Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky that is on the second semester Lit Hum syllabus. It is said that this is one of the most relatable novels in the class for Columbia students (the protagonist attends an urban university, rarely goes to class, and spends most of his time going out drinking or cowering in his tiny single room).

The novel's themes include murder, guilt, depression, loneliness, and pungent odors, not necessarily in that order. SPOILER ALERT: Christianity is redeeming.