293 Comparative Literature Essay Topics

🏆 Best Essay Topics on Comparative Literature

1. Resilience in “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles and “Hamlet” by Shakespeare
2. Comparison S. Glaspell’s Play “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”
3. Oedipus Versus Hamlet: Resilience in Characters
4. “Mericans” by Cisneros and “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Okita
5. Margaret Atwood’s and Gloria Steinem’s Views on Pornography Comparison
6. Emily Dickinson vs Walt Whitman: Poems Comparison
7. Absurdity in “The Metamorphosis” and “The Stranger”

✍️ Comparative Literature Essay Topics for College

1. 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.
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. 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.
4. 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.
5. “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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
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. “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.
10. “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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. “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”.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. “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.
20. 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.
21. “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.
22. Hero’s Journey: A Comparison of The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey

    While Gilgamesh spends his time seeking eternal life, Odysseus seems more interested in living the life that he has. Odysseus’ hero journey exemplifies “how one ought to live”.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
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. 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.
32. 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.
33. 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.

📌 Easy Comparative Literature Essay Topics

1. 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.
2. “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.
3. 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”.
4. 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
5. 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.
6. “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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. “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.
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. 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”.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. “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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. “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.
31. “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.
32. 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.
33. 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”.
34. “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.”
35. 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.
36. “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.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. 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.
40. 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.”

👍 Good Comparative Literature Research Topics & Essay Examples

1. Poems Themes Comparison

   “Ballad of Birmingham” and “The Mother” cover one similar theme, yet they represent different approaches to its acknowledgment and description.
2. “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.
3. 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.
4. “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.
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. 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”.
7. “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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. “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.
13. 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.
14. Human Nature in “The Scarlet Letter” and “Moby-Dick”

    The “Scarlet Letter” and “Moby Dick” are rich in themes concerning human nature, their contents are very appealing considering its similarity during that period and now.
15. 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”.
16. Main Historical Themes in the Contemporary Literature

    This paper focuses on three writings from Worlds of Fiction, namely, I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen, The Guest by Albert Camus, and Bernard Malamud’s The Jewbird.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. “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.
20. “The Purloined Letter” by E. A. Poe and “Bartleby the Scrivener” by H. Melville

    The main difference is that the narrator of “The Purloined Letter” is dominating over the readers while the narrator of “Bartleby the Scrivener” imparts the story with the readers without questioning anyone.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. “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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. “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.
31. 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.
32. Normal in Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Saunders’ Sticks

    Normal can be considered an occurrence or behavior that conforms to accepted rules; humans repeat patterns of behavior which in many ways makes them predictable.
33. 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.
34. Hayden’s and Roethke’s Poems Comparison

    Two authors, Hayden and Roethke, return to their childhood in their poems, analyzing it now with the existing knowledge and gaining a new perspective.
35. “Burning Chrome” and “Blade Runner” Comparison

    “Burning Chrome” and “Blade Runner” can be called pioneering works because they invented, reflected, and visualized the main topics of cyberpunk.
36. 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
37. 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).
38. “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.
39. Ambrose Bierce and Henry James Works Comparison

    “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “The Jolly Corner” may not compare in plot lines, but stories are very similar in themes.
40. “Ordinary People” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”: Book Report

    Analysis of fault and responsibility taking people apart in the “Ordinary People”, discussion of the conflict of characters in the “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.

🌶️ Hot Comparative Literature Ideas to Write about

1. 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.
2. “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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. “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.
8. The Use of Disguise in “The Odyssey” and “The Metamorphoses”

   The topic of disguise is used in both works and helps the authors reflect on how deep and diverse human nature is in conjunction with the plots of ancient epics.
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. 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.
11. 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.
12. “The Necklace” and “The Rocking-Horse Winner”

    “The Necklace” by Maupassant and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by Lawrence – stories revolve around families of medium-income with women who are deeply dissatisfied with reality.
13. 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.
14. 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”.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. “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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. Plots of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

    Two short stories, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, are simultaneously similar and different.
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. “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead vs. “Sticks” by Saunders

    Although “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead and “Sticks” by Saunders are different in plot and character representations, they share themes such as family and heritage.
31. Eliot’s and Ferlinghetti’s Poems Comparison

    Both authors, Eliot and Ferlinghetti, tried to convey the complex inner experiences of the characters through the modernist structure.
32. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and Biblical Parables

    It is possible to compare the Biblical parables and “The Epic of Gilgamesh”. Both sources tell of the Flood that affected all of humankind.
33. “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.
34. Native American Poems’ Comparative Analysis

    This paper presents a comparative analysis of three poems. They are “Absence” and “To the Pine Tree” by Schoolcraft, and “The Indian Corn Planter” by Johnson.
35. 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.
36. “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.
37. Comparison and Contrast Between Sappho’s Poem and Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp

    In the poem, the characters are the woman and the god-like character. In the short story, the characters are the genie, Aladdin, the mother, the prince’s daughter, and the sorcerer.
38. 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)”.
39. Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” Comparison

    Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” stories follow the themes of relationships and the drawbacks that can come along with them.
40. “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver

    This essay will compare and contrast the use of point of view in the short stories “Great Falls” by Richard Ford and “Cathedral” by Ray Carver.

💡 Simple Comparative Literature Essay Ideas

1. Gilgamesh, Eridu Genesis and the Bible: Comparative Analysis
2. Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”
3. Parallels Between “1001 Nights” and Pizan’s “The Book of the City of Ladies”
4. “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “To Build a Fire” Comparison
5. “The Lottery” by Jackson vs. “Antigone” by Sophocles
6. Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” and Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”: Short Stories Comparison
7. Comparing Troy Maxson (“Fences”) and Walter Lee Younger (“A Raisin in the Sun”)
8. Woolf’s “Orlando” & Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” Novels
9. The Plot, Character Development, and Motif in “Kindred” and “A Raisin in the Sun”
10. The Brutal Reality of War in Poems and Art
11. Family in Bambara’s ”Raymond’s Run” & So’s ”Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts”
12. Antagonistic Objects in the Short Stories
13. Compare and Contrast “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Raven”
14. Iliad and Odyssey: Hector and Menelaus Comparison
15. Cisneros’ “Mericans” and Okita’s “In Response to Executive Order 9066” Stories
16. “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry and “The Good Samaritan” by Luke
17. View on Cisneros’ “Barbie-Q” and Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
18. Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”
19. Twain’s and Hemingway’s Short Stories Comparison
20. Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism
21. The Stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron” and Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”
22. “Mother Tongue” by Tan and “Learning to Read and Write” by Douglass
23. Rushdie’s “Midnight Children” and Murakami’s “Kafka on the Shore’
24. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Sandars’ “The Epics of Gigamesh”
25. Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles
26. “Walking Home in the Dark” and “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”: Poetry About Nature
27. Auden, Barrett Browning and Shakespeare: Poems Comparison
28. Protagonists in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle”
29. Finding Strength While Searching for the Truth: Hamlet and Oedipus
30. Human Destiny in the Works of Shakespeare and Nino Ricci
31. Money Theme in Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
32. Poems Comparison and Analysis
33. The Idea of Friendship in Literary Works
34. Otherness in “The Color of Water” and “Country Lovers”
35. Theme in Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”
36. Literature. Fate and Fallibility in Human Society
37. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu vs. “Othello” by Shakespeare
38. Washburn’s “What the Ocean Eats” and Stevenson’s “The High Road”
39. “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by C. Perkin
40. “The Lottery” and “The Destructors”: Conflict, Characterization and Irony
41. “Company Commander” by Charles MacDonald and “Frontsoldaten” by Stephen Fritz: Books Comparison
42. Characters’ Evolution in The House on Mango Street and Bullet in the Brain
43. Comparative Analysis “A Rose for Emily” and “Short Days, Dog Days”
44. Contrast Analysis “I, Too” and “I Have a Dream Analysis”
45. The Phenomenon of Money in “Tartuffe” by Moliere and “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
46. Comparing Two Kinds and Everyday Use
47. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Araby” by James Joyce
48. The Theme of Transitioning into Adulthood in “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki and “Spring Awakening” by Frank Wedekind
49. Byron, Keats, and Shelley: The Era of Romanticism
50. Elements of Gothic Tradition in the American Literature
51. Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost
52. American and Asian American Literature Debate
53. “Love in the Time of Cholera” vs “Theme of the Traitor and the Hero”: Context and Symbolism
54. Freedom and Enslavement in Literature
55. Love and Loneliness in the Works of R. Carver and B. A. Mason
56. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Kidd and the “Feast of Love” by Baxter
57. Novels by A. Bierce and H. James Comparison
58. “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
59. “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden R., “Miss Brill” by Mansfield C. and “Trifles” by Glaspell S.
60. Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Tan’s “Two Kinds”
61. The Theme of Race Discrimination in Works of Richard Rodriguez
62. “Raisin in the Sun” by Hansberry and “I’m Still Here” by Hughes
63. “Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”
64. Duty and Conscience Relations Review
65. The Curse vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast
66. “The Accident, Say Yes” & “The Things They Carried”: Comparison
67. Greasy Lake, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery: Compare & Contrast
68. Peoples’ Characters and Hopes in Literature: Comparison of Description
69. Protagonist Roles by Mark Twain, J. Austin and C. Potok
70. Stevie Smith’s and Karl Shapiro’s Poems Comparison

🎓 Most Interesting Comparative Literature Research Titles

1. How Decisions Can Make or Break an Individual: Literary Analysis
2. Faulkner’s “Barns Burning” and Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths” Comparison Essay
3. Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”
4. “The Necklace” vs. “Paste”: Character Comparison
5. Effectiveness Techniques in Short Stories Analysis
6. “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Hurston and “Babylon Revisited” by Fitzgerald
7. Chopin and Shields Literary Works Compared
8. Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”
9. In the Time of the Butterflies and The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay
10. Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus
11. A Good Man is Hard to Find & The Story of an Hour: Compare & Contrast Essay
12. Social Life in Canterbury Tales vs. Pride & Prejudice: Compare & Contrast Essay
13. Comparing Characters from Odyssey, Scarlett Letter, Troy, Hamlet
14. The Influence of Religion on Ceremonial Practices in Literature and Culture
15. “The Stranger” by Albert Camus and “The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories” by Mark Twain: The Novel Comparison
16. Punishment vs. Therapy: Oedipus Tyrannus & Equus Analysis
17. Development of the Setting in Shirley’s “The Lottery” and “The Rocking Horse Winner” by Lawrence: From Claustrophobic to Chaotic
18. Old Testament vs. Epic of Gilgamesh: Dreams, Mortality, and Divine Signs
19. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
20. Analyzing Love and Appreciation in Shakespeare, Albom, and King’s Works
21. Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”
22. Compromised Rulers in Literary Works
23. Herman Melville and Ralph Ellison: Exploring Human Freedom
24. Travel as a Metaphor in Frost and Thomas’s Poems
25. Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and Updike’s “A&P”
26. Gender Narratives in Hardy’s and Winterson’s Literary Works Examined
27. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”
28. Killings for Love in Shakespeare’s and Garcia’s Works
29. Comparison: “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “Jury of Her Peers”
30. The Alchemist & The Wiz: Uncovering Hidden Paths to Self-Discovery
31. Shakespeare’s Macbeth vs. Tolkien’s Smeagol: More in Common Than Not
32. “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”
33. Contrasting Visions: Analysis of “Ragged Dick” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
34. Thoreau vs. Woolf: Insects as Metaphors for Life and War
35. “Tartuffe” and “Candide or the Optimism” Comparison
36. De Certeau’s Walking in the City vs. Schwartz’s Far Rockaway Compared
37. Behavior Under Pressure: Insights from Hughes and Orwell
38. The Issue of “Othering” in Literature
39. Analyzing Representations of Marriage in Works by Bradstreet, Dooley, and Larkin
40. Little Red Riding Hood by Dahl and Perrault
41. Little Red Riding Hood: Original vs. Retell
42. Masculinity in James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway’ Stories
43. Robert Frost’s and Virginia Scott’s Poems Comparison
44. Establishment of Values and Beliefs in Literature: A Comparative Analysis
45. Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison
46. Dilemmas in Hamlet and The Fall of the House of Usher
47. Key Farce Elements in Theater: Analyzing Their Role in Playwriting
48. W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey’ Works Comparison
49. “Divine Comedy” and “Confessions”
50. Henry David Thoreau and Virginia Woolf’s Essay Comparison
51. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson Literary Styles Comparison
52. “Ode to a Day in the Country” and “The Day My Mother Died” Comparison
53. Comparative Literature: The Significance of “Shitty First Drafts” in Writing
54. Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World
55. Tartuffe, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Way of the World Literature Compare
56. A Modest Proposal by J. Swift and Candide by F. M. Arouet Literature Analysis
57. Comparison: ‘Kite Runner,’ ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther,’ and ‘The Road Not Taken’
58. Literary Comparison: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “Hills Like White Elephants”
59. Comparison: “The Battle of the Ants” by H. D. Thoreau and “The Death of the Moth” by V. Woolf
60. Literature Comparison of The Yellow Wallpaper and Everyday Use
61. Comparative Analysis of “Big Black Good Man” and “Battle Royal”: Literary Themes Explored
62. Exploring Themes in Lieutenant Nun and Sundiata: A Cultural Comparison
63. Metamorphosis and The Necklace