Essays and Research Papers on Irish & Scottish Literature

In 3 pages, based on the story "The Boarding House," from James Joyce's "Dubliners," the author argues that Mrs. Mooney is a good mother trying to do what is best for her daughter. Several examples are given to support this theory. No other sources are cited.

An eight page paper looking at three of O'Casey's major works -- Juno and the Paycock, The Shadow of a Gunman, and The Plough and the Stars -- in terms of the way the playwright intertwines alcoholism and imagination throughout the texts. The paper concludes that in all three of these plays, life is most ...

Narration is the crux and the foundation of storytelling. All stories are narrated in one form or another. This 10 page paper asserts that James Joyce, in his book, Ulysses and Gertrude Stein in the novella, Melanctha, use the device of 'unreliable' narrators or a mixture of first and third person; inner and outer narrators. The narrative ...

This three page paper looks at the way in which the personality and desires of this nineteenth century Scottish writer who was attracted to fantasy and fiction. The bibliography cites 1 source.

This 5 page report discusses the poetry of William Butler Yeats with a primary focus on “Adam’s Curse.” In the vast majority of Yeats’ love poetry he is able to separate a clearly personal experience and emphasize its greater universality in terms of shared emotion and a tone of melancholy awareness that transfixes most people at some point in the midst ...

A ten page paper showing how Joyce's variations on the form of Homer's "Odysseus" complicate and enrich our understanding of modernism. The paper asserts that Joyce's use of techniques such as stream of consciousness, symbolism, and structural experimentation are consistent with the dissonance of modern life. Bibliography lists eight sources.

This 6 page paper looks at James Joyce's story of Eveline in his book 'Dubliners'. Her story is typical of many of Joyce's women, dependant on men, unable to determine their own course in life and condemned to servitude by their own inability to act. This paper considers in what ways she was suffering from ...

This 11 page paper considers the way in which Andrew Lang adopts the role of storyteller in his interpretation of the tales of the Arabian Nights. There were, and still are, many contemporary issues in these tales, and in presenting them in the descriptive and captivating manner that Lang accomplishes we can see not only ...

This 8 page report discusses Joyce’s 1922 epic “Ulysses” and the various events of a single day in Dublin in June of 1904, and the focus on Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and Bloom’s wife, Molly. The report demonstrates the ways in which Joyce demonstrates his ability to challenge both the norms of the English language as well as the framework ...

A 6 page research paper that looks at the strengths and limitations of regarding Frank O'Connor's "Guests of the Nation" as being specifically about the Irish War for Independence. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper which attempts to determine the author's true message, other than those of happiness and misery. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the existence of homoerotics and homosexuality in James Joyce's "Portrait of an Artist as Young Man." Bibliography lists 2 additional 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 ...

A 5 page paper which considers how the protagonists Estragon ("Gogo") and Vladimir ("Didi") complement each other, and how they represent couples who are bound together by strengths and weaknesses. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

5 pages in length. Set in 1918 Ireland, William Trevor's "Fools of Fortune" is a dramatically moving story of young love, insofar as the ongoing Anglo-Irish fighting serves as a conduit between and among three generations of the same family. The author is quite successful at combining such elements as political intrigue, love ...

This 12 page report discusses Irish playwright Brian Friel’s work “Translations.” In it, he tells the story of the British to dominate all of Irish culture and heritage by translating and changing ancient Gaelic names of villages and towns into English. Many drama critics, social commentators, and literary historians have described it a “metaphor” or a parable of the ...

A 5 page essay that analyzes Joyce's short story, "The Dead." In this short story, Joyce makes the point that a life without passion, without intensity, means that a person is essentially already "dead." Joyce paints Gabriel, his protagonist, as a super-sensitive individual who lacks confidence in his own abilities, yet – as with ...

(5 pp) Whenever we think of the word "chivalry," it is either in the context of "being dead"-not a pretty thought, or we think of knights and damsels in distress, waiting to be rescued by said knight. In its most positive sense, the word conjures other times of gentility and good manners. ...

A 5 page essay that analyzes similar short stories by John Updike and James Joyce. In his short story, A & P, John Updike appears to have intentionally patterned his narrative on the famous story by James Joyce, Araby. In each case, the protagonist is a young man, who is compelled by the circumstances of ...

A 5 page comparison of these two exceptionally captivating works of fiction. Contends that John Updike excels in being able to take the works of classic literature and molding it into a more contemporary format and that this is what has occurred with "A & P". Indeed, "A & P" is just a ...

A 5 page essay that analyzes Joyce's coming-of-age novel from the standpoint of the protagonist's relationship to religion. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper which addresses how the folklore of the Irish influences their culture. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page essay that considers the question: 'what would be on the menu for a dinner centered around the foods used in James Joyce's Ulysses?' In answer to this, the writer discusses how Joyce uses food symbolism in this novel before listing the foods that might be included at such a meal. No additional ...

This 6 page report discusses Joyce’s 1916 novel and the ways in which its main character, Stephen, wrestles with the idea of becoming an artist, what an artists must be, and how an artist evolves.The questions regarding becoming an artist that Stephen deals with are similarly universal -- doubt, fearfulness, mistrust, and an almost arrogant sort of determination. No secondary ...

A 6 page paper which presents a general overview of James Joyce's short story 'Eveline.' Eveline, despite the fact that her family life was somewhat dysfunctional, was afraid to take the final step and move on with the life which was offered her. She was typical of individuals who feel they are not prepared to live a life away ...