Revenge Tragedy

From Homer to Nietzsche, St Paul to Sylvia Plath, numerous major authors have been fascinated by the emotional intensity of revenge, and by the questions it raises about violence, sexuality, death, and and the nature of justice. In this exceptionally learned and lively book, John Kerrigan explores the literature of vengeance from Greek tragedy to postmodernism, ranging through material in several languages, as well as through opera, painting, and film, while opening new perspectives on such familiar English works as Hamlet, Clarissa, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.