302 Comparative Literature Essay Topics

🏆 Best Essay Topics on Comparative Literature

1. “Mericans” by Cisneros and “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Okita
2. Comparison S. Glaspell’s Play “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”
3. “My Father Is a Simple Man” by Luis Omar Salinas and “A Red Palm” by Gary Soto: Comparative Analysis
4. “Ghosts” vs. “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
5. Absurdity in “The Metamorphosis” and “The Stranger”
6. Gothic Elements in Victorian Literature: A Comparative Analysis of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre
7. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan: Character Comparison

✍️ Comparative Literature Essay Topics for College

1. 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.
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. Emily Dickinson vs Walt Whitman: Poems Comparison

   It should be noted that the two poems When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer by Walt Whitman and 324 by Emily Dickinson have both similarities and differences.
4. 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”.
5. 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.
6. “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.
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. 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.
9. “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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. “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.
16. Discrimination in White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and Levine’s “Hana’s Suitcase”

    The theme of discrimination stands out clearly in “Charlotte’s Web” – a classic fictitious children’s novel by E. B. White and “Hana’s Suitcase” – a non-fiction story by Karen Levine.
17. Theme of Little Red Riding Hood: Comparing the Versions of Perrault vs Grimm

    The paper compares two stories of Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and by Charles Perrault analyzing the plot and providing own explanation to the plot concept.
18. 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.
19. 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”.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
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. Sexual-Orientation Oppression in “Now That I Am Forever with Child” and “Condition XXI”

    Lorde’s “Now That I Am Forever with Child” and Hemphill’s “Condition XXI” are the examples of the poets’ vision of the specific role of women in the society with references to their gender and sexuality.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. 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.

📌 Easy Comparative Literature Essay Topics

1. “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.
2. 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.
3. “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.
4. 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”.
5. “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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. “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”.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. Comparing “The Egg” by Andy Weir and “Other People” by Neil Gaiman

    The two short stories have several similarities in themes and context. Both center on two characters, one of which is a deceased person, and the other one is a supernatural being.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. “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.
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. 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”.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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?
28. 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.
29. Phyllis Wheatley and Philip Freneau: Poems Comparison

    This paper is about the poems “On being Brought from Africa to America” by Phyllis Wheatley and “On the Emigration to America and Peopling the Western country” by Philip Freneau.
30. “Joy” by Smith and “Peculiar Benefits” by Gay: Comparative Analysis

    The goal of this paper is to analyze the genres of works “Joy” by Zadie Smith and “Peculiar Benefits” by Roxane Gay, compare them and describe their literary features.
31. “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.
32. Antagonistic Objects in the Short Stories

    The antagonist-protagonist opposition is one of the possible driving forces of the central conflict of literature work.
33. 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).
34. 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.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. “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.
38. 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”.
39. 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.
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. 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.
2. “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.
3. “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.
4. Heroine Analysis: Helen and Penelope in “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”

   The story of Helen and Penelope in both works by Homer display different destinies of two most eminent heroines in terms of their participation in the development of actions shown in both books
5. 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.”
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. “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.
9. 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.
10. “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.
11. “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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison

    In her “Homage to my hips” and “Won’t you celebrate with me,” Clifton proclaims her ideas of African American women’s beauty and freedom.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. “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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. “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.
25. Woolf’s “Orlando” & Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” Novels

    The topic of clothes and costumes in the novels “Orlando” by Virginia Woolf and “Moll Flanders” by Daniel Defoe was discussed in this paper.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. The Curse vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast

    “Antigone” by Sophocles is a story about family relations, reason, and passion. The story “The Curse” by Andre Dubus discloses the idea of responsibility for one’s honor.
30. “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.
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. 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”.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. Symbolism in Literature: “The Raven”, “Young Goodman Brown”

    This paper discusses how the authors use symbolism to create a certain subtext for the reader in “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
36. Comparing and Contrasting “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooke and “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen

    In the Poem “The Mother,” the writer Gwendolyn Brooke speaks out on the highly debatable topic of abortion. The second poem, “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen, portrays different kinds of pain.
37. 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.
38. Poems Comparison and Analysis

    The poems are connected based on the content because both Poem 1 and Poem 2 are discussing children who were having fun until one of them is hurt.
39. 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.
40. 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.

🌶️ Hot Comparative Literature Ideas to Write about

1. 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.
2. “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.”
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. A Poem “Howl” and a Song “It’s Alright Ma”: A Comparative Analysis

   This paper provides a comparative analysis of a poem, Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” and a song, Bob Dylan’s song “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”.
6. “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.
7. “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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. “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.
11. “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”.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. “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.
17. “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead vs. “Sticks” by Saunders

    Although “Underground Railroad” by Whitehead and “Sticks” by Saunders are different in plot and character representations, they share themes such as family and heritage.
18. 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.
19. The Importance of Setting for Interpretation of Stories

    Discussion of the importance of setting for interpretation of stories on the examples of “Troll Bridge” by Neil Gaiman and “The Fall of The House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe.
20. 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.
21. 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
22. “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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. “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.
26. 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.
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. 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.
29. 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.
30. Human Animal in “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Life is a Dream”

    This paper reviews the concept of the human animal in Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels: A voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms” and de la Barca’s “Life is a Dream”.
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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.
36. “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.
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. “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver

    This essay will compare and contrast the use of point of view in the short stories “Great Falls” by Richard Ford and “Cathedral” by Ray Carver.
39. 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.
40. 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.”

💡 Simple Comparative Literature Essay Ideas

1. View on Cisneros’ “Barbie-Q” and Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
2. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” & “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Perkins-Gillman
3. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
4. The Idea of Friendship in Literary Works
5. Literature. Fate and Fallibility in Human Society
6. Washburn’s “What the Ocean Eats” and Stevenson’s “The High Road”
7. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” vs. “Sonny’s Blues”
8. Comparative Analysis “A Rose for Emily” and “Short Days, Dog Days”
9. Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost
10. Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Tan’s “Two Kinds”
11. Matriarchs in Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate” and Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude”
12. Heroes and Cowards in “Oedipus Rex” and “Death of a Salesman”
13. Coelho’s Alchemist and Homer’s Odyssey: Theme Comparison
14. The Lottery & The Rocking Horse Winner Compare & Contrast Essay
15. The Use of Disguise in “The Odyssey” and “The Metamorphoses”
16. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
17. “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”
18. Dilemmas in Hamlet and The Fall of the House of Usher
19. Journey in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alchemist”
20. Comparison: “The Battle of the Ants” by H. D. Thoreau and “The Death of the Moth” by V. Woolf
21. “Beowulf” and “The Lord of the Rings” Literary Comparison
22. Carver’s “Neighbors” and Diaz’s “The Money” Stories
23. Eliot’s and Ferlinghetti’s Poems Comparison
24. Gilgamesh, Eridu Genesis and the Bible: Comparative Analysis
25. Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”
26. The Novels by Ignacio Aldecoa Analysis
27. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” and “War Dances” by Sherman Alexie
28. “Walking Home in the Dark” and “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”: Poetry About Nature
29. Protagonists in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle”
30. Money Theme in Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
31. Othello Versus Shakuntala: Ultimate Lessons
32. Important Life Lessons to Learn from John Updike and Nathaniel Hawthorne
33. Love and Loneliness in the Works of R. Carver and B. A. Mason
34. Duty and Conscience Relations Review
35. Greasy Lake, Lord of the Flies, and The Lottery: Compare & Contrast
36. Stevie Smith’s and Karl Shapiro’s Poems Comparison
37. Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”
38. “The Purloined Letter” by E. A. Poe and “Bartleby the Scrivener” by H. Melville
39. “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Hurston and “Babylon Revisited” by Fitzgerald
40. Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus
41. Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”
42. Compromised Rulers in Literary Works
43. Masculinity in James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway’ Stories
44. The Comparison of Melvin Tolson “An Ex-Judge at the Bar” and Gwendolyn Brooks “The Mother”
45. A. Munro’s and Z. Smith’s Short Stories Comparison
46. Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” Comparison
47. “Barbie Doll” by Piercy and “Girl” by Kincaid
48. Family Theme in Kafka’s and Oates’ Literary Works
49. Comparing Lies in War Literature
50. Baldwain’s “Sonny’s Blues” vs. Saunders’ “Sticks”
51. Plots of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”
52. Womanhood in Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” vs. Kincaid’s “Girl”
53. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and Biblical Parables
54. The Setting Role in American Short Stories
55. Poems Themes Comparison
56. “Jesus’ Son” and “The Lame Shall Enter First” Comparison
57. Comparison and Contrast Between Sappho’s Poem and Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp
58. “A Rose for Emily” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”: Similarities and Differences
59. Normal in Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Saunders’ Sticks
60. “The Lottery” by Jackson vs. “Antigone” by Sophocles
61. Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” and Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”: Short Stories Comparison
62. “Burning Chrome” and “Blade Runner” Comparison
63. The Brutal Reality of War in Poems and Art
64. Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”
65. Victorian Literature: Conan Doyle and Robert Browning
66. Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism
67. The Stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron” and Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”
68. Oedipus Rex and Hamlet: Compare and Contrast
69. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Sandars’ “The Epics of Gigamesh”
70. Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles

🎓 Most Interesting Comparative Literature Research Titles

1. Auden, Barrett Browning and Shakespeare: Poems Comparison
2. Analysis of Hispanic American Literature
3. Finding Strength While Searching for the Truth: Hamlet and Oedipus
4. Human Destiny in the Works of Shakespeare and Nino Ricci
5. Otherness in “The Color of Water” and “Country Lovers”
6. “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by C. Perkin
7. Women From an Age Bygone: A. Wingfield and E. Grierson
8. Characters’ Evolution in The House on Mango Street and Bullet in the Brain
9. “Eye of the Night” and “The Lie”: Comparison
10. The Phenomenon of Money in “Tartuffe” by Moliere and “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
11. How People Change in “Mother Tongue” and “A Death in Texas”
12. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Araby” by James Joyce
13. Elements of Gothic Tradition in the American Literature
14. American and Asian American Literature Debate
15. Ambrose Bierce and Henry James Works Comparison
16. “Love in the Time of Cholera” vs “Theme of the Traitor and the Hero”: Context and Symbolism
17. Freedom and Enslavement in Literature
18. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Kidd and the “Feast of Love” by Baxter
19. Novels by A. Bierce and H. James Comparison
20. “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
21. “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden R., “Miss Brill” by Mansfield C. and “Trifles” by Glaspell S.
22. “Ordinary People” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”: Book Report
23. The Theme of Race Discrimination in Works of Richard Rodriguez
24. Tillie Olsen’s and Tracey Baran’s Novels Review
25. “Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”
26. Michael Cohen’s and Walker Percy’s Works Compared
27. Peoples’ Characters and Hopes in Literature: Comparison of Description
28. A.E. Housman and John Updike’s Unlucky Athletes
29. Protagonist Roles by Mark Twain, J. Austin and C. Potok
30. How Decisions Can Make or Break an Individual: Literary Analysis
31. Faulkner’s “Barns Burning” and Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths” Comparison Essay
32. Effectiveness Techniques in Short Stories Analysis
33. Chopin and Shields Literary Works Compared
34. Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”
35. In the Time of the Butterflies and The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay
36. Marriage According to Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen
37. Social Life in Canterbury Tales vs. Pride & Prejudice: Compare & Contrast Essay
38. Character Comparison: “Odyssey”, “Scarlett Latter,” “Troy,” “Hamlet”
39. Religion in “Ceremony,” “Death Comes for the Archbishop,” and “Desert Solitaire”
40. “I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” and “American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World”: Comparison
41. “The Stranger” by Albert Camus and “The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories” by Mark Twain: The Novel Comparison
42. Tabooed Actions and Social Sanctions in “Oedipus Tyrannus” by Sophocles and Shaffer’s “Equus”
43. Dreams in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible
44. Message in Shakespeare’s, Albom’s and King’s Works
45. Sacrifice in Malamud’s, Jacob’s, Alvarez’s Works
46. Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” and Ellison’s “Battle Royale”
47. Perrault’s and Brothers Grimm’s “Little Red Hood”
48. Themes in Poems by Robert Frost and Dylan Thomas
49. “Play Matters” by Sicart and “Game Design Workshop” by Fullerton
50. Narration and Gender: Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge, Burney’s Evelina, Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry
51. Ambrose Bierce and Tom Whitecloud’ Short Stories
52. The Personal Journey: “The Wiz” and “The Alchemist”
53. Shakespeare’s Macbeth vs. Tolkiens’ Smeagol
54. Yusef Komunyakaa’s and Sylvia Plath’s Poems Comparison
55. Literary Psychoanalysis: Medicine River and The Things They Carried
56. Juxtaposing of the Stories “The Awakening” and “Summer”
57. Alger’s “Ragged Dick” and Gilman’s “Yellow Wallpaper”
58. The Ideas of Life in Henry Thoreau and Virginia Woolf’ Works
59. “Tartuffe” and “Candide or the Optimism” Comparison
60. Certeau’s and Schwartz’s Works: Genre Comparison
61. Crowd Pressure in Hughes’s Salvation and Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant
62. Marriage in Bradstreet’s, Dooley’s, Larkin’s Works
63. Dave Eggers and Clive Lewis’ Works Comparison
64. Farce’ Elements and Aspects in Plays
65. “Divine Comedy” and “Confessions”
66. “Ode to a Day in the Country” and “The Day My Mother Died” Comparison
67. “Come Alive” and “Shitty First Drafts” Comparative Literature
68. Comparison: ‘Kite Runner,’ ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther,’ and ‘The Road Not Taken’
69. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Hills Like White Elephants
70. Women in Society of Three Plays Literature Analysis
71. “Big Black Good Man” and “Battle Royal”
72. “Lieutenant Nun” and “Sundiata”