Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 5 page paper which examines the humor in Gogol's "Shinel" as it relates to humane passages. Bibliography lists 1 additional source.

A 7 page research paper that addresses the significance and pivotal importance of the great mead-hall, Heorot, as the setting for the drama with Grendel. The writer argue that the mead-hall functions as a physical manifestation of the reciprocal relationship between the Danish king Hrothgar and his subjects. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A five page paper which looks at Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Black Cat in terms of the way in which the author uses dramatic irony throughout the narrative to develop the story and lead it to its inevitable conclusion and the downfall of the protagonist.

This 5 page paper considers how this great American novel written by Mark Twain may be interpreted as an adventure that demonstrates the evils of society. The bibliography cites 1 source.

This 5 page paper provides an overview of James Baldwin's famous story about a musician living in Harlem. The relationship with his brother is the primary focus of the work. The paper provides an analysis of the setting, language and other key elements of the story. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which compares Marx and Engels' "Communist Manifesto" and Voltaire's "Candide." Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

A 6 page research paper that examines three stories by three great Southern writers: A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner; A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor; and Everyday Use by Alice Walker. The writer argues that the common characteristic between these three stories is that it is difficult to imagine ...

5 pages. This example essay of Jingling Bracelets by Maximilliam Schlaks considers several topics that are found within the storyline. Each of these topics is developed with a topic sentence as well as supporting details from the story. Quotes are used within this sample paper as well. Bibliography lists 1 source. ...

A 5 page paper which examines how Lancelot’s status as a romantic hero has been defined by the Medieval concepts of courtly love and the chivalric code. Specifically considered is the portrayal of Lancelot in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A paper which looks at the importance of the Southern setting in Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, Walker’s Everyday Use and O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find, particularly in terms of the way that women are perceived in the three narratives. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

8 pages in length. Fairy tales are as synonymous with children as Snow White is with the Seven Dwarfs. Indeed, the importance of fairy tales within young and impressionable lives represents an integral component of tradition as well as learning some of life's fundamental lessons. Fairy tales have the inherent ability to ...

This 5 page paper looks at Lady Audley's Secret, a book by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and The Woman in White by Willkie Collins and consider how these sensational mysteries are also book which use paradox and subversive perspectives or plots to achieve their ultimate conclusion. The bibliography cites 2 sources.

In every person's life there are three major components that define which road that person will walk down: either the road to success or the road to destruction. This 6 page paper asserts that the tragedy of Willy Loman's life encompasses the self, his relationship with his family is the second and the need to reach for and acquire ...

5 pages in length. The relationship that existed between Galileo and his daughter Virginia, later renamed Suor Maria Celeste after entering a convent at age 13, was unlike most other father/daughter alliances, inasmuch as both individuals drew their very strength of spiritual and mortal existence from the other to the exclusion of virtually all ...

This 6 page paper provides an overview of the book and evaluates its characters. Ngasa Moke, Nza, Mabalo Lokela, Massnagaya and Father Dubonnett are discussed in depth. Thematic elements and the plot are also briefly discussed. No additional sources cited.

5 pages. This concise paper on Ernest Hemingway describes some of his stories as well as his writing style. Hemingway's use of implied, subtle themes allows readers latitude of interpretation. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

A 7 page paper which examines Ralph Emerson's "The Invisible Man" and discusses its relationship with communism. The paper focuses on the Brotherhood as a symbol of Ellison's views on communism. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

This 5 page report discusses Sigmund Freud’s “Civilization and its Discontents” (1929-30) and applies it to a literary character -- Mephistopheles -- from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Faust.” Both are tangentially based on the real world and real people, however, both are shaped and manipulated by their “founders.” For that reason Mephistopheles serves as one of the most valuable subjects ...

A 6 page discussion of the differences in these author’s character portrayals of the young Antigone in the classic play “Antigone”, first written by Sophocles then by French playwright Jean Anouilh. The author of this paper contends that Antigone was shaped by the characters around her, particularly Creon and that this shaping was somewhat ...

An 8 page paper. There was a great deal of superstition during the Renaissance, much of which had carried over from the Middle Ages. Part of their belief system was the ability of the deceased to reappear and the ability of some to communicate with these spirits. This paper discusses these beliefs and provides examples ...

An eight page paper which looks at the way in which James Joyce and Edna O'Brien treat the concept of death in The Dead and The Country Girls, and the importance of snow as a metaphor for death in both narratives. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

Tom in The Glass Menagerie: This 5 page paper consideres the claim that Tom in Tenessee Williams The Glass Menagerie is an excellent example of the modern anti-hero. This paper integrates a view of the typical epic hero, the hero of action, and demonstrates Tom's role as the opposite, a comtemplative and reflective ...

A 7 page paper which discusses the elements of romanticism found in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." Bibliography lists 10 additional sources.

In The Odyssey, the relationship between the Goddess, Athena and the hero, Odysseus is symbiotic; that is, what Odysseus lacks, Athena provides in order for his quest to be accomplished. This 5 page paper explores the similarities between Odysseus and Athena in the story. No additional sources are listed.

A 5 page paper which analyzes the novel through feminist criticism. Bibliography lists 5 sources.