#sonya is to rodya what rodya is to svidrigailov

[sasperine]

i love how the quote “your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing” is often cited as a sort of aphorism when in context it's just rodya hard projecting all his problems onto poor sonya. like please do not take any sort of advice from a man who unironically compares himself to napoleon. he is not qualified

#rodya's worst sin is that he committed murder actually #and he didn't even do it well #he feels this deep sense of regret because he ascribed meaning to a senseless action and followed through before understanding it's futilit #like imo rodya doesn't commit murder for money. that's how he justifies it to himself but his motivation comes from insecurity #he want to be the type of person he describes in his theory #and so neither the money nor the murder cannot bring him satisfaction because they weren't what he was looking for #he's a mess emotionally he can't reflect on his actions because he can't come to terms with them and so he avoids his problems #(real) #and he's doing it in this scene! by ascribing his feelings to sonya as a way to commiserate with someone he sees as less morally wrong #that way he can avoid feeling morally culpable even though he is #sonya is to rodya what rodya is to svidrigailov #jesus christ these notes are long oopsie #and i still have more to say lol #crime and punishment #fyodor dostoevsky

[daydreaming-effy]

Ranking Literature Boyfriends

Johnathan Harker- 11/10. Amazing. Wholesome. Flawless. Was willing to become a vampire to stay with his darling Mina.

Dimitry Razumikin- A good friend, respects women, caring and an all around good guy. What's not to love?

Quincey Morris- he's technically an ex, but genuinely loved Lucy, loved her enough to respect her choice and become friends with her fiancé and other ex. Bonus points for being a sexy cowboy.

Konstantin Levin- idk, he's just a sweetheart.

Fitzwilliam Darcy- sure he was a dick in the beginning, but who doesn't love a man who admits to his mistakes and actually changes?!

Rodya Raskolnikov- ok, so he killed a pawnbroker with an axe, but he really does love Sonya, helps her and her family, and embraces the positive influences she has on his life.

Alexei Vronsky- a romantic who makes poor life choices. Dude, you knew she was married, the mess is half your fault.

Victor Frankenstein- he clearly adored Elizabeth, but him being a deadbeat dad got her (and Justine, and his brother and his friend) killed.

Dorian Gray- he's hot af but destroys the life of everyone he comes in contact with (justice for Sybil Vane!)

The husband in The Yellow Wallpaper- useless and neglectful.

Arkady Svidrigailov- a creep who obviously didn't deserve Dunya.

Edward Rochester- he kept is wife in an attic. Need I say more? Sure, he fell in love with Jane, but that doesn't make up for LOCKING A WOMAN IN YOUR FUCKING ATTIC.

#dark academia #russian literature #gothic literature #valentines day

[sayorkunau]

Okay after re-reading Crime and Punishment I have to make a revision.

Between the two I think The Idiot is a far more rewarding and active read, while C&P is still by far a more interesting story.

I mean to lay it out the entirety of The Idiot is a fucking shamble of a family and their friends gossiping about each other. It’s basically a reality tv show where everyone is trash and they right with the neighbors with a brutal murder at the end. It’s a train wreck the entire time and it sucks you in. By the middle of the book you want a consumptive kid on his death bed and his friends to die along with the nosey mom and bitch of a sister. It’s good shit. The thing is you don’t really understand what the book is doing to you until after the fact. You’re so intent on the story it’s not until you put it down that you realize: I want a dying kid to die already and that’s exactly what Dostoevsky wants you to feel.

Whereas C&P makes you stop mid story multiple times to ask yourself if anyone really should be able to take the law into their own hands. It’s definitely a more philosophical read. But the thing about C&P is that it starts off with the murder and there’s just so much suffering and police evasion and then Svidrigailov just fucking storms in like the fucker he is and Rodya is still in his rags suffering while they all yell about an old lady who conned a shit ton of money from poor people. I mean the bitch is basically stealing herself. The only true moral person is Sonya who has to proposition herself to feed her family. Everyone else has a vice that fucks them over.

Anyway. If you want to actually read Dostoevsky start with The Idiot. The words themselves are easier to read than Crime and Punishment. But Crime and Punishment is just god damn good.

#jasmine reads books #Im starting on the count of monte cristo