Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A nine page paper looking at this important twentieth century novel in terms of the way Zora Neale Hurston created the complex characterization of her protagonist, Janie Crawford. The paper argues that Janie is less challenged by her role as an African-American as she is by her gender. Bibliography lists seven sources.

A five page paper looking at this short section of Voltaire's novel in terms of its function within the book as a whole. The paper argues that Voltaire wrote the Eldorado section as a Utopia to reflect on the sorry state of life in the France of his day. No additional sources.

A ten page paper looking at these two characters of Arthurian romance -- one from Chretien de Troyes’ “Erec and Enide” and “Lancelot,” and the other from Rosemary Sutcliff’s contemporary novel “Sword at Sunset.” The paper points out that Gawain is demeaned in Chretien’s works because he needed a more distinctively Gallic hero, while Sutcliff ...

A 6 page paper which examines the book “Celluloid Mirrors: Hollywood and American Society Since 1945,” by Ronald L. Davis. This book illustrates Hollywood and the movie industry from a completely different aspect than most books which discuss Hollywood and movies. Davis presents illustrations of how movies have shaped our society more in the past few decades than ever ...

A 7 page comparison of Julia Alvarez' How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Toni Morrison's Sula. The writer addresses how these two authors use language within these works. No additional sources cited.

A five page character study of the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' in terms of the way his characterization relates to the novel's theme. The paper asserts that Gatsby -- like the 'flapper' society in which Fitzgerald himself lived -- had abandoned the ethics of the previous generation and followed only the ...

A five page paper looking at this international bestseller in terms of the relationship between its two main characters, Michael and Hanna. The paper shows that Hanna's life was flawed by pride, and Michael's by detachment. No additional sources.

A five page paper looking at these two works by William Shakespeare and Toni Morrison respectively, dealing with their treatment of social issues such as racism, both in the Elizabethan era and today. The paper shows that what the two protagonists have in common is the degree to which they have internalized their society’s racist ...

A five page paper looking at Julia Alvarez’ “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent”, and comparing the immigrant experience portrayed there to that of an Italian-American personally interviewed. The paper concludes that the secret lies in creating a totally new hybrid culture which combines Old World and New, past and present. Bibliography lists three ...

An eight page paper looking at the issue of feminism in these two plays by William Shakespeare and Aristophanes, respectively. The paper argues that both writers mocked women -- in “Lysistrata” because they were too unfeminine, and in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” because they were too irrational -- and shows how both plays call for a ...

An eight page paper comparing two short stories from the turn of the twentieth century: 'A Respectable Woman' by Kate Chopin and Virginia Woolf's 'A Society.' The paper shows how in their treatment of feminism, each refutes the restrictive character of Victorianism and welcomes the Modern age. Bibliography lists six sources.

A six page paper looking at the way women's roles contribute to public welfare, as seen through the eyes of three seminal nineteenth and twentieth century thinkers. Specific works considered are John Stuart Mill's 'The Subjection of Women,' Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'Herland,' and Adrienne Rich's 'Of Woman Born.' No additional sources.

A six page paper looking at Jane Austen's final novel in terms of the way it deals with the maturation of the heroine. The paper notes that while many readers have objected to the tutorial role of Emma's eventual husband, George Knightly, Emma really doesn't mature as a result of Knightly's advice; she matures as ...

A five page paper looking at the popular children’s series by Joanne Rowling. The paper argues that the reason these books are so popular is they contain moral values adults appreciate together with an understanding of what it’s like to be a child. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A seven page paper looking at the way this fictional heroine of the well-known children's series was created, and has developed through the years. Written by many writers under the single pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the series has been extremely influential in the adolescent lives of millions of young girls. Bibliography lists five sources.

A five page paper on the uses of sentimentalism and sensibility in Oliver Goldsmith's 'She Stoops to Conquer,' Laurence Sterne's 'A Sentimental Journey,' and Samuel Johnson's 'Rasselas.' It discusses the way men and women are characterized in these works, and whether these authors see a difference in male and female sensibilities. No additional sources.

This six-page paper presents a discussion on how the literary technique of magic realism is used in the short story “The Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”, by Gabriel Garcia- Marquez. Bibliography lists seven sources.

A five page paper comparing the ideas contained in Alicia Ostriker’s “Stealing the Language” with Diane Wakoski’s poetry. The paper concludes that both writers feel women need to reject the myths our patriarchal culture has imposed upon them, and reinvent themselves in a more positive vein. Bibliography lists six sources.

A five page creative writing paper using the character of Lazarillo de Tormes, from the Spanish picaresque novel of the sixteenth century, and transporting him to New York City. The paper shows Lazarillo meeting a girlfriend who shows him a new way to live by his wits. No sources.

An eleven page paper on the business practices of the Mediterranean area during the late middle ages and Renaissance, as depicted in the 'Decameron' by Giovanni Boccaccio. The paper argues that its practical, non-ideological viewpoint coupled with its strong cosmopolitan emphasis make the work seem very modern. Bibliography lists seven sources.

A 5 page analysis that examines Cannibals and Kings: the Origins of Cultures by Marvin Harris. The writer demonstrates that Harris offers some intriguing ideas relative to the way that early man developed in response to environmental forces. Harris' book covers a wide-ranging variety of topics. In so doing, he often presents a perspective on ...

A 5 page essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. The writer argues that this is a tale of sin and isolation, but it is also a tale of redemption. While it encompasses the consequences of sin and adheres to traditional Christian dogma relative to such concepts as original sin, it also suggests that redemption ...

A five page paper looking at these two playwrights in terms of their conception of the appropriate place of women in society. Specific works considered are Aeschylus' 'Agamemnon' and Euripides' 'Medea.' Bibliography lists three sources.

A five page paper looking at Euripides' classic play in terms of the way he characterizes the title character, Medea. The paper suggests that Medea is depicted as a barbarian because her unfeminine and savage behavior violated Greek norms, and Euripides' audiences would have been unable to conceive that she was anything like them. Bibliography ...

An eight page paper examining the main characters of 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles,' 'Far from the Madding Crowd,' and 'Jude the Obscure', both in terms of their relationships to one another and their relationships within their society. Bibliography lists three sources.