Book Anatomy · Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment: Pace
16 lenses on pace 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: D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12 D13 D14 D15 D16
D1. Chapter length in words, as a chart. Count
41 chapters, median 4,976 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D2. Mean sentence length per chapter. Count
Mean 13.9 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D3. Paragraph length per chapter. Count
Paragraphs average 52 words.
Mean paragraph words, chapter by chapter
D4. Scene against summary: how much is shown live? AI
Most of the book is shown live in scenes. Chapters 1 to 39 are predominantly in-scene with dialogue and action. Chapters 40 to 41 shift to summary for the trial and prison aftermath, then return to scene for the final spiritual awakening.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 7, Ch 14, Ch 25, Ch 30, Ch 38
D5. Action against reflection, per chapter. AI
Early chapters (1 to 7) balance action with Raskolnikov's internal reflection on his theory. Middle chapters (8 to 25) heavily favour reflection and psychological torment over external action. Later chapters (30 to 39) shift toward action as confession approaches, with less introspection.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 8, Ch 13, Ch 19, Ch 25, Ch 30
His heart was beating violently, and his brain was in a turmoil. At last he felt cramped and stifled in the little yellow room (Ch 3, para 43)
All who met him were loathsome to him--he loathed their faces, their movements, their gestures. (Ch 9, para 16)
that all this must be ended to-day, once for all, immediately; that he would not return home without it (Ch 13, para 2)
D6. Tension score per chapter (1 to 5) as a curve. AI
Peak 5 of 5, mean 4.2. See the full lens on the book page.
D7. Emotional arc of the whole book, matched to the six shapes. Count
Man in a hole (fall then rise). See the full lens on the book page.
D8. Chapter endings: cliffhanger, question, reveal or quiet close. AI
35 of 41 chapters end on a hook. See the full lens on the book page.
D9. Chapter openings: in scene, in summary, or after a time jump. AI
Most chapters open in scene with characters present. Chapter 3 opens with Raskolnikov waking in his room. Chapter 27 opens with Luzhin brooding alone. Chapter 40 opens in summary after a time jump to the trial. Chapter 41 opens in scene in the prison hospital.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 3, Ch 27, Ch 40, Ch 41
D10. Do chapters and sentences get shorter near the climax? Count
In the last fifth, chapters run at 0.8 times the length of earlier ones, and sentences at 1.03 times. So things speed up near the end.
D11. Dialogue density against pace. Count
Link between dialogue share and chapter length: 0.12 (1 is a perfect match, 0 none). Between dialogue share and tension: 0.08.
Dialogue % per chapter, chapter by chapter
D12. Time jumps and how they are signalled. Both
25 time jump phrases in the narration, such as 'next morning' or 'years later'.
| Where | Phrase |
|---|---|
| c1p9 | a month later |
| c2p52 | next day |
| c3p1 | next day |
| c3p39 | next day |
| c3p39 | next day |
| c5p74 | next day |
| c5p76 | next day |
| c6p24 | next morning |
Time jump phrases, chapter by chapter
Ch 1, para 9: He had not far to go; he knew indeed how many steps it was from the gate of his lodging house: exactly seven hundred and thirty. He had …
Ch 2, para 52: The young man was hastening away without uttering a word. The inner door was thrown wide open and inquisitive faces were peering in at it. Coarse laughing faces …
Ch 3, para 1: He waked up late next day after a broken sleep. But his sleep had not refreshed him; he waked up bilious, irritable, ill-tempered, and looked with hatred at …
Ch 3, para 39: “My dear Rodya,” wrote his mother--“it’s two months since I last had a talk with you by letter which has distressed me and even kept me awake at …
Ch 3, para 39: “My dear Rodya,” wrote his mother--“it’s two months since I last had a talk with you by letter which has distressed me and even kept me awake at …
Ch 5, para 74: Raskolnikov had just passed and heard no more. He passed softly, unnoticed, trying not to miss a word. His first amazement was followed by a thrill of horror, …
Time jumps are signalled by chapter breaks and summary passages. Chapter 8 jumps from the murder night to days of fever. Chapter 10 summarises recovery from illness. Chapter 40 jumps nine months forward with explicit statement: 'Nine months after his crime.' Chapter 41 continues from there.
Chapters: Ch 8, Ch 10, Ch 40, Ch 41
D13. Info dump spots: long runs with no action or speech. Both
6 stretches of 900 words or more with no speech at all. These are where description, summary or backstory pile up.
| Starts at | Words | Paragraphs |
|---|---|---|
| c39p85 | 3060 | 23 |
| c41p17 | 1539 | 11 |
| c35p7 | 1512 | 3 |
| c3p40 | 1424 | 1 |
| c4p5 | 1211 | 4 |
| c37p16 | 910 | 4 |
Chapter 19 contains a long psychological discussion between Raskolnikov and Porfiry about extraordinary men and crime, with minimal action. Chapter 21 has Svidrigaïlov's extended monologue about his past and philosophy. Chapter 27 is mostly Luzhin's internal brooding without dialogue.
Chapters: Ch 19, Ch 21, Ch 27
And, if so, could you bring yourself in case of worldly difficulties and hardship or for some service to humanity--to overstep obstacles?... For instance, to rob and murder? (Ch 19, para 145)
The question is, am I a monster, or am I myself a victim? And what if I am a victim? (Ch 21, para 11)
ghosts are, as it were, shreds and fragments of other worlds, the beginning of them. (Ch 21, para 79)
D14. Reading time per chapter. Count
About 13.6 hours to read at 250 words a minute. The longest chapter takes 30.3 minutes.
Minutes per chapter, chapter by chapter
D15. Micro tension in quiet scenes. AI
Chapter 24 builds tension through Raskolnikov's probing questions to Sonia about her family's future, his hints about confession, and Sonia's fearful responses. Chapter 39 creates tension through Raskolnikov's internal struggle before confession, his visit to Sonia for the cross, and the weight of his decision.
Chapters: Ch 24, Ch 39
It was not because of your dishonour and your sin I said that of you, but because of your great suffering. (Ch 24, para 101)
If I don’t come to-morrow, you’ll hear of it all, and then remember these words. And some day later on, in years to come, you’ll understand perhaps what they meant. If I come to-morrow, I’ll tell you who killed Lizaveta. (Ch 24, para 205)
I have come for your cross, Sonia. It was you told me to go to the cross-roads; why is it you are frightened now it’s come to that? (Ch 39, para 6)
D16. Section breaks per chapter. Count
5 section breaks marked in the text, in 3 of 41 chapters.
Section breaks, chapter by chapter
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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