Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 4 page paper which examines whether or not Jay Gatsby, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, is a great man or not. No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper discusses why the romance genre is the most popular literary genre in the world. Bibliography lists 1 source.

The Mossbachers and the Rincons : A 6 page paper which compares and contrasts the lives of the Mossbacher and the Rincon families from T.C. Boyle’s novel The Tortilla Curtain. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper that discusses the use of language in Esteban Echeverria’s “The Slaughter House,” which portrays the political situation in Argentina under the rule of Manuel de Rosas, a “Federalist war hero” (Webb). In describing the effect of Rosas’ rule, Echeverria creates an extended metaphor, a Slaughter House, located “’in the southern part ...

A 6 page paper which illustrates how Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome is a tragic hero. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 pagfe paper which examines the relationship between Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved and the plantation mistress. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 6 page paper discusses the novel "Arabesques" by Anton Shammas and argues that one of the most important techniques he uses is to make his narrator unreliable, thus mirroring both his own situation as a Christian Arab Israeli, who feels out of place; and the turmoil that characterizes the Middle East. Bibliography lists 2 ...

A 6 page reaction paper to an essay by Aviva Layton, "Grim Fairy Tales and Gory Stories." Historical scholarship shows that children reading fairy tales (and similarly violent tales) has been considered controversial since around 1800 (Should children). There is a tendency for adults to want to protected children from what is deemed "ugly, illogical, ...

This 5 page paper analyzes "Working Conditions," an excerpt from Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's book "The Silent Partner."

A 4 page book review. Khaled Hosseini, a native of Afghanistan, paints a poignant picture of friendship and bigotry in his novel The Kite Runner. A best-selling first novel, it is also the first novel to be written in English by an Afghan (Noor 148). It is the story of two boys, Amir, the privileged ...

A 4 page aper which discusses Mark Twain’s short story The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines Sophocles’ tragic heroine’s deep commitment to the concept of justice. No additional sources are used.

This 5 page paper explores the theme of C.P. Gibson's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper." Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page paper which examines why Harriet Beecher Stowe developed the three slave owning characters of Shelby, St. Clare, and Legree (in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin), and how they work to offer a critique of slavery. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

3 pages in length. Self-sacrifice for the greater good is a rare human quality that often derives from those who are not so consumed with other peoples' value of themselves. The Toltec legend succinctly expresses this reality in The Scabby One Lights Up The Sky by illustrating how social, political or economic status ...

This 8 page paper uses modern psychological methods to examine the character of Sethe from Toni Morrison’s novel “Beloved.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the literary device of paradox and irony in Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River” and Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal.” No additional sources cited.

4 pages in length. To say Joseph Conrad had a forthright objective when penning his celebrated Heart of Darkness is to acknowledge how the author utilized his literary prowess to expose a threatening component of an otherwise civilized human race. The time Conrad spent in the Congo opened his eyes to the pervasiveness ...

A 7 page critical analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 4 page research paper/essay that offers suggestions for how a teacher can interpret and instruct middle school students on the thematic message of Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece The Scarlet Letter, which is a complex psychological novel that offers interpretation on many levels. In presenting this novel to middle school students, it is important to aid ...

10 pages in length. Classic literature serves a much greater purpose than merely filling blank pages or recounting interesting tales; rather, the classics have earned such a title because of the life lessons they bestow upon readers. These lessons are learned from the events that take place throughout the story, with many of ...

A 3 page description of Hell. The author suggests that hell is not only a physical place but it is a conceptual place, a place where people suffer but also a place that inspires others to seek salvation. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 3 page paper which looks at the meaning and significance of the title “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses the protagonist of Willa Cather's short story "Paul's Case," as well as the author's message. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page essay that discusses the structure of Paolini's fantasy novel. Examination of a young adult novel Eldest Inheritance, Book Two by Christopher Paolini (Knopf, 2005) shows that this heroic fantasy tale inculcates all four categories of conflict (man vs. man; man vs. nature; man vs. society; and man vs. himself) with the result ...