Henry James
Essay Prompt on a Literary Element:
Analyze how characters in the story are affected by society's standards.
Another
Essay Prompt on a Literary Element:
Show how the conventional or stereo-typed character is used to accomplish
the author's purpose. Another
Essay Prompt on a Literary Element:
Choose a scene or character in one of James's novels that awakens "thoughtful
laughter." Then write an essay in which you show why this laughter
is thoughtful and how it contributes to the meaning of the work. Daisy
Miller Essay Prompt
on a Literary Element: This novel
includes a scene of social occasion--for example, weddings, funerals, parties--which
reveals the values of the characters and the society in which they live.
In a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning
of the work as a whole. The
Portrait of a Lady Essay Prompt
on a Literary Element: Some
of the most significant events in this work is mental or psychological;
for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In
a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to gives these
internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated
with external events. Do not merely summarize the plot. Another
Essay Prompt on a Literary Element:
In this novel, a confidant (male) or a confidante (female) is used to be
present when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener to confide
in. Frequently, as Henry James puts it, this friend or relative of
the protagonist can be as much "the reader's friend as the protagonist's."
Write an essay in which you discuss the various ways this character functions
in the work. Another
Essay Prompt on a Literary Element:
This work offers a happy ending through moral development. Write
a well-organized essay that identifies the moral reconciliation evident
on the ending and analyze its significance in the work as a whole. The
Turn of the Screw Essay
Prompt on a Literary Element:
In this novel, a confidant (male) or a confidante (female) is used to be
present when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener to confide
in. Frequently, as Henry James puts it, this friend or relative of
the protagonist can be as much "the reader's friend as the protagonist's."
Write an essay in which you discuss the various ways this character functions
in the work. Another Essay
Prompt on a Literary Element:
In this novel, a character who appears briefly, or does not apppear at
all, is a significant presence. Write an essay that shows how this
character functions in this work. You may wish to discuss how the
character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters.
Another Essay Prompt on a Literary Element:
Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature
is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel or play and, and
considering Barthes' observation, write an essay in which you analyze a
central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers any
answers. Explain how the author's treatment of this question affects your
understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
Washington
Square Essay Prompt
on a Literary Element: This
novel depicts a conflict between a parent or parental figure and a son
or daughter. Write a well-organized essay that analyzes the sources
of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning
of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.
The American; The Europeans.
The
Altar of the Dead
The
Beast in the Jungle
Daisy
Miller
The book's title character travels to Europe and is courted by another
American living abroad. The book contrasts
American innocence with European sophistication to examine social
conventions.
The
Europeans
A tale of two worlds colliding. Eugenia, an American expatriate
and her brother Felix visit Boston to arrange a second marriage for Eugenia.
The
Marriages
The
Turn of the Screw |