Short answers, pulled from the story.
The name Raskolnikov means split or schism in Russian, serving as a linguistic clue to the fractured psyche at the heart of Fyodor Dostoevsky's masterpiece. This meaning reflects the internal division and psychological disintegration experienced by the protagonist throughout the story.
The novel appeared in twelve monthly installments throughout 1866, with the first part published in January and the final installment in December. Dostoevsky wrote the work under immense pressure to meet deadlines while simultaneously contracted to write another novel for a different publisher.
Porfiry Petrovich is the head of the Investigation Department who adopts an ironic tone to drive Raskolnikov to the brink of madness without making a direct accusation. He uses psychological warfare to confuse and provoke the volatile Raskolnikov into a voluntary or involuntary confession while expressing genuine respect for him.
Sonya Marmeladova is the daughter of a drunkard who becomes the moral compass of the novel and the first person to whom Raskolnikov confesses his crime. She follows Raskolnikov to Siberia where he is sentenced to eight years of penal servitude, and it is only under her loving influence that his redemption and moral regeneration begin.
The original Russian title is Преступление и наказание, which translates to a stepping across rather than the direct English equivalent of Crime and Punishment. This title represents a physical image of crime as crossing over a barrier or a boundary, preserving the religious implication of transgression lost in translation.