Category: Comparative Literature

  • Juxtaposing of the Stories “The Awakening” and “Summer”

    Table of Contents Themes Authorship Form Importance of Juxtaposing in Reading and Teaching Works Cited Themes In the literature, juxtaposition is used widely in engraving a given character in detail where the author may create suspense (Blau 48). This essay will juxtapose the stories titled as “The Awakening” (TA) and “Summer”. Technically, the novelist Edith…

  • Grendel and Medea Literary Characters’ Comparison

    Grendel and Medea are different characters who appeared from the pen of different authors in different periods. However, they are united by one crucial detail — the monster’s nature. From this detail, a whole complex of similarities grows, such as hermit, rejection by others, savagery, and inability to accept oneself. Moreover, both characters have a…

  • “Great Falls” by Ford vs. “Cathedral” by Carver

    The first story is Great Falls and is about a young boy who lives a simple rural life with his family in Montana. The second story is Cathedral by Ray Carver and is about a married couple who invites a blind man to their house. This essay will compare and contrast the use of point…

  • Science Fiction Then and Now

    Introduction Scientific fiction constitutes a fictional genre that addresses the effect accrued to imaginative innovation(s) which occur in science/technology, and several times in settings that are futuristic. It is different from fantasy within the story context due to the fact that its component of imagination is to a vast extent scientific in nature and can…

  • Family Theme in Kafka’s and Oates’ Literary Works

    Table of Contents Introduction The Theme of Family Conclusion Works Cited Introduction Literature has always served as a mirror through which society can be evaluated. The main themes portrayed in stories depict the issues affecting ordinary people. Although authors may base their stories on different elements in different settings, there is always common ground in…

  • “I Gave You All I Had” and “In Difficult Times”

    In their works, Zoe Valdes and Heberto Padilla explore the theme of asking and giving. In particular, they show how people can be asked to sacrifice their lives for the sake of other individuals or some noble ideals. One can analyze this theme by focusing on the protagonist of Zoe Valdes’ novel I Gave You…

  • Yusef Komunyakaa’s and Sylvia Plath’s Poems Comparison

    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. Both poems belong to distinctly different eras of American History. Sylvia Plath is a confessional poet while Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem is deep-rooted in his childhood experiences during the Civil…

  • True Freedom Theme in American Short Stories

    Despite the existing variety of stories and authors, all of them have several things in common. The presence of a theme is usually defined as a major idea of a work that can be stated directly and indirectly (Literary Devices, n.d.). In this discussion, three short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe,…

  • Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe’s Detective Stories

    The genre of detective stories comprises a long history of the evolution of formats and themes. In today’s cultural environment, such works are highly popular as authors continue to extend the limits of the genre. Nevertheless, in spite of the abundant history of detective stories, many of their elements can be traced back to two…

  • Shakespeare’s Macbeth vs. Tolkiens’ Smeagol

    The characters of Macbeth and Smeagol/Gollum in the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings seem at first glance to be drastically different characters. 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. However,…