Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot

The novels Crime and Punishment and The Idiot, along with Demons, The Adolescent, and The Brothers Karamazov, are part of Fyodor Dostoevsky's so-called "Pentateuch": their role in world literature is compared in importance to the first five books of the Bible—the Pentateuch of Moses. Profoundly social and at the same time dealing with fundamental questions of existence, these novels significantly changed our understanding of the possibilities of literature and human nature. The first of these great works by Dostoevsky was the novel Crime and Punishment (1866). It was conceived as a "psychological account of a single crime," but the writer deviated far from the original plans, forcing the reader to reflect on sin and redemption, the limits of what is permitted, and spiritual death and resurrection. Dostoevsky formulated the main idea of ​​the novel The Idiot (1868) as follows: "...To depict a positively wonderful person. There is nothing more difficult in the world, especially now." "Prince Christ" comes out to preach, and Dostoevsky infuses his cherished thoughts about the Russian soul and faith into his words.