English Literature Optional Syllabus for UPSC
By Balaji
Updated on: March 22nd, 2023
English Literature Optional UPSC: The English Literature Syllabus is very vast and includes literature from old English used in the medieval and early modern period. The English optional UPSC syllabus covers topics which include William Shakespeare: King Lear and The Tempest, John Milton: Paradise Lost, I, II, IV, IX, Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock and many more.
Candidates with a strong English background and an interest in novels, and poetry should take this as an optional subject. It is crucial to go through the detailed UPSC English Literature Syllabus and analyze the topics as per weightage and your strengths. Plan and prepare a comprehensive strategy to cover the optional syllabus in time. English Literature Optional UPSC syllabus for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 has been covered in this article.
Table of content
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1. English Literature Optional UPSC Mains Syllabus
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2. English Literature Optional UPSC Syllabus PDF
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3. UPSC English Literature Syllabus: Paper 1
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4. UPSC English Literature Syllabus: Paper 2
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5. UPSC English Literature Syllabus – Preparation Tips
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6. Best Books to Study English Literature Optional UPSC Syllabus
English Literature Optional UPSC Mains Syllabus
The candidate should be familiar with the UPSC English Optional Syllabus as it includes Paper 1 and Paper 2. This exam has two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2 in UPSC Mains.
Paper 1 and Paper 2 is of 250 marks and the total marks are 500.
| English Literature Syllabus UPSC | Topics |
| UPSC English Literature Syllabus Paper 1 | Section A: William Shakespeare, John Donne, William Wordsworth, Henrik Ibsen: A Doll’s House.
Section B: Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice, Henry Fielding. Tom Jones, Charles Dickens. Hard Times, George Eliot. The Mill on the Floss, Thomas Hardy. Tess of the d’Urbervilles Mark Twain. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn |
| UPSC English Literature Syllabus Paper 2 | Section A: Authors such as William Butler Yeats, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, John Osborne: Look Back in Anger, Samuel Beckett. Waiting for Godot, Philip Larkin.
Section B: Joseph Conrad. Lord Jim, James Joyce. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, D.H. Lawrence. Sons and Lovers, E.M. Forster. A Passage to India, Virginia Woolf. Mrs. Dalloway, Raja Rao, Kantha Pura, V.S. Naipaul. A House for Mr. Biswas. |
English Literature Optional UPSC Syllabus PDF
Candidates preparing for the English Literature UPSC Syllabus must be well versed with the detailed syllabus so that they can plan the preparation in a strategic manner.
English Literature Optional UPSC Syllabus PDF
To download the UPSC English Syllabus PDF, you need to click on the link attached above. Apart from all this, you should know about UPSC mains syllabus in an intricate manner.
UPSC English Literature Syllabus: Paper 1
It is important to remember that Paper 1 consists of 6 topics in a total of the UPSC English Syllabus which are further split into subtopics.
UPSC English Literature Syllabus Paper 1: Section B
- Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
- Prejudice and Pride by Jane Austen
- Hard Times by Charles Dickens
- Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles
- The Mill of the Floss by George Eliot
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
UPSC English Literature Syllabus: Paper 2
Make sure you remember that paper 2 has a total of 6 topics in their UPSC English Optional Syllabus which are further categorized into subtopics.
UPSC English Literature Syllabus Paper 2: Section B
- Portrait of the Artist as a Young man by James Joyce
- Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
- Lovers and Sons by D.H. Lawrence
- A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
- Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
- Kantha Pura by Raja Rao
- A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul.
UPSC English Literature Syllabus – Preparation Tips
It is beneficial for the candidate if he or she follows preparation tips for the UPSC Syllabus. Below are some preparation tips for covering the entire syllabus of the English Literature Optional UPSC Mains.
- Make sure that you study for long hours consistently as it is very important for exam preparation.
- You should make a study schedule or a plan list for your studies.
- You must analyze the complete English Optional UPSC syllabus in order to score well in exams.
- Separate the important topics covered under UPSC English Literature Optional syllabus and make small notes on them.
- Revise them on a regular basis.
- Candidates must solve the UPSC Test series, mock tests, current affairs, and UPSC previous year question papers.
- You can create a study calendar to make things easier for you. This will help you to learn a lot and you can study efficiently.
Best Books to Study English Literature Optional UPSC Syllabus
There is a list of recommended books which are required for the preparation of the UPSC English Optional Syllabus exam. Some of the most recommended ones are given below.
| Important Books | Publisher Name |
| Introduction to English Literature | W. H Hudson |
| King Lear | William Shakespeare |
| The Tempest | William Shakespeare |
| Canonization | John Donne |
| Death be not proud | John Donne |
| The Good Morrow | John Donne |
| Three years she grew | William Wordsworth |
| Michael | William Wordsworth |
| Gulliver’s Travels | Jonathan Swift |
