ENGLISH LITERATURE
CLEP PREP
Note: This course assumes the student already has a strong background in English.
CLEP English Literature and Exam Description and Sample Questions.
Students may be interested in the Saylor English Literature Courses, which are free alternatives to college-level courses such as "The Gothic Novel," and "Cultural and Literary Expression in the English Renaissance."
PRIMARY SOURCES:
The Language of Literature: British Literature - a full textbook that can be downloaded in a number of formats including PDF and Kindle versions.
Companion site for Language of Literature textbook.
Common Literary Devices
Advanced Literary Devices
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Luminarium - Anthology of English Literature, covering Medieval through Restoration times.
Classic Literature online
CliffsNotes - study guides that include the full text of some titles
GradeSaver - study Guides with book summaries, major themes, character notes and quizzes.
Norton Anthology website - although designed to be used with the Norton Anthology of English Literature, many of the site features can stand alone. (It is worth checking your local library for the anthology.)
Glencoe British Literature - additional textbook companion site.
SparkNotes for Literature
SparkNotes for Poetry
Open Shakespeare - a site dedicated to The Bard.
Wikipedia's British Literature page
QUIZZES AND EXAMS:
English literature quiz
English Literature Quizzes - a series of short (10 question) quizzes in a variety of English literature topics.
GRE English Literature exam - Good for practice, but note it is a graduate level exam, so considerably more difficult than the CLEP.
English Literature final exam and Key
Recommended Course of Study:
Begin by downloading a copy of the Language of Literature textbook. (Please note: This is a BIG file. The book is over 1500 pages, and the PDF file is 141MB. You do have the option of reading it online, if necessary.) Set up a schedule for reading this text. Visit the companion website to learn more about each unit in the book. Use the additional websites to build your study journal around the exam topics found on the CLEP English Literature page. Finish the course with the practice quizzes and final exam.
You should read as many works as possible over the course of the year. Choose a variety of authors, to familiarize yourself with their styles. Use the study guide websites - CliffsNotes, SparkNotes, and/or GradeSaver - to help you analyze each novel you read.
CLEP PREP
Note: This course assumes the student already has a strong background in English.
CLEP English Literature and Exam Description and Sample Questions.
Students may be interested in the Saylor English Literature Courses, which are free alternatives to college-level courses such as "The Gothic Novel," and "Cultural and Literary Expression in the English Renaissance."
PRIMARY SOURCES:
The Language of Literature: British Literature - a full textbook that can be downloaded in a number of formats including PDF and Kindle versions.
Companion site for Language of Literature textbook.
Common Literary Devices
Advanced Literary Devices
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Luminarium - Anthology of English Literature, covering Medieval through Restoration times.
Classic Literature online
CliffsNotes - study guides that include the full text of some titles
GradeSaver - study Guides with book summaries, major themes, character notes and quizzes.
Norton Anthology website - although designed to be used with the Norton Anthology of English Literature, many of the site features can stand alone. (It is worth checking your local library for the anthology.)
Glencoe British Literature - additional textbook companion site.
SparkNotes for Literature
SparkNotes for Poetry
Open Shakespeare - a site dedicated to The Bard.
Wikipedia's British Literature page
QUIZZES AND EXAMS:
English literature quiz
English Literature Quizzes - a series of short (10 question) quizzes in a variety of English literature topics.
GRE English Literature exam - Good for practice, but note it is a graduate level exam, so considerably more difficult than the CLEP.
English Literature final exam and Key
Recommended Course of Study:
Begin by downloading a copy of the Language of Literature textbook. (Please note: This is a BIG file. The book is over 1500 pages, and the PDF file is 141MB. You do have the option of reading it online, if necessary.) Set up a schedule for reading this text. Visit the companion website to learn more about each unit in the book. Use the additional websites to build your study journal around the exam topics found on the CLEP English Literature page. Finish the course with the practice quizzes and final exam.
You should read as many works as possible over the course of the year. Choose a variety of authors, to familiarize yourself with their styles. Use the study guide websites - CliffsNotes, SparkNotes, and/or GradeSaver - to help you analyze each novel you read.
