Essays and Research Papers on British Literature

This paper posits that life is what Vladimir wants to feel, touch and smell in 'Waiting on Godot' by Samuel Beckett. Estragon does not understand Vladimir’s desires, so he ignores or refutes everything Vladimir says when he speaks of Godot. He talks only of waiting for Godot, but not of finding it. As his friend ...

This 5 page paper compares and contrasts the monster Grendel with the dragon in The Epic of Beowulf. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 10 page research paper that examines the social critique in Milton's Paradise Lost and Comus. The writer argues that to fully appreciate Milton's social perspective, one has consider the historical context of seventeenth century England. Comus was written early in Milton's career in 1634 and reflects his Puritan orientation towards what he perceived ...

This 4 page paper compares and contrasts Woolf's Death of a Moth with Dillard's Death of a Moth. Examples and quotes offered. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page essay that contrasts and compares Kate Chopin's The Awakening, published in 1899, and Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, first performed in 1982. The writer argues that these works represent feminist literature separated by close to a century of world events and feminist progress. However, the concerns of these authors are still very ...

A 10 page paper which examines the life and works of George Orwell. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

An 8 page essay that argues that William Beckford's Vathek (1782) is a morality tale. The narrative recounts a story that is rather like an oriental Faust. Caliph Vathek is a young man in his prime--as was Beckford who was only 22 at the time. However, Vathek's youth does not lessen his ruthlessness, as he ...

This 3 page paper examples the ways in which Conrad speaks against Imperialism in his work, Heart of Darkness. Quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 1 source.

We form intimacy with characters because we recognize the characters feelings and responses in ourselves. Middlemarch begins with the idealism of youth – that common search for good, the desire to be heralded for creating good in the lives of others around us, creating our sympathetic entry into the story. Dorothea, how she interacts with ...

A 7 page paper which examines his life and his poetry. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 3 page analysis of “The Castle of Otranto” by Horace Walpole. No additional sources cited.

This 9 page paper analyzes EM Forester's book, A Passage to India. Themes, extensive summary, symbols all discussed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

An 8 page paper which compares and contrasts “Pride and Prejudice” and “Bridget Jones’ Diary” as they involve the themes presented by Jane Austen in her novel. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the character of Madame Defarge in Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities” and in the 1989 PBS production of the novel. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 4 page paper which analyzes the character of Aslan the lion from C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 6 page paper which juxtaposes Orwell’s fiction with MacArthur’s fact, considering through historical data how much about hysteria and mind control American people can be controlled and misled by a government conspiracy. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A 3 page paper that offers a brief analysis of The Wife of Bath's Prologue and The Tale of the Wife of Bath. The writer comments on the major themes, the use of irony and satire and the relationship of The Wife to other Tales. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 6 page paper discusses the definition of 'monster' as offered by the examples in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, and John Gardner's Grendel. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 pages essay that argues that Mary Shelley pursued both Romantic and Neoclassical themes in her masterpiece Frankenstein. The writer argues that while valuing the Romantic values of imagination and creativity, Shelley also offers a cautionary tale that warns the reader that such elements should also be tempered by reason. No additional sources ...

This 4 page paper discusses Chaucer's Pardoner's Tale, focusing on the character of 'the old man' who points out Death. Examples, analysis given. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 3 paper discusses the character Othello's journey from nobleness to madness and a return to nobility. Examples from the text included. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 5 page paper discusses the fate of Paul, D.H. Lawrence's protagonist in The Rocking Horse Winner. Quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 4 page paper compares two short stories by Kate Chopin: The Storm, and Desiree's Baby. Analysis includes quotes from text, literary elements, and themes. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 4-page paper focuses on comparisons between George Bernard Shaw's Pygmolian and Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea. Topics discussed include women's dependence on men and the changes the heroines undergo due to cultural shifts.

A 5 page paper which examines the roles of the female in “The Monk” by Matthew Lewis. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.