Major Essay Topics: Examples
The following prompts are suitable for a midterm or capstone essay which incorporates primary and secondary research, literary and/or historical analysis, and the ability to synthesize multiple texts.
Instructors may assign, remix, and reproduce them to suit class needs.
Medieval Era:
- Beowulf and its literary descendants: Compare and contrast Beowulf with a 20th or 21st century high-fantasy novel (examples: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy). In what ways are the texts similar? In what significant ways are they different? What does the contrast demonstrate about shifting cultural notions of heroism?
- Sir Gawain and gender: In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain blames women for a litany of troubles, from the time of the Biblical patriarchs to his present. What is this tale ultimately suggesting about women? Is Gawain’s rant, coupled with the highly sexualized depiction of Lady Bertilak, an simple example of literary misogyny – or is the tale’s messaging surrounding women (and womanhood) more complex?
Early Modern Era:
- Utopia and its literary descendants: A number of critics consider Thomas More’s Utopia to be satire. It has also spawned another, more straightforwardly pessimistic genre of fiction: dystopian literature. Dystopian portrayals gained popularity among science-fiction authors during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and experienced another resurgence in the 21st century – particularly among young-adult fiction writers. Dystopian fiction typically:
- Contains a background story of war, revolution, disaster, or some other climactic event that resulted in dramatic changes to society.
- Involves dramatic differences in standards of living, particularly for the lower classes.
- Has a protagonist who questions society because they feel it is wrong.
- Makes some sort of thinly veiled commentary on current events and issues.
Identify and describe the features of dystopian fiction in one representative work (of your choosing). Your answer should also identify the contemporary social issue that the book or film addresses – and explain how. Finally, how does the purpose of this text compare to that of More’s original Utopia? Does the text engage in any similar social critiques?
- Othello and violence: What is the role of domestic violence in Othello? How do the events of the play read, against what historical research tells us about Early Modern family life? Does the play criticize or reinforce a contemporaneous sense of domination over women?
The Restoration and Beyond:
- Oroonoko and slavery: Research the contemporary reaction to Oroonoko. How/what did the book contribute to the public discourse surrounding slavery and abolition? How can we evaluate its value next to other types of anti-slavery literature, such as slave narratives written or dictated by freed slaves themselves?
- Lady Wortley Montagu, travel writing, and British transnationalism: Conduct some additional research about the travel-writing genre and its impact on the British public’s imagination. When viewed as an example of this broader genre, how do Wortley Montagu’s letters interpret the non-Western world for a Western readership? How can they be classified as orientalist? Are there any ways in which they resist this classification?
