293 Comparative Literature Essay Topics

🏆 Best Essay Topics on Comparative Literature

1. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan: Character Comparison
2. “Mericans” by Cisneros and “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Okita
3. Absurdity in “The Metamorphosis” and “The Stranger”
4. Emily Dickinson vs Walt Whitman: Poems Comparison
5. Comparison and Contrast of the Poems Written by British Romantic Poets
6. Comparison S. Glaspell’s Play “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”
7. Hero’s Journey: A Comparison of The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey

✍️ 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. The Theme of Duality in Literature

   The theme of duality is a common topic for many literary works, including Shelly’s Frankenstein, Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
3. 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. “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.
5. 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.
6. “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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. “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”.
10. 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.
11. “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.
12. 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”.
13. 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.
14. “Some Are Born to Sweet Delight” by Gordimer and “When the Towers Fell” by Kinnell

    The story “Some are born to sweet delight” by Nadine Gordimer and the poem “When the towers fell” by Galway Kinnell penetrate the readers with their gravity and feeling of death.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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”.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
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. “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.
32. 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.
33. “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.

📌 Easy Comparative Literature Essay Topics

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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).
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. Compare and Contrast “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Raven”

    Compared to Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death,” more images of violence and blood are depicted in his poem “The Raven.”
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.”
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. “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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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
25. 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”.
26. The Role of Sacrifice in Idiots First, The Origin of Stories, and Yo!

    In Idiots First by Bernard Malamud, The Origin of Stories told by Henry Jacob, and Yo! by Julia Alvarez, the topic of sacrifice will be explored.
27. 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.
28. Henry David Thoreau and Virginia Woolf’s Essay Comparison

    While Thoreau uses the image of the entire population of animals to represent the overall human behavior, Woolf uses a single animal and dissects its behavior.
29. 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.
30. 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.
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. “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.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. 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.
40. 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.

👍 Good Comparative Literature Research Topics & Essay Examples

1. 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.
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. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. “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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. “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.
13. 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.
14. Parallels Between “1001 Nights” and Pizan’s “The Book of the City of Ladies”

    In “1001 Nights” and Pizan’s “The Book of the City of Ladies,” the parallel between the story of Shahrazad and King Shahrayar and the Merchant and the Demon seems to be direct.
15. Antagonistic Objects in the Short Stories

    The antagonist-protagonist opposition is one of the possible driving forces of the central conflict of literature work.
16. 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.”
17. 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.
18. 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”.
19. 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.
20. “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.
21. “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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. “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.
31. 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.
32. “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.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. “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.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. “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.
39. “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.
40. 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.

🌶️ Hot Comparative Literature Ideas to Write about

1. 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.
2. 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
3. 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.
4. “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.
5. 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.
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. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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”.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World

    Using the arguments of Orwell and Huxley, in 1984 and Brave New World, this paper argues that free information flow could decrease the gap between the rich and the poor.
18. 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.
19. “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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. Family Theme in Kafka’s and Oates’ Literary Works

    This paper discusses the theme of family in two literary texts: ‘The Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka and ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ by Joyce Carol Oates.
23. 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.
24. “All Summer in a Day” and “Eveline”: Desire to Return to the Past

    This essay compares the “All Summer in a Day” and “Eveline” protagonists’ relations to their current, past, and possible future settings and the feelings they associate with them.
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. “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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. “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.
30. 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.
31. “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.
32. Theme in Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”

    This comparative drama essay discusses similar themes of Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”– gender differences and the role of women in those times.
33. 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.
34. “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.
35. 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.
36. 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”.
37. “Raisin in the Sun” by Hansberry and “I’m Still Here” by Hughes

    The play “Raisin in the sun” by Lorrain Hansberry and the poem “I’m Still Here” by Langston Hughes directly refers to the conflict of racial prejudices and hardships.
38. 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.
39. “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.
40. 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.

💡 Simple Comparative Literature Essay Ideas

1. Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus
2. A Good Man is Hard to Find & The Story of an Hour: Compare & Contrast Essay
3. Mustafa Sa’eed from Season of Migration to the North Compared to Shakespeare’s Caliban & Othello
4. “I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” and “American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World”: Comparison
5. Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and Updike’s “A&P”
6. Killings for Love in Shakespeare’s and Garcia’s Works
7. Literary Psychoanalysis: Medicine River and The Things They Carried
8. Thoreau vs. Woolf: Insects as Metaphors for Life and War
9. “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Laugh of the Medusa”
10. Robert Frost’s and Virginia Scott’s Poems Comparison
11. Literature Comparison: “Lust” and “Sex Without Love”
12. W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey’ Works Comparison
13. “Divine Comedy” and “Confessions”
14. Richard Wright’ and Langston Hughes Literature Comparison
15. Literature Comparison: Shakespeare’s Falstaff and Milton’s Satan
16. Comparison: ‘Kite Runner,’ ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther,’ and ‘The Road Not Taken’
17. A. Munro’s and Z. Smith’s Short Stories Comparison
18. Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” Comparison
19. “Barbie Doll” by Piercy and “Girl” by Kincaid
20. Grendel and Medea Literary Characters’ Comparison
21. Carver’s “Neighbors” and Diaz’s “The Money” Stories
22. Comparing Lies in War Literature
23. Baldwain’s “Sonny’s Blues” vs. Saunders’ “Sticks”
24. Symbolism in Literature: “The Raven”, “Young Goodman Brown”
25. Womanhood in Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” vs. Kincaid’s “Girl”
26. “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead vs. “Sticks” by Saunders
27. Eliot’s and Ferlinghetti’s Poems Comparison
28. Comparison and Contrast Between Sappho’s Poem and Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp
29. A Poem “Howl” and a Song “It’s Alright Ma”: A Comparative Analysis
30. Normal in Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Saunders’ Sticks
31. “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver
32. Gilgamesh, Eridu Genesis and the Bible: Comparative Analysis
33. Poems Comparison and Contrast: “Divorce” and “The Sick Rose”
34. Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”
35. “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “To Build a Fire” Comparison
36. Hayden’s and Roethke’s Poems Comparison
37. “Burning Chrome” and “Blade Runner” Comparison
38. Woolf’s “Orlando” & Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” Novels
39. The Plot, Character Development, and Motif in “Kindred” and “A Raisin in the Sun”
40. The Importance of Setting for Interpretation of Stories
41. The Brutal Reality of War in Poems and Art
42. “The Lottery” by Jackson, and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by Lawrence
43. View on Cisneros’ “Barbie-Q” and Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
44. The Novels by Ignacio Aldecoa Analysis
45. Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”
46. Comparing and Contrasting “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooke and “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen
47. Conflicts in “Girl” and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”
48. Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism
49. The Stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron” and Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”
50. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” and “War Dances” by Sherman Alexie
51. Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles
52. Auden, Barrett Browning and Shakespeare: Poems Comparison
53. “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel G. Marquez & “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
54. Finding Strength While Searching for the Truth: Hamlet and Oedipus
55. Human Destiny in the Works of Shakespeare and Nino Ricci
56. Money Theme in Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
57. Poems Comparison and Analysis
58. Otherness in “The Color of Water” and “Country Lovers”
59. Literature. Fate and Fallibility in Human Society
60. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu vs. “Othello” by Shakespeare
61. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” vs. “Sonny’s Blues”
62. “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by C. Perkin
63. “The Lottery” and “The Destructors”: Conflict, Characterization and Irony
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. The Phenomenon of Money in “Tartuffe” by Moliere and “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
67. Elements of Gothic Tradition in the American Literature
68. Important Life Lessons to Learn from John Updike and Nathaniel Hawthorne
69. Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost
70. American and Asian American Literature Debate

🎓 Most Interesting Comparative Literature Research Titles

1. Shakespeare’s Othello’s and O. J. Simpson’s Tragedies
2. Ambrose Bierce and Henry James Works Comparison
3. “Love in the Time of Cholera” vs “Theme of the Traitor and the Hero”: Context and Symbolism
4. Freedom and Enslavement in Literature
5. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Kidd and the “Feast of Love” by Baxter
6. Novels by A. Bierce and H. James Comparison
7. Main Historical Themes in the Contemporary Literature
8. The Theme of Change in Poetry
9. “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
10. “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden R., “Miss Brill” by Mansfield C. and “Trifles” by Glaspell S.
11. Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Tan’s “Two Kinds”
12. “Ordinary People” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”: Book Report
13. The Theme of Race Discrimination in Works of Richard Rodriguez
14. “Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”
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. “Essentials of Young Adult Literature” and “Entering the World of Children’s Literature”
19. Peoples’ Characters and Hopes in Literature: Comparison of Description
20. Protagonist Roles by Mark Twain, J. Austin and C. Potok
21. Stevie Smith’s and Karl Shapiro’s Poems Comparison
22. How Decisions Can Make or Break an Individual: Literary Analysis
23. Faulkner’s “Barns Burning” and Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths” Comparison Essay
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. “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod and “The Loons” by Margaret Laurence
28. Chopin and Shields Literary Works Compared
29. Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”
30. In the Time of the Butterflies and The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay
31. The Influence of Religion on Ceremonial Practices in Literature and Culture
32. Punishment vs. Therapy: Oedipus Tyrannus & Equus Analysis
33. The Use of Disguise in “The Odyssey” and “The Metamorphoses”
34. Old Testament vs. Epic of Gilgamesh: Dreams, Mortality, and Divine Signs
35. Analyzing Love and Appreciation in Shakespeare, Albom, and King’s Works
36. Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”
37. Compromised Rulers in Literary Works
38. Herman Melville and Ralph Ellison: Exploring Human Freedom
39. Travel as a Metaphor in Frost and Thomas’s Poems
40. Exploring Play and Game Structures by Sicart & Fullerton
41. Gender Narratives in Hardy’s and Winterson’s Literary Works Examined
42. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”
43. The Alchemist & The Wiz: Uncovering Hidden Paths to Self-Discovery
44. “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”
45. Character Analysis in “The Awakening” and “Summer” by Chopin and Wharton
46. Contrasting Visions: Analysis of “Ragged Dick” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
47. “Tartuffe” and “Candide or the Optimism” Comparison
48. De Certeau’s Walking in the City vs. Schwartz’s Far Rockaway Compared
49. The Issue of “Othering” in Literature
50. Analyzing Representations of Marriage in Works by Bradstreet, Dooley, and Larkin
51. Animals in “The Dogs’ Colloquy” and “Gulliver’s Travels”
52. Masculinity in James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway’ Stories
53. “The Excursion” and “A Defence of Poetry” Comparison
54. Establishment of Values and Beliefs in Literature: A Comparative Analysis
55. Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison
56. Dilemmas in Hamlet and The Fall of the House of Usher
57. Journey in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alchemist”
58. “Ode to a Day in the Country” and “The Day My Mother Died” Comparison
59. A Modest Proposal by J. Swift and Candide by F. M. Arouet Literature Analysis
60. Comparison: “The Battle of the Ants” by H. D. Thoreau and “The Death of the Moth” by V. Woolf
61. Literature Comparison of The Yellow Wallpaper and Everyday Use
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