15 Up-To-Date Research Paper Topics On English Literature: Writing About Best-Sellers


English literature is a broad and interesting subject that is full of unique ideas and topics that would be conducive to the writing of a research paper. Students should undertake this task since it would present them with a world of opportunities and the flexibility offered by the topic would ensure that it appeals to the sensibilities of your readers. Writing about a topic as focused and subjective as best-sellers might seem hard but once you understand how to collect data and organise your thoughts on the matter, you will feel different. Below are a couple of updated research paper topics on English literature.


List of topics


  1. Has Harry Potter successfully managed to enrich the pantheon of English literature in any way? Give reasons for you answer.
  2. Taking the example of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”, discuss the transformation of the main character and try to judge whether any changes occur in reality or is purely symbolic in nature.
  3. Make sure you compare the various approaches in which the problems that are essential to the characters of Silas Marner are tackled in the novel.
  4. Using the example of modern English literature, focus on the mystical and fantastical elements that have affected or influenced the way stories evolve through the journeys of the characters.
  5. Critically examine the character of Atticus Finch in “Go Set a Watchman” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”, and how Harper Lee talks about some of the racial problems in the South of the US.
  6. The novel “To The Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf is often termed a modern quest narrative. Do you agree?
  7. Discuss what the fly stands for in Katherine Mansfield’s short story “The Fly”.
  8. Modern novelists and playwrights often introduce elements and characters in their works with supernatural connotations. Discuss this trope in context of the works of Charlaine Harris.
  9. How do the characters in Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” deal with life’s challenges?
  10. Discuss “The Yellow Wallpaper” from the perspective of women’s critical theory.
  11. Do you think the violence present in “The Hunger Games” represent some of the present day concerns of young adults?
  12. What elements present in “The Phantom Tollbooth” separate it from past stories?
  13. What important themes have been prevalent in some of the bestselling novels published in the last century?
  14. Write about the disillusions genre that found success in novels like The Fight Club in the 1990s.
  15. How does “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” celebrate the idea of strong femininity?