Book Anatomy · Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1866, 204,405 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1866, 204,405 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
204,405 words. Modern literary often runs 70,000 to 100,000 words, so this is long for the shelf today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 204,405 words, the book is long for modern literary fiction but typical for 19th-century Russian novels. Modern crime thrillers are shorter; literary fiction accepts this length. The density of psychological exploration justifies the length; modern readers may find it slow but rewarding.
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1866, 204,405 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
The book was serialised in The Russian Messenger in 1866 across six parts. Part breaks occur at natural story turns: after the murder, after Raskolnikov's illness, after Marmeladov's death, after Luzhin's exposure, after Svidrigaïlov's suicide, and at the final redemption. Each part ends with suspense or revelation.
Chapters: Ch 7, Ch 14, Ch 22, Ch 29, Ch 37, Ch 41
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps: Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series (psychological crime), Donna Tartt's The Secret History (moral transgression), Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov (spiritual redemption), Camus' The Stranger (alienation and crime), Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects (guilt and psychology).
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Shelved for literary fiction readers, crime fiction readers seeking psychological depth, philosophy students, and readers of Russian literature. Appeals to those interested in moral philosophy, redemption narratives, and psychological realism. Not for readers seeking plot-driven thrillers or light entertainment.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: murder, poverty, prostitution, mental illness, suicide, sexual predation, alcohol abuse, nihilism. The book does not glorify these but presents them as tragic consequences of social and moral failure. Themes of suffering and redemption may be triggering for some readers.
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
A brilliant poor student commits murder to prove his theory that extraordinary men transcend morality, then spirals through guilt, interrogation, and psychological torment until a prostitute's faith and love awaken him to redemption through confession and suffering. A masterpiece of psychological realism and moral philosophy.
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is direct and thematic rather than metaphorical. It names the book's central concern: the relationship between transgression and consequence. Modern literary fiction often uses more oblique or poetic titles; this one is boldly explicit, reflecting 19th-century Russian practice.
Ask Crime and Punishment a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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