Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 5 page paper using Henry James' short story 'A Mirror of Consciousness' as a springing-off point to show how a character's participation in an event which creates a conflict for him, and his response to that event, teaches us not only about the character but about ourselves. The writer primarily discusses 'Araby' by James ...

This 7 page paper considers the application of Szacz's The Myth of Mental Illness to the basic premises of Shelley's Frankenstein and James' Washington Square. This paper considers the nature of mental illness as a construct of societal views and defines the implications for the main characters in both novels. Bibliography lists 3 ...

A 6 page paper which discusses the quest for a deeper sense of self as depicted in three novels: Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell To Arms, Timothy Findley's The Wars, and Joy Kogawa's Obasan. The paper observes that while a major life crisis is not necessary in order to spur on this important personal journey, it ...

A 5 page paper that discusses how these three authors' intent was to prepare society for the world in which it lives. The paper discusses the three viewpoints, but brings them together in a thesis that they wrote their stories and philosophies in order to provide information to humans about how the world is/should ...

A 5 page paper that provides an overview of the theme of mother/daughter relationships and the correspondence between this and gender identification in Chavez's Face of an Angel and Kingston's Woman Warrior.

A 12 page paper discussing T.J. English's nonfiction book about the famous twentieth-century Hell's Kitchen gang. It particularly looks at the women behind the scenes in the all-male gang, and analyzes the way these women reflect traditional values. No additional sources cited.

A 7 page paper comparing and contrasting the presentation of mobsters in these two books, by T.J. English, and Gene Mustain and Jerry Capeci, respectively. The paper concludes that the main difference lies in The Westies' presentation of even the most heinous criminals as human beings, as compared to the presentation of them in The ...

A 3 page essay on how rape, incest, education, and language are presented at the familial level in Toni Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye,' Sapphire's 'Push,' Kincaid's 'Annie John,' and D'aguair's 'Dear Future.' The writer subsequently analyzes how these items are analogous to the works' societal themes.

William Wycherley's The Country Wife and Richard Brinsley Sheridan's School for Scandal both consider the structure and standards for marriage and the marital values that shape family life through the actions of their main characters. This 8 page paper considers the issues of marriage and marital values presented in these two works and ...

7 pages in length. The author uses 'The Federalist Papers', John Stuart Mill's 'On Liberty', Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale', and Derrick Bell's 'Faces at the Bottom of the Well' to discuss the notion of conflict between public interest and private interest. Addresses question of whether public interest is more important than private ...

A 6 page essay on feminism as seen in these two books by authors, Anzia Yezierska and Rebecca Harding Davis (respectively). These two works eloquently show the plight of women in 1800s and early 20th century. Bibliography cites 2 sources.

A 20 page paper discussing four works: A Modern Instance by William Dean Howells, The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett; Roughing It by Mark Twain; and The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. The paper discusses whether these works are realistic or naturalistic, backing each contention up with solid evidence from ...

A 5 page analysis of this nineteenth century novel reveals why modern scholars believe the original assessment of this work did not do it justice. Originally not accepted as a novel at all but merely deemed "local color," the role of the female narrator who tells the story has been reevaluated and modern scholars have ...

A 5 page essay that looks at two works from each author, Don Juan and The Way of All Flesh respectively, in regards to their opinions on marriage with references from each book. Byron and Butler.

A 5 page paper that reviews Sir Gawain, Wife of Bath (Chaucer), Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing in light of the anti-feminine treatment of its women characters. The writer argues that fear of the feminine in these tales leads to the necessity for control of the feminine. Bibliography lists four sources.

A 6 page paper looking at this unusual literary genre as exemplified by Rudolfo's Bless Me, Ultima, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude. The paper points out that magical realism criticizes the traditional views of reality, depicting them as deficient, and it is therefore a political and sociological tool. Bibliography lists 3 ...

This 3 page paper provides an overview of the similarities of three of the best-known female protagonists is theater -- Nora of Ibsen's 'The Doll House,' Medea in 'Medea' by Euripides, and Antigone in Sophocles' play of the same name. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

A 6 page paper examining these issues in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, dealing with the characters of Darcy and Thornton, respectively. The paper concludes that although class-consciousness became much more dependent on the possession of money after the Industrial Revolution, snobbery in both novels is a response to ...

6 pages in length. The differences between the love affairs of Catherine and Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, and Darcy and Elizabeth, the characters from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice are grand and far-reaching. To compare and contrast the way in which these two couples fell in love is to demonstrate the ...

A 5 page paper looking at Manuel Puig's novel as a backdrop for four others: A Sincere Friendship by Clarice Lispector, The Lion by Eugeny Zamyatin, The Night Visitor by Elena Poniatowska, and China by Charles Johnson. The paper examines how in these works the human need for individual expression and moral courage influence and ...

A 7 page paper showing how Thomas Carlyle and John Stuart Mill influenced the Victorian age as much as they were influenced by it. It shows how their philosophies informed the age they lived in, and how their influence stretched into the twentieth century as well. Bibliography contains two sources.

A 5 page paper discussing two short stories and the image they portray of cultures in general. The stories are Toys, by Roland Barthes, and Kill'em, Crush ‘em, Eat ‘em Raw, by John McMurtry. Both of these stories present a highly opinionated view of mankind and society as a whole. They present the reader with ...

A 5 page paper comparing Elizabeth Inchbald's A Simple Story with Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews. The paper concludes that the difference between A Simple Story and Joseph Andrews boils down to the difference between Inchbald's and Fielding's definitions of success as much as to changing social opinion regarding morality. No additional sources cited.

A 4 page paper which examines the collection of Yiddish short stories entitled Tevye the Dairyman and the Railroad Stories by Sholem Aleichem and the 1971 musical film, upon which it was based, Fiddler on the Roof (also referred to as Tevye). Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page discussion of 'Doll's House' and how Ibsen deals with the issue of the position of women in marriage and in society through the character of Nora (and Torvald). No Bibliography.