Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

An 8 page essay that critically analyzes F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece of American fiction The Great Gatsby, which addresses some hard, but fundamental truths about the state of the country's moral compass in the years following World War I. While the motivations behind American achievement are presumably based on high moral principles, Fitzgerald pictured a ...

A 6 page overview of Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple”. Contends the most important message in this novel is the maturation of Celia from a woman who was treated as an object for other’s gratification to a woman who controlled her own destiny. Comments about the manner in which this maturation is ...

A 9 page fictional rendition of the maturation of a young African American boy from impressionable youth to determined man. Emphasizes the influence his experiences in a ten year stay in South Africa had on his eventual direction as an adult back in the United States. Notes the importance of cultural memories and ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the mystery presented in "In the Lake of the Woods" by Tim O'Brien. The paper argues that the mystery presented by O'Brien is the same mystery presented to Kathy and John in the novel. By becoming immersed in trying to solve the mystery we become as lost as Kathy and John. the book ...

A 5 pages essay that looks at several sources on how to analyze the character of Gregor Samsa in Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, a narrative in which the protagonist is turned into a large bug. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

6 pages in length. Poetry has long been a much-appreciated art form, in that it allows an individual to express a collage of innermost feelings. It has thrived throughout the centuries, entertaining the likes of kings and rulers, peasants and the general populace. As such, it is curious to think that people ...

5 pages in length. The writer speculates as to who the individual was in Emily Dickinson's "Master Letters," paying particular attention to the lesbian theory. Bibliography lists 15 sources.

A 5 page discussion of the events in “The Odyssey” which contributed to Odysseus’ physical, mental, and spiritual maturation. Notes that because these events were not presented by Homer chronologically in the order of when they occurred, it is difficult to assess the differing levels of maturation throughout the epic. Presents a chronological ...

A 5 page paper which examines the “invisible world” inhabited by the protagonist’s parents, Michael and Jess Rubin. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 7 page paper which discusses the life and work of Toni Morrison. The works discussed are "The Bluest Eye," "Jazz," and "Sula". The paper discusses common themes in her work, and what it is that makes her work interesting to the average reader. Bibliography lists 7 additional sources.

A 7 page paper which compares and contrasts the stories "Lucy Jefferson" by Louis "Studs" Terkel and "The Reunion" by Maya Angelou. No additional sources cited.

This 9 page paper explores a variety of themes, the basic plot and characterization in this medieval work of unknown authorship. The message that the work sends to the knights of the day is a major part of the analysis. No additional sources cited

A 5 page paper which examines Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" and discusses whether or not he is a tragic figure. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

12 pages in length. Edgar Allan Poe's irony filled tale The Cask of Amontillado is an entertaining if not also somewhat horrific tale. This is, however the author's normal genre and he is indeed the master at what he does. This paper will look at the ironies and subtle nuances that lend this story its twists and ...

An 8 page essay that compares Poe's "The Purloined Letter" and "Ms. Found in a Bottle" to Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and Homer's "Odyssey, respectively. The writer argues that there is a common saying that "we stand on the shoulders of giants" and it is certainly true that any work, no matter how original, is ...

This 5 page paper evaluates this multigenerational novel set in New York's Hudson River Valley . Themes, symbolism and setting are discussed. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper looks at all three sections of Kafka's classic work that portrays the unlikely occurrence of a man who is transformed into a bug. How it affects the family is the subject of this paper. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses many different aspects of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. No additional sources cited.

A seven page paper which looks at the character of the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and the way in which she is portrayed as a complex and realistic figure in terms of her attitudes, behaviour and perception of human nature, both in relation to the other pilgrims and in her interpretation of ...

A 7 page paper which discusses "Life in the Iron Mills" by Rebecca Harding Davis. The paper addresses how Davis felt about conditions such as class difference, economic inequality, and social separation. An essay in the back of the Bedford Cultural Edition of Davis' work, "The Quaker Settlement" (From Uncle Tom's Cabin) Edward Bellamy, is also mentioned as it ...

A 6 page essay that analyzes Raymond Chandler's characterization of that quintessential detective Philip Marlowe in his novel The Big Sleep. The writer particularly looks at how Chandler defines masculinity through Marlowe's character. No additional sources cited.

This 10 page report discusses novels written by Patricia Grace (“Potiki”) and Eden Robinson (“Monkey Beach”). In “Potiki,” the reader is able to see one community's response to attacks on their ancestral values and symbols. In the process, the relationship between people and the land they live on is shown to have greater ties than can be imagined ...

There are many instances of tragedy in everyday life, some of which are never discussed. This 5 page paper explores the distinction of the play, The View From A Bridge by Arthur Miller as a tragedy, focusing on the protagonist's inability to confront his feelings. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A ten page paper which looks at Pat Barker’s novels in terms of the way in which they deal with perceptions of the truth, the role of language as distinct from the Self in communication, and the difficulties inherent in validating experiential and testamentary data as historical fact in the absence of empirical fact. Bibliography lists ...

This 6 page thesis paper provides an analysis of the work. Emily's presumed madness is discussed. Whether she was driven to madness is a major part of the discussion. Bibliography lists 8 sources.