Revenge

Sir Walter Scott called revenge "the sweetest morsel to the mouth that was ever cooked in hell." We are often counseled to rise above slights, grievances, and injuries, but still, the temptation and promise of revenge remain. This thematic collection gathers texts that investigate what prompts us to hunger for revenge and where this hunger leads us.

Nibelungenlied

by Anonymous

Publication year 1200

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Love, Perseverance, Conflict, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Medieval, Narrative Poem, Mythology

Sometimes referred to as the “German Iliad,” Nibelungenlied is a 13th-century German epic poem that combines historical events with German heroic legend. The epic’s poet is unknown—though some clues within the text suggest that he was from Passau, Germany. The epic, which literally translates to “The Song of the Nibelungs” in English, portrays the Burgundians’ historic defeat by the Huns in the 5th century—the tragic result of the mythical queen Kriemhild’s desire to avenge her... Read Nibelungenlied Summary

Nothing Tastes as Good

by Luke Dumas

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Food, Community, Equality, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+

Luke Dumas’s 2026 novel, Nothing Tastes as Good, is a work of body and psychological horror that satirizes contemporary diet culture. The story follows Emmett Truesdale, a 28-year-old man living with severe obesity whose life is defined by trauma and shame. Desperate to escape a world that constantly judges his body, he enrolls in a clinical trial for Obexity, a revolutionary drug that promises rapid weight loss without diet or exercise. While the treatment initially... Read Nothing Tastes as Good Summary

One of the Girls

by Lucy Clarke

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Regret, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read One of the Girls Summary

Only If You're Lucky

by Stacy Willingham

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Memory, Revenge, Femininity, Coming of Age, Death, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Only If You're Lucky Summary

Oresteia

by Aeschylus

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fate, Revenge, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

Written in 458 BC by Greek playwright Aeschylus, The Oresteia is a trilogy of plays that includes Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides, as well as the lost satyr play, Proteus. The plays of The Oresteia are classic tragedies, a dramatic genre focused on the piteous and cathartic downfall of great heroes. The plays were written to be performed at the City Dionysia festival which celebrated Dionysus, god of wine and theater. The festival was... Read Oresteia Summary

Orestes

by Euripides

Publication year 409

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Justice, Revenge

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Drama, Classical Period, World History, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

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Origin

by Dan Brown

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Revenge, Future, Politics & Government, War, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Origin, by mystery/thriller author Dan Brown, is the fifth novel in the Robert Langdon series. Published in 2017, the novel extends the style, content, and subject matter established in prior books in the series. Origin deals heavily with the conflict between science and religion, as well as conservatism and liberalism in modern Spain. The novel also explores the role of technology in the evolution of humanity and what technology lends to the future. Brown is... Read Origin Summary

Orlando Furioso

by Ludovico Ariosto

Publication year 1532

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, War, Good & Evil, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Narrative Poem, Gender & Feminism, European History, Love & Sexuality, Military & War, Italian Literature, Renaissance, Mental Illness, Medieval, World History, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

... Read Orlando Furioso Summary

Phèdre

by Jean Racine

Publication year 1677

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Guilt, Conflict, Revenge, Daughters & Sons

Tags Tragedy, Drama, Mythology, French Literature, Neoclassicism

... Read Phèdre Summary

Presumed Innocent

by Scott Turow

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Justice, Conflict, Forgiveness, Guilt, Revenge, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Midlife, The Past, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Politics & Government

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law

Presumed Innocent (1987) is Scott Turow’s first novel, originally published by Farrar Straus & Giroux. The hit novel stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 44 weeks and is often credited as an early example of the modern legal thriller, helping to shape the genre’s conventions. Turow went on to publish 12 additional novels and three nonfiction works. He also continued to practice law, specializing in criminal defense, contrasting with Presumed Innocent’s protagonist... Read Presumed Innocent Summary

Pretty Little Liars

by Sara Shepard

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Community, Safety & Danger, Revenge, Memory, Guilt, The Past, Shame & Pride, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Grief, Coming of Age, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, Horror & Suspense

Pretty Little Liars is a young adult fiction novel written by Sara Shepard. It is the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series, which features 16 books, along with seven companion novels. The highly successful series was featured on The New York Times best-seller list and adapted into a television show in 2010. The popular show lasted seven seasons and aired on the Freeform Network. Although Shepard had only written eight books in the... Read Pretty Little Liars Summary

Prince of Thorns

by Mark Lawrence

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Siblings

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction

Prince of Thorns is the first book in the Broken Empire trilogy of fantasy novels by American-British author Mark Lawrence. It was published in 2011, followed by King of Thorns (2012) and Emperor of Thorns (2013).Plot SummaryPrince of Thorns is a bloody story of betrayal and revenge set on a postapocalyptic Earth where feudalism has returned and the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead are weak. The book’s protagonist, Prince Honorous... Read Prince of Thorns Summary