The Feast of Nemesis
A young man returns to his village after serving in the war and becomes infatuated with a woman who is engaged to be married. He begins an affair with her but ultimately loses her due to his own foolishness. The story explores themes of love, loss, and the destructive nature of unchecked emotions.
By Hector Hugh Munro · First published 1894 · Genre: Satire, Comedy, Short Story · 1,746 words
First lines
"It's a good thing that Saint Valentine's Day has dropped out of vogue," said Mrs. Thackenbury; "what with Christmas and New Year and Easter, not to speak of birthdays, there are quite enough remembrance days as it is. I tried to save myself trouble at Christmas by just sending flowers to all my friends, but it wouldn't work; Gertrude has eleven hot-houses and about thirty gardeners, so it would have been ridiculous to send flowers to her, and Milly has just started a florist's shop, so it was equally out of the question there. The stress of having to decide in a hurry what to give to Gertrude and Milly just when I thought I'd got the whole question nicely off my mind completely ruined my Christmas, and then the awful monotony of the letters of thanks: ‘Thank you so much for your lovely flowers. It was so good of you to think of me. ' Of course in the majority of cases I hadn't thought about the recipients at all; their names were down in my list of ‘people who must not be left out.'
What this Textopian page supports
The Feast of Nemesis is listed on Textopian as a short story by Hector Hugh Munro, dated 1894 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Hector Hugh Munro
- Date: 1894 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Satire, Comedy, Short Story, Social Commentary, Fiction
- Length: 1,746 words
- Structure: 1 section, 22 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Feast of Nemesis by Hector Hugh Munro
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Feast of Nemesis?
- How does this short story by Hector Hugh Munro fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Satire first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- Fate by Hector Hugh Munro
- The Dreamer by Hector Hugh Munro
- Esme by Hector Hugh Munro
- Judkin Of The Parcels by Hector Hugh Munro
- Morlvera by Hector Hugh Munro
- The Oversight by Hector Hugh Munro
Genres
- Satire — The narrative employs humor and irony to critique social customs and human nature, particularly the artificiality of social obligations.
- Comedy — The story is filled with humorous situations and witty dialogue, focusing on the absurdity of societal norms.
- Short Story — The work is a concise narrative that focuses on a single idea or theme, typical of short story structure.
- Social Commentary — The text critiques societal behaviors and traditions, such as holiday customs and social niceties.
Tags
Satire · Dark Comedy · Social Commentary · Literary Fiction · Absurdist · Anti-Hero · Morality Play · Critique of Society · Class Satire · Allegory · Farcical · Black Humor