Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Author: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Published: 1860
Novel.

The poverty-stricken Raskolnikov, a talented student, devises a theory about extraordinary men being above the law, since in their brilliance they think "new thoughts" and so contribute to society. He then sets out to prove his theory by murdering a vile, cynical old pawnbroker and her sister. The act brings Raskolnikov into contact with his own buried conscience and with Sonia and Porfiry. 

Characters: 
Raskolnikov
Sonia
Porfiry
Sofya Semyonovna
Avdotya Romanovna