Literature Essay Examples and Topics

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8,812 samples

Essays on literature and languages usually follow stricter structural requirements than their equivalents in other disciplines. You have to show that you are a capable writer that knows the English language well and can create engaging passages.

At the very least, your essay should consist of three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. Each of these blocks has to follow exact requirements with regards to contents.

For example, the conclusion cannot add new information to the essay. You should learn and understand the basic structural guidelines if you want to submit an excellent paper.

The introduction is where you describe the topic to the reader to provide some context. As was mentioned above, you should establish the position you are going to promote.

This part ends in a thesis statement, which explicitly describes the specific idea you are going to discuss. All of your arguments should be contained in the next part, the body. In the conclusion, you will sum up your ideas and make a closing statement that finishes your thought.

Here are some tips for writing literary essays:

  • You should be brief in your writing without leaving information out.
  • Nobody likes to read text that does not add anything of value!
  • The introduction and conclusion should both be one paragraph long. The body’s length may vary according to your needs.
  • You should begin your writing process by formulating a thesis. Each point you make has to connect to it directly.
  • Do not be afraid to write a lot in a literary analysis! The investigations of characters, ideas, plot, themes, and other essential components of a work can be long.

You can find language and literature extended essay topics, English literature introduction examples, literature essay examples, and other valuable samples for your essay at IvyPanda.

8812 Best Essay Examples on Literature

“Half a Day” by Naguib Mahfouz

The period of the story is unrealistic because the narrator enters school as a young boy and leaves as an old man but the brief period captures the changes that occur in a person's life.
  • 5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 560

Beach Description Essay

These include; the plantation along the beach and inside the sea, the animals, the waters and the people found in the beach.
  • 4.3
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 826

Dust of Snow: Analysis & Critical Appreciation

However, in the poem, the very bird we hate shakes up the poisonous tree causing snow to fall on the poet. The setting of the poem is in a snowy landscape with a tree and [...]
  • 3.6
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 909

Imperialism in Shooting an Elephant: Symbolism & Themes

The story captures the violent reality of colonialism as the narrator unfolds the events of the actual shooting and the description of the slow and painful death of the elephant that seemed peaceful in hands [...]
  • 2
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2481

Doctor Faustus as a Tragic Hero Essay

Therefore, the tragic hero character is manifested at the end of the play where Faustus pleads with God to forgive him and liberate him from the hand of the devil.
  • 4.4
  • Subjects: Dramatic Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1468

W.B. Yeats: Writing Style & Poetry

The specific characteristics of his type of poetry originality come from the spontaneous nature of the poem, and the use of alteration and substitution.
  • 4
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 551

Tennyson’s Ulysses Poem Essay

Most of the lines end midway in what Shapiro calls "enjambment"."Once the structure of this epic is revealed, the meaning of the episodes become intelligible as part of the narrative structure".
  • 4.5
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1144

The Relationship Between Eliezer and His Father Essay

Their experience at the concentration camp changes the relationship between son and father, and the despicable treatment by the Nazis helps Eliezer and his father develop a strong connection.
  • 4.6
  • Subjects: Dramatic Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 842

Betrayal in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”

The betrayer, Macbeth betrays the King, friend and other subjects in the kingdom. However when Macbeth is told he has just been chosen as the Thane of Cawdor, scenes of the possibilities of him as [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 887

Satire in Parts 3-4 of Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels”

The present paper argues that in Part 3, the author displays satire through the characters of Laputa's desperate rulers and Lagado's gifted scientists, who waste their time for useless experiments, and senile, envious immortals, whereas [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1961

“The Fate of a Cockroach” by Tawfiq Al-Hakim

Still, it is difficult to decide whether the author wants to satirize all the vices of the people and Egyptian people in particular or it is the bright example of the introduction of absurd in [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 853

Analysis of Poet Robert Frost’s Life and Writings

Frost used the lifestyle and settings of the rural people in a creative manner and related them to the philosophical, cultural and social issues that existed at that time so as to bring in the [...]
  • 4
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1656

“Am I Blue” by Alice Walker: Analysis & Summary

In particular, the tale introduces a vivid comparison between the emotions of animals and those of humans. In the story, Walker pays attention to the eyes of the animal, noting, "...
  • 3.5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 608

“Hell Heaven” Summary & Analysis Essay

The narrator's family is not socially stable and her mother, Boudi, falls in love with Pranab, a stranger that the family has taken in as a friend. The major characters in the story are the [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 888

The Story of an Hour Critical Analysis Essay

Instead, she knew that though the husband was important to her, marriage had made her a subject to him. Mallard was not able to handle the swings in her emotions and this cost her life.Mr.
  • 4.2
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1467

The Handmaid’s Tale Literary Analysis

The complex nature of the setting, therefore, influences the direction of the story in that it helps the author to sufficiently blend historical and futuristic ideal in a way seen as still relevant to the [...]
  • 4.5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2158

Victorian Poetry and Its Characteristics

One of the most prominent traits of Victorian poetry was that most poems portrayed the themes of isolation, alienation, and the distinction between love and life.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1102

William Shakespeare and the Renaissance Period

These people noticed that the few people of the upper class were using the law and religion to their advantage, which led them to benefit more from the available resources as compared to the other [...]
  • 3.6
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1140

King Lear Themes, Characters, & Analysis Essay

As explained by Al Zoubi and Al Khamaiseh, during the ceremony, Goneril and Regan, the oldest and the middle daughters, use flatter and insincere speech to prove their love to the father.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1124

The Cinderella Essay

After reaching the palace, the prince invited her to the next ball in which Cinderella lost her glass slipper. The story begins with the birth of Cinderella which is followed by the death of her [...]
  • 3.3
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 706

Ancient Greek Mythical Characters

The story of Icarus and Daedalus is told in a Roman source, Ovid's "Metamorphoses"; the Isle of Crete was blocked by the order of King Minos, but Daedalus wanted to return to his home, Athens.
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 912

Dramatic Irony in Macbeth Essay

Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to amuse the audience and to show the level of deception developed by the main character. The porter gives a clear picture of what is about to happen.
  • 5
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2013

The Couter by Salman Rushdie

Another unforeseen event in the story, a somehow sad one, is the quick transition of the story of Certainly-Mary in her young days and her relations with the Couter to the one of her in [...]
  • Subjects: Dramatic Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 815

“The Sin” Poem by Forough Farrokhzad

It is present in all lines of the poem, where the heroine expresses and describes her passionate feelings, mystical experiences, and exhausted state at the end of the poem.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 914

Essay on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This essay contains the analysis of the novel, including the summary, description of the main characters and themes, personal opinion about the narrative, and conclusion that summarizes the main points of the essay.
  • 3
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1204

Wordsworth’s Romanticism in Tintern Abbey Poem

The tone of the poem is calm and meditative and Wordsworth describes the "landscape" and compares it to the "quiet" of the sky: "The landscape with the quiet of the sky"..
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 1051

The Necklace Literary Analysis Essay

This is because she compares her poor life with that of her rich friend and she is filled with envy and jealousy because she can not afford to live like her friend and yet that [...]
  • 4.8
  • Subjects: World Philosophy Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2185

Supernatural Elements of Act I and II in Macbeth

In the play, the supernatural things are central to the plot of the play as they provide a basis for action as Shakespeare meant them to fit in putting the play together.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 635

Critical Analysis of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

The main subject of the novel is the family relations and problem of a person's worthiness in the society. The author explores and analyses such social problems as a person's worthiness and the ills of [...]
  • 4.8
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1754

A Doll’s House Stage Design: Set & Costumes Analysis

One of the foremost characteristics of Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House is that its plot appears linearly defined, which, in turn, explains the semantic realism of play's overall sounding.
  • Subjects: World Philosophy Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1880

Moral of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

The main character of the story, Mathilde Loisel, and her husband had no financial possessions; she lacked clothing and jewelry. Once, Mathilde and her husband have decided to go to a ball to enjoy the [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 397

Robert Frost’s Writing Style Essay

The leading theme of the poem is the non-conformist ideas of the author, the problem of life choice, and the dilemma in making the right decision.
  • 3
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1216

“Telephone Conversation” by Nobel

In the poem "telephone conversation", the writer uses humour to deflate as well as to intensify the pain he endures as a result of racial prejudices.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1201

Mark Twain’s “The Lowest Animal” Analysis

His work is full of irony in that man is the Supreme Being who has the ultimate authority to shape nature in the way he deems best. However, by a measure of his acts compared [...]
  • 3
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 813

“Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver Review

In the case of the story, the sacrifice was the baby, the most precious individual in both parents' lives. In other words, the author uses the description of the external environment in order to set [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 573

Main Themes in the “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid

In Girl, Jamaica Kincaid seeks to highlight the themes of the traditional mother-daughter relationship, the dangers of being a woman, and the transformative power of domesticity using the symbols of food, cloth, and folksongs as [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1957

Importance of Literature in People Life

So the scope of influence of language is both verbal and intellectual. Therefore, the progress and continuity of language are linked to the continuity of literature.
  • Subjects: American Novels Influences
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 505

Character of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness

The quote is indicative of the loneliness that Kurtz experiences and depicts the intensity of his emotions in being away from his homeland. The character of Kurtz conveys symbolism that is important in understanding his [...]
  • Subjects: Dramatical Novel
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 845

William Shakespeare

He then "started in the dubious business of money lending": reminiscent of the Merchant; Jewish moneylender and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2136

Imperialism in Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness”

Heart of Darkness reflects the paradoxes of imperialism in the late 19th century through exposing the exploitation of foreign lands and people, Africa and the Africans in particular; the novel uses its characters and their [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 873

The “On Children” Poem by Kahlil Gibran

With the clever use of words, the author designates the role of a parent and a child, presents examples of exemplary attitudes in child-rearing, and argues for the importance of individual agency.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1023

American Literary Identity: Past, Present, and Future

The paper will discuss the background of American Literature and how it has came about, the writing style of American authors and what makes the American text different and unique from other national literatures and [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Aspects of American Novels
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1248

“Goodbye to All That” by Joan Didion

Didion was experiencing the emptiness and meaninglessness of her life in New York, the city that kept disappointing her, not because it was a bad place to live but because it was not the place [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 478

“Forty Fortunes” Fairy Tale

This convinces them that Ahmed knows about them and that he will take them to the king. For instance, Ahmed never knew that he could apply a lot of wisdom to win the confidence of [...]
  • Subjects: Dramatical Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1457

Modernism in Eliot’s “The Hollow Men” Poem

This scene of destruction indicates the spiritual devastation of the men, as the depiction of death and the afterlife connect with the Christian idea of the soul.
  • Subjects: Modernist Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 575

Psychoanalytic Perspective on Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”

The analysis of Kafka's Metamorphosis based on Psychoanalysis highlights the main themes of the Superego-Id changes in the main character's psyche, the repressed desires mirrored in the character's behaviors, and the Oedipal complex present in [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1697

“Daffodils” by Ted Hughes: Poem Analysis

It is essential to appreciate simple moments, everyday joys, minutes with a loved person, and beauty in the little things. Hence, in order to be able to fully enjoy all the beauties and joys of [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 180

Compare and Contrast Wordsworth and Keats

He has the gift of imagination in the highest and strictest sense of the word. In the Romanticism of Wordsworth there is the consciousness and will of a return to natural sources.
  • 4.4
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2298

Why Should Shakespeare Be Taught in School Essay

For instance, his works are very rich in the English language and are a good source of learning the language. The dramas are not in the same category as Shakespeare who is clearly in a [...]
  • 3.4
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1068

Shakespeare: Hamlet

The scene that is the subject of this report refers to a scene in the play that takes place at the graveyard following the death of Ophelia.
  • 5
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1446

Eveline James Joyce Analysis Essay

The future is uncertain to Eveline but very hopeful, she ought to embrace the future and break the chain of problems in her family.
  • 4.5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 972

Symbolism in “The Tin Drum” by Gunter Grass

Overall, the analysis of The Tin Drum novel suggests a conclusion that the symbols of the red and white drum, Oscar's ability to control growing, and his strange life course reflect the events of German [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 827

“The Swamp Dwellers” by Wole Soyinka

The swamp dweller "talks about the urban and remote society, the confrontations between the older and younger people, the battles between the old and the new in the society, love for modernism, the existence of [...]
  • 1
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1123

The Fish – a Poem by Elizabeth Bishop

The size and the age of the fish make the narrator to respect the creature. The narrator compares herself with the fish due to the struggle that each one of them has to make in [...]
  • 1.5
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 831

Angel in House in Woolf’s Professions for Women

In Woolf's Professions for Women, the Angel in the House symbolizes the expectations of the society from what a woman should be; this Angel in the House got in the way of Woolf's writing and [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 835

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

The stories tend to explore the delicate issues of cultural diversity and cultural assimilation of the characters in the stories which she shares up to the present.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 2305

A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Literary Critical Analysis Essay

The short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" stands as the American Southern Gothic writer Flannery O'Connor's most disturbing work of fiction."A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is the title work of [...]
  • 4
  • Subjects: Concepts in American Novels
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1263

Why Is Hamlet a Complex Character: Critical Analysis

When Hamlet's father requests him to avenge his death against King Claudius, he is unable to carry out his revenge. In addition, Shakespeare mission to delay Hamlet's plan to avenge his father's death highlights the [...]
  • 3
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 630

A Doll’s House Modernism Theme

In A Doll's House, one of the outstanding depictions of this way of thinking was seen at the end of the play; in other words, the overall plot of the story has been used to [...]
  • 3.5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1729
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