How do I write a comparative essay with such different texts?

Comparative essays are common in coursework or in final exam papers. The differences between them, whether it be style, date of publication, or even just plot, can seem really daunting, but they don't need to be. 'Comparative' is often a misleading term, as most of the time it means discuss them using a similar framework, rather than listing off similarities and differences (e.g. 'to what extent are [x] and [y] feminist?' means using the same framework of 'feminism' to analyse them alongside each other, as opposed to listing off which is more and which is less feminist). So long as you have a strong thesis running throughout, your comparison will be there - it doesn't need to be constantly flip-flopping on the same points. If you're unsure how to start, I find that the best way is to lay out the different options for ideas you have in a table or diagram, and it will often become clear on the way. I love using mindmaps, as they're so visual and it means your choices feel logical - the more branches you have coming off one idea, the more you'll have to say about it, and you won't run out of steam too soon. This is important for comparison pieces as it means you can make sure your answer is evenly weighted. You don't want to write an essay where 80% is on one text, and the last 20% is on the other. This is particularly important if the texts are so different because you don't want the essay to seem as though you have a very clear idea for one and none at all for the other. It also means you can see if any of your points naturally seem to link together (long arrows on mindmaps are my favourite thing). It's ultimately up to you how much jumping around you do structurally, but a key idea to keep in your mind is not that you're trying to say the texts are entirely similar or entirely different. Your conclusion should talk about the grey space in between and the way they go about achieving that. You also don't have to use the same points of comparison - feel free to roam around within the framework a bit. You're not trying to pigeon-hole the texts, you're tearing them apart and looking for clues. Take, for example, the following question: 'The entrapment of female protagonists in Jane Eyre and The Handmaid's Tale ensure that they are merely victims. To what extent do you agree with this statement?'. These texts were written over one hundred years apart - one is a dystopian fantasy, the other a Gothic romance. They consider the role of the female protagonists as 'victim' in very different ways, and a large part of this is down to their plots, styles, and years of publication. But more interesting than the obvious external differences are the ways in which both defy the use of 'victim' - how do they achieve it? Why is it different for each of them? Why should I care that you're making this point? They're different, sure, but that's why this is an interesting essay, and they're not going to do it in a way that means you can go 'Bronte does [x], Atwood doesn't do [x]' throughout the entire essay because that would be boring.TL;DR: The differences are a strength - don't be afraid of them. Make sure you have a clear idea of how you're weighting the texts and how you're getting from one idea to another.Have a strong central thesis to pull through the essay. Always come back to it to ensure coherency when you're discussing such different things. You're not putting them in competition with each other. Don't pigeon-hole, rip the definitions apart.