Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

The Man Of Feeling by Henry Mackenzie was written in the elate eighteenth century (around 1770) while Daniel Defoe's Roxana was written earlier - at approximately 1720. This 5 page paper argues that MacKenzie wished to bring to life the experiences of Christ, while Defoe was more concerned with making a political point. The moral theme in both ...

This paper examines the lives and writing styles of two of America's formost writers, Thomas Paine and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Although these two were different on the surface, and especially, a generation apart, both wrote about their love for America in language that everyman could understand and respond to.

A 7 page consideration of the question of whether Machiavelli and his teachings were evil. Writing during the sixteenth century, Machiavelli concentrates on the tactics which he sees important in a ruler advancing the interest of their states and themselves in the future in a unified Italian state. The author reviews Machiavelli’s writings ...

A 5 page paper contrasting Beckett's view of women in his novel Murphy, written in 1938, with that presented in his play Endgame, written in 1955. The paper concludes that after his prolonged stay in France, Beckett became detached from his particularly Irish way of looking at women, but was unable to gain the perspective ...

7 pages in length. This paper will compare the way that Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote of King Arthur's Battle of Mont-Saint-Michel as compared to that written by Layamon and Wace. The three writers are compared emphasizing why Geoffrey of Monmouth portrayed King Arthur the way he did. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 6 page book review that discusses and analyzes The Ramsay Scallop by Frances Temple, a novel set in the year 1299 and written to appeal to young teens. In many ways, it is a well-written tale that has elements that are both instructive and entertaining to young readers. However, there are also problems with ...

An 8 page overview of the views of Niccolo Machiavelli in "Il Principe" ("The Prince") written in the sixteenth century. Machiavelli outlines the tactics which he sees important in a ruler advancing the interest of their states and themselves in the future in a unified Italian state. Emphasizes that while these writings could ...

A 4 page essay that examines the work of Japanese writer, Banana Yoshimoto. Profiling two of her books, the writer argues that while Yoshimoto's writing has not earned literary acclaim, her writing style captures the reality of life for young people in contemporary Japan, and elsewhere, and. Therefore, is appealing. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page research paper that examines George Orwell's 1946 essay Politics and the English Language. In this essay, Orwell offers a detailed warning about the dangers of imprecise, overly convoluted writing, while also detailing what constitutes good writing. The writer relates Orwell's political ideals to his concept of the ideal writer. Bibliography lists ...

A 5 page paper discussing the points of view of Susan Fraiman and Adrienne Rich. Fraiman sets out to write an essay relating Jane Eyre with Marxism; Rich writes from the feminist perspective. The paper supports Rich as providing the most sound and rational assessments of Jane Eyre, for Fraiman appears to have ...

A 5 page paper which examines which of these two poets from the Romantic era wrote the most accurate and useful manifesto, and which wrote the least accurate or useful. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5-page paper covers the life and writings of Americo Paredes, and his depictions of life along the Texas-Mexican border. The thesis is that Paredes wrote about racism against Mexican Americans from both anglo Texans and Mexicans on the other side of the border. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page report discusses Edgar Allan Poe’s writing style and presents an example of a short story written with Poe’s techniques that include foreshadowing, a very present narrating force, metaphor, and a subtle mounting of a level of tension that cannot be easily identified. No secondary sources.

A 5 page essay that examines the writing of Jonathan Edwards ("Personal Narrative" and "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God") and compares and contrasts this with excerpts from Franklin's "Poor Richard" writings and his correspondence. The writer specifically contrasts their religious beliefs and world perspective. No additional sources cited.

5 pages. Mark Twain not only wrote entertaining novels but he wrote with a purpose as well. In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, for instance, Twain made some very obvious critiques and satires regarding freedom and slavery. This paper assesses the effects and significance of this theme throughout Twain's work and backs it up ...

When Vladimir Nabokov wrote Lolita he did not set out to write a controversial book about pedophilia, but a book that had it's roots in the firmament of American reality and was about love. This 5 page paper argues that the presenting scenario is one of innocence but it remains abusive. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

An 8 page research paper/essay that discusses Virginia Postrel’s writing on style, design and aesthetics and than applies her ideas to the writing of Tim O’Brien in “How to Tell a True War Story.” The writer argues that O’Brien uses aesthetics to convey meaning about the nature of war experience. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

In any consideration of the writings of Flannery O'Connor, her faith and upbringing has an impact. This 10 page paper explores the idea that Ms. O'Connor, in her first published short story, The Geranium; Everything That Rises Must Converge and one of the very last written during her all too short life: Judgment Day, utilizes the imagery and symbolism ...

This 5 page paper examines the way in which the novel was written. The fact that the work was written in non-linear fashion is highlighted. No additional sources cited.

A 6 page essay that contrasts and compares Phillis Wheatley's poem "To the University of Cambridge, in New England" with Harriet Jacobs' autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. The writer argues that for former slaves Phillis Wheatley and Harriet Jacobs, the use of the written word proved to be a means by ...

A 4 page essay that examines the work of 5 nature writers. Writing that focuses on nature and humanity's relation to it, as well as on the roles of specific animals within it, has been a "recognizable and distinct tradition in English prose" for over two centuries (Elder and Finch 21). Over that ...

5 pages in length. 'I suspect that most of you have been telling stories all your lives ' is the assumption Flannery O'Connor makes in her lecture entitled Writing Short Stories. For it is difficult for O'Connor to fathom that people perceive writing fiction as a chore, when it is something she achieves ...

This is a 3 page paper summarizing Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. Victor Marie Hugo (1802-1885) was considered one of France’s greatest writers of the 19th century. His work “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” or “Notre Dame de Paris, Volume XII” was written in 1831 and in Hugo’s preface to that volume he ...

10 pages. Describes the famous book and the fantasy vs. realism of Don Quixote. Includes information about Miguel de Cervantes, the author, as well. Cervantes wrote many poems and plays. Most of these have not survived and he could not support himself by writing. Cervantes took a job as a ...

A 3 page essay that contrasts and compares 2 works. Lijia Zhang's Socialism Is Great is a memoir, that is, an autobiographical true-to-life account of the author's life. Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" is a short story, that is, a work of fiction that is entirely the product of the author's imagination. Both works are ...