293 Comparative Literature Essay Topics

🏆 Best Essay Topics on Comparative Literature

1. Hero’s Journey: A Comparison of The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey
2. “Mericans” by Cisneros and “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Okita
3. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan: Character Comparison
4. “My Father Is a Simple Man” by Luis Omar Salinas and “A Red Palm” by Gary Soto: Comparative Analysis
5. Comparison S. Glaspell’s Play “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”
6. The Theme of Duality in Literature
7. “Blackberries” by Ellen Hunnicutt and “Blackberries” by Leslie Norris – Comparison

✍️ Comparative Literature Essay Topics for College

1. Absurdity in “The Metamorphosis” and “The Stranger”

   The Metamorphosis by Kafka and The Stranger by Camus is existential works that explore the themes of alienation, emotional detachment, and the seeming absurdity of the human form.
2. 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.
3. “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.
4. “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.
5. 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.
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. 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.
8. Emily Dickinson vs Walt Whitman: Poems Comparison

   It should be noted that the two poems When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer by Walt Whitman and 324 by Emily Dickinson have both similarities and differences.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. “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”.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. Sedaris’ “Us and Them” and “Who Is Malala?” by Yousafzai

    Both written pieces represent memoirs, which implies that those stories happened in real life, and it raises more exceptional emotions within the readers.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
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. 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
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. Thoreau vs. Woolf: Insects as Metaphors for Life and War

    In “The Battle of the Ants”, Henry David Thoreau focuses on discussing the war between red and black species. The insect’s personal fight discussed in Virginia Woolf’s “The Death of the Moth”.
30. 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.
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. “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.

📌 Easy Comparative Literature Essay Topics

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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”.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. “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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. “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.
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. Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost

    The main similarity between Adam and Frankenstein’s monster is that they both were created and both disappointed their creators.
12. 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.
13. “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.
14. 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.
15. “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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. “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.
19. 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.”
20. 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
21. 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.
22. “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.
23. Comparison: “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “Jury of Her Peers”

    The present paper compares and contrasts the characters of two short stories: “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell and “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl.
24. “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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. “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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. “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.
31. 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.
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. “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.
34. Comparative Literature: The Significance of “Shitty First Drafts” in Writing

    Derrick Brown’s poem, “Come Alive” dwells on designing arguments when describing an item. Anne Lamott the passage “Shitty First Drafts” discusses arguments in terms of the ethos, pathos, and logos.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. Key Farce Elements in Theater: Analyzing Their Role in Playwriting

    The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Lysistrata by Aristophanes, and Tartuffe, or the Impostor by Molière are three comedies where the elements of farce may be met.
40. 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.

👍 Good Comparative Literature Research Topics & Essay Examples

1. 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.
2. “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.
3. 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.
4. “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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus

   “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Odysseus” introduce two different characters with their own purposes, choices, and monsters to defeat.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. “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.
14. “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.
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. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. Development of the Setting in Shirley’s “The Lottery” and “The Rocking Horse Winner” by Lawrence: From Claustrophobic to Chaotic

    In “The Lottery” and “The Rocking Horse Winner,” the changes in the setting are defined not by the physical alterations in the environment but by the prism through which they are viewed.
20. Shakespeare’s Macbeth vs. Tolkien’s Smeagol: More in Common Than Not

    Macbeth is a relative of the king, in line for leadership. Smeagol is a cut-throat of dubious, possibly Halfling origins with none but himself and his purloined ring for company.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. “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.”
24. 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.”
25. Poems Themes Comparison

    “Ballad of Birmingham” and “The Mother” cover one similar theme, yet they represent different approaches to its acknowledgment and description.
26. 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.
27. The Plot, Character Development, and Motif in “Kindred” and “A Raisin in the Sun”

    This essay will consider “Kindred” and “A Raisin in the Sun” and the literary elements used for plot and character development and symbolism in these works.
28. 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”.
29. 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.
30. “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.
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. 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”.
34. “Love in the Time of Cholera” vs “Theme of the Traitor and the Hero”: Context and Symbolism

    In both books, both writers present an awesome twist of love being depicted not only by these characters but also other supporting ones.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. Behavior Under Pressure: Insights from Hughes and Orwell

    This paper reflects on the pressures of the crowd, discussing two articles “Salvation” by Langston Hughes and “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell.
40. 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.

🌶️ Hot Comparative Literature Ideas to Write about

1. 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.
2. “Ode to a Day in the Country” and “The Day My Mother Died” Comparison

   This paper outlines comparative literature of the neighborhoods of “Ode to a Day in the Country” by Gary Soto and “The Day My Mother Died” by Marge Piercy.
3. “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.
4. 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.
5. “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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Antagonistic Objects in the Short Stories

    The antagonist-protagonist opposition is one of the possible driving forces of the central conflict of literature work.
11. 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).
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
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 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”.
19. “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.
20. 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.
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. Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”

    The paper analyzes the comedy Tartuffe by Moliere and the novel Candide by Voltaire. The characters that will be observed are Orgon and Candide, respectively.
23. 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.
24. Dilemmas in Hamlet and The Fall of the House of Usher

    This paper will explore the character of Hamlet and compare Hamlet’s dilemma to the predicament of the unknown narrator of “The Fall of the House of Usher”.
25. 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.
26. A Modest Proposal by J. Swift and Candide by F. M. Arouet Literature Analysis

    According to Jonathan Swift and Marie Arouet, women are nothing more than sexual tools that men use, not only to satisfy their sexual desires but also for pleasure.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. “The Lottery” by Jackson vs. “Antigone” by Sophocles

    Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” describes a tradition in a small town where members draw lottery slips. Sophocles’s play “Antigone” follows one girl’s fight against authority.
32. “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.
33. 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.
34. Iliad and Odyssey: Hector and Menelaus Comparison

    The Iliad and the Odyssey have great significance due to the lyrical content they encompass. It is vital to consider two characters in these readings – Hector and Menelaus.
35. “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry and “The Good Samaritan” by Luke

    In this paper two stories will be analyzed: the short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry and the passage from Luke, which presents the parable of the Good Samaritan.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. Freedom and Enslavement in Literature

    Freedom and enslavement are patterns adopted in the literature that rarely hinders the expressive manner of writers.
39. “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.
40. Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”

    This paper will endeavour to discuss the South and Southerners as they appear in the short stories, “Barn Burning” and “The Life You Save.

💡 Simple Comparative Literature Essay Ideas

1. Barker’s Regeneration & Plath’s The Bell Jar: Compare & Contrast Essay
2. “I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” and “American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World”: Comparison
3. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
4. Exploring Play and Game Structures by Sicart & Fullerton
5. Odysseus and Maximus: Heroes Comparison
6. Little Red Riding Hood by Dahl and Perrault
7. Robert Frost’s and Virginia Scott’s Poems Comparison
8. Literature Comparison: “Lust” and “Sex Without Love”
9. Henry David Thoreau and Virginia Woolf’s Essay Comparison
10. Comparison: “The Battle of the Ants” by H. D. Thoreau and “The Death of the Moth” by V. Woolf
11. The Comparison of Melvin Tolson “An Ex-Judge at the Bar” and Gwendolyn Brooks “The Mother”
12. A. Munro’s and Z. Smith’s Short Stories Comparison
13. Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” Comparison
14. Grendel and Medea Literary Characters’ Comparison
15. Family Theme in Kafka’s and Oates’ Literary Works
16. Comparing Lies in War Literature
17. Baldwain’s “Sonny’s Blues” vs. Saunders’ “Sticks”
18. Plots of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”
19. “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead vs. “Sticks” by Saunders
20. Eliot’s and Ferlinghetti’s Poems Comparison
21. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and Biblical Parables
22. “All Summer in a Day” and “Eveline”: Desire to Return to the Past
23. Comparison and Contrast Between Sappho’s Poem and Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp
24. A Poem “Howl” and a Song “It’s Alright Ma”: A Comparative Analysis
25. Normal in Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Saunders’ Sticks
26. Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” Comparison
27. “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver
28. Gilgamesh, Eridu Genesis and the Bible: Comparative Analysis
29. Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”
30. Parallels Between “1001 Nights” and Pizan’s “The Book of the City of Ladies”
31. “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “To Build a Fire” Comparison
32. Hayden’s and Roethke’s Poems Comparison
33. “Burning Chrome” and “Blade Runner” Comparison
34. Woolf’s “Orlando” & Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” Novels
35. The Importance of Setting for Interpretation of Stories
36. The Brutal Reality of War in Poems and Art
37. Cisneros’ “Mericans” and Okita’s “In Response to Executive Order 9066” Stories
38. Cortazar’s “The Devil’s Drool” vs. Marquez’s “Big Mama’s Funeral”
39. View on Cisneros’ “Barbie-Q” and Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
40. Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”
41. Twain’s and Hemingway’s Short Stories Comparison
42. Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism
43. The Stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron” and Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”
44. “Mother Tongue” by Tan and “Learning to Read and Write” by Douglass
45. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Sandars’ “The Epics of Gigamesh”
46. Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles
47. “Walking Home in the Dark” and “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”: Poetry About Nature
48. Auden, Barrett Browning and Shakespeare: Poems Comparison
49. Protagonists in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle”
50. Finding Strength While Searching for the Truth: Hamlet and Oedipus
51. Human Destiny in the Works of Shakespeare and Nino Ricci
52. Money Theme in Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
53. The Idea of Friendship in Literary Works
54. Otherness in “The Color of Water” and “Country Lovers”
55. Theme in Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”
56. Literature. Fate and Fallibility in Human Society
57. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu vs. “Othello” by Shakespeare
58. Washburn’s “What the Ocean Eats” and Stevenson’s “The High Road”
59. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” vs. “Sonny’s Blues”
60. “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by C. Perkin
61. Characters’ Evolution in The House on Mango Street and Bullet in the Brain
62. Comparative Analysis “A Rose for Emily” and “Short Days, Dog Days”
63. The Phenomenon of Money in “Tartuffe” by Moliere and “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
64. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Araby” by James Joyce
65. Elements of Gothic Tradition in the American Literature
66. Human Nature in “The Scarlet Letter” and “Moby-Dick”
67. American and Asian American Literature Debate
68. Ambrose Bierce and Henry James Works Comparison
69. Love and Loneliness in the Works of R. Carver and B. A. Mason
70. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Kidd and the “Feast of Love” by Baxter

🎓 Most Interesting Comparative Literature Research Titles

1. Novels by A. Bierce and H. James Comparison
2. Main Historical Themes in the Contemporary Literature
3. “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
4. “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden R., “Miss Brill” by Mansfield C. and “Trifles” by Glaspell S.
5. Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Tan’s “Two Kinds”
6. “Ordinary People” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”: Book Report
7. The Theme of Race Discrimination in Works of Richard Rodriguez
8. “Raisin in the Sun” by Hansberry and “I’m Still Here” by Hughes
9. “Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”
10. Duty and Conscience Relations Review
11. The Curse vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast
12. Greasy Lake, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery: Compare & Contrast
13. Peoples’ Characters and Hopes in Literature: Comparison of Description
14. Protagonist Roles by Mark Twain, J. Austin and C. Potok
15. Stevie Smith’s and Karl Shapiro’s Poems Comparison
16. How Decisions Can Make or Break an Individual: Literary Analysis
17. Faulkner’s “Barns Burning” and Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths” Comparison Essay
18. Effectiveness Techniques in Short Stories Analysis
19. “The Purloined Letter” by E. A. Poe and “Bartleby the Scrivener” by H. Melville
20. “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Hurston and “Babylon Revisited” by Fitzgerald
21. Chopin and Shields Literary Works Compared
22. Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”
23. In the Time of the Butterflies and The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay
24. Coelho’s Alchemist and Homer’s Odyssey: Theme Comparison
25. A Good Man is Hard to Find & The Story of an Hour: Compare & Contrast Essay
26. Mustafa Sa’eed from Season of Migration to the North Compared to Shakespeare’s Caliban & Othello
27. Comparing Characters from Odyssey, Scarlett Letter, Troy, Hamlet
28. The Influence of Religion on Ceremonial Practices in Literature and Culture
29. “The Stranger” by Albert Camus and “The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories” by Mark Twain: The Novel Comparison
30. Punishment vs. Therapy: Oedipus Tyrannus & Equus Analysis
31. The Use of Disguise in “The Odyssey” and “The Metamorphoses”
32. Old Testament vs. Epic of Gilgamesh: Dreams, Mortality, and Divine Signs
33. Analyzing Love and Appreciation in Shakespeare, Albom, and King’s Works
34. The Role of Sacrifice in Idiots First, The Origin of Stories, and Yo!
35. Compromised Rulers in Literary Works
36. Travel as a Metaphor in Frost and Thomas’s Poems
37. Gender Narratives in Hardy’s and Winterson’s Literary Works Examined
38. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”
39. Killings for Love in Shakespeare’s and Garcia’s Works
40. The Alchemist & The Wiz: Uncovering Hidden Paths to Self-Discovery
41. “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”
42. Character Analysis in “The Awakening” and “Summer” by Chopin and Wharton
43. Contrasting Visions: Analysis of “Ragged Dick” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
44. “Tartuffe” and “Candide or the Optimism” Comparison
45. De Certeau’s Walking in the City vs. Schwartz’s Far Rockaway Compared
46. The Issue of “Othering” in Literature
47. Analyzing Representations of Marriage in Works by Bradstreet, Dooley, and Larkin
48. Injustice in Shelley’s Frankenstein and Milton’s Paradise Lost
49. Animals in “The Dogs’ Colloquy” and “Gulliver’s Travels”
50. Civil War Poetry by Whitman, Melville and Dickinson
51. Masculinity in James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway’ Stories
52. “The Excursion” and “A Defence of Poetry” Comparison
53. Establishment of Values and Beliefs in Literature: A Comparative Analysis
54. Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison
55. Journey in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alchemist”
56. Human Animal in “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Life is a Dream”
57. “Divine Comedy” and “Confessions”
58. Literature Comparison: Shakespeare’s Falstaff and Milton’s Satan
59. The Aeneid, the Iliad and the Odyssey Literature Comparison
60. Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World
61. Tartuffe, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Way of the World Literature Compare
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