I read Crime and Punishment when I was in school. I was sixteen years old. It's hard to appreciate classic works at that age. But we were forced to read these books on a compulsory basis. I didn't find anything revolutionary in this book. Ten years later I experienced a similar enthusiasm as the author of the post while reading the works of Abraham Maslow. I recommend everyone to read at least the last book written b…
I read it at 18. Borrowed it from a friend and found it so boring I could read only a few pages at a time. Then I stopped reading. Some months later, I realized I needed to return his book. So I forced myself to read the rest of the book (over half) all in one night. I didn't care if my brain tuned out as I read the pages. I just wanted to be done with it.
I was glad to be rid of something so boring.
Not long after, I had a dream. I was hanging out with friends outside at about 1am. Then one of my friends says "Hey, I just heard on the radio they found another body - someone was murdered tonight!"
I froze. I was that murderer. I'd killed a bunch of people lately. How should I respond to this? Should I ignore it? Make a joke about it? Talk about it seriously? How do I say it so none of them suspect me?
We eventually walk back to where we had parked our motorbikes. Mine was not there. Had the police found it while searching for me? I woke up.
Years later, I talked to a few people who had read the book. Some hated it. Some loved it. But they all said they really felt like Raskalnikov - either while reading it or in some dream they later had. I give credit to the book being so powerful.
Years after that I read The Brothers Karamazov. A much bigger book, and even more boring. Had no effect on me. I've forgotten all of it.