7 Comments
User's avatar
A. R. Yngve's avatar

The TV series Columbo was inspired by Crime and Punishment, and it shows: In each episode we first see the murderer commit his crime, and then we follow the detective's pursuit, circling around the guilty... until the guilty has no choice left but to confess. (However, Raskolnikov was poor. In Columbo, the murderer is almost always arrogant upper class, a contrast to the humble working-class detective.)

Expand full comment
Danny Sullivan's avatar

I love this! So there's a direct genealogy from Porphyry of Tyre, Neoplatonist and master of allegory, to Porphyry the Russian detective decoding clues and evidence to Columbo. Amazing

Expand full comment
Christine Beck's avatar

Fascinating! Thanks for all the insights.

Expand full comment
Somewhat Strange's avatar

Were you in the Gardis precept? I can't remember if that was Annapolis or Fe

Expand full comment
Danny Sullivan's avatar

Scally did Recognitions our senior year in SF but no I wasn't in it. But Taco talked it up so much it ended up being one of the first things I read after graduation, followed eventually by everything else he wrote

Expand full comment
Somewhat Strange's avatar

Scallywag…

That has to be how I ended up reading it because it infected all the booty hole boys

Expand full comment
Somewhat Strange's avatar

Gaddis, autocorrect strikes again

Expand full comment