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. Absurdity in “The Metamorphosis” and “The Stranger”
3. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan: Character Comparison
4. The Theme of Duality in Literature
5. Margaret Atwood’s and Gloria Steinem’s Views on Pornography Comparison
6. “Blackberries” by Ellen Hunnicutt and “Blackberries” by Leslie Norris – Comparison
7. Emily Dickinson vs Walt Whitman: Poems Comparison

✍️ Comparative Literature Essay Topics for College

1. “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.
2. 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.
3. Comparison S. Glaspell’s Play “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”

   Glaspell’s play Trifles and her story ‘A Jury of Her Peers’ are the one that shake readers’ consciousness of the woman existence among men in the beginning of the 20th century.
4. 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.
5. Odysseus and Maximus: Heroes Comparison

   Based on the portrayal of Maximus from “Gladiator” and the representation of Odysseus in a book with the same title, this paper argues that both characters had more similarities than differences.
6. 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”.
7. 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.
8. “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.
9. “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.
10. 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.
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. Oedipus Versus Hamlet: Resilience in Characters

    Resilience as the ability to hold onto one’s beliefs despite the odds that the world may throw at a person is one of the traits that appeal particularly strongly to readers.
13. 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”.
14. 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.
15. “Ghosts” vs. “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

    “Ghosts” and “A Doll’s House” criticized contemporary Norwegian society. The plays were sensational and often regarded as being indecent.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. “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.
19. “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.
20. Romeo and Juliet vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast

    Antigone is a play where the characters are concerned more for their perceptions of the right and wrong that should prevail in the world around them.
21. 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. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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”.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. 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.
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. 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.

📌 Easy Comparative Literature Essay Topics

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Resilience in Hill’s The Illegal, D’Angelo’s The Step Not Taken, The Wailers’ Get Up Stand Up

   Common themes connect many works of art and literature. This is true for “The Illegal” by L. Hill, “The Step Not Taken” by P. D’Angelo, and “Get Up Stand Up” by The Wailers.
4. 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.
5. 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.
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. 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.
8. “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.
9. 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.
10. “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.
11. Othello and Antigone: Compare & Contrast

    There can be little doubt as to the fact that Sophocles’ “Antigone” and Shakespeare’s “Othello” are highly emotional dramaturgic pieces.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.”
15. 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.
16. 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.
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. The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby: Comprare & Contrast

    ‘The Great Gatsby’ by S.Fitzgerald and ‘The Sun also Rises’ by E.Hemingway touched the themes of human challenges, racism and isolation under the impact of war events.
20. 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.
21. 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.
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. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe’s Detective Stories

    The works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe are separated by nearly half a century, but they are united by the genre.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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
31. 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).
32. 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.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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.
36. “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.
37. 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.
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. 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.
40. 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.

👍 Good Comparative Literature Research Topics & Essay Examples

1. “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.
2. 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.
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. “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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. “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”.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. “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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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”.
17. 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.
18. “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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. “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.
22. 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.
23. “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.
24. 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.”
25. 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.
26. Washburn’s “What the Ocean Eats” and Stevenson’s “The High Road”

    Both of the selected stories are interesting to read and focus on important topics resorting to one’s emotions and feelings.
27. 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.
28. “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.
29. 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.
30. 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”.
31. 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.
32. “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”.
33. Greasy Lake, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery: Compare & Contrast

    Human savagery is equally as much a weapon of mass destruction as anthrax, a nuclear weapon. Since the dawn of time, human nature has exuded a persistent vein of unwarranted violence and cruelty.
34. “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.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. 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?
39. 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.
40. 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.

🌶️ Hot Comparative Literature Ideas to Write about

1. “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.”
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. “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.
12. “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.
13. 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.
14. “Mother Tongue” by Tan and “Learning to Read and Write” by Douglass

    Mother Tongue and Learning to Read and Write are truly persuasive and engaging examples of the literacy narrative genre.
15. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu vs. “Othello” by Shakespeare

    “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu is an example of a Non-Western work of literature that qualifies as classics. “Othello” by William Shakespeare is an example of Western classics.
16. 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.
17. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Araby” by James Joyce

    The main characters in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Araby” by James Joyce are people of different ages and backgrounds.
18. Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost

    The main similarity between Adam and Frankenstein’s monster is that they both were created and both disappointed their creators.
19. 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”.
20. “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”.
21. The Lottery & The Rocking Horse Winner Compare & Contrast Essay

    Two authors, Shirley Jackson and David Herbert Lawrence in their short stories The Lottery and The Rocking Horse Winner explore the theme of the dangers of blindly following traditional or cultural norms.
22. “The Stranger” by Albert Camus and “The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories” by Mark Twain: The Novel Comparison

    Reflections on human essence, the motives of specific actions, and the choice in favor of certain decisions occupy a significant place in the literary niche of art.
23. Punishment vs. Therapy: Oedipus Tyrannus & Equus Analysis

    The crimes committed by the titular character of Oedipus Tyrannus are grave, but the retribution he faces befits them in the eyes of the Ancient Greek audience.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”

    In their works “I Gave You All I Had” and “In difficult times,” Zoe Valdes and Heberto Padilla show how people can be asked to sacrifice their lives for the sake of others.
29. 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”.
30. The Issue of “Othering” in Literature

    The issue of “othering” is clearly illustrated in Frantz Fanon’s “The Fact of Blackness”, Nina McConigley’s “White Wedding”, and Eula Biss’ “White Debt”.
31. 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.
32. Little Red Riding Hood by Dahl and Perrault

    Little Red Cap is a folk text initially written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. This work compares different versions of LRRH, including Roald Dahl and Charles Perrault’s authors.
33. “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.
34. 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.
35. W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey’ Works Comparison

    “The Souls of Black Folk” by W E B Dubois and “Africa for the African” by Marcus Garvey are regarded masterpieces and they are studied to get an understanding of positions of these authors.
36. “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”.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. 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.
40. 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.

💡 Simple Comparative Literature Essay Ideas

1. A. Munro’s and Z. Smith’s Short Stories Comparison
2. Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” Comparison
3. “Barbie Doll” by Piercy and “Girl” by Kincaid
4. Family Theme in Kafka’s and Oates’ Literary Works
5. Carver’s “Neighbors” and Diaz’s “The Money” Stories
6. Comparing Lies in War Literature
7. Baldwain’s “Sonny’s Blues” vs. Saunders’ “Sticks”
8. Plots of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”
9. Symbolism in Literature: “The Raven”, “Young Goodman Brown”
10. Womanhood in Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” vs. Kincaid’s “Girl”
11. “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead vs. “Sticks” by Saunders
12. Eliot’s and Ferlinghetti’s Poems Comparison
13. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and Biblical Parables
14. “All Summer in a Day” and “Eveline”: Desire to Return to the Past
15. Tecumseh’s Historical Speech and Sherman Alexie’s Poems: Comparative Analysis
16. The Setting Role in American Short Stories
17. Recognition in Sophocles’ ”Oedipus Rex” and Homer’s ”The Odyssey”
18. Poems Themes Comparison
19. “Jesus’ Son” and “The Lame Shall Enter First” Comparison
20. Comparison and Contrast Between Sappho’s Poem and Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp
21. A Poem “Howl” and a Song “It’s Alright Ma”: A Comparative Analysis
22. Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” Comparison
23. “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver
24. Gilgamesh, Eridu Genesis and the Bible: Comparative Analysis
25. Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”
26. Parallels Between “1001 Nights” and Pizan’s “The Book of the City of Ladies”
27. “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “To Build a Fire” Comparison
28. “The Lottery” by Jackson vs. “Antigone” by Sophocles
29. Woolf’s “Orlando” & Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” Novels
30. The Importance of Setting for Interpretation of Stories
31. The Brutal Reality of War in Poems and Art
32. Family in Bambara’s ”Raymond’s Run” & So’s ”Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts”
33. Antagonistic Objects in the Short Stories
34. Cisneros’ “Mericans” and Okita’s “In Response to Executive Order 9066” Stories
35. View on Cisneros’ “Barbie-Q” and Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
36. The Novels by Ignacio Aldecoa Analysis
37. Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”
38. Comparing “The Egg” by Weir and “Other People” by Gaiman
39. Comparing and Contrasting “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooke and “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen
40. Twain’s and Hemingway’s Short Stories Comparison
41. Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism
42. The Stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron” and Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”
43. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” and “War Dances” by Sherman Alexie
44. Oedipus Rex and Hamlet: Compare and Contrast
45. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Sandars’ “The Epics of Gigamesh”
46. Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles
47. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
48. “Walking Home in the Dark” and “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”: Poetry About Nature
49. Auden, Barrett Browning and Shakespeare: Poems Comparison
50. Protagonists in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle”
51. Finding Strength While Searching for the Truth: Hamlet and Oedipus
52. Human Destiny in the Works of Shakespeare and Nino Ricci
53. Money Theme in Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
54. Poems Comparison and Analysis
55. The Idea of Friendship in Literary Works
56. Otherness in “The Color of Water” and “Country Lovers”
57. Theme in Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”
58. Literature. Fate and Fallibility in Human Society
59. “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by C. Perkin
60. “The Lottery” and “The Destructors”: Conflict, Characterization and Irony
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. Comparing Two Kinds and Everyday Use
64. Byron, Keats, and Shelley: The Era of Romanticism
65. Elements of Gothic Tradition in the American Literature
66. Important Life Lessons to Learn from John Updike and Nathaniel Hawthorne
67. American and Asian American Literature Debate
68. “Love in the Time of Cholera” vs “Theme of the Traitor and the Hero”: Context and Symbolism
69. Freedom and Enslavement in Literature
70. Love and Loneliness in the Works of R. Carver and B. A. Mason

🎓 Most Interesting Comparative Literature Research Titles

1. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Kidd and the “Feast of Love” by Baxter
2. Novels by A. Bierce and H. James Comparison
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. The Theme of Race Discrimination in Works of Richard Rodriguez
7. “Raisin in the Sun” by Hansberry and “I’m Still Here” by Hughes
8. “Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”
9. Duty and Conscience Relations Review
10. The Curse vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast
11. “Essentials of Young Adult Literature” and “Entering the World of Children’s Literature”
12. Peoples’ Characters and Hopes in Literature: Comparison of Description
13. Protagonist Roles by Mark Twain, J. Austin and C. Potok
14. Stevie Smith’s and Karl Shapiro’s Poems Comparison
15. How Decisions Can Make or Break an Individual: Literary Analysis
16. Faulkner’s “Barns Burning” and Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths” Comparison Essay
17. Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”
18. “The Necklace” vs. “Paste”: Character Comparison
19. Effectiveness Techniques in Short Stories Analysis
20. “The Purloined Letter” by E. A. Poe and “Bartleby the Scrivener” by H. Melville
21. “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Hurston and “Babylon Revisited” by Fitzgerald
22. Chopin and Shields Literary Works Compared
23. Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”
24. J. Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note” and R. Burns’ “My Love If Like a Red, Red Rose”: Comparison
25. Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus
26. A Good Man is Hard to Find & The Story of an Hour: Compare & Contrast Essay
27. Marriage According to Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen
28. Comparing Characters from Odyssey, Scarlett Letter, Troy, Hamlet
29. The Influence of Religion on Ceremonial Practices in Literature and Culture
30. Development of the Setting in Shirley’s “The Lottery” and “The Rocking Horse Winner” by Lawrence: From Claustrophobic to Chaotic
31. Old Testament vs. Epic of Gilgamesh: Dreams, Mortality, and Divine Signs
32. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
33. Analyzing Love and Appreciation in Shakespeare, Albom, and King’s Works
34. Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”
35. Compromised Rulers in Literary Works
36. Travel as a Metaphor in Frost and Thomas’s Poems
37. Exploring Play and Game Structures by Sicart & Fullerton
38. Gender Narratives in Hardy’s and Winterson’s Literary Works Examined
39. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”
40. The Alchemist & The Wiz: Uncovering Hidden Paths to Self-Discovery
41. Contrasting Visions: Analysis of “Ragged Dick” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
42. “Tartuffe” and “Candide or the Optimism” Comparison
43. De Certeau’s Walking in the City vs. Schwartz’s Far Rockaway Compared
44. Analyzing Representations of Marriage in Works by Bradstreet, Dooley, and Larkin
45. Animals in “The Dogs’ Colloquy” and “Gulliver’s Travels”
46. Little Red Riding Hood: Original vs. Retell
47. Masculinity in James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway’ Stories
48. Robert Frost’s and Virginia Scott’s Poems Comparison
49. Establishment of Values and Beliefs in Literature: A Comparative Analysis
50. Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison
51. Dilemmas in Hamlet and The Fall of the House of Usher
52. Key Farce Elements in Theater: Analyzing Their Role in Playwriting
53. Henry David Thoreau and Virginia Woolf’s Essay Comparison
54. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson Literary Styles Comparison
55. “Ode to a Day in the Country” and “The Day My Mother Died” Comparison
56. Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World
57. Tartuffe, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Way of the World Literature Compare
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. Women as Property in Literature: Aristophanes, Congreve, and Wilde’s Perspectives
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