Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 4 page discussion of good, evil, and the importance of choice as revealed in A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. No additional sources cited.

An 8 page paper comparing Samuel Johnson's Rasselas and Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Conclusion drawn that themes of "living in reality" and "living within what is possible" and "finding ways of reconciling dreams and reality" thread through both books. Concentrates on Princess and servant in Rasselas and Marianne and Brandon in Sense ...

A thesis-orientated, 3 page discussion of the pursuit of happiness in these two classic tales. No Bibliography.

An 8 page look at this eighteenth-century novel in terms of the motivation of its protagonist, who, after being raped, wills herself to die. The paper asserts that despite the fact that Clarissa's historical period and social background mitigates against her ability to turn her life around, the novel's ending is disappointing because she ...

5 pages on the heroines from the novels 'The Female Quixote: The Adventures of Arabella,' and Catherine Morland from 'Northanger Abbey.' (Jane Austen) The author discusses how both are obsessed with novels: Arabella with 'romance' novels and Catherine Morland with gothic novels. Both heroines have become immersed in these novels of their time. They have ...

An 11 page paper on Austen's next-to-last novel. The writer argues that Jane Austen's distinctive techniques all work together to illustrate the heroine's moral nature at levels of which the heroine is not conscious. Bibliography lists three sources.

A 5 page paper on the theme of courtship and self-discovery in Jane Austen's last novel. The paper points out that in Emma, the title character undergoes a period of self-examination, resulting in a reassessment of who she is and where she fits in the scheme of life. Only when this process is complete does ...

A 10 page paper on the differences between the way men and women were perceived as intellectual beings in eighteenth century England. The paper also contrasts Tilney's teasing condescension of Catherine with the respect with which Austen treats her readers.Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper on the lesser-known Jane Austen novel. The paper suggests that what has long been perceived as a very poor literary construction was actually done deliberately, both to make fun of the Gothic tradition popular in Austen's day, and to point out the differences between Gothic heroic relationships and the relationships of ...

A 5 page paper examining Jane Austen's parody of the Gothic genre in this, her first novel. Through a comparison with a short passage from a story by Edgar allan poe, the paper shows how very accurate Austen's parody is. Bibliography lists three sources.

An 8 page paper on Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility' in which the writer discusses themes of love & psycho-emotional development as they relate mostly to the Dashwood sisters. It is argued that Sense and Sensibility was much less aggressively feminist in comparison with Austen's later novels. Bibliography lists 5 supporting sources.

A 7 page paper discussing the character of Lucy Steele in Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility.' Questions asked and discussed are who the character of Lucy Steele was, what her role was in the novel, and why is she so thoroughly disliked. Is Lucy Steele 'bad' or just incredibly and constantly irritating?! In what ...

A 4 page paper comparing and contrasting the relationships between sisters in Austen's Sense and Sensibility and Alcott's Little Women. The paper argues that the ideological clashes of Alcott's Marches are more believable than those of Austen's Dashwoods because Austen was using the characters to prove a philosophical point. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

An 8 page analytical essay on Austen's use of chance to progress the plot and establish a basis for judging her characters' moral development. Bibliography lists 6 additional sources.

This 10 page paper chronicles how the changing women's roles in society is demonstrated in Jane Austen's 1813 novel, Pride and Prejudice.

A 5 page paper comparing the social class hierarchy presented in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with that of modern-day England. It argues that Britain has changed recently to a more democratic social model because the traditional one no longer reflected the common people's lives. Bibliography lists 5 sources including Austen's book.

A 5 page overview of Jane Austin's book 'Pride and Prejudice.' Emphasizes Austin's portrayal of women, social class, and their importance in marriage. No additional sources cited.

This 5 page paper examines how Jane Austen used irony in the structure of her 1813 novel. No additional sources cited.

An 8 page paper analyzing male-female relationships in each of these two stories as illustrated by the characters of Lizzy, Sophy, Darcy, and Randolph. The paper argues that the difference in tone are very much due to the differences between the authors' perception of gender and its effect on society. Two additional critical sources ...

This 8 page paper analyzes the work primarily in terms of how the author views love and marriage. Analysis of marriages contained in the book is used as a basis for discussion as is the author's life. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper looking at the theme of persuasion in Jane Austen's last completed novel. The paper argues that throughout the course of the novel, the reader is being subtly persuaded that the customs of propriety in nineteenth-century England need to be reworked in order to give everyone a fairer shot at life. No ...

A 7 page paper on the use of characterization in Thomas Hardy's novel, especially as it applies to the very disagreeable Mayor himself. The paper argues that Hardy takes a risk in making a pivotal character so nasty, but does so to illustrate that all Henchard's problems are of his own making. Bibliography lists 6 ...

Brief, 2 page discussion of Thomas Hardy's 'The Native.' The writer describes Hardy's insightful view of life and depiction of man as living in an 'indifferent universe.' No Bibliography.

This 5 page paper explores the motivation behind the murders committed by protagonist Bigger Thomas with the assumption that they were fear-induced rather than intentional.

This 5 page paper provides a chapter analysis from the first book of Thomas Hardy's classic novel, The Return of the Native. It illustrates Hardy's character and theme development as well as his use of natural imagery.