Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

This 12 page research paper examines the impact of the aging process not only on the aged family member but also on his family. Specifically discussed is this issue as explored by the plays of Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman and The Price. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 6 page paper critiquing the 1964 play by Arthur Miller. The paper concludes that in addition to a puzzling theme, After The Fall is burdened with too many characters who have too little characterization and carry too much symbolic baggage. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper looking at 3 plays by this well-known American playwright -- Death of A Salesman, A View From The Bridge, and After The Fall. The writer argues that the first two plays explore clearly-defined and important themes which have significance and resonance in our society; the third does not, but it represents ...

A 40 page thesis on five plays by this well-known American playwright -- Death of A Salesman from the 1940s, The Crucible and A View From The Bridge from the 1950s, After The Fall from the 1960s, and A Ride Down Mount Morgan from the 1990s. After analyzing the four main types of female characters ...

10 pages in length. In one of John Steinbeck's more worldly creations, Tortilla Flat adopts a decidedly Arthurian theme that reflects a significant Camelot-esque appeal. Monterey, California, is the site of this modern day Camelot, however, replete with all the elements typically related to King Arthur and his court: lust, temptation, emotion, honor ...

An 8 page paper discussing how Henry James and Joseph Conrad go about creating their atmospheres of evil in these novels, and what in fact they believe evil to be. The paper concludes that for both authors evil is the presence of something concretely malefficient, not just the absence of something abstractly good. Bibliography lists ...

A 7 page analytical discussion of character, crime, and punishment in Beth Henley's play entitled 'Crimes of the Heart.' No additional sources cited.

A 5 page comparison of these two tales in regards the techniques used to create an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness. The writer concentrates on the use of these senses to ascribe the soul of insanity. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 7 page analysis not only of Poe's life, but of his work entitled 'The Tell-Tale Heart' as well. The writer attempts to explain meaning, symbolism, and theme in the Tell-Tale Heart as well as how these elements related to Poe's own writing style. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 4 page essay on this work by Poe. The writer discusses the story's underlying themes and in particular, the significance of the constant heartbeat as it relates to the killer's fall into madness. Bibliography lists 4 supporting sources.

This is a 6 page paper comparing two of Poe's stories -- 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Purloined Letter' -- with one of Conan Doyle's -- 'The Adventure of the Dancing Men' -- to demonstrate the heavy reliance of Sherlock Holmes' creator on the work of his predecessor, Poe. The paper concludes ...

A 5 page paper analyzing the relationship of the men in Edith Wharton's poetry and fiction to the relationships she actually had in her life. The paper determines there is a very close correspondence, and theorizes that putting so much of her personal life into her writing helped her deal with her own experience. Bibliography ...

A 4 page paper giving an overview of the men in Edith Wharton's life compared to the men in two of her famous books, Ethan Frome and Summer. She may not have found her one true love or passion, but she put them in all of her works. Several sources cited.

A 3 page character analysis of Ethan Frome. The writer explicates his character in terms of three successive failures throughout the story. No Bibliography.

A 3 page essay on the importance that winter plays in the story. Bibliography sites 1 source.

A 10 page paper exploring the theme of entrapment in Edith Wharton's novel. The paper analyzes the various forms of entrapment within the novel as they apply to the 3 main characters. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 7 page essay that examines how Edith Wharton and Willa Cather by selecting everyday people as their protagonists in Ethan Frome and The Professor's House are able to convey complex stories which reveal their views relative to society and certain aspects of humanity in general. The writer demonstrates how these two radically different storylines ...

A 7 page paper in which the writer argues that while both women were expressing changing attitudes in femininity thought in their books through contrast and duality, Edith Wharton's view was made through an expansive flowing growth and Mary Shelley's was from an explosive view. The purpose of both stories was to show the ...

This 5 page paper argues the thesis that Lily Bart, the main character in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, once held a prominent position in New York's Victorian society, and subsequently loses her stature and her friends because of her circumstances. Lily Bart becomes a tragic victim of social conventions and is trapped ...

4 pages in length. The writer discusses plot, conflict, protagonist, antagonist, setting and climax as they relate to Edith Wharton's Roman Fever. No additional sources cited.

A 16 page examination of the characterization of 'simple people' in Wharton's Summer and Anita Loos' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The paper concludes that simplicity for Loos implies a certain quality of mind, while for Wharton it is a quality of birth. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 5 page overview of the events presented in Dee Brown's 1970 book 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee'. Discusses the viewpoints of both the whites and the Native Americans and concludes that while what happened was inexcusable, it is a lesson for the future. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which examines Peter Rachleff's 1993 book, Hard-Pressed in the Heartland, focusing on the author's main points, their significance, and the implications of the ideas discussed and opinions expressed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 6 page theme on the book by Nathanael West exploring the various themes in the book and its alienation with modern society. No additional sources cited.

A 2 page paper which compares the ways in which the theories of René Descartes and William James were products and/or related to their respective cultural and historical contexts. Bibliography lists 2 sources.