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.
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Sports, New Adult
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
The 2016 suspense novel Behind Closed Doors, by B.A. Paris, is a story about a perfect-looking marriage that is anything but what it appears to be on the surface. The novel is narrated in both the present and past tenses by the protagonist, Grace Angel. These tenses are reflected in alternating “Present” and “Past” chapters. In this way, Paris builds backstory and current action into storylines that build in parallel and meet at the end... Read Behind Closed Doors Summary
Publication year 1880
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge
Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Christian literature, History: World, Action / Adventure, Religion / Spirituality
One of the most influential Christian novels of the 19th century, Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a classic historical fiction story of redemption and forgiveness, reimagining the stories of peripheral biblical figures, from Roman tax collectors and charioteers, to people with leprosy, fishermen, Pharisees, shepherds, John the Baptist, and Pontius Pilate. The story traces the life of the fictional main character Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman from Jerusalem whose future is... Read Ben-Hur Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Colonialism, Society: War
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Afrofuturism, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Fate, Society: Class
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Southern Literature, Race / Racism, Poverty, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Western, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction
Blood Meridian, a 1985 historical fiction novel by Cormac McCarthy, is one of the most celebrated works of modern American literature. The novel was inspired by people and events of the mid-19th century in the borderlands of the United States and Mexico. McCarthy’s works have won many honors including the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Blood Meridian is often considered his greatest novel. This guide uses an eBook version of the 1992 First Vintage... Read Blood Meridian Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Race
Tags Fantasy
Publication year 1932
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Play: Tragedy, Play: Drama, Latin American Literature, Drama / Tragedy, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Blood Wedding, a Spanish rural tragedy, was written by Federico Garcia Lorca in 1932 while he was director of the travelling theater company Teatro Universitario La Barraca. The play was first performed at Teatro Beatriz in Madrid in 1933 under the title Bodas de Sangre. It ran briefly in America on Broadway in 1935, where it was retitled Bitter Oleander. It was not well received; the passions and folkloric culture in the play were too... Read Blood Wedding Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult
Publication year 1998
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Metaphysical, Science / Nature, British Literature
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Place, Society: Community
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Bullying, New Adult
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1970
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 1898
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: War, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Politics / Government, Play: Drama, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Irish Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1944
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags French Literature, Philosophy, Play: Drama, Existentialism, Absurdism
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Fantasy, Love / Sexuality, Romance