The Impact of Crime and Punishment
“Only Crime and Punishment was read during 1866, only it was spoken about by lovers of literature, who often complained about the stifling power of the novel and the painful impression it left, which caused people with strong nerves almost to become ill and forced those with weak ones to give up reading it altogether.” — Nikolay Strakhov, Russian philosopher of Dostoevsky’s era (quoted in Joseph Frank, Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time, Princeton University Press, 2010. pp. 462, 463)
Can we imagine a novel having such an impact in our time? Can we imagine someone even saying such a thing about a contemporary novel, justified or not?
David :: May.24.2010 :: House Red: Literary and Intellectual :: 1 Comment »
Nothing, not a novel – a returning messiah – a murderous Zionist state – a home run king – a genocide, can have such an impact in our time. We have been left with a diminished legacy of memoir and self-amazement.