Our literature is there, waiting to be discovered. But we must learn how to approach it. Our enjoyment and understanding are deepened when we have learned how literature works in its various forms and have mastered techniques of assessing what it is and what means. This study is broadly called literary criticism and is central to English as an academic discipline. The history of our literature, the study of our language, and training in precise and attractive writing are other necessary parts of the subject.
Traditional answers are careers in teaching, writing, publishing, broadcasting and journalism.
What students do not always realize is that an English degree is regarded as an excellent basis for careers in fields such as business, the civil service, social work, religious ministries, law, even medicine. One of our graduates who went on to law school said that his training in literary criticism was his best piece of equipment. In fact, language skills and the understanding of people and ideas that are derived from the study of English can be expected to be of direct benefit in most careers. The graphic design for Louis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland is courtesy of Webmuseum . Not for reproduction.