English Literature LITB4 - Comparative Coursework - Help?

Hi everyone!

Right now I'm doing AQA English Literature B and we've just started brainstorming ideas for the comparative coursework. Everyone in my class had to do a presentation on a book to start with, and I did Jane Eyre, which I loved reading and I think it'll be really interesting to analyse for the coursework. However, I'm not sure what other book I'd like to compare it with. I have some ideas but if you have any advice or suggestions please could you let me know?

Ideas so far:
+ Jane Eyre/Wide Sargasso Sea (maybe something about love or identity)
+ Jane Eyre/Frankenstein (maybe a comparison about the theme of isolation)
+ Jane Eyre/Great Expectations (possibly themes of growing up or social class)
+ Jane Eyre/Pride and Prejudice (women/social class)

What do you think of these? I've only read both Jane Eyre and Frankenstein and I loved both so I think I'd be more confident about that, and the comparison would maybe be a little more specific. Are there any other themes you would use to compare Jane Eyre and Frankenstein? Or any other novels that I could use for comparison?

Thanks in advance :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

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Reply 2

pseudonymegg

14

Original post by Dougieowner

Hi everyone!

Right now I'm doing AQA English Literature B and we've just started brainstorming ideas for the comparative coursework. Everyone in my class had to do a presentation on a book to start with, and I did Jane Eyre, which I loved reading and I think it'll be really interesting to analyse for the coursework. However, I'm not sure what other book I'd like to compare it with. I have some ideas but if you have any advice or suggestions please could you let me know?

Ideas so far:
+ Jane Eyre/Wide Sargasso Sea (maybe something about love or identity)
+ Jane Eyre/Frankenstein (maybe a comparison about the theme of isolation)
+ Jane Eyre/Great Expectations (possibly themes of growing up or social class)
+ Jane Eyre/Pride and Prejudice (women/social class)

What do you think of these? I've only read both Jane Eyre and Frankenstein and I loved both so I think I'd be more confident about that, and the comparison would maybe be a little more specific. Are there any other themes you would use to compare Jane Eyre and Frankenstein? Or any other novels that I could use for comparison?

Thanks in advance :smile:

if you're confident with those texts I would do that, comparing the theme of isolation as you said. For this cw it's best not to over complicate it, just focus on a key theme rather than multiple ones
for mine i got 28/30 and focused on just family in Hard Times and Romeo and Juliet

Reply 3

Anna.Karenina

20

I got full marks on all four pieces of coursework from both AS and A2, and I put this down to picking the right pieces of literature to discuss. When picking your novels, just ensure that you believe they have very similar themes but that those themes are interpreted in very different ways.

Reply 4

Dougieowner

OP

16

Original post by Anna.Karenina

I got full marks on all four pieces of coursework from both AS and A2, and I put this down to picking the right pieces of literature to discuss. When picking your novels, just ensure that you believe they have very similar themes but that those themes are interpreted in very different ways.

It's amazing that you got full marks on all pieces of coursework - well done on that!!

I've picked my texts now - I'm going to do Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea and link it to isolation affecting the protagonist's search for identity in each novel. I think that, although the books are related, there are differences as to why the characters are isolated and identity can be interpreted differently. Hopefully I'll do well. I need to plan over summer - do you have any tips on writing an effective plan? What kind of things would you recommend I include?

Reply 5

The Empire Odyssey

21

Original post by Dougieowner

Hi everyone!

Right now I'm doing AQA English Literature B and we've just started brainstorming ideas for the comparative coursework. Everyone in my class had to do a presentation on a book to start with, and I did Jane Eyre, which I loved reading and I think it'll be really interesting to analyse for the coursework. However, I'm not sure what other book I'd like to compare it with. I have some ideas but if you have any advice or suggestions please could you let me know?

Ideas so far:
+ Jane Eyre/Wide Sargasso Sea (maybe something about love or identity)
+ Jane Eyre/Frankenstein (maybe a comparison about the theme of isolation)
+ Jane Eyre/Great Expectations (possibly themes of growing up or social class)
+ Jane Eyre/Pride and Prejudice (women/social class)

What do you think of these? I've only read both Jane Eyre and Frankenstein and I loved both so I think I'd be more confident about that, and the comparison would maybe be a little more specific. Are there any other themes you would use to compare Jane Eyre and Frankenstein? Or any other novels that I could use for comparison?

Thanks in advance :smile:

As someone did state. If you do feel confident on Frank and Eyre, then you should go for it. I have only read P&P and GE, and they are both really good books, more so of the latter.

Have you considered perhaps picking a novel that is quite modern, so you have a lot of different contrasts? For example, you could compare DH Lawrence's The Rainbow to Jane Eyre about women, social class, gender, marriage, sexuality. They would go quite nicely together.

However, perhaps you should just read the texts you haven't done and make little notes on what you would find interesting in analyzing? And then come to a decision? Also, reading around the Vic era, authors such as Dickens, Elliot, Bronte sisters, Hardy, Wilde, etc, will give you a better understanding of empathy and understanding towards the characters in Jane Eyre. This is what my Lit teacher told us when we picked our c/w texts.

Reply 6

Betonymoon

I did Jane Eyre for my comparative with We Need to Talk about Kevin and got full marks. For structure I would say not to over complicate it for mine it was:

Intro (I looked at sympathy for narrators)

1. Narrative style and tone
Jane eyre paragraph
Wnttak paragraph

2. Presentation of other characters
JE paragraph
WNTTAK paragraph

3. Critical reception
JE
WNTTAK

4. Endings
JE
WNTTAK

Conclusion

For Jane Eyre I would definitely recommend looking at Angela Carter as a critic for a modern, feminist perspective to contrast with its Victorian reception.

English Literature LITB4 - Comparative Coursework - Help?

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