C&P: Page 0: Links & Notions

[Andrew, Wound Up]

This topic should have NO spoilers. Feel free to discuss your preconceptions/notions about the book here. Also, open discussion of:

* The cover:

* Choosing a translation
* Copyright page
* Foreward (if applicable)
* Translator's Note (if applicable)

I'll be making categories for chapter sets soon. The official start date for reading is September 1st but topics will be up soon if you want to start early!

Crime and Punishment e-book purchase links:

[Andrew, Wound Up]

I'll admit it - this will be my first real foray into Russian literature. I think Murakami's nonstop references to the Russian classics pushed me over the edge. Michelle and I debated A LOT about which to read first - I preferred The Brothers Karamazov and Michelle was leaning towards Anna Karenina or War and Peace. Michelle convinced me to go with this over Karamazov since that seems to be considered the better of the two books so we'll have it to savor if we love this one.

Cover. The red background skull in birdcage gets my nod. Overall these are quite bland covers that don't evoke much of a positive response from me.

Translation. I did a wee bit of research on this. You can get the 1914 Garnett translation for free on most devices. The consensus seems to be that Garnett's prose is outdated and adds an odd Victorian flair to the dialogue.

Thoughts differed between McDuff '91 and Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky '92. I settled on the latter for my choice. I want to share part of a comment I found online that looks at different versions from each translation - the differences are amazing (the whole spoiler is a copy and paste, none of the commentary is mine):

(view spoiler)[Garnette: He had successfully avoided meeting his landlady on the staircase. [stilted language]

MacDuff: He had succeeded in avoiding an encounter with his landlady on the stairs. [ok, slightly odd phrasing]

P&V: He had safely avoided meeting his landlady on the stairs. [non standard english usage -- "safely avoided" scans oddly to me]

Original: Он благополучно избегнул встречи с своею хозяйкой на лестнице.

Literal translation, contemporary language: He successfully avoided running into his landlady on the stairs.

Another set:
Garnette: This was not because he was cowardly and abject, quite the contrary; but for some time past he had been in an overstrained irritable condition, verging on hypochondria.

MacDuff: Not that he was particularly timid or cowed -- quite the opposite, indeed; but for some time now he had been in a tense, irritable state of mind that verged on hypochondria.

P&V: It was not that he was so cowardly and downtrodden, even quite the contrary; but for some time he had been in an irritable and tense state, resembling hypochondria.

Original: Не то чтоб он был так труслив и забит, совсем даже напротив; но с некоторого времени он был в раздражительном и напряженном состоянии, похожем на ипохондрию.

Literal translation, contemporary language: It's not that he was so cowardly and beaten down, it's actually quite the opposite; but for a while now he had been irritable and tense, like a hypochondriac. (hide spoiler)]

Copyright My copy doesn't even list the original Russian publication date on the copyright page, but does include Dostoyevsky's birth/death dates.

Foreward: My version has a forward by the translator Richard Pevear. It is dry and reads like a college student's paper. It also has potential spoilers. I'd recommend saving it for after you've read the book... it might make more sense at that point. There are some interesting historical/biographical notes right at the beginning - just stop after he starts referencing quotes from the text.

Translator's Note: My version has a note that covers names/nicknames, meaning of names, and some topographical info about Petersburg. All handy info which I'm sure I'll refer back to.

[John]

I've read Karamazov and Anna Karenina, so I've already got my feet wet on the Russian literature front, and I really like the style of writing from Russian authors during this period.

I will have to make an effort to read this one during the window for the group if my time permits, I've been meaning to get to it anyhow.

[Andrew, Wound Up]

@Dandelo - who's translations have you read?!?

[John]

@501 a Garnett for Karamazov, and Pevear & Volokhonsky for Anna Karenina. The translator didn't really occur to me back when I bought those books, but now that you mention it the prose did seem a bit odd (in Karamazov). I might have to give that another shot sometime, because I really enjoyed it despite that. Anna Karenina I don't recall have any issues with the translation.

[Andrew, Wound Up]

@Dandelo - swell - thanks for the reply!

[Michelle, Overrun By Pets]

Alas, this is my first Russian epic. I hope you are good Crime and Punishment because I convinced Andrew you should be the candidate this month. Ultimately this means I don't know a thing about choosing translations, so I will read what I have and I will think no more about that.

I have the book cover on the top row, third in from the left. It is not my favorite cover, too stark and generic for me. I prefer the covers that look like old, authentic paintings.

I intended to post here after reading just the forward, but I dove right in to part one and am now nearing the end of that section. I quite liked the forward, particularly the historical facts about Dostoevsky. I also like some quotes about the book "Crime and Punishment is a highly unusual mystery novel: the most mystified character in it is the murderer himself" and "The enigma of the city and the enigma of the hero are one." There are some amazing words in the forward section: fantasmagorical, schismatic, theoretician-murder.

The Translator's Note, if anything, confused me more with all the Russian name variations. I wish it was a character index in addition to providing all the different forms of names.