Crime and Punishment also shocked readers. Critics attacked the work. Enthusiasts fell ill. But this is almost a recommendation for the book. Any work that can affect society so heavily is a success.
Crime and Punishment was published in instalments in The Russian Messenger. This was an extremely influential journal, especially in literary circles (1). It is estimated that Crime and Punishment brought the journal at least five hundred new subscribers. This speaks volumes. A man named Strakhov recalled that “only Crime and Punishment was read during 1866. Only it was spoken about by lovers of literature…” The “reading public” treasured the book. It was a “sensational success.” But it wasn’t a Brian Sanderson book or the latest edition of Harry Potter. The book was controversial and deeply affected readers.
Strakhov continued to recall that readers “often complained about the stifling power of the novel and the painful impression it left…” He goes even further to say that Crime and Punishment “caused people with strong nerves almost to become ill and forced those with weak ones to give up reading altogether.” Dostevsky’s contemporaries were astonished by the book’s authentic quality. They were especially shocked by the realistic murder scene. One critic remarked that “Crime and Punishment had the quality of smelly self-lacerations.” Radicals from The Contemporary predictably cried out against the book. They claimed it was an accusation against the entire student body. The Citizen throughout Dostoevsky’s career continued to attack him. Fortunately, many of these radical papers weren’t highly regarded by other journals. And the novel wasn’t banned during publication.
In comparison with his other works up till that point, House of the Dead was more popular among critics. The novel is a semi-autobiographical work. It is about his time in a Siberian prison camp (2). It was a “fictionalised memoir.” Crime and Punishment was less about actual events from Dostoevsky’s life. A writer who criticized Crime and Punishment, in contrast, said that many of House of the Dead’s descriptions were dantesque. But the release of Crime and Punishment was an even greater sensation than House of the Dead. It sold significantly more copies. Crime and Punishment has come to be Dostoevsky’s most famous novel (3). It was certainly a success.
In summary, Crime and Punishment was a success. It was a success from a monetary standpoint. The book earned Dostoevsky about fifty-eight thousand dollars in today’s money (4). The magazine also gained at least five hundred new subscribers. I was a success from a literature perspective, as well. The book captured the imagination of a society. It also became Dostoevsky’s well-known book. It was a success for his development as a writer. He would start on the most productive part of his career. Demons, The Gambler, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamazov would follow in the space of thirteen years (5). The reception of Crime and Punishment also teaches us that one doesn’t have to pander to critics or write a book that will not be offensive, but that one can be a successful writer just by telling the truth, and perhaps it is the truth that the greatest success is telling the truth.
References
[House of the Dead: 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_the_Dead_(novel)