Has anyone done A Level English Literature coursework on comparing two texts?

Question

I am not sure what two texts to compare! Something interesting.. modern texts.. themed texts? Or any suggestions for what people have done in the past.

Answer 1

Yes, I did it this year and not to brag but I got full marks too. I had a hard time choosing texts too though and changed my mind a couple of times. Eventually I settled for Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh and Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies (on the theme of rebellion) and I'm really glad I did because it was actually great fun comparing them.

To be honest, I would say don't take suggestions from other people, unless they suggest books you like. A lot of people in my class did books the teacher suggested or picked two books they had read at random and hated their coursework, ending in bad results.

First you need to pick a text you know you like or haven't read yet but think you will like. It's best to pick a book you know though so you already know it fairly well. Read your chosen text through (and remember only one of them has to be a novel, for the other you can use a play, poems etc). Identify the key themes, the main points of the text, maybe the personalities and attitudes of the characters.

Think about another text you could possibly compare to it to. At this stage, if you're stuck, you could ask your teacher or friends and family for ideas. It was my mum that suggested one of my books to me. You probably won't have any sort of question yet, so if you haven't already identify a link between the two (theme, type of text, genre etc) to use for the basis of your question. It's entirely possible that this will change a couple of times before your coursework is finished.

Remember it's definitely best to pick something interesting like you've mentioned because otherwise you'll get bored (although not everyone will find it a bundle of fun!). I could have written much more than 3000 words on my chosen texts because they interested me so much! And remember, they don't both have to be texts that are really famous, or classics or anything. You could do two very modern texts or two that have a big time difference between them (if I remember correctly the exam board recommends you have a certain time period between them anyway). One of the girls I know did Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones.

I hope I've helped you a bit (sorry it's so long!) and good luck with finding your texts and completing your coursework. I'm sure you'll do fine :)

Answer 2

Yes. I did my comparison on the subject of Catholicism in two Graham Greene novels (Brighton Rock and The Heart Of The Matter).

You should chose two books you like though and not two books people have recommended, you could end up writing about books you hate and don't enjoy.

You can write about pretty much anything so don't worry about not being able to find a book. I know people who have done Pride and Prejudice and Bridgette Jones and people who have compared Harry Potter with other works. And I was told  I could write about the linguistically representations of canines and other creatures in Spot The Dog and Clifford The Big Red Dog if I wanted (I didn't though). Don't worry I'm sure you'll find something.

Answer 3

I did Animal Farm compared with Gulliver's Travels - it was really interesting because it was a comparison of the political statements of each text. And I enjoyed actually reading them too, which made it more bearable altogether!

Answer 4

See if this helps.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=A+Level...