Shelfology Book Pairing

A Novel by the Russian Author Fyodor Dostoevsky

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic tale of Rodion Raskolnikov, the murder he commits as an exploration of the human condition, and the crushing criminal and psychological consequences. The two years before he wrote Crime and Punishment (1866) had been bad ones for Dostoyevsky. His wife and brother had died; the magazine he and his brother had started, Epoch, collapsed under its load of debt; and he was threatened with debtor's prison. With an advance that he managed to wangle for an unwritten novel, he fled to Wiesbaden, hoping to win enough at the roulette table to get himself out of debt. Instead, he lost all his money; he had to pawn his clothes and beg friends for loans to pay his hotel bill and get back to Russia. One of his begging letters went to a magazine editor, asking for an advance on yet another unwritten novel - which he described as Crime and Punishment. One of the supreme masterpieces of world literature, Crime and Punishment catapulted Dostoyevsky to the forefront of Russian writers and into the ranks of the world's greatest novelists. Drawing upon experiences from his own prison days, the author recounts in feverish, compelling tones the story of Raskolnikov, an impoverished student tormented by his own nihilism, and the struggle between good and evil. Believing that he is above the law, and convinced that humanitarian ends justify vile means, he brutally murders an old woman - a pawnbroker whom he regards as "stupid, ailing, greedy...good for nothing." Overwhelmed afterwards by feelings of guilt and terror, Raskolnikov confesses to the crime and goes to prison. There he realizes that happiness and redemption can only be achieved through suffering. Infused with forceful religious, social, and philosophical elements, the novel was an immediate success. This extraordinary, unforgettable work is reprinted here in the authoritative Constance Garnett translation. Others novels and novellas by Dostoevsky are: (1846) Poor Folk (novella) (1846) The Double (novella) (1847) The Landlady (novella) (1849) Netochka Nezvanova (unfinished) (1859) Uncle's Dream (novella) (1859) The Village of Stepanchikovo (1861) Humiliated and Insulted (1862) The House of the Dead (1864) Notes from Underground (novella) (1866) Crime and Punishment (1867) The Gambler (novella) (1869) The Idiot (1870) The Eternal Husband (novella) (1872) Demons (also titled: The Possessed, The Devils) (1875) The Adolescent (1880) The Brothers Karamazov

Bonus Edition

by Virginia Woolf

A Room of One's Own is a famous essay by Virginia Woolf about the limitations placed upon a woman's creativity due to society stripping away their chances at an education, finances, or an opportunity to express their voice. Woolf's essay combines fiction and non-fiction, speaking to the audience in a persona that has no specific name; the only information known is that she is a female college student driven towards discovery, but denied opportunities due to being a woman. The males around her, however, face no inequality. To further support her point, Woolf crafts the fictional historical figure of Shakespeare's sister, Judith Shakespeare, who her narrator discovers had the same potential to become just as prominent as her brother. However, because of her gender, her abilities simply remained potential that was never fulfilled, and she was driven towards despair. This edition presented by Parrot Publications includes the original, unedited essay by Virginia Woolf with a preface and epilogue by Jeremy J. Salvador. A Room of One's Own, first published in 1929, has been compiled in this book for smoother readability of Woolf's work, so her words can continue to be analyzed by a new generation nearly a decade after its original publication. This bonus edition from Parrot Publications features the original, unedited essay by Virginia Woolf that was first published in 1929. It has been compiled for smoother readability and includes additional reading material by Jeremy J. Salvador, such as short analysis sections and discussion points for readers who want to further analyze A Room of One's Own.