How to blog on this? I don’t know… Crime and Punishment has been a good read, but just finding time to get through it has been a challenge. Hence the late nights in the commons on the treadmill, trying to stay awake and follow the psychotic madness of Rodya/Rodion/Raskolnikov… What is his name, anyway? So, 8.3 miles later, I’ve read Parts 1 and 2, and I’m a little bit confused about what all is going on. Obviously I know about the murders, but the underlying plots remain a mystery, so I will just keep reading. I personally think that Raskolnikov is schizophrenic (thank you, Intro to Psychology). He exhibits many of the symptoms, and his delusions and paranoia make me laugh. It’s no surprise that he’s a bit psychotic, considering he murdered two people and now has to live with himself, but I digress.
The main thing that stood out to me is how Dostoevsky brought out the intensity and brutality of suffering in Crime and Punishment. Whether he’s writing about the death of the horse, or Marmeladov getting run over, or Raskolnikov’s ranting and dysfunctional interactions with others, he does not skimp the specifics but gives “all the gory details.” Many authors gloss over these imperfections and circumstances, because they are messy, unorganized, brutal, and painful, but Dostoevsky revels in such details. Suffering is not sentimental or ordinary, but a living entity that is volatile and unpredictable.
Well, that concludes the jumbled musings of Amanda… :)
Commented on: Katelyn’s “Self-Suffering”
I feel like alot of our readings lately have alot to do with psychology. Atleast one of the characters are insane or have some kind of insane feel to them. Honors = insanity! i think it sounds about right.
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