Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

This 5 page paper discusses Jorge Luis Borges' story "The Garden of the Forking Paths" and answers several questions about it, such as what Borges means when he says that the world is a labyrinth and only fiction that imitates those qualities can reflect it; and what the implications are for a person who holds ...

A 3 page essay that summarizes, contrasts and compares 3 short stories. Anton Chekhov’s “The Huntsman,” Vladimir Nabokov’s “Sights and Symbols” and Helena Viramontes’ “The Moths” are three short stories that are expertly crafted to show how characters deal with adversity. While vastly different, in each story the author uses characterization and point of view ...

An 8 page paper which discusses, and then compares and contrasts, the element of fantasy in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 6 page paper which analyzes various aspects of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper which examines how women are depicted in Homer’s Odyssey and Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines the element of the tragic hero in Helene Littmann’s short story Small Fires. No additional sources cited.

A 4 page paper which examines possible motives and meaning for the murder committed by Emily in William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily. Bibliography lists 3 source.

This 4 page paper summarized two chapters of Beverly Tatum’s book, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page paper which compares and contrasts the characters in The Story of an Hour by Kate Choping and A Sorrowful Woman by Gail Godwin. The paper examines the fact that they are both incredibly vulnerable. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 5 page paper compares the strengths and weaknesses, and the issues families face in the film “Avalon,” and the books “Hunger of Memory” by Richard Rodriguez and “An American Requiem” by James Carroll. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page essay that argues that Toni Morrison’s Sula displays this African American author’s prodigious skill as a literary stylist. Through highly stylized situations and contrasts, Morrison presents a narrative that is a study in ambiguity, which causes the reader to question the standard cultural evaluations of right and wrong, love and hate, as ...

This 5 page paper discusses the troubled relationship between Abner Snopes and his son, Colonel Sartoris Snopes, in William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page book review that focuses on the character of Snake from James Webb's Fields of Fire (1978). The writer argues that Snake is a man who is totally devoid of this quality in the conventional sense of the word. His internal compass of conscience operates primarily according what he perceives as the course ...

A 3 page paper which examines how the authors use death to discuss life in their short stories. The authors and stories are “Zaabalawi” by Naguib Mahfouz and “Breast-Giver” by Mahasweta Devi. No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper describes the types of roles available to women in the 19th century, as illustrated by Charlotte Bronte in her classic novel "Jane Eyre." Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 6 page paper examines the life and times of this author. His plays and poetry are examined. Shakespeare is discussed in the context of Congreve's life. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines the thematic role of love in this twentieth-century play and nineteenth-century short novel. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” and the author’s style in the novel, as well as his other works. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page report on Michael Shaara’s novel “Killer Angels.” No additional sources cited.

A 4 page paper which examines how and why the freed slaves chose to remain in the south in “The Known World” by Edward Jones. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 3 page analysis of Oedipus in Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King.” No additional sources cited.

This 9 page paper discusses various aspects of "The Red Badge of Courage." Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the element of culture/setting in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown.” No additional sources cited.

A 4 page paper which examines culture in “A Pair of Tickets” by Amy Tan, “The Lady with the Dog” by Anton Chekhov, and “Everything that Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O’Connor. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 6 page paper discusses William Blake’s work “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” and argues that it represents the two halves of the human spirit. Bibliography lists 4 sources.