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.

Cursed Bunny

by Bora Chung, Transl. Anton Hur

Publication year 2017

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Fear, Loneliness, Revenge, Disability, Gender Identity, Language, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Marriage, Social Class, Economics, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, Magical Realism, Science Fiction, Korean Literature

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Cyclops

by Euripides

Publication year 422

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Religion & Spirituality, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Place, Revenge

Tags Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Comedy & Satire, Dramatic Literature, Arts & Culture, Religion & Spirituality

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Dangerous Liaisons

by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

Publication year 1782

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Femininity, Love, Revenge, Sexual Identity

Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Love & Sexuality

Dangerous Liaisons is an epistolary novel (i.e., a story told through a series of letters) first published in 1782, seven years before the start of the French Revolution, by Pierre-Ambroise-François Choderlos de Laclos. The story revolves around the scheming and manipulative activities of two aristocrats, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont. They take pleasure in seducing and ruining the reputations of others, using their wit and charm to manipulate those around them... Read Dangerous Liaisons Summary

Dead Lions

by Mick Herron

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Grandparents, Teamwork, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense

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Den of Vipers

by K.A Knight

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

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Devolution

by Max Brooks

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction

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Disclaimer

by Renée Knight

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Femininity, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Mothers, Justice, Truth & Lies

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

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Doctor Sleep

by Stephen King

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Death, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Community, Power & Greed, Self Discovery, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Mental Health

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Doctor Sleep is a 2013 horror novel by Stephen King. It is a sequel to the events that occurred in King’s popular novel The Shining and features the return of Danny Torrance. Decades after the horrors at the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance must now reckon with the renewed threat of the spirits. When the novel begins, the dead woman from the Overlook’s Room 217 has returned and threatens Danny in his bathroom. King uses this... Read Doctor Sleep Summary

Dragonflight

by Anne McCaffrey

Publication year 1968

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Space, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Relationships, Science & Nature, Technology, American Literature, Classic Fiction

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Dragonfly in Amber

by Diana Gabaldon

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Perseverance, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Nostalgia, Memory, Hope, Masculinity, Gender Identity, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Future, Place, Marriage, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Justice, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, European History, Health, World History

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Dragonslayer

by Tui T. Sutherland

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Gender Identity, Language, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Siblings, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Animals

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Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

by Olga Tokarczuk

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Animals, Environment, Revenge

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Satirical Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Olga Tokarczuk is among Poland’s most famous and critically acclaimed contemporary authors. She has received multiple national and international literary awards, including the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature. Her most well-known novels and their translations into English are House of Day, House of Night (2003), Primeval and Other Times (2010), Flights (2018), and The Books of Jacob (2021).Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead was published in Poland in 2009 but didn’t become... Read Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead Summary

Dry September

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1931

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Justice, Revenge, Femininity, Race

Tags American Literature, Race & Racism, Education, Education, Southern Gothic, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

“Dry September,” by American author William Faulkner, is a short story that explores racial tension, violence, and moral decay in a small Southern town when a white woman’s accusation against a Black man leads to violence. The story, which unfolds in five parts, revolves around the rumors that Will Mayes, a Black man, assaulted or frightened a white woman, Miss Minnie Cooper. Without concrete evidence, the men of the town exact their revenge against Mayes... Read Dry September Summary

Duma Key

by Stephen King

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Memory, Revenge, Disability, Language, Race, Death, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Teamwork, Social Class, Art, Beauty, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Psychological Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Duma Key by Stephen King is a novel in the literary-horror genre, praised for its eerie, spooky atmosphere and suspenseful build-up. Published in 2008, Duma Key is the first novel by King to be set in Florida. The book follows Edgar Freemantle as he moves from Minnesota to the island of Duma (one of the Florida Keys, or small islands) after a life-changing accident. Tormented by phantom-limb pain from his amputation and unable to remember... Read Duma Key Summary