Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

Jane Austen lived in a world where social accountability was extremely important, as was the romantic notion. This 5 page paper argues that Sense And Sensibilities goes beyond the title to be incorporated into the very essence of the characters and behavior of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood of Sussex. No additional sources are listed.

A 5 page analysis of Ann Radcliffe's eighteenth century novel of Gothic romance, 'The Italian.' The writer examines Radcliffe's concepts of good and evil as portrayed in the novel. No additional sources cited.

An 11 page research paper that examines Sia Figiel's Where We Once Belonged and Albert Wendt's Pouliuli. The writer argues that the location of Samoa plays an integral role in each of these novels. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

Modern society has a propensity to dichotomize; thus, good always stands in opposition to evil. The traditional interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novella, The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, always leads to that particular duality. This 5 page paper argues that the inner 'evil' of Mr. Hyde was an integral component of Dr. Jekyll's personality, ...

A 5 page paper which examines the origins and significance of "The Book of Kells" in an attempt to reveal the essence of its appeal, which has endured for centuries. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A five page paper looking at Remarque's novel in terms of the degree to which it functions as either a confession or an accusation. The paper concludes that -- despite the author's statement to the contrary -- it does function in both those ways; what saves it from being propaganda is the blunt realism ...

An 8 page paper which discusses how the move from a physical sense of home to a philosophical sense of home in the novel "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, is a concept central to living in postmodernity. No additional sources cited.

A 6 page paper which examines the character of Meursault in Albert Camus' book "The Stranger" and argues that he did not live a meaningful life as put forth through the notions of Vicktor Frankl in "The Meaning of Life." The views of Frankl are that by creating a work or doing a deed; by experiencing something or encountering ...

A 5 page evaluation of the truths presented in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" regarding discrimination as supported by the findings of John Howard Griffin in "Black Like Me". Examines the contention in "To Kill a Mockingbird" that to understand someone you have to live in their skin. Suggests that the author ...

This 7 page report discusses the connections between Edgar Allan Poe’s story of “The Cask of Amontillado” and the actual life experiences of Poe. From the first Edgar Allan Poe story a person reads, the seed is planted that grows into the question of whether or not the author was as “twisted” as his stories. Historical accounts of the man ...

This six-page-paper describes the use of animal imagery in Othello as well as a book called Goodnight Desdemona. Bibliography lists two sources.

This 5 page paper considers the role of Texas as discussed in Campbell's book; "An Empire for Slavery". The development of Texas economically and the way in which the freedom of slaves was resisted with proactive measures is considered and o8utlined in this paper. The bibliography cites 1 source.

This 5 page paper analyzes the characters Sethe and Beloved, their motivations and psyche. The relationship between mother and daughter is highlighted. No additional sources cited.

A five page paper looking at the way the Joads' car figured in their doomed pursuit of the American dream. The paper suggests that the automobile cut them off from their reliance on the land -- something they understood -- and forced them to rely on a form of technology that was essentially foreign to ...

A five page paper looking at Henrik Ibsen's famous play in terms of whether its ending -- and in fact its entire premise -- is realistic. The paper concludes that it is, noting that Nora left her husband because he could no longer see her as anything but distasteful, and she has lived with him ...

A 7 page comparison that looks at Langdon Gilkey's autobiographical account of life in a Japanese internment camp, Shantung Compound, and Mary Gordon's novel concerning an embittered young woman who must learn to cope with life, Final Payment. The writer argues that these two very different works come to similar conclusions concerning the nature ...

A 5 page analysis of Jeanette Winterson's provocative novel 'Written on the Body,' in which the author offers an intriguing psychologically oriented novel that engages the reader's imagination through her expert manipulation of language. No additional sources cited.

A nine page paper looking at Henrik Ibsen's famous nineteenth-century play in terms of its role as a feminist manifesto. The paper concludes that although Ibsen may not have intended his work as a statement on women's rights, it functioned that way because it so perfectly captured the frustrations felt by women in that era. ...

This 7 page report discusses the struggle for identity among modern Native American characters in two separate novels. For a people who never questioned who they were or their role in the natural order of life and their place in the world, such an effort becomes one in which cultures clash and the primary characters are forced to determine who ...

In the mid to late 1800, social status often dictated whom one could marry, where one could live and the way in which others responded to the individual. To a degree this continues to be true, however, at the time depicted in Emily Bronte's literary work, Wuthering Heights, social mobility was a topic of extreme interest. This 5 ...

A 5 page paper which discusses "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson as it relates to the lingering effects of WWII. The characters discussed are Kabuo and Ishmael. No additional sources cited.

5 pages in length. Compares two articles, "September, 1973" by Ariel Dorfman and "My Pin-Up" by Hilton Als, and contrasts the rational choice perspective versus the authoritarian approach as regards ethnic conflict.

A 10 page paper that supports the transcendentalist idea presented by Henry David Thoreau that one must first lose contact with the materialistic world in order to find inner peace and serenity. Discussed are the views presented in Economy and Where I Lived and What I Lived For from Thoreau's Walden as well as ...

A 3 page paper which defines postmodern fiction and how it is represented in Julian Barnes' short story, "Experiment." Bibliography lists 2 sources.

For Americans the concept of freedom is associated with the rights and responsibilities of community. This 12 page paper argues that The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Frederick Douglass' Narrative of The Life Of Frederick Douglass have components of societal restrictions that infer the need for freedom. Bibliography lists 11 sources.