Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 3 page essay that examines Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, which can be regarded as a study on the nature of courtly love. Having set up the narrative of the two lovers as a prime example of courtly love in books 1 through 3, the betrayal of Troilus, a Trojan prince, by ...

A 3 page paper which examines the roles of women in David Ferry’s Gilgamesh. No additional sources cited.

This 4 page paper is a reaction to the novel “The Bonfire of the Vanities” by Tom Wolfe. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page essay that contrasts the “Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale” and “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell,” which is “one of the most popular stories of late medieval England” (Hahn). Both tales concern a “loathly lady” who transforms into a beautiful, young woman when her husband grants her sovereignty over ...

A 3 page analysis of Linda in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. No additional sources cited.

In three pages this paper examines how the ways in which an individual handles situations of perceived injustice influences the conduct of that person’s life, affects those around him or her, and can have social consequences. References made to Tablet II of The Epic of Gilgamesh and an incident in Essie Mae’s life described ...

This 6 page paper examines “Manfred” by Lord Byron and “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and argues that they are both examples of Gothic literature; that Frankenstein is self-deceiving while Manfred is overly self-aware; and that both protagonists transgress boundaries: Frankenstein cross the line between life and death, and Manfred breaks the taboo against incest. Bibliography ...

In five pages this paper examines Aristotle’s criteria for literary tragedy and considers whether or not the ancient Greek philosopher would have labeled Arthur Miller’s social drama as such. Five sources are listed in the bibliography.

This 4 page paper discusses various aspects of the classic novel “Up the Down Staircase” by Bel Kaufman. Bibliography lists 1 source.

In sixteen pages this paper analyzes writings by Plato, Aristotle, Pico, Machiavelli, Sartre, Freud, and Kane as well as William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Jean Racine’s Phédre in order to determine how free will is treated in Henrik Ibsen’s social drama A Doll’s House, with a categorization of the play as an example of either determinism, ...

This 5 page paper discusses Robin Sylvan’s book “Trance Formation,” an examination of rave culture, and argues that his analysis of it as a religious movement is flawed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper considers the fate of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and asks if he deserves it. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines the similarities in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which analyzes the last sentence of Kate Chopin’s story The Story of an Hour, a sentence that relates to the main character’s heart. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 7 page report examines Alexander the Great and the times in which he lived. The book by Alison Behnke is reviewed. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper on William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 3 page paper on Saved at Sea by Mrs. Walton. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses Nietzsche’s theory of resentment and the relationship it bears to the characters in Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses Louise Erdrich and her story “The Red Convertible,” and the way her background influenced her when she wrote the story. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

In three pages this paper considers the forms of desire Ovid depicted in Metamorphoses and explores if love is simple or complex for Ovid and his characters. A customer-supplied source is used and therefore bibliographic citation information is incomplete.

In four pages this comparative analysis examines how the character of Orlando in Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso parodies the ideal knight embodied by Roland in the French poem Song of Roland. Three sources are listed in the bibliography.

This 4-page paper compares the plays "Major Barbara" and "Mother Courage," and discusses their negative commentary on society and its values. Bibliography lists 3 sources.`

This 3-page paper examines how Erik Larson's book "Devil in the White City" discussed Chicago's economic growth due to the 1893 World's Fair. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 5 page paper discusses the moral crises faced by the title characters in “Silas Lapham” and “Huckleberry Finn.” The paper argues that both characters choose to do what’s right at considerable cost to themselves. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses the types of obsession portrayed in “Frankenstein,” including the obsession of Frankenstein for his experiments in creation; his subsequent obsession with fleeing from the creature; and the creature’s obsession with revenge. Bibliography lists 1 source.