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. Comparison S. Glaspell’s Play “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”
3. Emily Dickinson vs Walt Whitman: Poems Comparison
4. Hero’s Journey: A Comparison of The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey
5. Absurdity in “The Metamorphosis” and “The Stranger”
6. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan: Character Comparison
7. “My Father Is a Simple Man” by Luis Omar Salinas and “A Red Palm” by Gary Soto: Comparative Analysis

✍️ Comparative Literature Essay Topics for College

1. Metaphors and Figurative Language in Updike’s “A&P” and Pastan’s “Marks”

   Figurative language and metaphors are used in short stories and poems to establish mood, enhance daily language, and make the works more expressive and brighter.
2. 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.
3. Margaret Atwood’s and Gloria Steinem’s Views on Pornography Comparison

   Essays are focused on associating pornography with depicting sexual violence against women or other victims, and the main difference is in discussing the context of pornography.
4. “Blackberries” by Ellen Hunnicutt and “Blackberries” by Leslie Norris – Comparison

   The Hunnicutt’s story does not end with a radical change, whereas the story by Norris shows that the boy has matured significantly during the quarrel between his parents.
5. “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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

   The verses “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare are show poets’ ability to capture the essence of life, depict the inevitability of choice and eternity.
10. “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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. “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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. “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.
19. “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.
20. 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.
21. “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.
22. 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.
23. 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”.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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).
30. “The Accident, Say Yes” & “The Things They Carried”: Comparison

    The paper reviews three short stories: Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”, Gao Xingjian’s “The Accident”, and Tobias Wolff’s “Say Yes”.
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. Robert Frost’s and Virginia Scott’s Poems Comparison

    This paper aims to compare the poems Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and Virginia Scott’s Snow and discuss rhetorical and literary devices used by the authors.

📌 Easy Comparative Literature Essay Topics

1. “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.
2. 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.
3. 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
4. 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.
5. 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.”
6. 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.
7. 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
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.”
13. 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.
14. The Stories of Mental Illness: “A Rose for Emily” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”

    The essay examines the differences and similarities in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Poe in terms of literary devices and meanings.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. “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.”
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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”.
26. “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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. Oedipus Rex and Hamlet: Compare and Contrast

    Oedipus Rex and Hamlet, both show outstanding resilience in their desire to help others and disclose the truth that is hidden.
31. Rushdie’s “Midnight Children” and Murakami’s “Kafka on the Shore’

    There are three critical themes explored in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight Children and Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore. The three themes are myth, fate and prophecy.
32. “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.
33. “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.
34. The Theme of Transitioning into Adulthood in “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki and “Spring Awakening” by Frank Wedekind

    Spirited away by Hayao Miyazaki and Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind are works of art that are unique and original and convey the path of teenagers on their way to adulthood.
35. “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”.
36. “Tartuffe” and “Candide or the Optimism” Comparison

    When it comes to the “high comedy,” “Tartuffe” by Moliere is an outstanding example. “Candide or the Optimism” is a philosophic and satiric novel by a notorious Enlightenment writer Voltaire.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. Richard Wright’ and Langston Hughes Literature Comparison

    Richard Wright and Langston Hughes are the writers that were very concerned about the racial issues in the society of the United States of America.
40. 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.

👍 Good Comparative Literature Research Topics & Essay Examples

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Twain’s and Hemingway’s Short Stories Comparison

   Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” and Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” are centered around dialogue and contain realism and minimalism elements.
6. “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.
7. 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.
8. “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod and “The Loons” by Margaret Laurence

   The first short story that we are going to discuss is called “The Boat”, it was written by a prominent Canadian fiction writer Alistair MacLeod.
9. Coelho’s Alchemist and Homer’s Odyssey: Theme Comparison

   The book alchemist has the story of a boy who had a dream of finding treasures which he finally found. The book of Odyssey Odysseus as a hero who had a long journey back to his land.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Tartuffe, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Way of the World Literature Compare

    This paper disscusses the success of the tragic comedy genre in such plays as Tartuffe by Moliere, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, and The Way of the World by William Congreve.
14. “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.
15. 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.
16. “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.
17. 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.
18. Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes: Poetry Comparison

    Comparing the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes reveals similar approaches to sound including specific brevity of statement and a focus on a specific element of the black experience.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. Marriage According to Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen

    This focus of this paper is a critical evaluation of the way the characters of Chaucer and Jane Austen looked at life and marriage.
22. Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and Updike’s “A&P”

    “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, and “A&P” by John Updike are both short stories that explore the subject of rebellion.
23. 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.
24. “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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. Womanhood in Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” vs. Kincaid’s “Girl”

    “Barbie Doll” and “Girl” provide a feminist perspective on the peculiarities of growing up as a female back then – and in many ways, still to this day.
30. “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.
31. A Poem “Howl” and a Song “It’s Alright Ma”: A Comparative Analysis

    This paper provides a comparative analysis of a poem, Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” and a song, Bob Dylan’s song “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”.
32. 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.
33. Gilgamesh, Eridu Genesis and the Bible: Comparative Analysis

    Although “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, the “Eridu Genesis”, and the Bible are culturally ions from each other, they share numerous thematic elements.
34. Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” and Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”: Short Stories Comparison

    Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” and Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” stories portray life as meaningless and full of inescapable misery.
35. “The Lottery” by Jackson, and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by Lawrence

    In two short stories, “The Lottery” by Jackson and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by Lawrence, the philosophical conflict between luck and its consequences is clearly outlined.
36. Cisneros’ “Mericans” and Okita’s “In Response to Executive Order 9066” Stories

    The paper compares the stories “Mericans” by Sandra Cisneros and “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Dwight Okita.
37. “Walking Home in the Dark” and “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”: Poetry About Nature

    “Walking Home in the Dark” and “An Essay on Man: Epistle I” convey unique thoughts about how humans and nature are united, but specific nuances distinguish their messages.
38. 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.
39. 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”.
40. The Theme of Change in Poetry

    The aim of the present work is to analyze the realization of the theme of change in the works of imaginative literature that belong to different cultural and historical epochs.

🌶️ Hot Comparative Literature Ideas to Write about

1. Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Tan’s “Two Kinds”

   Both stories have similarities by way of the characters not being natives of the place where the story is plotted.
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. 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.
4. “I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” and “American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World”: Comparison

   The book titled “I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” is an autobiography of Rigoberta Menchú that is written in the form of the testimonio.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Injustice in Shelley’s Frankenstein and Milton’s Paradise Lost

   The monster created by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein and the character of Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost are obsessed with the idea of injustice and revenge.
8. 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”.
9. “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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Literature Comparison of The Yellow Wallpaper and Everyday Use

    The issue of loneliness and the slow descent into madness discussed in the two famous novels, The Yellow Wallpaper and Everyday Use. These two novels share a number of common and different elements.
14. 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.”
15. Poems Comparison and Contrast: “Divorce” and “The Sick Rose”

    This essay focuses on comparing and contrasting imagery and figures of speech used in two poems; Collins’ “Divorce” and Blake’s “The Sick Rose”, and their implication in poetry.
16. 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.
17. Auden, Barrett Browning and Shakespeare: Poems Comparison

    The paper aims to analyse the three poems: “Stop All the Clocks, Cut off the Telephone”, “How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)”, “Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds (Sonnet 116)”.
18. Protagonists in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle”

    In Hawthorne’s short story there must be a good reason to leave the house at dusk, but the author does not give a clear answer to the question of why Brown went to the forest.
19. The Idea of Friendship in Literary Works

    The story “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” comically describes the friendship between old friends. At the same time, “Funes the Memorious”, does not show friendly relations.
20. Theme in Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”

    This comparative drama essay discusses similar themes of Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”– gender differences and the role of women in those times.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost

    The main similarity between Adam and Frankenstein’s monster is that they both were created and both disappointed their creators.
24. In the Time of the Butterflies and The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay

    The settings of both stories help us understand the canvasses upon which the authors paint their pictures and contextualizes the actions of stories’ characters.
25. A Good Man is Hard to Find & The Story of an Hour: Compare & Contrast Essay

    It is hard to find a good man. Two stories A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O`Connor and The story of an hour by Kate Chopin center around this issue.
26. Social Life in Canterbury Tales vs. Pride & Prejudice: Compare & Contrast Essay

    This paper compares Chaucer and Jane Austen with a focus on their views of social life in their respective periods, particularly about the institution of marriage.
27. “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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. Killings for Love in Shakespeare’s and Garcia’s Works

    In both Shakespeare’s Othello and Garcia’s Chronicles of a Death Foretold, the themes of love, passion, and death are connected. Do the killings in the novels occur for love?
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison

    In her “Homage to my hips” and “Won’t you celebrate with me,” Clifton proclaims her ideas of African American women’s beauty and freedom.
34. Journey in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alchemist”

    The journeys of the protagonists of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alchemist are imbued with a strong symbolic significance of personal transformation and self-realization.
35. 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.
36. Literature Comparison: Shakespeare’s Falstaff and Milton’s Satan

    Both Shakespeare’s Falstaff and Milton’s Satan have reputations for stealing the show; neither character is the protagonist, but they are sophisticated and dynamic characters.
37. 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.
38. “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.
39. “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.
40. “Jesus’ Son” and “The Lame Shall Enter First” Comparison

    Despite the apparent differences in style and the approach, Johnson and O’Connor’s stories bear a resemblance one should acknowledge.

💡 Simple Comparative Literature Essay Ideas

1. Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” Comparison
2. Parallels Between “1001 Nights” and Pizan’s “The Book of the City of Ladies”
3. “The Lottery” by Jackson vs. “Antigone” by Sophocles
4. “Burning Chrome” and “Blade Runner” Comparison
5. Soto’s “Broken Chains” and “Fish Creeks” by Tan
6. Iliad and Odyssey: Hector and Menelaus Comparison
7. The Novels by Ignacio Aldecoa Analysis
8. Gilgamesh and Odysseus: The Semblance
9. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
10. Characters’ Evolution in The House on Mango Street and Bullet in the Brain
11. Human Nature in “The Scarlet Letter” and “Moby-Dick”
12. “Love in the Time of Cholera” vs “Theme of the Traitor and the Hero”: Context and Symbolism
13. “Ordinary People” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”: Book Report
14. The Role of Sacrifice in Idiots First, The Origin of Stories, and Yo!
15. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”
16. “The Necklace” and “The Rocking-Horse Winner”
17. Short Stories Analysis: “The Necklace” and “The Last Leaf”
18. Civil War Poetry by Whitman, Melville and Dickinson
19. Human Animal in “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Life is a Dream”
20. Key Farce Elements in Theater: Analyzing Their Role in Playwriting
21. Comparative Literature: The Significance of “Shitty First Drafts” in Writing
22. A Modest Proposal by J. Swift and Candide by F. M. Arouet Literature Analysis
23. A. Munro’s and Z. Smith’s Short Stories Comparison
24. Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” Comparison
25. Family Theme in Kafka’s and Oates’ Literary Works
26. Comparing Lies in War Literature
27. Baldwain’s “Sonny’s Blues” vs. Saunders’ “Sticks”
28. Plots of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”
29. “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead vs. “Sticks” by Saunders
30. Eliot’s and Ferlinghetti’s Poems Comparison
31. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and Biblical Parables
32. Native American Poems’ Comparative Analysis
33. Tecumseh’s Historical Speech and Sherman Alexie’s Poems: Comparative Analysis
34. The Setting Role in American Short Stories
35. Poems Themes Comparison
36. Comparison and Contrast Between Sappho’s Poem and Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp
37. Normal in Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Saunders’ Sticks
38. “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver
39. Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”
40. “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “To Build a Fire” Comparison
41. Hayden’s and Roethke’s Poems Comparison
42. Woolf’s “Orlando” & Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” Novels
43. The Plot, Character Development, and Motif in “Kindred” and “A Raisin in the Sun”
44. The Importance of Setting for Interpretation of Stories
45. The Brutal Reality of War in Poems and Art
46. Antagonistic Objects in the Short Stories
47. “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry and “The Good Samaritan” by Luke
48. View on Cisneros’ “Barbie-Q” and Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
49. Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”
50. Comparing and Contrasting “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooke and “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen
51. Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism
52. The Stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron” and Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”
53. “Mother Tongue” by Tan and “Learning to Read and Write” by Douglass
54. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Sandars’ “The Epics of Gigamesh”
55. Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles
56. Finding Strength While Searching for the Truth: Hamlet and Oedipus
57. Human Destiny in the Works of Shakespeare and Nino Ricci
58. Money Theme in Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
59. Otherness in “The Color of Water” and “Country Lovers”
60. Literature. Fate and Fallibility in Human Society
61. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu vs. “Othello” by Shakespeare
62. Washburn’s “What the Ocean Eats” and Stevenson’s “The High Road”
63. “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by C. Perkin
64. Comparative Analysis “A Rose for Emily” and “Short Days, Dog Days”
65. The Phenomenon of Money in “Tartuffe” by Moliere and “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
66. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Araby” by James Joyce
67. Elements of Gothic Tradition in the American Literature
68. Important Life Lessons to Learn from John Updike and Nathaniel Hawthorne
69. American and Asian American Literature Debate
70. Ambrose Bierce and Henry James Works Comparison

🎓 Most Interesting Comparative Literature Research Titles

1. Freedom and Enslavement in Literature
2. Love and Loneliness in the Works of R. Carver and B. A. Mason
3. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Kidd and the “Feast of Love” by Baxter
4. Societal Monsters in Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”
5. Novels by A. Bierce and H. James Comparison
6. Main Historical Themes in the Contemporary Literature
7. “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
8. “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden R., “Miss Brill” by Mansfield C. and “Trifles” by Glaspell S.
9. The Theme of Race Discrimination in Works of Richard Rodriguez
10. “Raisin in the Sun” by Hansberry and “I’m Still Here” by Hughes
11. “Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”
12. Duty and Conscience Relations Review
13. The Curse vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast
14. Greasy Lake, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery: Compare & Contrast
15. “Essentials of Young Adult Literature” and “Entering the World of Children’s Literature”
16. Peoples’ Characters and Hopes in Literature: Comparison of Description
17. Protagonist Roles by Mark Twain, J. Austin and C. Potok
18. Stevie Smith’s and Karl Shapiro’s Poems Comparison
19. How Decisions Can Make or Break an Individual: Literary Analysis
20. Faulkner’s “Barns Burning” and Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths” Comparison Essay
21. Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”
22. Effectiveness Techniques in Short Stories Analysis
23. “The Purloined Letter” by E. A. Poe and “Bartleby the Scrivener” by H. Melville
24. “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Hurston and “Babylon Revisited” by Fitzgerald
25. Chopin and Shields Literary Works Compared
26. Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”
27. Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus
28. Comparing Characters from Odyssey, Scarlett Letter, Troy, Hamlet
29. The Influence of Religion on Ceremonial Practices in Literature and Culture
30. “The Stranger” by Albert Camus and “The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories” by Mark Twain: The Novel Comparison
31. Punishment vs. Therapy: Oedipus Tyrannus & Equus Analysis
32. The Use of Disguise in “The Odyssey” and “The Metamorphoses”
33. Development of the Setting in Shirley’s “The Lottery” and “The Rocking Horse Winner” by Lawrence: From Claustrophobic to Chaotic
34. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
35. Analyzing Love and Appreciation in Shakespeare, Albom, and King’s Works
36. Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”
37. Compromised Rulers in Literary Works
38. Travel as a Metaphor in Frost and Thomas’s Poems
39. Exploring Play and Game Structures by Sicart & Fullerton
40. Gender Narratives in Hardy’s and Winterson’s Literary Works Examined
41. Comparison: “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “Jury of Her Peers”
42. The Alchemist & The Wiz: Uncovering Hidden Paths to Self-Discovery
43. Shakespeare’s Macbeth vs. Tolkien’s Smeagol: More in Common Than Not
44. “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”
45. Character Analysis in “The Awakening” and “Summer” by Chopin and Wharton
46. Contrasting Visions: Analysis of “Ragged Dick” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
47. Thoreau vs. Woolf: Insects as Metaphors for Life and War
48. De Certeau’s Walking in the City vs. Schwartz’s Far Rockaway Compared
49. Behavior Under Pressure: Insights from Hughes and Orwell
50. The Issue of “Othering” in Literature
51. Analyzing Representations of Marriage in Works by Bradstreet, Dooley, and Larkin
52. Little Red Riding Hood by Dahl and Perrault
53. Masculinity in James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway’ Stories
54. Establishment of Values and Beliefs in Literature: A Comparative Analysis
55. Dilemmas in Hamlet and The Fall of the House of Usher
56. Literature Comparison: “Lust” and “Sex Without Love”
57. “Divine Comedy” and “Confessions”
58. The Aeneid, the Iliad and the Odyssey Literature Comparison
59. “Ode to a Day in the Country” and “The Day My Mother Died” Comparison
60. Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World
61. Comparison: “The Battle of the Ants” by H. D. Thoreau and “The Death of the Moth” by V. Woolf
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