Crime & Punishment

Hi all,

I've recently purchased Crime and Punishment for personal reading and need some help from the pros out there.

I read the first 50 pages of the book and have found it entertaining thus far. I then proceeded to read the SparkNotes on the chapters I read to ensure that my understanding of the book is in line with what is generally accepted about those particular chapters.

After reading these notes, I find that I'm missing a lot of what is going on. I you guess can say that I'm disheartend that I'm not getting a true experience because I'm very new at reading literature.

So, as a professional readers, what do you look for when you delve into a new piece of literary work to experience the true meaning?

When I read Crime & Punishment I tried not to look for any deeper meaning while I was reading it, I just read it, and thought about the ideas preseneted after I was done. I never read any notes until I'm finished the book and had a chance to form my own interpretations.

Hello!

I agree with cuppajoe_9.
I just read it and try to find my own opinion. Afterwards I'm looking for the notes or other interpretations.
If I like the book, I will read it once more - and may find some new aspects.

Greetings

well, i actually have to read Crime and Punishment for English later this year. in class, we'll go through all the symbolism and themes and figurative language and all that stuff. And i personally will be rereading the book under my desk and not listening to a word. i think that the best way to read a book is, like cuppajoe and loe said, to read it once and just enjoy it for the superficial story. then, you can go and do some background research on it if you want (like learn some stuff about the time it's set in, or look it up on Wikipedia or something which might have some cool info on it) but also, just look back through the book and look for the harder-to-find hidden meeanings yourself. it feels a lot better if you can find them without help. but be sure that you enjoy the book for what it is, not for how many things the author is slipping past you. i think that's the most fun.

Crime and Punishment is one the gretaest book ever, good choice!
I never look for someone's other opinion, but I did sometimes found that others got the book totally different then me. But why would their opinion be good and my would be wrong? Doesn't matter is it opinion of some profesor or somebody from forum. Make your own ideas, thoughts and opinion and if you want to discus about them, join the club!
Welcome on forum!

Welcome to the forum. I am almost two hundred pages into the book. It is very good. I would take the advice of what everyone here is saying. Read it for pure enjoyment of the story - as it is a rather emotional mind racking story in itself. Analyze it with your own thoughts afterward. You can always look up what others understood from it later. But YOU are the one reading it right now, let your interpretation rule over it for now.

yeah, i agree with everyone else too, you should read the book yourself first, and decide what YOU think is happening so far, instead of looking at other sites and reading up other people's points of views and opinion. establish your own view first, plus it'll be fun comparing it others.

Great works of literature are like people: do not expect to "plumb their depths" in one meeting. Prior posts are correct: just read, absorb the plot, contemplate the character's words, actions and behaviors and note any patterns the text presents. Sometimes, a book only "blooms" for us - meaning-wise - after repeted readings. That may not be very encouraging (considering the difficulty that reading Dostoyevsky often presents), but, honestly, books reveal their treasures slowly. With practice, a good reader can become adept at "probing" the book faster, but that only comes with time. Enjoy - it's one of the finest things ever written.