Includes bibliographical references and index.

So what can I do with a degree in English? -- The nature and scope of literary studies -- Basic reading -- Critical reading -- Genre part I -- Genre, part II -- Literary language and form : figures of speech -- Literary language and form : prosody -- The ancient world through the classical era -- The middle ages -- The early modern period to the late nineteenth century -- Modernism and postmodernism -- Contemporary literature -- World literature -- Schools of literary criticism : an overview, part I -- Schools of literary criticism : an overview, part II -- Theory -- The writing process -- Assignments -- Documentation and research.

"This brief guide gives students considering an English major the background they need to read, analyze, and write effectively about poems, stories, novels, plays, and essays. Straightforward and accessible, English Literary Studies inspires students to dig deep into the works they encounter and helps them learn how to gain the cultural knowledge, critical-thinking experience, and analytical skills that are the hallmark of majoring in English. Recognizing that students taking literature classes often need more background than they've received in high school or can get from lecture, English Literary Studies fills in the gaps with the perfect amount of information to help students succeed. Students can open this book to find out what unfamiliar terms such as synechdoche mean (and why they matter) or to discover that familiar terms such as romantic and modern describe complex concepts whose understanding deepens the experience of literature. English Literary Studies is rich with literature itself, using diverse examples from every genre to show how to read, how to analyze, how to write. From William Blake to Samuel Beckett to Yehuda Amichai, the Guide doesn't just talk about literature, but talks with literature"-- Provided by publisher.