200 Compelling Literary Research Paper Topics to Explore

Literary research holds the key to unlocking the power of knowledge and education. But what makes a research paper truly impactful? It all starts with selecting a fascinating topic. This blog post presents 300 handpicked Literary research paper topics that will ignite your scholarly pursuits. From cutting-edge trends to unexplored territories, these topics promise to fuel your intellectual curiosity and make you write like a professional writing services provider. So, let’s get started!

Comprehensive Lists of Impressive Literary Research Paper Topics

Be it anything you want to research related to Literary, our comprehensive lists of topics have you covered. So, without further ado, let’s begin with our first list.

American Literature Topics for Research

Picking up a topic from this list will allow you to uncover hidden narratives, analyze iconic works, and more. Here you go with the list.

• A Study of Domestic Gothic and Postwar Architectural Culture in Shirley Jackson’s House Trilogy
• Anti-racism Resistance in American Literature
• Political and ideological agendas are reflected in American Literature
• American Literature from a feminist point of View
• Leonard Cohen’s Psalms or the demons of Tradition: the Book of Mercy and the Psalms of Leonard Cohen
• An Overview of Spanish Literature Written in the United States
• Correlations and contrasts between postmodernism and American Literature: A study of their relationship
• Poetic Hybridity in American Poetry: existing and Resisting through Its Hybridity
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula depicts vampires in what can be considered a realistic fashion
• Comparison between Stephanie Meyer’s vampires vs. L.J. Smith’s vampires
• How Bram Stoker’s Dracula differs from William Polidori’s The Vampire
• Anne Rice vs. Stephanie Meyers: Different Approaches to writing supernatural Literature
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Evolution of the Character with Time in Literature and Movies
• Illustrations of Nosferatu, the first vampire character to appear on a screen in Literature
• The relation between intertextuality and social space
• Depiction of La Lorna and Other Supernatural Elements in American Literature
• Contemporary literary figures of Orality: ruptures and Continuity
• What is the fascination with supernatural imagery in American Literature and popular culture?
• Writings in English about Refugee Camps in Contemporary Literature
• Taking a comparative look at contemporary theater stages
• Comparing The Crucible with the actual Salem witch trials

Literary Research Paper Topics Related to English Literature

Pick a topic from this list and brace yourself for an awe-inspiring journey, illuminating the profound impacts of English literature on our hearts. Here’s the list.

• What is Shakespeare’s contribution to classic English Literature?
• Comparison and contrast of Shakespeare and Marlowe
• Shakespeare and Marlowe: Busting Myths
• Historical and Political Analysis of English Literature during the Middle Ages
• The Elizabethan Era and English Literature
• An Understanding of Victorian Literature from a Political Perspective
• Comparing Edwardian Literature with its predecessors, what makes it unique?
• English Literature at its Zenith
• Greek Influence on English Literature: The History of English Literature
• Comparing women’s Literature to classical English literature in terms of literary and social issues
• An Overview of British Fiction from the 19th Century
• Women in Classic English Literature: Their Portrayal and Characterization
• Arab civilizations influenced Literature in the early English period
• A Collective Analysis of English Poetry from the 19th to the 20th Century
• The Impact of Modernism on English Poetry
• The Social and Political History of Victorian England as Portrayed through English Literature
• Literary explorations of British colonial slavery during the 18th and 19th centuries
• Adaptation to Postcolonial Cultures, neo-Victorian Culture, and Postcolonial Literature
• Literature of the postcolonial period versus Literature of the British period
• The history of books and publishing in the 20th-21st Century in British fiction
• Emotional expression and perception, semantics, lexical semantics
• A History of Ideas and Literature from the 18th Century
• An overview of the history of publishing and books
• Aspects of Race and Ethnicity, Popular Culture, and Politics
• Britain’s Revolutions and the Rise of Socialism: Literature that influenced them
• Actors of Shakespeare’s time, the role of the Elizabethan theater
• Literature’s contribution to understanding British politics and society today

Postcolonial Literary Research Paper Topics

Dig into stories that question the effects of colonialism and look into issues of identity, resistance, and decolonization. Get inspired by the captivating stories that are reshaping the history of colonialism with these topics.

• A Study of Heart of The Darkness from an Analytical Perspective
• Heart of the Darkness: Conrad’s Treatment of Africans in the Story
• Achebe’s stance against the design of Heart of Darkness
• Heart of Darkness vs. Things Fall Apart: Comparisons and Contrasts
• A Look at the Treatment of Africans in Things Fall Apart
• Concept of native society in Things Fall Apart
• A Study of the Indigenous culture of Africa in Light of Things Fall Apart
• Postcolonial Literature Compared to British Literature
• Literature is written in the French language dealing with postcolonialism
• The Analysis of Postcolonial Literature Written in India after the End of Colonialism
• Ahmed Ali’s Works as Part of the postcolonial movement: a critical analysis
• An Analysis of Twilight in Delhi as a postcolonial novel through the Lens of critical theory
• Depiction of the Colonized Races in British Literature
• Conrad’s treatment of negros and the accusation of racism
• A Critique of Orientalism from the Perspective of Edward Said
• Elements of Postcolonialism Twilight in Delhi
• The elements belonging to the narrative framework of the postcolonial theory
• Understanding Postcolonialism with Edward Said’s Orientalism
• An Introduction to Postcolonial Theory: Concepts and Definitions
• The Evolution of the Woman within Postcolonial Literature
• An Overview of Algerian Postcolonial Literature
• British Literature, with its treatment of African nations
• Postcolonial and Feminine Resistance in Algerian and Sahrawi States
• Postcolonialism: An Effort to search its history
• Identity, alterity, and Hybridity in postcolonial states
• Introduction to postcolonial theory

Arabic Topics in Literature

Discover the fascinating world of Arabic Literature and explore its cultural heritage, poetic stories, and social dynamics. Here you go with the list.

• Literature of the Arab World and its Influence on French Literature
• The Influence of Arab Culture on Middle Ages Literature
• Hayy Bin Yaqzan is the first novel by modern criteria
• A collection of poetry by Shafi’i and historical, literary Analysis
• A Study of Religious Literature in Arabian Civilization
• Islamic Golden Ages were characterized by more significant progress in theological Literature
• Poetry from the Arab world is the foundation of modern global poetry
• Literature related to Mahdism in Islam
• Arab-Islamic culture is significant in the Literature written in Arabic
• The Evolution of Arabic Poetry and Literature
• The Poetry of the Arab Diaspora and Nature’s Aesthetics
• Ghazali’s literary works and acknowledgment of divine essence
• A study of the relationship between Arabic poetry and music and song
• Al-Gazzal’s two doors of knowledge through the heart
• Iberian expansion as a cause of Islamic culture’s influence on Western Literature
• Music and poetry from the pre-Islamic period in Arabic
• Arab Literature and social criticism in the modern era
• Aristotelian Philosophy and Greek Mythology in Modern Arab Literature
• The culture and civilization of the Ottoman Empire were influenced by Arabic poetry and music
• Arabic Literature’s Depiction of Morality and Politics
• A Study of Arab Literature by Christian Authors
• The philosophy of Islam is expressed and explained through Arabic culture
• An Introduction to the History and Literature of Islam

Existentialist Literary Research Topics

Dig into the deep thinking, self-examination, and emotions of uncertainty that come with exploring the works of important writers trying to figure out life, independence, and more. Here’s the list.

• The post-war emergence of existentialism
• War-torn human characters reflect existentialist Literature.
• What is the character of Godot in Waiting For Godot? How does Beckett explain what he is saying?
• Existentialist Drama into 21st-Century of Western Literature
• How does Beckett become an existential absurdist?
• Samuel Becket’s Life from a Contemporary Perspective
• The Reasons and inspirations behind Sartre’s Existentialism
• Waiting For Godot is interpreted in real-time and real life.
• Considering Jean-Paul Sartre’s works from different perspectives.
• The Existentialist Literature: A Critical Analysis
• Horrors of War and Existentialist Literature After and About the Vietnam War
• A Comparison of Absurdism and Existentialism in Western Literature
• Theater of absurdity representation of existentialism
• A 21st-century Take on absurdist theater as a significant part of British Literature
• Existentialism: Is it Here to Stay? Getting rid of absurdity in a changing world
• Does the search for meaning transcend modern man?
• Existentialism in British Literature
• “There is infinite hope in the universe, not for us.” How do you see Kafka as an existentialist? How does he differ from the philosophers of his field?

Literary Research Topics Related to Poetry

Check out our great research paper topics and how powerful poems can be!

• Pioneers of European Literature in the realm of poetry
• Inspiration for John Keats’ poetry by Fanny Brawne
• The difference between Keats and his contemporaries
• Analyzing John Keats’ Works from a historical perspective
• The poetry of social protest in the early Renaissance
• What makes the poetry of the Renaissance the most outstanding?
• An early role played by Midland poets in the development of English poetry
• Literature of the Highlands and its Contribution to English cultural development
• The challenges of the development of English poetry
• Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English poetry
• Poetry as a Pillar of Modern Literature
• The Importance of legal vocabulary in a poetic context
• Thinking about poetry as a critique from the Renaissance era
• The genre and meaning of Auden’s poem
• Poetry of Robert Frost: A study
• Research on the poetry of William Shakespeare
• Wordsworth as a pioneer of modern Literature
• Poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson: A Historical Analysis
• A general study of the Poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• A Look and Study of the Aubreys of Innocence by William Blake
• Prose versus poetry in the early Renaissance
• Story of Love and Death, by Edgar Allan Poe.
• Emily Dickinson is one of America’s most famous poets
• Maya Angelo’s struggle for civil rights and using poetry as a vector of fight

Literary Research Topics Related to Novel

Go deep into the story, getting to know the characters and thinking about the themes to unlock the timeless charm of this popular type of writing. Here’s the list.

• A Study of the Gothic Novel in the British Isles
• Publishing Literature the modern novel: conditions and Sources of Innovation
• History and Fiction in African-American Women’s Literature
• Toni Morrison is one of the pioneers of the American novel
• Covenant: An American Novel of South African History
• James Michener’s works in novels and different aspects of modern American society
• Modern Literature in the Film and TV Industry
• Novels of Thomas Hardy, a critical analysis
• What is the significance of Jane Austen as a pioneer of English literature? What are your thoughts on this?
• A Comparison and Contrast of American dystopian novels
• Supernatural novelists of English literature, between William Polidori and Bram Stoker
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is the first supernatural novel in the history of English literature
• Children’s Literature written in British territories
• Postcolonial novels from a 21st-century perspective
• The Vampire Diaries, the pioneering novel for gen-z supernatural fascinations
• Anne Rice vs. Stephanie Meyers: what is different and what is similar
• Knowledge, Power, and Authority in Contemporary Fantasy
• Tensions and Expression in the Modern American Novel
• Political Depiction of Christianity in American Novels and Movies

Literary Research Topics Related to Drama

Check out these cool topics to write an amazing research paper your teacher is expecting of you. 

• Shakespearean Drama from historical practices
• Plagiarism allegations about Shakespeare
• William Shakespeare vs. Christopher Marlowe: Contrasts and Comparisons
• An overview of Shakespeare’s plays and how they formed modern theater and cinema
• Waiting For Godot by Beckett, from a directorial and cinematic perspective
• Elizabethan vs. Jacobean Drama: What makes them different?
• Oscar Wilde as a playwright, from a modern perspective
• Shakespeare as a pioneer of the European literature boom
• Role of Queen Elizabeth I in the Promotion of English Drama and Theater
• Stages of Transformation: at the Crossroads of Theater and abolitionist movements
• Role of Drama in European Literature
• The Drama of the 21st Century and how it differs from the Classics
• Greek tragedy compared to Shakespearean tragedy
• Greek Tragedy vs. Classical English Drama
• Modern vs. Classical tragedy, essential comparative elements
• Was European Literature initially focused on Drama? Why or why not?
• The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the most beloved plays. Why?
• Oscar Wild as a dramatist
• Literature formed Freudianism, a psychoanalytical analysis of the plays that inspired Sigmund Freud
• Mourning Becomes Electra and Oedipus Rex, how two tragedies formed the Basis of modern psychology
• Literary Analysis of the Supernatural in the Plays of Marlowe
• Classic vs. Modern Literature in the Area of Tragedy and Drama
• Edward Bond, a playwright of hope or despair?
• When does British Literature portray elements of World war
• Literary devices used in early British literary works and Renaissance literature
• Language diversity in historical novels in the Victorian literature era
• European culture depicted in early American Literature
• American literature contribution to Studies on Classical Literature
• Literary Argument on literary works of the Renaissance in Comparison with Indian Literature

Interesting Literature Topics

These literary research topics can spark your interest, challenge your views, and help you appreciate Literature even more.

• Travel writing for college students living the American dream
• Use of poetic language and literary devices in Japanese literary works
• Social identity in dystopian Literature that World War II inspired
• Male and female characters in African American Literature
• Literary novels in the genre of young adult literature
• Literature paper on Japanese Literature depicting Post World War II modern culture
• Literary Analysis of artificial language in Utopian and Dystopian Literature
• The modern culture depicted in American and Asian culture
• Literary Analysis of Harry Potter and novel writing for university students
• Harry Potter is a significant literature contribution opening new doors to literary research.
• Comparative Literary Analysis of travel writing vs. literary journalism
• Literary Analysis of Travel Writing in Indian Literature
• African literary responses to American Literature on world war in the Twentieth Century
• How American Literature Differs from Modern Chinese Literature: Form and Evaluate Literature Response on Written Literature

Conclusion

Hopefully, these lists of good topics for research papers have helped you pick a suitable subject and make a real difference in literary research. Remember that a good topic always plays a pivotal role in the paper’s success. If you are still trying to figure out how to proceed with your assignment, count on the professional expertise of our writers.