Characters in notable works of literature are fertile subjects for examination. A lens on character may reveal whether the hero or heroine is multidimensional, credible, symbolic, a foil for another character or the embodiment of historic context. Two characters in the same work make a succinct comparison. Two characters in different works by the same author can track the development of the artist. Characters that transcend time speak to something universal and identifiable. Characters who are richly drawn may be compared to real contemporary figures. Comparing Lady MacBeth and China's Jiang Qing or Imelda Marcos of the Philippines would make a lively essay. Lady MacBeth and Eleanor of Aquitaine could be fascinating.
An examination of how the social mores of the time affect the choices of the main characters in a novel or drive its plot will turn up lots of material. The question of marriage in Jane Austen's work is enormously significant. Inheritance practices of nineteenth-century England is another crucial Austen motivation. In "Pride and Prejudice," how are these two social conventions intertwined? How do they influence the actions of each of the characters and the outcome of the story?
Following the changes in a literary form from early to late examples permits you to work with two or more original works and weave in literary criticism, history and biography. Comparing the sonnets of John Milton with the sonnets of Robert Lowell provides the common threads of form and the disposition to write confessionally. Both poets observed themselves in their sonnets. The evolution of the 14-line poem over time can be detailed in the comparison of a 17th-century sensibility with a 20th-century one. Another example would be to examine sonnets from Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Sylvia Plath through the lens of their societies.
Essays about the historic probability of a character or event from literature provide the chance for intense research. What is the evidence for the existence of Arthur and his Camelot? What real history informed the story of Beowulf? How do those stories resonate in English literature today? What significant work is based on such powerful legends, and how much of a classic work is fact, not legend?