Tonight at 7 p.m. is our discussion of Crime and Punishment. I think there is plenty to talk about! Here are some discussion questions/ideas to get us started. Bring your own thoughts and favorite quotes as well to add to the discussion.
Crime and Punishment is a highly unusual mystery novel: the most mystified character in it is the murderer himself. (page xiii, Introduction by Richard Pevear)
Who
Who is/are the villain(s) in the novel? Consider all the characters: Raskolnikov, Marmeladov, Svidrigailov, Luzhin, Zamyatov, Razumikin.
Do you find the females to be well-rounded or stereotypes? Consider Sonya, Dunya, Katarina Ivanovna.
Consider the significance of the names. Raskolnikov, for example, stems from Raskolnik, which means “schism.” (As I don’t know Russian, I rely on interpretations from the translator(s) and elsewhere, such as this discussion at Wikipedia. My translator included a note at the beginning of the book as well.)
Dostoevsky’s first draft was written in first person. How does the way it’s written now (third person) affect the novel?
What
What crime(s) are in this novel? Consider each character mentioned above.
What is the “crime” of the title?
What punishment(s) come about in the novel?
When
How does the passage of time affect the characters?
The novel it set during the “white nights” of St. Petersburg. Do the “white nights” affect the novel in anyway? Did you notice?
Where
What role does setting play? Does setting matter in the novel?
Consider the rooms where each character lives. How do these settings build on the characters? What other settings stand out from the novel?
Why
In confessing the murder to Sonya, Raskolnikov claims, “Did I really kill the old woman? No, it was myself I killed…. And as for the old woman, it was the Devil who killed her, not I.” (p. 488) What does he mean by this? What motive does Raskolnikov give for his murder? Why does he confess to Sonya? Why doesn’t the confession ease him of his inner torment?
Why does Raskolnikov claim Sonya is necessary to him? (page 388)
Why doesn’t Raskolnikov use the goods he stole? Does that make him more or less guilty?
Why does Raskolnikov feel hatred toward his loving family and friend(s)?
How
How does “coincidence” play in to the novel? Did “chance” make the novel less plausible for you? What is Dostoevsky saying about circumstance?
How does Dostoevsky build suspense? What sections of the novel were particularly suspenseful for you?
Roskolnikov emerges as a dual character, capable of cruelty and compassion, deliberation and recklessness, and alternating between a desire for solitude and companionship. How has Dostoyevsky created such a complex psychological portrait? Why did he do so?
How does religious redemption play a role in the novel? Is this a religious novel?
Thanks to the Penguin Reading Guide, Spark Notes, and the essays, introductions, and footnotes in the Norton Critical Edition of the novel, edited by George Gibian.
Classics Reading Group 
Loved the C&P discussion. We could spend a year on it, but I think we hit some pretty good points.
I was thinking last night, are there some parallels between Raskolnikov and Dorian Gray? Both carried heavy, guilty weights (both murdered), and it’s left up to the reader to decide if either redeemed himself in the end. Both felt superior to others, thus above the law – Raskolnikov because of his former nobility and his intelligence, Gray because of his looks and popularity. Could be some parallels there.
Lisa
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