119 Literary Criticism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Literary criticism is a field of study that evaluates and interprets literature, often focusing on the themes, characters, and writing style of a particular piece of work. If you are studying literature or simply love to analyze books, here are 119 literary criticism essay topic ideas and examples to help you get started.

1. Analyze the role of gender in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

2. Discuss the use of symbolism in "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

3. Explore the theme of loss in "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.

4. Examine the portrayal of race in "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.

5. Compare and contrast the writing styles of Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner.

6. Discuss the use of irony in "Animal Farm" by George Orwell.

7. Analyze the role of religion in "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck.

8. Explore the theme of power in "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare.

9. Discuss the use of setting in "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.

10. Examine the role of family in "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner.

11. Analyze the character of Hamlet in William Shakespeare's play.

12. Explore the theme of identity in "The Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison.

13. Discuss the use of allegory in "The Lord of the Flies" by William Golding.

14. Examine the role of fate in "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare.

15. Compare and contrast the themes of love and war in "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway.

16. Discuss the use of foreshadowing in "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.

17. Analyze the role of nature in "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville.

18. Explore the theme of madness in "King Lear" by William Shakespeare.

19. Discuss the portrayal of social class in "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy.

20. Examine the role of justice in "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

21. Analyze the character of Jay Gatsby in "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

22. Explore the theme of betrayal in "Othello" by William Shakespeare.

23. Discuss the use of satire in "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift.

24. Examine the role of memory in "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

25. Compare and contrast the themes of love and friendship in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

26. Discuss the use of imagery in "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.

27. Analyze the role of fate in "The Odyssey" by Homer.

28. Explore the theme of redemption in "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.

29. Discuss the portrayal of war in "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque.

30. Examine the role of technology in "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley.

31. Analyze the character of Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's play.

32. Explore the theme of survival in "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel.

33. Discuss the use of humor in "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller.

34. Examine the role of religion in "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

35. Compare and contrast the themes of love and power in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare.

36. Discuss the use of allegory in "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.

37. Analyze the role of nature in "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer.

38. Explore the theme of freedom in "Beloved" by Toni Morrison.

39. Discuss the portrayal of gender roles in "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood.

40. Examine the role of fate in "The Iliad" by Homer.

41. Analyze the character of Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.

42. Explore the theme of betrayal in "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas.

43. Discuss the use of irony in "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde.

44. Examine the role of memory in "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut.

45. Compare and contrast the themes of love and revenge in "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.

46. Discuss the use of foreshadowing in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde.

47. Analyze the role of nature in "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London.

48. Explore the theme of guilt in "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

49. Discuss the portrayal of social class in "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton.

50. Examine the role of justice in "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo.

51. Analyze the character of Raskolnikov in "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

52. Explore the theme of identity in "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.

53. Discuss the use of allegory in "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri.

54. Examine the role of fate in "Antigone" by Sophocles.

55. Compare and contrast the themes of love and betrayal in "Othello" by William Shakespeare.

56. Discuss the use of imagery in "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker.

57. Analyze the role of nature in "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway.

58. Explore the theme of redemption in "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas.

59. Discuss the portrayal of war in "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien.

60. Examine the role of technology in "1984" by George Orwell.

61. Analyze the character of Elizabeth Bennet in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

62. Explore the theme of betrayal in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller.

63. Discuss the use of satire in "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes.

64. Examine the role of memory in "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro.

65. Compare and contrast the themes of love and sacrifice in "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare.

66. Discuss the use of foreshadowing in "Dracula" by Bram Stoker.

67. Analyze the role of nature in "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair.

68. Explore the theme of guilt in "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

69. Discuss the portrayal of gender roles in "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin.

70. Examine the role of justice in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller.

71. Analyze the character of Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.

72. Explore the theme of identity in "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison.

73. Discuss the use of allegory in "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer.

74. Examine the role of fate in "The Aeneid" by Virgil.

75. Compare and contrast the themes of love and jealousy in "Othello" by William Shakespeare.

76. Discuss the use of imagery in "Beloved" by Toni Morrison.

77. Analyze the role of nature in "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck.

78. Explore the theme of redemption in "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

79. Discuss the portrayal of war in "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane.

80. Examine the role of technology in "Neuromancer" by William Gibson.

81. Analyze the character of Nora Helmer in "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen.

82. Explore the theme of betrayal in "The Odyssey" by Homer.

83. Discuss the use of humor in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll.

84. Examine the role of memory in "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien.

85. Compare and contrast the themes of love and forgiveness in "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

86. Discuss the use of foreshadowing in "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas.

87. Analyze the role of nature in "To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf.

88. Explore the theme of guilt in "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

89. Discuss the portrayal of gender roles in "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath.

90. Examine the role of justice in "The Stranger" by Albert Camus.

91. Analyze the character of Tom Buchanan in "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

92. Explore the theme of betrayal in "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare.

93. Discuss the use of satire in "Candide" by Voltaire.

94. Examine the role of memory in "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.

95. Compare and contrast the themes of love and loyalty in "The Odyssey" by Homer.

96. Discuss the use of imagery