293 Comparative Literature Essay Topics

🏆 Best Essay Topics on Comparative Literature

1. “Mericans” by Cisneros and “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Okita
2. “Blackberries” by Ellen Hunnicutt and “Blackberries” by Leslie Norris – Comparison
3. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
4. Comparison S. Glaspell’s Play “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”
5. Hero’s Journey: A Comparison of The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey
6. Margaret Atwood’s and Gloria Steinem’s Views on Pornography Comparison
7. Metaphors and Figurative Language in Updike’s “A&P” and Pastan’s “Marks”

✍️ Comparative Literature Essay Topics for College

1. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan: Character Comparison

   The Great Gatsby is a story that is centered on three main characters in a love triangle, Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan and Gatsby is Daisy’s old flame since collage days.
2. The Back of the Bus’ by Mary Mebane and ‘The Sanctuary School’ by Lynda Barry

   Two works by Mebane and Barry represent the experiences of young girls who have to overcome negative emotions and fears that affect them at the moment and find happiness.
3. Emily Dickinson vs Walt Whitman: Poems Comparison

   It should be noted that the two poems When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer by Walt Whitman and 324 by Emily Dickinson have both similarities and differences.
4. Absurdity in “The Metamorphosis” and “The Stranger”

   The Metamorphosis by Kafka and The Stranger by Camus is existential works that explore the themes of alienation, emotional detachment, and the seeming absurdity of the human form.
5. Racism in “Being Brought From Africa to America” and “A Letter From Phyllis Wheatley”

   Both poems “Being Brought From Africa to America” and “A Letter From Phyllis Wheatley” are great reflections on the racism issue, and even now, their demand is not decreasing.
6. The Theme of Duality in Literature

   The theme of duality is a common topic for many literary works, including Shelly’s Frankenstein, Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
7. Resilience in “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles and “Hamlet” by Shakespeare

   Both Oedipus and Hamlet have difficulties accepting horrible truths about themselves and their families; however, Hamlet seems to be more resilient.
8. Comparison and Contrast of the Poems Written by British Romantic Poets

   The three poems written in the period between the 1780s and 1810s present the three stages of the development of Romanticism in Britain.
9. Yusef Komunyakaa’s Poem: Exploring Childhood & Racial Tension

   Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Blackberries” and Sylvia Plath’s poem “Blackberrying” are two of the many poems that have utilized the theme of blackberry picking as a plot.
10. “The Lottery” by Jackson and “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Le Guin

    Analysis of the stories written by Jackson and Le Guin allows one to plunge into the seemingly perfect worlds, where everyone becomes a victim of artificially created morality, and find many common ideas.
11. Perseus and Moses Heroes’ Journey Pattern

    This paper provides an analysis of two heroic figures from the mythology/religion of two peoples: Perseus of the Ancient Greek mythology, and Moses from the Abrahamic religions.
12. Shakespeare’s Othello’s and O. J. Simpson’s Tragedies

    This article compares and contrasts Shakespeare’s Othello and O.J. Simpson in the context of racism and class inequality.
13. True Freedom Theme in American Short Stories

    “The Cask of Amontillado” by Poe, “Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed” by Bradbury, and “The Story of an Hour” by Chopin are analyzed through an understanding of true freedom.
14. “Joy” by Smith and “Peculiar Benefits” by Gay: Comparative Analysis

    The goal of this paper is to analyze the genres of works “Joy” by Zadie Smith and “Peculiar Benefits” by Roxane Gay, compare them and describe their literary features.
15. Sedaris’ “Us and Them” and “Who Is Malala?” by Yousafzai

    Both written pieces represent memoirs, which implies that those stories happened in real life, and it raises more exceptional emotions within the readers.
16. “Jane Eyre” and “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” Novels Comparison

    The comparison and contrast opinion of the novels of Charlotte Bronte and Thomas Hardy is made possible by the fact that both authors wrote these books during the same time period.
17. “My Father Is a Simple Man” by Luis Omar Salinas and “A Red Palm” by Gary Soto: Comparative Analysis

    The paper analyzes the poems “My Father is a Simple Man” and “A Red Palm”. Both poems represent a picture of the world of simple people and discuss parental and education issues.
18. “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe

    This paper will focus on the comparison of styles and themes in two of Poe’s short stories: “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat”.
19. Heroine Analysis: Helen and Penelope in “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”

    The story of Helen and Penelope in both works by Homer display different destinies of two most eminent heroines in terms of their participation in the development of actions shown in both books
20. Romeo and Juliet vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast

    Antigone is a play where the characters are concerned more for their perceptions of the right and wrong that should prevail in the world around them.
21. Fate vs. Free Will in “The Odyssey” and “Oedipus the King”

    This essay compares the ways the two authors use in “The Odyssey” and “Oedipus the King” to portray the power of fate over free will despite human and divine intervention.
22. “Beowulf” and “The Lord of the Rings” Literary Comparison

    These two literary works demonstrate the way people, as well as people’s values, have changed throughout centuries. Thus, the protagonists of the two works start a quest to defeat the evil.
23. Stream of Consciousness in Joseph Conrad and TS Eliot Literature

    This paper discusses two famous works of literature – James Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and TS Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” – and analyzes their use of stream of consciousness.
24. Oedipus Versus Hamlet: Resilience in Characters

    Resilience as the ability to hold onto one’s beliefs despite the odds that the world may throw at a person is one of the traits that appeal particularly strongly to readers.
25. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey — Comparison & Critique

    The stories of both have been repeated countless times and used in cultural references and in making big budget movies which speaks of their pervasive affect.
26. Theme of Little Red Riding Hood: Comparing the Versions of Perrault vs Grimm

    The paper compares two stories of Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and by Charles Perrault analyzing the plot and providing own explanation to the plot concept.
27. Compare and Contrast “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Raven”

    Compared to Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death,” more images of violence and blood are depicted in his poem “The Raven.”
28. Discrimination in White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and Levine’s “Hana’s Suitcase”

    The theme of discrimination stands out clearly in “Charlotte’s Web” – a classic fictitious children’s novel by E. B. White and “Hana’s Suitcase” – a non-fiction story by Karen Levine.
29. J. Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note” and R. Burns’ “My Love If Like a Red, Red Rose”: Comparison

    Compared to Burns “My love is like a red, red rose”, the poem “Suicide note” by Mirikitani carries a lot of depth, emotions and even has a message – parents should not over-demand performance from their children.
30. Phyllis Wheatley and Philip Freneau: Poems Comparison

    This paper is about the poems “On being Brought from Africa to America” by Phyllis Wheatley and “On the Emigration to America and Peopling the Western country” by Philip Freneau.
31. “Some Are Born to Sweet Delight” by Gordimer and “When the Towers Fell” by Kinnell

    The story “Some are born to sweet delight” by Nadine Gordimer and the poem “When the towers fell” by Galway Kinnell penetrate the readers with their gravity and feeling of death.
32. Perrault’s vs. Grimm’s Little Red Riding Hood

    Perhaps one of the oldest variations of the fairytale, Perrault’s story was written solely to entertain the royal court in seventeenth-century France.
33. Soto’s “Broken Chains” and “Fish Creeks” by Tan

    As for the story Fish Creeks, the Chinese girl is in pain due to cultural differences with her beloved person who is an American.

📌 Easy Comparative Literature Essay Topics

1. The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest: Being “Civilized” or “Uncivilized”

   The Epic of Gilgamesh and Shakespeare’s The Tempest demonstrate that the application of labels is relative, implies adverse outcomes, and is used to critique the colonial process.
2. The Novels by Ignacio Aldecoa Analysis

   Ignacio Aldecoa is among the most notable writers in the genre of social realism, and this paper will investigate his “Santa Ojala de Acero” y “Seguir de Pobres”.
3. Resilience in Hill’s The Illegal, D’Angelo’s The Step Not Taken, The Wailers’ Get Up Stand Up

   Common themes connect many works of art and literature. This is true for “The Illegal” by L. Hill, “The Step Not Taken” by P. D’Angelo, and “Get Up Stand Up” by The Wailers.
4. “The Lottery” and “The Destructors”: Conflict, Characterization and Irony

   The essay will discuss the main conflicts of “The Lottery” and “The Destructors” stories, their characterization, and themes.
5. The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby: Comprare & Contrast

   ‘The Great Gatsby’ by S.Fitzgerald and ‘The Sun also Rises’ by E.Hemingway touched the themes of human challenges, racism and isolation under the impact of war events.
6. “Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning” Comparison

   William Faulkner is a master mind when it comes to writing short stories. “Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning” are two of the most exceptional stories written by him.
7. Short Stories Analysis: “The Necklace” and “The Last Leaf”

   This work considered short stories “The Necklace” and “The Last Leaf” and their interesting plot line. Particular attention is directed to the characters, emotions and experiences.
8. Sexual-Orientation Oppression in “Now That I Am Forever with Child” and “Condition XXI”

   Lorde’s “Now That I Am Forever with Child” and Hemphill’s “Condition XXI” are the examples of the poets’ vision of the specific role of women in the society with references to their gender and sexuality.
9. Tecumseh’s Historical Speech and Sherman Alexie’s Poems: Comparative Analysis

   While Tecumseh’s historical speech is filled with pride and even cruelty, Alexie’s poems are perceived more difficult and less obvious.
10. Comparing Two Kinds and Everyday Use

    The topic of cultural conflict is the main similarity of Two Kinds and Everyday Use. They explain two ways that can affect people, making them to oppose families and society.
11. Key Farce Elements in Theater: Analyzing Their Role in Playwriting

    The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Lysistrata by Aristophanes, and Tartuffe, or the Impostor by Molière are three comedies where the elements of farce may be met.
12. Love in Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”

    The main characters of both modern and traditional works, “Pride and Prejudice” and “The Great Gatsby,” openly say that a human cannot hide her feelings.
13. Adelita and Cinderella Characters’ Comparison

    Cinderella, which is inherent to the English tradition, and Adelita, which belongs to the Mexican tradition, share the same storyline and the overall message and moral.
14. Comparing the Archetype of Satan in The Chronicles of Narnia and His Dark Materials

    The essay will compare the archetype of Satan and evil in Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia and Pullman’s His Dark Materials. The Archetype of Satan in The Chronicles of Narnia
15. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” vs. Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” Comparison

    The two stories that will be analyzed are “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.
16. Samuel Daniel and Richard Lovelace’ Poems Comparison

    The purpose of this paper is to compare ‘Fair is my Love’ by Samuel Daniel and ‘To Althea, from Prison’ by Richard Lovelace, to reflect their contrasts and mood, and to define their meaning and core.
17. Irony in Everything That Rises Must Converge and A Rose for Emily

    This essay analyzes the similarities and differences of the functions played by irony in both “A Rose for Emily” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge”.
18. “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel G. Marquez & “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

    This discussion gives a detailed comparison of how the authors of “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” and “A Rose for Emily” depict villages and towns.
19. Challenging the Rules in “Animal Farm” and “Fahrenheit 451”

    Orwell’s Animal Farm is a satirical parody of events that took place in the Soviet Union after the 1917 revolution.
20. A Comparison of “Hamlet” by Shakespeare and “Wuthering Heights” by Bronte

    Literature has a way of continuing to explore many of the same themes that seem to plague mankind throughout history.
21. The Lottery & The Rocking Horse Winner Compare & Contrast Essay

    Two authors, Shirley Jackson and David Herbert Lawrence in their short stories The Lottery and The Rocking Horse Winner explore the theme of the dangers of blindly following traditional or cultural norms.
22. The Role of Sacrifice in Idiots First, The Origin of Stories, and Yo!

    In Idiots First by Bernard Malamud, The Origin of Stories told by Henry Jacob, and Yo! by Julia Alvarez, the topic of sacrifice will be explored.
23. Comparison: “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “Jury of Her Peers”

    The present paper compares and contrasts the characters of two short stories: “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell and “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl.
24. “Ghosts” vs. “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

    “Ghosts” and “A Doll’s House” criticized contemporary Norwegian society. The plays were sensational and often regarded as being indecent.
25. “The Bait” by John Donne and “My Picture, Left in Scotland” by Ben Jonson Comparison

    This paper compares two poems, “The Bait” by John Donne and “My Picture, Left in Scotland” by Ben Jonson, to feel the particular atmosphere of the late 16th and early 17th century.
26. Comparing “To Winter” by Claude McKay and “After the Winter Rain” by Ina Coolbrith

    “To Winter” and “After the Winter Rain” are visibly structured in different ways, and both authors opt for using various stylistic devices in their pieces.
27. Antagonistic Objects in the Short Stories

    The antagonist-protagonist opposition is one of the possible driving forces of the central conflict of literature work.
28. Gothic Elements in Victorian Literature: A Comparative Analysis of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre

    The purpose of this essay is to examine the way in which Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë subverts the genre of Victorian romantic literature, as compared to Jane Eyre.
29. “To His Coy Mistress” by Marvell and “The Flea” by Donne

    “To His Coy Mistress” is a well-known poem by Andrew Marvell, in which the speaker addresses his lover, who is reluctant to be intimate with him.
30. Heroes and Cowards in “Oedipus Rex” and “Death of a Salesman”

    In the two plays, “Oedipus Rex” and “Death of a Salesman” there are many parallels. One major parallel is courage and cowardice.
31. Behavior Under Pressure: Insights from Hughes and Orwell

    This paper reflects on the pressures of the crowd, discussing two articles “Salvation” by Langston Hughes and “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell.
32. Henry Thoreau’s The Battle of The Ants’ and Virginia Woolf’s The Death of The Moth’

    Henry Thoreau’s ‘the battle of the ants’ and Virginia Woolf’s ‘the death of the moth’ are two exceptional essays that depict the life of small creatures.
33. “Sunflower Sutra” and “Der Gilgul” Analysis

    This work focuses on Allen Ginsberg’s “Sunflower Sutra” and Jerome Rothenberg’s “Der Gilgul”, developing the authors’ perspectives on humanity, sorrow, and society’s negative qualities.
34. The Importance of Setting for Interpretation of Stories

    Discussion of the importance of setting for interpretation of stories on the examples of “Troll Bridge” by Neil Gaiman and “The Fall of The House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe.
35. Gilgamesh and Odysseus: The Semblance

    It is important to discuss the semblance between the Gilgamesh as an Odysseus to understand why the creation of the Odyssey was directly dependent on the Akkadian epic poem.
36. “Company Commander” by Charles MacDonald and “Frontsoldaten” by Stephen Fritz: Books Comparison

    “Company Commander” by MacDonald highlights the U.S. Army Captain’s experiences. “Frontsoldaten” by Fritz describes the experiences of German soldiers on the battlefield.
37. “Houseboy” by F. Oyono and “Things Fall Apart” by C. Achebe Comparative Analysis

    The focus of the novels, Houseboy by F. Oyono and Things Fall Apart by C. Achebe is on the early 1900s colonialism, when the majority of European nations set up colonies in Africa.
38. Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost

    The main similarity between Adam and Frankenstein’s monster is that they both were created and both disappointed their creators.
39. Matriarchs in Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate” and Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude”

    Matriarchs represent the core of the family and the main driven force that helps their families to survive and fight with life and fate.
40. Barker’s Regeneration & Plath’s The Bell Jar: Compare & Contrast Essay

    This paper compares the ways in which Pat Barker in "Regeneration" and Sylvia Plath in "The Bell Jar" explore and present the causes and experience of breakdown and madness.

👍 Good Comparative Literature Research Topics & Essay Examples

1. Exploring Play and Game Structures by Sicart & Fullerton

   This essay is a review of two chapters from books by Miguel Sicart and Tracy Fullerton. The goal of the review is to find two interesting points in each chapter and explore them.
2. Animals in “The Dogs’ Colloquy” and “Gulliver’s Travels”

   This paper compares animal species in Miguel de Cervantes’ “The Dogs’ Colloquy” and Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels: Part IV. A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms”.
3. Dilemmas in Hamlet and The Fall of the House of Usher

   This paper will explore the character of Hamlet and compare Hamlet’s dilemma to the predicament of the unknown narrator of “The Fall of the House of Usher”.
4. Literature Comparison: “Lust” and “Sex Without Love”

   The poem ‘Sex without Love’ by Sharon Olds and the short story ‘Lust’ by Susan Minot focuses on sex, a topic that has for a long time been considered sensitive and controversial in many societies.
5. The Theme of Reflection in the Poems

   The paper analyses and provides the theme of reflection of the poems, “When I Consider How My Light is Spent” by John Milton and “Sad Steps” by Philip Larkin.
6. Literary Comparison: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “Hills Like White Elephants”

   This paper analyzes: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by A. G. Bierce and Hills Like White Elephants by E. Hemingway. It is necessary to highlight the common theme of both pieces of literature.
7. Comparison: “Strong Men” by Sterling Brown and “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay

   The works which are written and performed by different African-American authors have many similarities about motives and themes discussed in them.
8. King’s “Colour of Walls” and Heker’s “The Stolen Party”

   The present paper will explore and analyze “Colour of Walls” by Thomas King and “The Stolen Party” by L. Heker.
9. The Setting Role in American Short Stories

   This paper provides a comparative examination of the setting for “The Raven” and three other stories, compatible thematically or in terms of setting-related tools.
10. Poems Themes Comparison

    “Ballad of Birmingham” and “The Mother” cover one similar theme, yet they represent different approaches to its acknowledgment and description.
11. Poems Comparison and Analysis

    The poems are connected based on the content because both Poem 1 and Poem 2 are discussing children who were having fun until one of them is hurt.
12. Contrast Analysis “I, Too” and “I Have a Dream Analysis”

    Comparing “I, Too” and “I Have a Dream Analysis” shows that both Martin Luther King and Langston Hughes are hoping to stop racial biases and free black folks.
13. Othello Versus Shakuntala: Ultimate Lessons

    Both Shakuntala and Othello explore the notions of love and conflict, but the ultimate lessons learned differ significantly because of the main characters’ actions.
14. Stranger in a Strange Land: Gregor Samsa & Meursault

    This essay depicts the self-tribulations that two men, Gregor Samsa and Meursault, deal with in their separate yet similar lives.
15. Othello and Antigone: Compare & Contrast

    There can be little doubt as to the fact that Sophocles’ “Antigone” and Shakespeare’s “Othello” are highly emotional dramaturgic pieces.
16. “Essentials of Young Adult Literature” and “Entering the World of Children’s Literature”

    Both books are dedicated to the most efficient methods of structuring reading classes, choosing literature by topics and genres, and designing the reading course the way you want.
17. Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”

    This paper will endeavour to discuss the South and Southerners as they appear in the short stories, “Barn Burning” and “The Life You Save.
18. Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus

    “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Odysseus” introduce two different characters with their own purposes, choices, and monsters to defeat.
19. Mustafa Sa’eed from Season of Migration to the North Compared to Shakespeare’s Caliban & Othello

    Mustafa Sa’eed is uniquely similar to Caliban from William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in his resistance to invading cultures of colonialism through the context of sexual revenge.
20. Poems Comparison: The Necklace and I Stand Here Ironing

    This paper compares and contrasts Maupassant’s “The Necklace” and Olsen’s “I Stand Here Ironing”, to analyzes the way the authors examined the subject of poverty.
21. Thoreau vs. Woolf: Insects as Metaphors for Life and War

    In “The Battle of the Ants”, Henry David Thoreau focuses on discussing the war between red and black species. The insect’s personal fight discussed in Virginia Woolf’s “The Death of the Moth”.
22. Little Red Riding Hood: Original vs. Retell

    Two versions of LRRH, including the original, written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and the retelling by Perrault, focus on similar themes, however, authors’ approaches differ.
23. Rules of the Game and Two Kinds: Books Comparison

    Amy Tan used two books, “The Rules of the Game” and “Two Kids” to address parenting roles in different scenarios. In “The Rules of the Game”, she exposes a mother’s supportive attitude.
24. W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey’ Works Comparison

    “The Souls of Black Folk” by W E B Dubois and “Africa for the African” by Marcus Garvey are regarded masterpieces and they are studied to get an understanding of positions of these authors.
25. Comparison: ‘Kite Runner,’ ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther,’ and ‘The Road Not Taken’

    ‘Kite runner’ by Hosseini, ‘The sorrows of young Werther’ by Goethe and ‘The road not taken’ by Frost have some implied themes in that the opinions of the authors have not been explicitly stated.
26. Women as Property in Literature: Aristophanes, Congreve, and Wilde’s Perspectives

    The approaches to discussing the relations of women and property are described in three plays by Aristophanes, Congreve, and Wilde where the female characters play rather significant roles.
27. The Comparison of Melvin Tolson “An Ex-Judge at the Bar” and Gwendolyn Brooks “The Mother”

    The themes discussed by Melvin Tolson and Gwendolyn Brooks in their poems differ because of the impact of the gender aspect.
28. “Barbie Doll” by Piercy and “Girl” by Kincaid

    Analyzing Marge Piercy’s book “Barbie Doll” and Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl”, the protagonists are shown to portray similar themes of growth, identity, and social expectations.
29. Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe’s Detective Stories

    The works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe are separated by nearly half a century, but they are united by the genre.
30. Symbolism in Literature: “The Raven”, “Young Goodman Brown”

    This paper discusses how the authors use symbolism to create a certain subtext for the reader in “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
31. Recognition in Sophocles’ ”Oedipus Rex” and Homer’s ”The Odyssey”

    The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the scenes of recognition in Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” and Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
32. “A Rose for Emily” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”: Similarities and Differences

    The main difference between “A Rose for Emily” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” lies in the sending of the authors or the main themes of the works.
33. Comparing Troy Maxson (“Fences”) and Walter Lee Younger (“A Raisin in the Sun”)

    This paper compares characters from “A raisin in the Sun” and “Fences” – two plays that show African-American families dealing with their daily hardships and tensions.
34. Family in Bambara’s ”Raymond’s Run” & So’s ”Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts”

    The paper compares the influence of the troubled family member on the rest of the family in the short stories “Raymond’s Run” by Bambara and “Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts” by So.
35. Science Fiction Then and Now

    This paper compares classic scientific fiction from prominent writers (Heinlein, Asimov, Bradbury) and recent science-fiction writers (Tim Maly, Mike Krath, Jack London).
36. Cortazar’s “The Devil’s Drool” vs. Marquez’s “Big Mama’s Funeral”

    This paper analyzes two works of literature: Julio Cortazar’s novel “The Devil’s Drool” and Gabriel Márquez’s “Big Mama’s Funeral.”
37. Comparing and Contrasting “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooke and “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen

    In the Poem “The Mother,” the writer Gwendolyn Brooke speaks out on the highly debatable topic of abortion. The second poem, “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen, portrays different kinds of pain.
38. Conflicts in “Girl” and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”

    In “Girl” and “Where are you going, where have you been,” there are two protagonists with similar issues and conflicts.
39. Realism, Naturalism and Magical Realism in American Literature

    This study analyzes magical realism in “The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother”, “Eva Inside Her Cat”, and “Big Fish”.
40. Important Life Lessons to Learn from John Updike and Nathaniel Hawthorne

    In the following paper, the author tries to find connections between the stories “A&P” by John Updike and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

🌶️ Hot Comparative Literature Ideas to Write about

1. Societal Monsters in Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”

   A special consideration requires different interpretations of social fear in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Chinua Achebe’s literary masterpiece Things Fall Apart.
2. “The Necklace” vs. “Paste”: Character Comparison

   In these two short stories, Mathilde is portrayed as the pretty and charming wife of Mr. Loisel, a minor clerk in the Ministry of Education.
3. Old Testament vs. Epic of Gilgamesh: Dreams, Mortality, and Divine Signs

   This paper focuses on the similarities and differences between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible in terms of content, underlying message, and literary context.
4. Herman Melville and Ralph Ellison: Exploring Human Freedom

   Both Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” and Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royale” share similar messages of how slavery might be deeply embedded in the social psyche.
5. Odysseus and Maximus: Heroes Comparison

   Based on the portrayal of Maximus from “Gladiator” and the representation of Odysseus in a book with the same title, this paper argues that both characters had more similarities than differences.
6. “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”

   In their works “I Gave You All I Had” and “In difficult times,” Zoe Valdes and Heberto Padilla show how people can be asked to sacrifice their lives for the sake of others.
7. “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Laugh of the Medusa”

   In light of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the paper explores various key points displayed in the fiction in the light of Hélène Cixousa’s “The Laugh of the Medusa.”
8. Little Red Riding Hood by Dahl and Perrault

   Little Red Cap is a folk text initially written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. This work compares different versions of LRRH, including Roald Dahl and Charles Perrault’s authors.
9. Civil War Poetry by Whitman, Melville and Dickinson

   This essay discusses the war poems of Whitman in his Drum-Taps, Melville’s Battle Pieces, and those poems written by Dickinson on the civil war. The paper compares the style of writing.
10. Henry David Thoreau and Virginia Woolf’s Essay Comparison

    While Thoreau uses the image of the entire population of animals to represent the overall human behavior, Woolf uses a single animal and dissects its behavior.
11. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson Literary Styles Comparison

    One of the differences between Whitman and Dickinson was the thematic elements that they utilized. This embodied a greater difference between the two authors which will be discussed in this paper.
12. Comparative Literature: The Significance of “Shitty First Drafts” in Writing

    Derrick Brown’s poem, “Come Alive” dwells on designing arguments when describing an item. Anne Lamott the passage “Shitty First Drafts” discusses arguments in terms of the ethos, pathos, and logos.
13. A Modest Proposal by J. Swift and Candide by F. M. Arouet Literature Analysis

    According to Jonathan Swift and Marie Arouet, women are nothing more than sexual tools that men use, not only to satisfy their sexual desires but also for pleasure.
14. The Story of an Hour and Hills Like White Elephants Literature Comparison

    This paper is aimed at discussing two short stories, namely The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway. They throw light on the experiences of women.
15. “All Summer in a Day” and “Eveline”: Desire to Return to the Past

    This essay compares the “All Summer in a Day” and “Eveline” protagonists’ relations to their current, past, and possible future settings and the feelings they associate with them.
16. Comparing “The Egg” by Weir and “Other People” by Gaiman

    In Neil Gaiman’s short story Other People, a person finds himself in Hell, and his greatest torture is to relive his life through the eyes of those he hurt.
17. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” & “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Perkins-Gillman

    The stories “A Rose for Emily” and “The Yellow Wall-Paper” have similar and different features, which are manifested through the authors’ use of the elements of gothic literature.
18. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” and “War Dances” by Sherman Alexie

    “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” and “War Dances” by Sherman Alexie explore the themes that often become taboo in contemporary literature, alcoholism, family relationships, and death.
19. “Mother Tongue” by Tan and “Learning to Read and Write” by Douglass

    Mother Tongue and Learning to Read and Write are truly persuasive and engaging examples of the literacy narrative genre.
20. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding

    “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Lord of the flies” by William Golding share the research on how the environment influences people and their inner nature.
21. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu vs. “Othello” by Shakespeare

    “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu is an example of a Non-Western work of literature that qualifies as classics. “Othello” by William Shakespeare is an example of Western classics.
22. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” vs. “Sonny’s Blues”

    The narrator’s tone in Jamaica Kincaid is highly subjective and told from a personal viewpoint. On the other hand, the narrator’s tone in Sonny’s Blue is compassionate and caring.
23. Byron, Keats, and Shelley: The Era of Romanticism

    The three poets and their works need to be studied together to develop a clear and multifaceted experience of the epoch of Romanticism.
24. Psychoanalytic Reading of Hoffmann’s and Kafka’s Works

    In this paper, we will aim at exploring the motifs of “uncannyness”, contained in Hoffmann’s “The Sandman” and in Franz Kafka’s stories “The Metamorphosis” and “The Judgment”.
25. Duty and Conscience Relations Review

    The problem of tension between duty and conscience has always been the centre of the discussions. This problem is more painful in the war times.
26. Literary Psychoanalysis: Medicine River and The Things They Carried

    The novel Medicine River by Thomas King and the collection of short stories The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien can be considered rather enlightening, in the psychological sense of this word.
27. Character Analysis in “The Awakening” and “Summer” by Chopin and Wharton

    In the literature, juxtaposition is used widely in engraving a given character in detail. This essay will juxtapose the stories titled as “The Awakening” and “Summer”.
28. “The Excursion” and “A Defence of Poetry” Comparison

    The Excursion, a poem by William Wordsworth, and A Defence of Poetry, an essay by Percy Bysshe Shelley, are among the most prominent examples of Romantic literature in England, displaying all of the elements by which the period may be characterised.
29. Negritude: Aime Cesaire and Leopold Sedar Senghor Works Comparison

    This paper focuses on the works of two well-known authors associated with the movement called Negritude, Aimé Cesaire and Leopold Sedar Senghor.
30. Human Animal in “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Life is a Dream”

    This paper reviews the concept of the human animal in Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels: A voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms” and de la Barca’s “Life is a Dream”.
31. The Emotional Meaning of Home in Literature

    Home has an emotional connection to each one of us. For example, Silas the dying old servant in Robert Frost’s “Death of a Hired Man” sees the home as the fortress.
32. The Aeneid, the Iliad and the Odyssey Literature Comparison

    Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey show that humans’ actions can lead to their sufferings. The works of Homer and Virgil refer to death of warriors and innocent individuals.
33. Metamorphosis and The Necklace

    In Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa’s deep-seated melancholy was the main reason for his death. In Maupassant’s The Necklace, Mathilde’s depression did not result to death.
34. A. Munro’s and Z. Smith’s Short Stories Comparison

    The books “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage” by Alice Munro, and “Miss Adele Amidst the Corsets” by Zadie Smith, depict life struggles.
35. Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” Comparison

    Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” are two major literary works that describe the development of cities and their historical heritage.
36. Grendel and Medea Literary Characters’ Comparison

    Grendel and Medea are different characters who appeared from the pen of different authors. They are united by one detail — the monster’s nature.
37. Family Theme in Kafka’s and Oates’ Literary Works

    This paper discusses the theme of family in two literary texts: ‘The Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka and ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ by Joyce Carol Oates.
38. Carver’s “Neighbors” and Diaz’s “The Money” Stories

    This essay demonstrates that R. Carver’s “Neighbors” and J. Diaz’s “The Money” have many differences, but also the audience successfully identifies the writers’ intentions.
39. Comparing Lies in War Literature

    Fabricated persuasions are common in the poem “Do Not Weep Maiden, War is Kind” by Stephen Crane and the short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien.
40. Baldwain’s “Sonny’s Blues” vs. Saunders’ “Sticks”

    “Sticks” exemplifies abuse in the form of excessive strictness and emotional neglect, while “Sonny’s Blues” showcases the unfavorable consequences of breaking children’s dreams.

💡 Simple Comparative Literature Essay Ideas

1. Plots of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”
2. Womanhood in Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” vs. Kincaid’s “Girl”
3. “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead vs. “Sticks” by Saunders
4. Eliot’s and Ferlinghetti’s Poems Comparison
5. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and Biblical Parables
6. Native American Poems’ Comparative Analysis
7. “Jesus’ Son” and “The Lame Shall Enter First” Comparison
8. Comparison and Contrast Between Sappho’s Poem and Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp
9. A Poem “Howl” and a Song “It’s Alright Ma”: A Comparative Analysis
10. Normal in Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Saunders’ Sticks
11. Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” Comparison
12. “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver
13. Gilgamesh, Eridu Genesis and the Bible: Comparative Analysis
14. Poems Comparison and Contrast: “Divorce” and “The Sick Rose”
15. Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”
16. Parallels Between “1001 Nights” and Pizan’s “The Book of the City of Ladies”
17. “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “To Build a Fire” Comparison
18. Hayden’s and Roethke’s Poems Comparison
19. “The Lottery” by Jackson vs. “Antigone” by Sophocles
20. Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” and Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”: Short Stories Comparison
21. “Burning Chrome” and “Blade Runner” Comparison
22. Woolf’s “Orlando” & Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” Novels
23. The Plot, Character Development, and Motif in “Kindred” and “A Raisin in the Sun”
24. The Brutal Reality of War in Poems and Art
25. Iliad and Odyssey: Hector and Menelaus Comparison
26. “The Lottery” by Jackson, and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by Lawrence
27. Cisneros’ “Mericans” and Okita’s “In Response to Executive Order 9066” Stories
28. “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry and “The Good Samaritan” by Luke
29. View on Cisneros’ “Barbie-Q” and Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
30. Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”
31. Twain’s and Hemingway’s Short Stories Comparison
32. Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism
33. The Stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron” and Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”
34. Oedipus Rex and Hamlet: Compare and Contrast
35. Rushdie’s “Midnight Children” and Murakami’s “Kafka on the Shore’
36. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Sandars’ “The Epics of Gigamesh”
37. The Stories of Mental Illness: “A Rose for Emily” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
38. Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles
39. “Walking Home in the Dark” and “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”: Poetry About Nature
40. Auden, Barrett Browning and Shakespeare: Poems Comparison
41. Protagonists in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle”
42. Finding Strength While Searching for the Truth: Hamlet and Oedipus
43. Human Destiny in the Works of Shakespeare and Nino Ricci
44. Money Theme in Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
45. The Idea of Friendship in Literary Works
46. Otherness in “The Color of Water” and “Country Lovers”
47. Theme in Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”
48. Literature. Fate and Fallibility in Human Society
49. Washburn’s “What the Ocean Eats” and Stevenson’s “The High Road”
50. “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by C. Perkin
51. Characters’ Evolution in The House on Mango Street and Bullet in the Brain
52. Comparative Analysis “A Rose for Emily” and “Short Days, Dog Days”
53. The Phenomenon of Money in “Tartuffe” by Moliere and “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
54. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Araby” by James Joyce
55. The Theme of Transitioning into Adulthood in “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki and “Spring Awakening” by Frank Wedekind
56. Elements of Gothic Tradition in the American Literature
57. Human Nature in “The Scarlet Letter” and “Moby-Dick”
58. American and Asian American Literature Debate
59. Ambrose Bierce and Henry James Works Comparison
60. “Love in the Time of Cholera” vs “Theme of the Traitor and the Hero”: Context and Symbolism
61. Freedom and Enslavement in Literature
62. Love and Loneliness in the Works of R. Carver and B. A. Mason
63. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Kidd and the “Feast of Love” by Baxter
64. Novels by A. Bierce and H. James Comparison
65. Main Historical Themes in the Contemporary Literature
66. Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes: Poetry Comparison
67. The Theme of Change in Poetry
68. “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
69. “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden R., “Miss Brill” by Mansfield C. and “Trifles” by Glaspell S.
70. Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Tan’s “Two Kinds”

🎓 Most Interesting Comparative Literature Research Titles

1. “Ordinary People” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”: Book Report
2. The Theme of Race Discrimination in Works of Richard Rodriguez
3. “Raisin in the Sun” by Hansberry and “I’m Still Here” by Hughes
4. “Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”
5. The Curse vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast
6. “The Accident, Say Yes” & “The Things They Carried”: Comparison
7. Greasy Lake, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery: Compare & Contrast
8. Peoples’ Characters and Hopes in Literature: Comparison of Description
9. Protagonist Roles by Mark Twain, J. Austin and C. Potok
10. Stevie Smith’s and Karl Shapiro’s Poems Comparison
11. How Decisions Can Make or Break an Individual: Literary Analysis
12. Faulkner’s “Barns Burning” and Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths” Comparison Essay
13. Effectiveness Techniques in Short Stories Analysis
14. “The Purloined Letter” by E. A. Poe and “Bartleby the Scrivener” by H. Melville
15. “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Hurston and “Babylon Revisited” by Fitzgerald
16. “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod and “The Loons” by Margaret Laurence
17. Chopin and Shields Literary Works Compared
18. Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”
19. In the Time of the Butterflies and The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay
20. Coelho’s Alchemist and Homer’s Odyssey: Theme Comparison
21. A Good Man is Hard to Find & The Story of an Hour: Compare & Contrast Essay
22. Marriage According to Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen
23. Social Life in Canterbury Tales vs. Pride & Prejudice: Compare & Contrast Essay
24. Comparing Characters from Odyssey, Scarlett Letter, Troy, Hamlet
25. The Influence of Religion on Ceremonial Practices in Literature and Culture
26. “I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” and “American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World”: Comparison
27. “The Stranger” by Albert Camus and “The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories” by Mark Twain: The Novel Comparison
28. Punishment vs. Therapy: Oedipus Tyrannus & Equus Analysis
29. The Use of Disguise in “The Odyssey” and “The Metamorphoses”
30. Development of the Setting in Shirley’s “The Lottery” and “The Rocking Horse Winner” by Lawrence: From Claustrophobic to Chaotic
31. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
32. Analyzing Love and Appreciation in Shakespeare, Albom, and King’s Works
33. Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”
34. Compromised Rulers in Literary Works
35. Travel as a Metaphor in Frost and Thomas’s Poems
36. Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and Updike’s “A&P”
37. Gender Narratives in Hardy’s and Winterson’s Literary Works Examined
38. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”
39. Killings for Love in Shakespeare’s and Garcia’s Works
40. The Alchemist & The Wiz: Uncovering Hidden Paths to Self-Discovery
41. Shakespeare’s Macbeth vs. Tolkien’s Smeagol: More in Common Than Not
42. Contrasting Visions: Analysis of “Ragged Dick” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
43. “The Necklace” and “The Rocking-Horse Winner”
44. “Tartuffe” and “Candide or the Optimism” Comparison
45. De Certeau’s Walking in the City vs. Schwartz’s Far Rockaway Compared
46. The Issue of “Othering” in Literature
47. Analyzing Representations of Marriage in Works by Bradstreet, Dooley, and Larkin
48. Injustice in Shelley’s Frankenstein and Milton’s Paradise Lost
49. Masculinity in James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway’ Stories
50. Robert Frost’s and Virginia Scott’s Poems Comparison
51. Establishment of Values and Beliefs in Literature: A Comparative Analysis
52. Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison
53. Journey in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alchemist”
54. “Divine Comedy” and “Confessions”
55. Richard Wright’ and Langston Hughes Literature Comparison
56. Literature Comparison: Shakespeare’s Falstaff and Milton’s Satan
57. “Ode to a Day in the Country” and “The Day My Mother Died” Comparison
58. Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World
59. Tartuffe, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Way of the World Literature Compare
60. Comparison: “The Battle of the Ants” by H. D. Thoreau and “The Death of the Moth” by V. Woolf
61. Literature Comparison of The Yellow Wallpaper and Everyday Use
62. Comparative Analysis of “Big Black Good Man” and “Battle Royal”: Literary Themes Explored
63. Exploring Themes in Lieutenant Nun and Sundiata: A Cultural Comparison