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. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan: Character Comparison
3. Emily Dickinson vs Walt Whitman: Poems Comparison
4. Comparison S. Glaspell’s Play “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”
5. “My Father Is a Simple Man” by Luis Omar Salinas and “A Red Palm” by Gary Soto: Comparative Analysis
6. Fate vs. Free Will in “The Odyssey” and “Oedipus the King”
7. Metaphors and Figurative Language in Updike’s “A&P” and Pastan’s “Marks”

✍️ Comparative Literature Essay Topics for College

1. 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.
2. “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.
3. 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.
4. 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”.
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. “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.
7. 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.
8. 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
9. “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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. “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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.”
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. “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.
22. 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.
23. 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”.
24. “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”.
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. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
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. 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.
31. “Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”

    Two literary pieces should be compared in the paper: “Travels With Herodotus” by Ryszard Kapuściński and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There” by Rolf Potts.
32. 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”.
33. 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.

📌 Easy Comparative Literature Essay Topics

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. “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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
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. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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
14. 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.
15. Othello and Antigone: Compare & Contrast

    There can be little doubt as to the fact that Sophocles’ “Antigone” and Shakespeare’s “Othello” are highly emotional dramaturgic pieces.
16. “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.
17. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”

    It is possible to compare literary elements in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” when determining similarities and differences in these works.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. “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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
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. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. Recognition in Sophocles’ ”Oedipus Rex” and Homer’s ”The Odyssey”

    The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the scenes of recognition in Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” and Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
32. 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.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. 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.
40. 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.”

👍 Good Comparative Literature Research Topics & Essay Examples

1. 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”.
2. “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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. “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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. “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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”

    This paper discusses two short stories, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce and Blue Winds Dancing by Tom Whitecloud.
18. 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.
19. 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”.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “To Build a Fire” Comparison

    The two short stories, very different in their context and settings, create an unsettling atmosphere in their ways.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. “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.
27. The Phenomenon of Money in “Tartuffe” by Moliere and “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

    As demonstrated in the plays “Tartuffe” and “A Doll’s House,” money can play both a role of pressure and power and a role of a tool for caring and creating a sense of security.
28. 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.
29. 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.
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 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.
32. 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.
33. 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.
34. Comparing Characters from Odyssey, Scarlett Letter, Troy, Hamlet

    The paper compares the heroes from Homer’s “Odyssey”, Hawthorne’s “Scarlett Latter” and characters from Hollywood movies “Troy” and “Hamlet”.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. “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.
38. “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.
39. 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.
40. “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.”

🌶️ Hot Comparative Literature Ideas to Write about

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. “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.
7. “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.
8. 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.
9. “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.
10. 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”.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. “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”.
14. “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.
15. 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.
16. 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?
17. 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.
18. “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.
19. “Divine Comedy” and “Confessions”

    This paper is focused on the comparison of the spiritual journeys the authors undertake in Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and Augustine’s “Confessions”.
20. “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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. Comparison: “The Battle of the Ants” by H. D. Thoreau and “The Death of the Moth” by V. Woolf

    The idea of viewing the reality from the perspective of an insect is not new. Of all specimens of this kind of fiction, this paper campares Thoreau’s “The Battle of the Ants” and Woolf’s “The Death of the Moth”.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. “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.
28. 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.
29. “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.
30. 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.
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. 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.
33. Antagonistic Objects in the Short Stories

    The antagonist-protagonist opposition is one of the possible driving forces of the central conflict of literature work.
34. 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.
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. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Sandars’ “The Epics of Gigamesh”

    In this paper, the author will apply postcolonial theories to evaluate Caliban from “The Tempest” and Enkidu from the “Epic of Gilgamesh”.
37. 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.
38. 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.
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. Love and Loneliness in the Works of R. Carver and B. A. Mason

    This paper aims to look at some of the works of Carver and Mason, their content and also try to analyze why they mainly based their literature works on love and loneliness.

💡 Simple Comparative Literature Essay Ideas

1. Marriage According to Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen
2. “The Stranger” by Albert Camus and “The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories” by Mark Twain: The Novel Comparison
3. Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”
4. Shakespeare’s Macbeth vs. Tolkien’s Smeagol: More in Common Than Not
5. Thoreau vs. Woolf: Insects as Metaphors for Life and War
6. Little Red Riding Hood by Dahl and Perrault
7. Human Animal in “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Life is a Dream”
8. Henry David Thoreau and Virginia Woolf’s Essay Comparison
9. “The Bait” by John Donne and “My Picture, Left in Scotland” by Ben Jonson Comparison
10. A. Munro’s and Z. Smith’s Short Stories Comparison
11. Phyllis Wheatley and Philip Freneau: Poems Comparison
12. Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” Comparison
13. “Barbie Doll” by Piercy and “Girl” by Kincaid
14. Grendel and Medea Literary Characters’ Comparison
15. Family Theme in Kafka’s and Oates’ Literary Works
16. Carver’s “Neighbors” and Diaz’s “The Money” Stories
17. Comparing Lies in War Literature
18. Baldwain’s “Sonny’s Blues” vs. Saunders’ “Sticks”
19. Symbolism in Literature: “The Raven”, “Young Goodman Brown”
20. “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead vs. “Sticks” by Saunders
21. Eliot’s and Ferlinghetti’s Poems Comparison
22. “All Summer in a Day” and “Eveline”: Desire to Return to the Past
23. Native American Poems’ Comparative Analysis
24. Poems Themes Comparison
25. “Jesus’ Son” and “The Lame Shall Enter First” Comparison
26. Comparison and Contrast Between Sappho’s Poem and Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp
27. A Poem “Howl” and a Song “It’s Alright Ma”: A Comparative Analysis
28. Normal in Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Saunders’ Sticks
29. “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver
30. Gilgamesh, Eridu Genesis and the Bible: Comparative Analysis
31. Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”
32. Parallels Between “1001 Nights” and Pizan’s “The Book of the City of Ladies”
33. Hayden’s and Roethke’s Poems Comparison
34. “Burning Chrome” and “Blade Runner” Comparison
35. “Sunflower Sutra” and “Der Gilgul” Analysis
36. Woolf’s “Orlando” & Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” Novels
37. The Plot, Character Development, and Motif in “Kindred” and “A Raisin in the Sun”
38. The Importance of Setting for Interpretation of Stories
39. The Brutal Reality of War in Poems and Art
40. “The Lottery” by Jackson, and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by Lawrence
41. View on Cisneros’ “Barbie-Q” and Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
42. Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”
43. Comparing and Contrasting “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooke and “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen
44. Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism
45. The Stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron” and Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”
46. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” and “War Dances” by Sherman Alexie
47. “Mother Tongue” by Tan and “Learning to Read and Write” by Douglass
48. Gilgamesh and Odysseus: The Semblance
49. Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles
50. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
51. Auden, Barrett Browning and Shakespeare: Poems Comparison
52. “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel G. Marquez & “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
53. Finding Strength While Searching for the Truth: Hamlet and Oedipus
54. Human Destiny in the Works of Shakespeare and Nino Ricci
55. Money Theme in Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
56. Poems Comparison and Analysis
57. Otherness in “The Color of Water” and “Country Lovers”
58. Theme in Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”
59. Literature. Fate and Fallibility in Human Society
60. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu vs. “Othello” by Shakespeare
61. Washburn’s “What the Ocean Eats” and Stevenson’s “The High Road”
62. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” vs. “Sonny’s Blues”
63. “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by C. Perkin
64. Characters’ Evolution in The House on Mango Street and Bullet in the Brain
65. Comparative Analysis “A Rose for Emily” and “Short Days, Dog Days”
66. Comparing Two Kinds and Everyday Use
67. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Araby” by James Joyce
68. Othello Versus Shakuntala: Ultimate Lessons
69. Elements of Gothic Tradition in the American Literature
70. Important Life Lessons to Learn from John Updike and Nathaniel Hawthorne

🎓 Most Interesting Comparative Literature Research Titles

1. Human Nature in “The Scarlet Letter” and “Moby-Dick”
2. Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost
3. American and Asian American Literature Debate
4. “Love in the Time of Cholera” vs “Theme of the Traitor and the Hero”: Context and Symbolism
5. Freedom and Enslavement in Literature
6. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Kidd and the “Feast of Love” by Baxter
7. Societal Monsters in Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”
8. Novels by A. Bierce and H. James Comparison
9. Main Historical Themes in the Contemporary Literature
10. “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
11. “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden R., “Miss Brill” by Mansfield C. and “Trifles” by Glaspell S.
12. Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Tan’s “Two Kinds”
13. The Theme of Race Discrimination in Works of Richard Rodriguez
14. “Raisin in the Sun” by Hansberry and “I’m Still Here” by Hughes
15. Duty and Conscience Relations Review
16. The Curse vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast
17. Greasy Lake, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery: Compare & Contrast
18. Peoples’ Characters and Hopes in Literature: Comparison of Description
19. Protagonist Roles by Mark Twain, J. Austin and C. Potok
20. Stevie Smith’s and Karl Shapiro’s Poems Comparison
21. How Decisions Can Make or Break an Individual: Literary Analysis
22. Faulkner’s “Barns Burning” and Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths” Comparison Essay
23. Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”
24. Effectiveness Techniques in Short Stories Analysis
25. “The Purloined Letter” by E. A. Poe and “Bartleby the Scrivener” by H. Melville
26. “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Hurston and “Babylon Revisited” by Fitzgerald
27. Chopin and Shields Literary Works Compared
28. Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”
29. Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus
30. Mustafa Sa’eed from Season of Migration to the North Compared to Shakespeare’s Caliban & Othello
31. Social Life in Canterbury Tales vs. Pride & Prejudice: Compare & Contrast Essay
32. The Influence of Religion on Ceremonial Practices in Literature and Culture
33. “I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” and “American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World”: Comparison
34. Punishment vs. Therapy: Oedipus Tyrannus & Equus Analysis
35. The Use of Disguise in “The Odyssey” and “The Metamorphoses”
36. Old Testament vs. Epic of Gilgamesh: Dreams, Mortality, and Divine Signs
37. Analyzing Love and Appreciation in Shakespeare, Albom, and King’s Works
38. Compromised Rulers in Literary Works
39. Herman Melville and Ralph Ellison: Exploring Human Freedom
40. Travel as a Metaphor in Frost and Thomas’s Poems
41. Exploring Play and Game Structures by Sicart & Fullerton
42. True Freedom Theme in American Short Stories
43. Gender Narratives in Hardy’s and Winterson’s Literary Works Examined
44. The Alchemist & The Wiz: Uncovering Hidden Paths to Self-Discovery
45. Literary Psychoanalysis: Medicine River and The Things They Carried
46. “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”
47. Character Analysis in “The Awakening” and “Summer” by Chopin and Wharton
48. Contrasting Visions: Analysis of “Ragged Dick” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
49. Poems Comparison: The Necklace and I Stand Here Ironing
50. De Certeau’s Walking in the City vs. Schwartz’s Far Rockaway Compared
51. The Issue of “Othering” in Literature
52. Analyzing Representations of Marriage in Works by Bradstreet, Dooley, and Larkin
53. Masculinity in James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway’ Stories
54. Rules of the Game and Two Kinds: Books Comparison
55. Establishment of Values and Beliefs in Literature: A Comparative Analysis
56. Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison
57. Dilemmas in Hamlet and The Fall of the House of Usher
58. W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey’ Works Comparison
59. Literature Comparison: Shakespeare’s Falstaff and Milton’s Satan
60. Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World
61. Literary Comparison: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “Hills Like White Elephants”
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