Introduction to Literature (English 1) is a one year, college-preparatory literature and composition course, and is the first volume of the Excellence in Literature curriculum. 

• Short Stories by Welty, O. Henry, and others

• Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

• Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

• Animal Farm by George Orwell

•  The Tempest by William Shakespeare

• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

This fourth edition of the best-selling Introduction to Literature (English I) features additional learning helps, a new pacing chart for each module, and updated context links and resources.

Softcover; 8.5 x 11"; 172 pages

Introduction to Literature (English 1) is the first volume of the Excellence in Literature curriculum.

What does Introduction to Literature cover?

Intro to Lit is a college-preparatory literature and composition course. Focus works, including novels, short stories, poems, and drama, have been selected for literary quality, interest, and for their place in the historical development of literature. Context readings provide background information about the author, the historical period, and the literary and artistic context of the focus work.
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Students will gain an understanding of the development of literature and will practice the skills of close literary analysis through essays, approach papers, and other evaluative writing.

How can Introduction to Literature help you?

Self-directed: Like all the volumes of the Excellence in Literature curriculum, Intro to Lit is written mostly to the student. The book begins by introducing the purpose and focus of the curriculum, then go on to provide information that will be useful as students work through the modules, including chapters on How to Read a Book and How to Write an Essay, as well as Discerning Worldview through Literary Periods.

Structured and easy to use: Following the nine modules that outline readings and a week-by-week lesson plan for each of the classic works being studied, you will find reference resources (online resource links are kept updated at the EIL site), including instructions for evaluation, reproducible rubric and assignment sheets, and more. You can see an annotated listing of each of the introductory and reference chapters at the "What is included in Excellence in Literature" post.

Optional Honors track: In the listing below, the book title in bold is the focus text, and the honors book is optional additional reading for students who want to earn an honors grade or prepare for a CLEP. A brief chapter in each book provides instructions for the additional writing that will round out the honors grade. Each book below is linked to the edition I prefer at Amazon. These are affiliate links, of course — that means I get a few cents from each book purchase, but it doesn't change your cost at all.

Module 1: Short Stories 

Links to the stories are found in the study guide.

• Sarah Orne Jewett: A White Heron

• Edgar Allen Poe: The Purloined Letter (This Poe story is not scary, if you're concerned about that.)

• Guy de Maupassant: The Diamond Necklace

• O. Henry: The Ransom of Red Chief

• Eudora Welty: A Worn Path

• James Thurber: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Note: In the study guide, there is a link to each story at the Excellence in Literature site.
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Module 2: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Honors: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

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Module 3: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

Honors: The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

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Module 4: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Honors: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley OR The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

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Module 5: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

Honors: Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot

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Module 6: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Honors: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Module 7: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Honors: 1984 by George Orwell OR

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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Module 8: The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Honors: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

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Module 9: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Honors: The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

Visit my blog to read about how I chose literature for Excellence in Literature. You may also want to look at the curriculum overview at the Excellence In Literature Curriculum page.

Purchase link for UK customers

Here are links to all the EIL study guides.

Introduction to Literature (English 1) 
Literature and Composition (English 2)
American Literature (English 3)
British Literature (English 4)
World Literature (English 5)
The Complete Curriculum: Literature and Writing for Grades 8-12
Handbook for Writers