Essays and Research Papers on British Literature

This 5 page report discusses “The Tenth Man” and examines the writing style and nuances of the English writer, Graham Greene. Irony is the single governing characteristic of Greene’s work and is certainly the constant theme of “The Tenth Man.” A wealthy man gives up his wealth in order to live. A poor man gives up his life ...

A 7 page research paper that examines the topic of heroism in J.R.R. Tolkein's 'The Hobbit.' The writer argues that while the overall pattern for this narrative fits with the typical mythical depiction of an heroic epic, Tolkien departs from this template in many important respects. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

An eight page paper looking at three of Jane Austen's novels -- Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion -- in terms of their insights about the value of social conservatism in the early nineteenth century. The paper concludes that over the course of these three novels, Austen makes a tentative movement away from a rigid social conservatism toward the embrace ...

This five-page-paper presents a discussion on the Ernets Hemmingway book Sunshine on the Rise. The charcaters Brett and Jake are used to outline how a perosn with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder might react to life and the curves that it throws us . Bibliography lists five sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how the dominant theme of man against society is employed in Thomas Hardy's scathing attack on Victorian social convention, his 1894 novel, "Jude the Obscure."

A ten page paper looking at the issue of whether Emily Bronte's protagonist Heathcliff was mad or just madly in love. The paper concludes that this was not love, it was a pathological sexual addiction coupled with revenge, from which Heathcliff was never to recover. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

5 pages in length. William Congreve's "The Way Of The World" addresses the issue of marriage in a number of different ways. While play speaks about the bonds of matrimony in one way or another, it is not actually the marriage, in and of itself, upon which the tale focuses. Rather, the ...

5 pages in length. Eighteenth century philosophy especially tended to pride itself on having developed to the highest degree the renaissance faith in reason as the distinctive quality of man. Author Jonathan Swift's attitude to his era's view of reason as the sole criterion of value is what ultimately transpired in Book IV ...

A 5 page paper that discusses two of Marlowe's plays: Massacre at Paris and the Jew of Malta. The first is based on the history of the French Revolution and the massacre of St. Bartholomew's. The second is fiction. Marlowe's opinions on religion as well as on the monarchy are both evidenced in these plays. ...

A 5 page analysis of the conclusion of George Eliot's nineteenth century novel 'The Mill on the Floss.' The writer argues that the conclusion was inevitable based on the importance that Eliot placed throughout the novel on the relationship of Maggie and Tom and due to consideration for contemporary moral standards. No additional sources cited.

A nine page paper looking at Virginia Woolf's novel "Mrs. Dalloway" and T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" in terms of the way they serve as examples of modernism. The paper asserts that their dense allusive and associative structure was necessary to render adequately a modern consciousness of the world. Bibliography lists four sources.

An 8 page paper which discusses the book "The Unicorn" by Iris Murdoch and illustrates how Hannah, and other characters within the book, are set in a scenario that presents numerous Christian images of suffering righteously, and innocence despite guilt. The paper discusses the characters' involvement in this, the gothic representation of the novel, and the general presentation of ...

A 10 page essay that analyzes the thesis proposed by anthropologist Gayle Rubin in her landmark 1975 article "The Traffic in Women: Notes on the Political Economy of Sex" that women in primitive cultures are viewed as objects for exchange between men and compares this thesis to the narrative related in "The Clerk's Tale," from ...

5 pages in length. The writer discusses that apart from the obvious thematic ploys of Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights," there exists an overriding theme of Catherine's betrayal of her true self. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page report discusses Geoffrey Chaucer’s views on love and lovers as presented in three of “The Canterbury Tales.” Each of these three Tales clearly speak to much of the romance Chaucer saw around, him both in terms of love and passion, as well as in the sense of the adventure and lyricism of “romanticism.” They also demonstrate darker sides ...

A six page paper looking at the reasons Joanna Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, originally intended for children, has gained a loyal adult readership. The paper shows that it is possible to read Harry's story as a fairy tale, a deprived-child tale, a boarding school bildingsroman, or a heroic quest. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

This 4 page paper considers Engel's pamphlet 'The Condition of the Working Class in England' which was published in 1844. The paper considers his communist opinions voiced in this publication on the working class and the middle class andalso examines why this was a hypocritical view. The bibliography cites 3 sources.

A five page paper tracing the various levels of idealism in George Eliot's novel. The paper concludes that Silas' original idealism is warped into materialism when he is falsely accused of a crime, but then his faith in humanity returns through the help of a child. Bibliography lists two sources.

5 pages in length. When one considers the primary importance of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," the first thing to typically come to mind is the notion of conflict and misunderstanding. In a completely separate light, however, Shelley's "Frankenstein" also mirrors a particular component of social address that deals directly with the concept of heroism ...

A five page analysis of this little-known historical figure, mistress of Edward IV, who is portrayed in Nicholas Rowe's 1714 play "The Tragedy of Jane Shore." The paper discusses the dual themes of necessity and honor, and concludes that one has an obligation to pick up the hand Fate deals and play it honorably,regardless of ...

John Milton's work, Paradise Lost, begins with an invocation to the 'Heavenly Muse' and makes reference to the nine goddesses of inspiration. This 3 page paper asserts that Milton's appeal to the Muses can be interpreted on many levels, one of which may be the use of symbolism to represent the juxtaposition of the pagan and Christian belief systems. ...

A five-page paper looking at this unsavory character from Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" in terms of his intellect and skills. The paper concludes that he is a masterful salesman, highly skilled at using a variety of sales techniques to win "customers" over to his side. Bibliography lists five sources.

In this 4 page paper, the novel Pride and Prejudice is used to define the domestic and social, real and perceived roles of women in the 19th century when marriage was often the only recourse to "success." Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 30 page paper considers the notion that societal defects are traceable to human nature and human nature has essential flaws and defects within itself. This paper outlines the premise as it relates to the text of Golding's Lord of the Flies, especially noting the fact that humans have the capacity for distinct evil. Golding uses a number ...

This five-page-paper presents a discussion on the tragic heroes seen in the play Romeo and Juliet. Why they are tragic heroes and what traits re needed in any setting to qualify as a tragic hero. Bibliography lists one source.