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Books to compare (for coursework/comparative essays)

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Original post by Fox Corner
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys would be a good one - lots of themes of female mental illness that could be easily compared to those in The Yellow Wallpaper :smile:


Do you know of any others (preferably female mental illness)
Original post by Sunshine45
Do you know of any others (preferably female mental illness)


Girl, Interrupted is about a female mental institution (I've only seen the film though - I haven't read the book) and The Virgin Suicides deals with teenage depression. You could even have a look at Ophelia in Hamlet and her madness/suicide.

I also found a list on good reads here https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/925.Women_and_Mental_Illness

Hope that helps!
I'd like to compare the secret agent with the road-any ideas?
Original post by drriversong
I'd like to compare the secret agent with the road-any ideas?


I'm afraid I haven't read either of those, so I can't give you any specifics.

In order to find stuff to compare, you could look at the characters, the themes, any motifs, or any similar incidents in both novels. However, they do not have to be similar to compare them - looking at any differences is also a way to approach this.

From the wikipeidia on both books, it looks like both central characters have relationships with people who are vulnerable/rely on them - in The Secret Agent the main character has a brother with learning difficulties and the main character in The Road has to look after his son. Maybe that is something you can look at? But again, I haven't read either so I don't know if that'll work.
Original post by Fox Corner
x



Wish I saw this earlier! I've compared 1989 by Orwell and The Establishment by Owen Jones. :tongue:

Getting feedback tomorrow. :afraid:
Original post by iEthan
Wish I saw this earlier! I've compared 1989 by Orwell and The Establishment by Owen Jones. :tongue:

Getting feedback tomorrow. :afraid:


Ah good luck! Was it difficult to compare a fiction to a non-fiction book?
Original post by Fox Corner
Ah good luck! Was it difficult to compare a fiction to a non-fiction book?


Really difficult! But also really fun. :colone:
@Fox Corner "To Kill A Mockingbird" for Bildungsroman?
I need to compare Sense and Sensibility to something...struggling, any ideas?
Original post by heidiwright
I need to compare Sense and Sensibility to something...struggling, any ideas?


Hmm well it depends what themes you want to look at in the book. You could look at how sisters or family is represented, and compare it with something like Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, or Wise Children by Angela Carter.
Hi all, so for my coursework i have chosen to study and compare Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Laline Paull's 'The Bees', a dystopian text. I am thinking of comparing and contrasting the theme of power and control but i seem to be struggling to find area's i may look at in each text that shows similarities. Any Help?
(edited 7 years ago)
Comparing A Doll's House with another text? Any ideas? Preferably with a theme i could compare? I was thinking of doing the theme of gender roles and a struggle for identity but I dont know what other text to you. Please help!
Original post by new1234
Comparing A Doll's House with another text? Any ideas? Preferably with a theme i could compare? I was thinking of doing the theme of gender roles and a struggle for identity but I dont know what other text to you. Please help!


The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Original post by new1234
Comparing A Doll's House with another text? Any ideas? Preferably with a theme i could compare? I was thinking of doing the theme of gender roles and a struggle for identity but I dont know what other text to you. Please help!


Any particular genre you are leaning more towards?

Some great drama/plays:

Angels in America by Tony Kushner
Fences by August Wilson
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desireby Tennessee Williams
Equus (personal favourite) Peter Shaffer
Top Girls, Cloud 9 by Carly Churchill

Novels:

The Rainbow by DH Lawrence
Regeneration, Pat Barker
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
The Go-Between by LP Hartley
Original post by The Empire Odyssey
Dystopian
A Clockwork Orange (1962)
Gothic Dracula (1897)
Rebecca (1938)
War
Birdsong (1993)Regeneration (1991)
Pastoral Paradise Lost (1667)Brokeback Mountain (1997)

I think that's the most popular A-level texts I can think of!


How can you read a clockwork orange with all the nadsat (Russian) in it?😣

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Original post by TerribleGrades
How can you read a clockwork orange with all the nadsat (Russian) in it?😣

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Haha, I wanted a complicated linguistic challenge and it was between Orange and Trainspotting.

I got about 10 pages into Orange and I just said "nope." and decided to read Trainspotting instead.

When I do decide to pick up Orange, I think I shall read it alongside listening to an audiobook because it's an impossible task to read it by myself aha!
Original post by The Empire Odyssey
Haha, I wanted a complicated linguistic challenge and it was between Orange and Trainspotting.

I got about 10 pages into Orange and I just said "nope." and decided to read Trainspotting instead.

When I do decide to pick up Orange, I think I shall read it alongside listening to an audiobook because it's an impossible task to read it by myself aha!


I was like that too, thinking, "I want a challenging book to read" -- read the first page -- it was all nonsensical and just gave up😂

The book I'm currently interested in right now is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It seems interesting. Others that I've heard are also good is Animal Farm, 1984, Picture of Dorion Gray etc.

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(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by TerribleGrades
I was like that too, thinking, "I want a challenging book to read" -- read the first page -- it was all nonsensical and just gave up😂

The book I'm currently interested in right now is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It seems interesting. Others that I've heard are also good is Animal Farm, 1984, Picture of Dorion Gray etc.

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It's really hard to read!

Dorian Gray one of favourite novels of all time! Every teenager should read it!

I have 1984 on my shelf but I don't think I wish to read it any time soon!
We have to pick a genre for our A Level coursework in English lit and Lang, and then two novels within that genre; one core and one extra.

I've chosen to do dystopia, but I'm struggling to decide on two books. From the list we've been given (which we can deviate from, if we really want, but you have to ask WJEC) the books that have caught my eye are Fahrenheit-452, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, 1984 and Brave New World, but I'm finding it difficult to choose just two.

I would really like to do Androids, but I understand that the other 3 go together better. Does anyone have any suggestions? Even for books outside of the ones I've mentioned or are on the list.
I have chosen 'Atonement' as my main text for my A level English lit coursework and need a book to compare to. Anyone got any help??!!

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