Essay titles

Hi All –

Don’t forget to comment on the Princess Daisy essays!

Now, here are your research essay titles. If any of you are unhappy with your title, or want to discuss any other aspects of your essay, email me.

Elena N – “Vladimir Nabokov said of ‘Lady with a Lapdog’ that ‘All the traditional rules of story-telling have been broken.’ But are traditional views of gender relations broken or reinforced in this story?”

Xenia – “In making her assassin anonymous and his employers unknown, Doris Lessing seems to be aiming for a statement about the modern world. What do you see the Homage of the story as saying about modern political struggles?”

Alexandra – “What does the elephant symbolize in Orwell’s story? You may wish to compare with his essay ‘The Lion and the Unicorn’ and examine the idea of a just war in Orwell’s thought.”

Nicos – “How does Edgar Allen Poe achieve the ‘Gothic’ feel of his story? What stylistic tricks does he employ, and to what purpose?”

Vasia – “Explore the relationships between the characters in the story ‘A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,’ particularly that between the older waiter and the old man. Do you think that these relationships affirm or deny the nihilism expressed towards the end of the story?”

Froso – “Do you see Kafka as being sympathetic to the Hunger Artist’s plight? How does this affect an allegorical reading of the story?”

Dora – “What is the significance of the fur in Mansfield’s story “Miss Brill”? How does this prop reveal contemporary ideas of the correct narrative function of elderly women?”

Fotinie – “Consider the way Shirley Jackson describes the people of the village in her story The Lottery. What is her vision of community? Might this account for the strong reaction to the story’s first publication?”

Elena S – “Discuss the short story ‘Sredni Vashtar’ by Saki, paying particular attention to the relationship between Conradin’s health, his feelings towards his aunt, and the actions of the polecat-ferret. Does this story seem like concealed autobiography?”

Alexia – “How is the relationship between the mother and daughter in “The Joy Luck Club” constructed? What elements are concealed? Is there any relationship between the events of this story and the wider history of Chinese-Americans?”

Tamara – “How does Borges describe ideas of infinity and eternity in his story ‘The Garden of Forking Paths’? What is his purpose in introducing these concepts into what seems to be a thriller narrative?”

Evanthia – “How does E. Annie Proulx alter common understandings of gender roles in the Western in her story ‘Brokeback Mountain’?

Marilyn – “Rachel Cusk describes ‘To Room Nineteen’ as being an allegory for women’s struggle to express themselves. Do you agree with her bleak pictures of this story’s understanding of women’s struggles for self-expression?”

Melina - "That DH Lawrence's short story 'Tickets, Please!' is loosely based on Euripides' The Bacchae is widely acknowledged. What use does Lawrence make of the original Dionysian myth, and effect do the changes he introduces have on our understanding of character?"