Sessions will be facilitated by Elizabeth Reyes

“Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.”

The Agora Foundation is pleased to kick off 2024 with our online intensive - Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. We last discussed this book in seminar in 2001... we are WAY overdue!

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Crime and Punishment was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. The book is the second of Dostoevsky's full-length novels following his return from exile in Siberia. Crime and Punishment is often cited as one of the greatest works of world literature.

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Through brilliant dialogue and vivid characters the book explores the consequences of nihilism, utilitarianism, and rationalism, extending the ideas the author earlier animates in Notes from Underground. Raskolnikov, our main character and point of entry, exemplifies the potentially disastrous hazards contained in some developing western ideals. Questions of morality, kindness, sympathy, faith and pity come to the fore, as well as the antitheses of pride, contempt, and solipsism. The moving conflicts ask us all to consider torment and disorder, but also higher social goods, right and wrong, and the potential of redemption. Dynamically portraying mysticism, psychological struggle, and social inequity, Crime and Punishment is an emotionally engaging pinnacle of art. We invite you to join us over 13 online sessions as we explore this work in the spirit of civil discourse, camaraderie, and adventure. No previous knowledge or seminar experience is required.