revenge in literature

Hey people,
I'm new here so you'll have to forgive me if I'm not completely on terms.

Anyway, I'm in the process of writing an essay on revenge in literature, and I did some research. I searched in my hometowns library but I couldn’t find anything.

I need to write how the subject revenge has evolved in the literature and the diffrent types of revenge in literature.

And also, if you have any other good tips on non-fiction essays or books that deal with revenge in literature, please indulge me.


Dorien

If you are looking for examples within literature:

Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights (Heathcliff)
Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte-Cristo, (The Three Musketeers (there is a case for Milady, but I don't know if there is any criticism on that),) Twenty Years After (Mordaunt), The Vicomte de Bragelonne (De Wardes who comes to take revenge for the death of his father)

Was there not something too between Achilles and Hector in the Iliad (Homer)? Someone will have to help me out there.

There should be several acts of revenge in the Bible. One of which is the Book of Esther where someone refuses to bow to someone else and he contrives to have all Jews killed or so. The whole book is only 3 pages so you can read it easily.

There should be a number of old Germanic stories about revenge. Among which Beowulf if I can believe the cover of my copy.

It is astonishing how much entered and how little came out, but it's a start.

Hey Dorien,

Hometown libraries can be very discouraging. Most schools have searchable databases of scholarly journals these days (even high schools). My high school had EBSCO, and though I never used it (because I got through high school without writing one real essay), I'm sure it could have helped me. University libraries also have these databases, as well as many texts. I'm not sure how well stocked some university libraries are though. I'm lucky, cause my university has a fantastic library. A lot of libraries also have interlibrary loan, where you can ask for a book that another library has to be sent to your home library for checkout.

I think finding work that deals with revenge in literature through history may be a little hard to do, but maybe that can be something you discuss in your essay? I did a quick search on my school's database, and there is some scholarship out there for specific works. I also don't know if there will be anything that classifies different types of revenge, but maybe that is something else you could attend to after you research.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by kiki1982

There should be a number of old Germanic stories about revenge. Among which Beowulf if I can believe the cover of my copy.

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Beowulf... hmm... there are better examples, though I suppose it would do. On a similar note, try some Old Norse literature... you can't move for blood feuds! Try Laxdœla saga (The Saga of the People of Laxárdalur) for starters... its relatively short, highly readable, and contains a lot of revenge. Njáls saga (The Saga of the Burning of Njál) is even better, though it is longer and heavier going; it is, however, a fantastic tale of revenge!

For Old English, I'd actually suggest Judith over Beowulf - I think the theme of revenge is more clear cut, and its shorter than Beowulf!

As for secondary reading, there are literally hundreds of books and articles on the subject of revenge and feud in Old Norse and Old English literature.

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Originally Posted by Dorien

Hey people,
I'm new here so you'll have to forgive me if I'm not completely on terms.

Anyway, I'm in the process of writing an essay on revenge in literature, and I did some research. I searched in my hometowns library but I couldn’t find anything.

I need to write how the subject revenge has evolved in the literature and the diffrent types of revenge in literature.

And also, if you have any other good tips on non-fiction essays or books that deal with revenge in literature, please indulge me.


Dorien

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Look at Wuthering Heights.

There's a load of plays from the 1500's-1600's called the 'revenge' tragedies. Most famous one is The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd, and Hamlet by you-know-who.

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Originally Posted by Lokasenna

Beowulf... hmm... there are better examples, though I suppose it would do. On a similar note, try some Old Norse literature... you can't move for blood feuds! Try Laxdœla saga (The Saga of the People of Laxárdalur) for starters... its relatively short, highly readable, and contains a lot of revenge. Njáls saga (The Saga of the Burning of Njál) is even better, though it is longer and heavier going; it is, however, a fantastic tale of revenge!

For Old English, I'd actually suggest Judith over Beowulf - I think the theme of revenge is more clear cut, and its shorter than Beowulf!

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I knew you'd come and have more to say about it! :D My cover talked of the the mother of Grendel who is supposed to be avengeful... I haven't read it because it's in modern translation :( and I don't like that. I like to have the original next to it...

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Originally Posted by kiki1982

I knew you'd come and have more to say about it! :D My cover talked of the the mother of Grendel who is supposed to be avengeful... I haven't read it because it's in modern translation :( and I don't like that. I like to have the original next to it...

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She is in a sense (as is the dragon, in an even looser sense), but the poem really isn't interested in their motivations, and doesn't dwell upon them much - the poet is interested in Grendel, but his motivations have little to do with revenge in any specific sense.

As for a modern translation, there's nothing wrong with that (unless its Seamus Heaney's, which just isn't very good). That said, if you're looking for a version of the original text, then I heartily suggest you have a look at George Jack's Beowulf: A Student Edition - it glosses all the hard words and unravels all the obscure phrases!

Thank you for the tip! I'll certainly write it down and have a look.

Expensive?

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Originally Posted by kiki1982

Thank you for the tip! I'll certainly write it down and have a look.

Expensive?

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Not really - it is a student edition. You can probably find it for £15 or so, I would imagine!

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Originally Posted by kiki1982

(...) Was there not something too between Achilles and Hector in the Iliad (Homer)? Someone will have to help me out there. (...)

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It was Achiles who took revenge on Hector for slaying Patroklos.

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Originally Posted by kiki1982

(...)There should be a number of old Germanic stories about revenge. Among which Beowulf if I can believe the cover of my copy. (...)

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Perhaps the Nibelungen-Saga: Kriemhilds revenge.

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Originally Posted by Lokasenna

Beowulf... hmm... there are better examples, though I suppose it would do. On a similar note, try some Old Norse literature... you can't move for blood feuds! Try Laxdœla saga (The Saga of the People of Laxárdalur) for starters... its relatively short, highly readable, and contains a lot of revenge. Njáls saga (The Saga of the Burning of Njál) is even better, though it is longer and heavier going; it is, however, a fantastic tale of revenge!

For Old English, I'd actually suggest Judith over Beowulf - I think the theme of revenge is more clear cut, and its shorter than Beowulf!

As for secondary reading, there are literally hundreds of books and articles on the subject of revenge and feud in Old Norse and Old English literature.

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I'm impressed by your knowledge in Icelandic literature Lokasenna..... there aren't that many who have read Njáls saga!

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Originally Posted by Helga

I'm impressed by your knowledge in Icelandic literature Lokasenna..... there aren't that many who have read Njáls saga!

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Oh I have a copy of it, but I've never gotten a chance to read it. My brother brought it back from a business trip to Iceland.

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Originally Posted by Helga

I'm impressed by your knowledge in Icelandic literature Lokasenna..... there aren't that many who have read Njáls saga!

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More's the pity - its such a wonderful text!

I'm actually doing a masters in Medieval literature at the moment, though Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon is where my real passion lies. My PhD, currently in the planning stages, is going to be Old Norse all the way!

So, I guess I kind of have an advantage...:D

Morte D'Artur by Sir Thomas Malory dealt with a revenge theme in a way. Somewhat with the conflict between Lancelot and Arthur, but more involving Gawain's motivations.

Well, if you like comics, then V for Vendetta (Moore/Lloyd) is a good read for revenge-themed narrative.