Essays and Research Papers on British Literature

A 5 page overview of the novel "Tess of the D'Ubervilles". Provides a brief synopsis of the plot and notes that although it is a classic story of love and tragedy, its meaning runs much deeper. It is a story which relies heavily on symbolism, in fact, to impart its full message. ...

This 6 page paper compares and contrasts the novel with the movie of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. No additional sources are listed.

A 5 page paper discussing the issue of sexuality and contributions to the avant-garde. Beardsley's representation of Salome can be seen as a symbolic one, and one carefully crafted for public dissection, given Beardsley's and Wilde's public relationship. Though others may still wonder whether Beardsley ever actually saw the play, his illustrations provide ...

A 10 page research paper that focuses on Thomas More's Utopia. The writer discusses the structure of this classic work and argues that More used the sin of "pride" as his overall theme and the root of English social ills. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page paper explores the social implications of the book and the movie Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson. A brief discussion concerning the reception of the book as compared with the movie is included. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

6 pages in length. The writer discusses how Frost utilizes dark woods to portray the darker side of human nature. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

The Idler, a newsletter published by Samuel Johnson, appeared every Saturday from 15 April 1758 to 5 April 1760. This 6 page paper explores the style and content of the publication from the viewpoint that Johnson included aspects of both the romantic and neo-classical eras. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 6 page report discusses Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) and his most famous work, “Gulliver’s Travels.” It is the many distortions -- size, attitude, beliefs, actions -- that serve as the greatest insight into Swift’s story and the realm in which he presents the most thought-provoking of contrasts. For example, the differences that exist in the size of the Lilliputians, the ...

This 5 page paper considers the perspective presented when Eve is tempted by Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost. This paper considers the specific details of the description of the approach of Satan right before Eve's temptation in Book 9 (IX), and determines the reader's physical position in the scene and the impact of this ...

A 7 page paper examining Jane Eyre's choice of Edward Rochester as the father for whom she had longed but had never known. Mr. Brocklehurst of Lowood was a poor substitute as a father, and St. John provided an alternative that was not acceptable. The paper discusses the psychological need for a father figure as well. ...

This 7 page paper argues that Holden Caulfield of A Catcher In The Rye and Daisy Miller in Henry James' short story of the same name share the distinction of being a social outcast; Daisy because she does not fit the mold and Holden because the mold does not fit him. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 5 page report discusses “Arms and the Man” written in 1894 and fitting into a category of his work that George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) called “Plays Pleasant.” This report presents the argument that the play is primarily a condemnation of the glorification of the military yet also tells the story of a remarkably short-lived yet bloody military engagement ...

A 12 page paper. Katherine Mansfield lived for only 34 years but made a lasting impression on the world. She was an unconventional woman who wrote in an unconventional way. She was a contemporary and friend of D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf. This essay provides some insight into her life and discusses some of her ...

A 5 page paper. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit was Jeanette Winterson's first novel, published in 1985, and it became a smash hit. In 1990, it was adapted for a BBC miniseries. This essay provides a brief synopsis of the story and then considers how each was received by critics and the public. ...

A six page paper which looks at George Orwell’s essays and considers the political and intellectual themes in his work. The writer considers Orwell’s view of the British and the need for a revolutionary socialist consciousness in Britain, as well as his commentary on the Spanish Civil War in the British media. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

This 10 page paper looks at this well known play by Robert Bolt concerning the conscience of Sir Thomas More and his conflict with Henry VIII. The paper looks to the way the introduction adds to the play and the influence that existing knowledge may have had on the interpretation of the play. Aspects such ...

This 5 page report discusses romanticism in literature that is best personified in the works of English and some other European writers and poets of the period roughly encompassing 1775 to 1837. Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Malthus, and Austen are examples of the English tradition of Romanticism that immediately come to mind while one is likely to think of Coleridge, Hawthorne, ...

5 pages in length. The comparative nature of love and power between the book and movie versions of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient are similar in some respects yet as far apart as can be on others, primarily due to the individual visionary essence that separates the writer and director. Truly, such a thematic ...

5 pages in length. Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress clearly addresses the fact that after death, virtue holds no value. This, in particular, is why the author stresses the worthlessness of the vanities during one's lifetime, emphasizing that one must do away with all trepidation when it comes to temptation. By ...

A five page paper which looks at the way in which Defoe defines identity in terms of the many personae of his protagonist, and the way in which she re-invents herself within the paradigms of her society in order to achieve material advancement. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A six page paper which looks at the way in which four of the couples in Middlemarch demonstrate Eliot’s views on marriage, and how individuals and society as a whole interact to form an intricate web of relationships which contributes to the success or failure of each partnership. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 3 page discussion of the importance and role of money in this classic novel. Contrasts wealth associated with land ownership and that obtained from an occupational pursuit pointing out that the latter was viewed with a degree of contempt in this time period. Contends that money was a significant factor in ...

An 8 page research paper that, first of all, examines the role that children play in the Canterbury Tales, and then relates this to the way what historical sources say about children in medieval society. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A five page paper which looks at two aspects of British literature. The first section compares and contrasts the views of Margery Kempe and Mary Astell on the institution of marriage. The second section demonstrates how Chaucer uses the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales to give an overview of the society of the time, and ...

A 5 page essay that discusses the two leading female protagonists in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, arguing that the sisters Dashwood, Elinor and Marianne, are quite different on the surface, but share similar characteristics just below the surface that come out as the novel progresses. No additional sources cited.