ОСЬ ТЕМИ РЕФЕРАТІВ НА ПЕРШИЙ СЕМЕСТР

БУДЬ ЛАСКА ---ВИБИРАЙТЕ ТЕМУ ЯКА ВАМ ДО ВПОДОБИ

І починайте писати реферат (не більше 3х стор-к, англ мовою)

Я пізніше напишу ВАМ вимоги до рефератів!!

СПОЧАТКУ ОБИРАЙТЕ ТЕМУ!

НАМАГАЙТЕСЯ, ЩОБ НЕ БУЛО ДВОХ-ТРЬОХ (або більше)

СТУДЕНТІВ ЩО ОБРАЛИ ОДНАКОВУ ТЕМУ!!

THE LIST OF THE ESSAY TOPICS TO BE EXPLORED BY THE 3rd Year Students

THE HIGHLIGHTED TOPICS ARE MORE CHALLENGING, more time- and labour-
consuming! HITCH YOUR WAGON TO STAR!!!----ПІДКРЕСЛЕНІ ТЕМИ Є
НАЙСКЛАДНІШІ!! АЛЕ СТУДЕНТИ, ЯКІ СПРОБУЮТЬ РОЗКРИТИ ЗМІСТ
ПІДКРЕСЛЕНОЇ ТЕМИ,----ГАРАНТОВАНО ОДЕРЖАТЬ за реферат АБО
“ВІДМІННО” АБО “ДОБРЕ”! ПІДКРЕСЛЕНІ ТЕМИ ДЛЯ ТИХ СТУДЕНТІВ, ХТО
ЛЮБИТЬ ЧИТАТИ ТВОРИ, ХТО ЛЮБИТЬ ЛІТЕРАТУРУ, ХТО НЕ БОЇТЬСЯ
ТРУДНОЩІВ, ХТО НЕ БОЇТЬСЯ РИЗИКУВАТИ, ХТО БАЖАЄ ЗАЙМАТИСЯ
ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯМ ХУДОЖНІХ ТВОРІВ !!! А ТАКОЖ ДЛЯ ТИХ, ХТО ОДЕРЖАВ НА
ДРУГОМУ КУРСІ “А” або “B”

1. THE SPLIT PERSONALITY IN R.L.Stevenson’s “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde” ( 1886)

2. Parallels (similarities and differences) between Dracula ( BRAM STOKER’S

“Dracula”) and LORD Voldemort, HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED (Joanne K.
Rowling’s Harry Porter Series?

3 . WILLIAM THACKEREY’S “VANITY FAIR. A NOVEL WITHOUT A HERO”(1848): the

MEANING of the title.

4. Who is the narrator in Emily Bronte’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1847). What kind
of narrator is this? What makes the narrator special?
5. The Screen adaptations of EMILY BRONTE's “Wuthering Heights” (1847): the
Losses and Gains

6 The System of Education in Victorian England (as it is represented in Charles

Dickens’ “DOMBEY and SON” (1848)

7. Emile Bronte’s ‘WUTHERING HEIGHTS” IS A STORY OF UNCONTROLLABLE ,

ALMOST DEMONIC LOVE AND PASSION. Do you agree?

8. What is the position of a woman as it is represented in JANE AUSTEN’S "PRIDE

AND PREJUDICE” (1813) and Charlotte Bronte’s “JANE Eyre, an AUTOBIOGRAPHY”
(1847): A comparative Analysis.

9. FACTS AND FICTION (“ FACTION”) in Sir WALTER SCOTT’ S “IVANHOE: a

ROMANCE” (1819)

9. What are the symbolic meanings of a PORTRAIT in Oscar Wilde’s “The PICTURE
OF DORIAN GRAY” (1891) (DRAW A CHART or a TABLE to demostrate these
meanings)

10. OSCAR WILDE’S “THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST” (1895): what makes the
play so funny?

11. William Blake said “GOD SAVE ME FROM A SINGLE VISION” . Please provide
the illustrations of Blake’s poetry to prove the validity of the poet’s utterance.

12. A comparative analysis of Anthony Burgess’ “A CLOCKWORK ORANGE” and its

screen adaptation

13. Can Miranda in John Fowles’ THE COLLECTOR be metaphorically characterized as

a butterfly? WHY? (provide evidence from the novel)

14. The French critic ROLAND BARTHES has said: “LITERATURE is the question minus
the answer”. CHOOSE A NOVEL or a play and, considering Barthes’ observation,
analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers
(feel free to approach me and ask me questions—O.O.)

15. The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in
which a death or deaths take place . Choose a novel or play and show how a specific
death scene helps to illuminate the meaning [MESSAGE] of the whole work.

16. EPIPHANIES in James Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young man”, “Araby”,
“Dead”, “Eveline” : their meanings and functions
17. James JOYCE’s “A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN” as
Kunstlerroman and Bildungsroman. PLEASE PROVE IT.

18. ALL MODERNISM IS ABOUT MIND (prove the validity of this statement by
providing illustrations from Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs Dalloway” and D.H. Lawrence’s
“LADY CHATTERLAY’s LOVER”)

19. THE functions of Homeric correspondances in James Joyce’s “ULYSSES”

20. ART FOR ART’s SAKE. PLEASE provide the literary examples to illustrate the
validity of this statement (analyze the novels or short stories we have studied)

21. Writers often highlight the values of a culture by using characters who are
alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class or creed.
Choose a novel or a play in which a chracter plays a significant role and show how
that character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions or moral
values

22. The British novelist FAY WELDON offers her observation about happy endings.
“THE WRITERS WHO GET THE BEST AND Most LASTING response from their readers
are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy
ending I do NOT mean fortunate events ---a marriage or a last minute rescue from
death--- BUT SOME KIND Of SPIRITUAL REASSESSMENT or moral reconciliation, even
with the self, even at death”. Choose a novel or novels or a short story or short
stories that have the kind of ending WELDON describes. IDENTIFY the spiritual
reassessment or moral reconciliation” evident in the ending and explain its
significance in the work as a whole.

23. In many works of English literature , a physical journey—the literal mobement

from one place to another—plays a central role. Choose a novel or epic poem
(Byron’s “Don Juan”?) in which a physical journey is an important element and
discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere
plot summary.

24. What is going on in Mollly’s section (Episode 18) of James Joyce’s “ULYSSES”
(your impressions; what is the author’s purport; any regularities in the style? Is it
possible to analyze this section of the novel; is Molly a Penelope? What kind of
character is Molly? how about the grammar of the section? Please Analyse the final
page of the Episode? Imagine YOU are a teacher of English literature HOW WOULD
YOU TEACH THIS KIND OF Literature? What would You say to your sudents before
they embark on reading this section? Is this section of the novel readable??
Analyzable? DID JOYCE EXPECT US TO READ IT??
25. George Orwell’s “1984”—Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”—Margaret
Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”: Similarities and Differences

26. Challenging the ethics of science and scientific experiment in Mary SHELLEY’s
“FRANKENSTEIN, or the Modern Prometheus”, Robert Stevenson’s “THE STRANGE
CASE Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” and Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go” (parallels
and differences)

27. Morally ambiguous characters ---characters whose behaviour discourages

readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good---are at the heart of
many works of literature. Choose a novel or/and one/several short stories in which a
morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Explain how the character can be
viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to
the work as a whole. AVOID MERE PLOT SUMMNARY>

28. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal . Friends and even family may
betray a protagonist, main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may
betray their own values. Select a novel (or/and a nimber of short stories) that

include such acts of betrayal. Then analyze the nature of the betrayal and show
how it contributes to the meaning of the whole work

29. JOSEPH CONRAD’S OUEVRE IN THE LENS OF NEO-ROMANTICISM

3O.THE device of a DOPPELGANGER In English literature (19th -20th-21st centuries):

what is this? What is its function in a specific novel? ( Select 2-3 novels or/and short
stories (for example, Oscar Wilde’s novel, Robert Stevenson’s novel, Joseph
Conrad’s “The Secret Sharer” or any other work by an English writer) and provide
examples.

30. In a literary work , a minor character . often known as A FOIL, possesses traits
that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and
qualities of the main character. For example. The ideas or behaviour of a minor
character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main
chracter. Choose a novel or short stories [ENGLISH LITERATURE] in which a minor
character serves as a foil for the main character. Analyze how the relation betweenj
the minor character and the major chracter illuminates the meaning of the work .

31. A symbol is an object, action or event that represents something or that creates
a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea,
clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or a few short stories
[ENGLISH LITERATURE] and analyze how the symbols function in the work and what
they reveal about the characters or themes of the work as a whole (do not merely
summarize the plot).

32. THE FEATURES OF EXISTENTIALISM IN Iris MURDOCK’s THE BLACK PRINCE

33. THE FEATURES OF POSTMODERNISM IN JOHN FOWLES’ NOVELS (“THE CO

LLECTOR”, “THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN”, “ THE MAGUS”)

34. The characteristics of the genre of sci-fi in English LITERATURE (Herbert Wells’
“The Invisible Man”, or “THE TIME MACHINE” or any novel by John Wyndham
(1903-1969), or Arthur CLARK (1917-2008), or JAMES BALLARD (b 1930), or any
other sci-fi writer of British literature.

35. The Characteristics of the genre of Fantasy. Why is this genre so popular
nowadays? Please demonstrate the traits of fantasy by analyzing the novels YOU
ENJOYED READING ( not watching movies):

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)’s “The LORD OF THE RINGS” and C. S. Lewis (1898-
1963)’s “The Chronicles of Narnia”. DO NOT RETELL THE PLOTS!!!. RETELLING WILL
TAKE YOU YEARS!! ANALYZE THE TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS of the genre of
fantasy and indentify them in the novels. GIVE a few examples from the books!!!

36. ARE the novels of JOANNE K. ROWLING’s Harry Porter Series mostly for
children or also for the adults? What makes YOU think so?? Can YOU indentify the
most typical characteristics of the novels about Harry Porter? (AVOID RETELLING
THE SUMMARY OF THE PLOT!!! ANALYZE!!!!)

37 THE GENRES OF DETECTIVE AND SPY NOVELS IN BRITISH LITERATURE ( Agatha

Christie, John Le Carre, Ian Fleming, Frederick Forsyth, Ken Follett, P.D James. DO
NOT RETELL THE PLOT!!!!! ANALYZE the novels: the meaning of the title; the
protagonist; the formula of the detective; how is suspense built up; the time and
place of the events; psychology; the typical denoument; what makes this or that
detectve or spy novel writer special (unique, different from the other writers of the
same genre of British literature)

38. TOM STOPPARD’s “ROSENCRANTZ AND GUIDERSTERN ARE DEAD” (1966) as a

sample oF the THEATER OF THE ABSURD (DO NOT RETELL THE PLOT!!! Identify and
analyze the features of the Theater of the Absurd in the novel).

39. THE FEATURES OF THE GENRE OF THE THEATER OF THE ABSURD IN Samuel
Becket’s (1906-1989) “Waiting for Godot” (1955) and Harold Pinter’s (1930-2008)
plays (“THE DUMB WAITER” or “The CARETAKER”
40. THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRITISH DRAMA : from 1.THE DRAMA OF IDEAS to 2.THE
plays of the ANGRY YOUNG MEN and then to 3. THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

43 The role of music in the first, second and third chapters of ANTHONY BURGESS’
“A CLOCKWORK Orange”.

43. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS of William Golding’s “LORD of the FLIES” and its
screen version (adaptation): what is changed or replaced or deleted or added in the
film? What are the losses and gains of these modifications?

44. Prove that the genre of William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” is a parable (give
the definition of the genre of a parable)

45.” RALPH WEPT for the end of innocence, the darkness of human heart” HOW DO
YOU UNDERSTAND THESE WORDS OF A THIRD PERSON (omniscient limited)
narrator? (find it on the final page of WILLIAM GOLDING’S “LORD OF THE FLIES”)

46. Is the outcome of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies optimistic or pessimistic?
Motivate Your answer!!

47. INTERTEXTUAL TIES among THE FOLLOWING four novels: JONATHAN SWIFT’S
“Gulliver’s Travels” (1726); Daniel Defoe’s “The Life and Surprising Adventures of
ROBINSON Crusoe” (1719); Robert Stevenson’s “TREASURE ISLAND” (1883) and R.M.
Ballantyne’s “THE CORAL ISLAND : A Tale of the Pacific Ocean? (1857) d[draw a
comparative chart or table]

48. Read WILLIAM GolDING’S “LORD OF THE FLIES” CAREFULLY and answer the
following question: Does the author claim that EVIL is AN INHERENT OR AN
ACQUIRED human quality? ILLUSTRATE YOUR ANSWER.

49. PLEASE FIND and read THE ORIGINAL [English] TEXT OF Anthony BURGESS’ “A
Clockwork Orange” and its translation into UKRAINIAN. YOU CERTAINLY
UNDERSTAND THAT THE TRANSLATION OF “NADSAT” is a challenging job. DO YOU
THINK THE ENGLISH-UKRAINIAN TRANSLATOR HAS SUCCEEDED? PROVE IT!!
PROVIDE EXAMPLES of more or less successful translations of “nadsat ”.

50 Intertextuality in John Fowles’ “THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN” or/and

“THE MAGUS” (note: YOU may analyze either of the two novels. O. O. )

51. A comparative analysis of John Fowles’ THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN and
its screen adaptation.
52. JOHN GALWORTHY’s “THE FORSYTE SAGA”: the structure; the themes; the major
characters; WHO IS THE MAN OF PROPERTY?

53. THE FEATURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF GOTHIC LITERATURE. WHAT IS YOUR

FAVOURITE NOVEL OF GOTHIC LITERATURE. CAN WE SAY THAT the features of
GOTHIC prose can be found in the present-day literature?

54. WILLIAM SOMERSET Maugham’s THE MOON AND SIXPENCE: THE SEMANTICS OF
THE TITLE. Provide a few examples from the text of the novel.

55. Does Jane AUSTEN’s “PRIDE AND PREJUDICE” belong to the eighteenth-century
neo-classical tradition or the turn-of-the century romantic tradition? Prove it by
means of the examples borrowed from the novel. [O.O.: much depends on the plan
of the research; please come up to me). BUT FIRST READ THE NOVEL!!!
(WATCHING THE FILM IS NOT ENOUGH. I AM NOT TEACHING “THE ART OF FILM-
MAKING”).

56. Jane (Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”) draws strength from two sources : her
strong religious beliefs and her ability to endure suffering and hardship. Do you
share this opinion? If YOU do, please, find examples in the novel to prove it. Pay
special attention to Chapter 28. (O.O. : READ THE NOVEL carefully!!! Watching the
film is not enough. AND I AM NOT TEACHING “THE ART OF FILM-MAKING”)

57. DARWINIAN IDEAS IN GEORGE ELIOT’s “MIDDLEMARCH”

58. VIRGINIA WOOLF’S “MRS DALLOWAY” (1925 IS AN ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE IN

WORDS THE WORKINGS (THE WEB) OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS by recording the
CHARACTER’S thoughts, feelings, impressions and memories diring the course of a
single day. PROVE IT BY PROVIDING EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT

59 D.H. LAWRENCE’S “LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER” (1928)---comment on the

following themes: the effect of industrialization and rationalism on the common
man; the role of women in modern world; the conflict between prevailing morality
and and sex. PROVIDE EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT!! READ THE NOVEL ! Watching
the film is not enough. WE ARE NOT STUDYING THE ART OF FILM-MAKING, aren’t
we?

6О. WHAT IS YOUR INTERPRETATION OF THE ENDINGs in WILLIAM SOMERSET

MAUGHAM’S “RAIN” and “THE ESCAPE” ?? (1-2 pages)

61. SELECT A NOVEL or A SHORT STORY (printed or elecronic) by a BRITISH WRITER

OF THE 21st century . MOTIVATE YOUR CHOICE OF THIS NOVEL (OR SHORT STORY):
WHAT ATTRACTS YOU (as a literary critic) in this piece of fiction? (3-4 pages)
62. An INRELIABLE NARRATOR IN BRITISH FICTION (provide examples)

63.THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GENRES of FANTASY (J. R.R.Tolkien) AND

SCIENCE FICTION (HERBERT WELLS). (Provide examples).

64. A comparative analysis of GEORGE BERNARD SHAW’s “PYGMALION” (1913) and

its musical version (“MY FAIR LADY”): THE MYTH ABOUT GALATEA

65. Byronic hero in English literature (provide examples of the novels YOU have
read)

66 THE MAJOR CONFLICT (external and internal) IN J. K. Rowling’s “THE CASUAL

VACANCY” ( 2012)

67. JOJO Moyes’ “ME BEFORE YOU” and its screen version: a comparative analysis

68 THE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF NEIL GAYMAN’S FICTION. (PROVIDE

EXAMPLES FROM THE NOVELS YOU HAVE READ: “ The Ocean at the End of the
Lane”or “Neverwhere”or “Good Omens” or “Stardust” or “Coraline” (можна
прочитати один твір--- можна прочитати два твори або всі твори цього
класного письменника або кілька оповідань!! ВАЖЛИВО, ЩОБ Я ПОБАЧИВ, ЩО
ВИ ДІЙСНО ПРОЧИТАЛИ ТВІР ЧИ ТВОРИ ЦЬОГО ПИСЬМЕННИКА!! НЕ
ПЕРЕДРУКУВАЛИ З ВІКІПЕДІЇ АБО З ПЕВНОЇ СТАТТІ НАУКОВЦЯ!! А ПРОЧИТАЛИ
ТВІР АБО ТВОРИ ЦЬОГО ПИСЬМЕННИКА І НАЗВАЛИ (З ПРИКЛАДАМИ) РИСИ
ЙОГО РОМАНІВ АБО ОПОВІДАНЬ. ПИТАЙТЕ МЕНЕ!