Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 5 page essay that compares and contrasts the portray of women by Sophocles and Ibsen in Antigone and A Doll's House. The writer uses these works to argue that while women have been suppressed throughout Western history, literature demonstrates that women have not always passively accepted their societal role. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

For any who have endured the history of robots on television, the possibility of artificial intelligence in conjunction with the needs of society is very real. This 5 page paper explores the opinion of Neil Frude in his essay, The Intimate Machine, when he argues that the computer is certainly capable of evolving to the point where it does, ...

This 9 page paper discusses two books about Union General George McClellan: “Ordeal by Fire” by James McPherson; and “George B. McClellan and Civil War History: In the Shadow of Grant and Sherman” by Thomas Rowland. It describes the authors’ arguments, their sources; and argues that while both books are very fine, McPherson’s explanation of ...

A seven page paper which takes a New Historicist critical perspective on Shakespeare's history plays, with particular reference to the Henry plays and Richard III. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

An 8 page overview of the book by Jan Wong. Wong, a Canadian ethnic Chinese, lived in China during the 1960s and 1970s. Although she had lived a life of privilege in Canada and could not even speak the Chinese language, she manages to provide a unique and unmatched account of one of ...

This 6 page report discusses the fact that Homer’s “ Iliad” should understand is that “Iliad” presents numerous unanswered questions, most of which are likely to remain unanswered throughout history. The question that has most intrigued historians, writers, archaeologists, and other scholars is how accurate a representation of the ancient world was the story? Is the historical backdrop one that can ...

A 4 page essay that discusses this period in American literary history. The wrier defines the period and discusses it in terms of the work of Emerson, Whitman, Lincoln, Dickinson and others. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

In three pages this paper examines how 5th century B.C. Athenian history impacts upon the tension between individual and group that Sophocles thematically develops in his Oedipus trilogy (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone). Three sources are listed in the bibliography.

A 4 page paper which examines the descent of Dr. Faustus and Dr. Jekyll in Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Dr. Faust and Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. No additional sources cited.

This 5 page paper discusses the trial and defense put forward by Socrates, recorded by Plato. The paper argues that Socrates was highly persuasive and put forward attractive arguments, but it was unlikely he would have been found innocent given the background of his teachings and the recent history in Athens at the time of ...

A 5 page paper which examines how the book can be understood in terms of the “isms” it discusses – Behaviorism, Utilitarianism, Communism, Darwinism, Freudianism, Atheism, Historicism – and how it considers the notion that history is nonsense and whether or not this conclusion is right or wrong. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 6 page research paper that examines Michael Cunningham's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Hours, which focuses on the stories of three women who each face enormous struggles against sexism and societal preconceptions of gender. In so doing, his novel is rather like a thumbnail sketch of the history of feminism in the twentieth century. Therefore, ...

A 5 page overview of Holocaust poetry. This paper emphasizes how poetry like that of Don Pagis, Paul Celan, and others have added significantly to our understanding of the horrors of this time in history, not through rote historical fact, but through the moving words of their poems. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

This 4-page paper discusses the concept of ambiguity in Iran as outlined in Roy Mottahedeh's book, The Mantle of the Profit. Discussions center around ambiguity in Iranian history, as well as continued ambiguity today. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page essay that analyzes the theme of the cyclical nature of time in One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is the epic story of the village of Macondo and the family who founded it, the Buendias. The text of the novel covers the century-long history of both the village ...

This 3-page paper is a review of Ellis Hawley's The Great War and the Search for a Modern Order: A History of the American People and Their Institutions 1917-1933.

This 5 page paper relates the story presented in Kim Chernin’s novel In My Mother’s House: A Daughter’s Story. This paper relates periods in the lives of both Kim Chernin and her immigrant mother, Rose Chernin, relative to her mother’s personal history in the Soviet Union. Kim Chernin attempts to show the ...

This 6 page paper discusses Edward Ayers' civil war narrative history, "In the Presence of Mine Enemies." Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page discussion of the factors causing the extreme poverty and hardship illustrated in this book by Alex Kotliwitz. Far from fictional the gangs, violence, and drugs depicted in this book are very real and to overcome them we have to somehow dissolve the social stratification which has separated mainstream America from the ...

This 3-page book examines Davis' City of Quartz, and discusses the history of and comparison with the various parts of the city of Fontana.

A 3 page paper which examines the American novel and what it tells the reader about history, culture, ideals and other themes. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

Authur Koestler's book, Darkness At Noon, provides a view of a specific time and incident in history that has been interpreted by someone who was decidedly opposed to the political leadership that brought the event to fruition. This 7 page paper explores the meaning of the Moscow trials as well as totalitarianism, the historical reference to Stalin and the hope ...

A 5 page paper which examines the combination of history and fantasy in Juan Rulfo's "Pedro Paramo." No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which defines the Kama Sutra and its history. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 4 page research paper/essay that discusses a character--Jack--from William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Examination of this novel shows that the character of Jack demonstrates the traits that history attributes to Hitler. Like Hitler, Jack is an opportunist who takes advantage of his opponents' weaknesses in order to destroy them. Bibliography lists ...