Resources
The very first question people ask after they are done asking for Syllabus are
the books they need to buy in order to prepare for UGC NTA NET/JRF in English.
And as always they have a lot recommendation from different people, some of
them very varied. However, to me that is a problematic approach. This exam is
not solely dependent on books and that is what makes it difficult, if at all,
for people who are depending on them. Please don't confuse this with any other
university or college level exam that can be dealt with only books. More on
that later.
First let me introduce the kinds of books available in the market
and with them to their pros and cons.
1. History Books
To put up a list of
History Books is not possible so I'm just going to list the most famous ones:
|
A Critical History of
English Literature - Volume I & II |
David Daiches |
|
History of English
Literature by |
Arthur Compton-Rickett |
|
English Literature: Its
History and Its Significance for the Life of the English-Speaking World |
William J. Long |
|
An Outline History of
English Literature |
William Henry Hudson |
|
History of English
Literature by |
Edward Albert |
|
A Compendious History of
English Literature |
R. D. Trivedi |
|
A Short History of
English Literature |
Pramod K. Nayar |
|
History of English
Literature |
Legouis Cazamian |
|
Short Oxford History of
English Literature |
Andrew Sanders |
|
Routledge History of
Literature in English |
Ronald Carter and John
McRae |
2. Guide books from
publishers.
There are lots of them
from Arihant to Upkar to Truman
to R. Gupta and other not-so-famous publishers.
Pros:
i)
They are books, available in hard copy so easy to read and highlight.
ii) Fairly Cheap
iii) Have practice
questions that could be helpful
Cons:
i)
Are not exhaustive i.e. they do not cover the full extent of the syllabus
ii) Riddled with
mistakes.
iii) Can waste time with
irrelevant information.
3. Notes from Coaching Centers
You can find a lot of
coaching centers advertising their material on social media platforms. Here's
what you need to know about them.
Pros:
i)
More exhaustive.
ii) Can guide you better
with a streamlined syllabus.
Cons:
i)
Expensive
ii) Quality can only be
assessed after purchasing.
iii) Most content
available online for free
4. Books on Literary Theory and Criticism
|
Beginning Theory |
Peter Barry |
|
Literary Criticism
from Plato to the Present: An Introduction |
M.A.R. Habib |
|
English Literary Criticism and Theory |
Pramod. K. Nayar |
5. Reference books
There are various reference
books suggested by people like Oxford Handbook of English Literature, Anthology
of Poetry etc. Rather than listing their pros and cons I would just say that
you don't really need any of them other these two books
a) A Glossary of Literary
Terms - M. H Abrahams
b) A Dictionary of
Literary Terms - J. A. Cuddon (Penguin)
Although people recommend a lot of books for UGC NET/JRF in
English I would not do so. I would even go to the extent of saying that you can
do without any of the books listed above to clear UGC NTA NET/JRF in English.
You can, but it would not be practical.
So first let me tell you the purpose that each book will solve and
then you can decide which book is good for you. I would also be giving you my
recommendations alongside.
