This is a course of guided reading which allows the self-motivated student the freedom to grapple with major literary works of the tradition. As such, it is a capstone for the English major. This is a course of intensive reading, and the requirement is to read two or three major works (depending on length) and engage in a careful analysis of how these works are created and what they have to say. Examples of such works in the English language might include: *Middlemarch*, *Moby Dick*, or a Shakespeare play, and the case could be made by the student for any number of other works. The course of readings will be supplemented with seminars focused on cultivating a critical sensibility through the reading of important critical writings on the novel. Topics: + Factors contributing to literary “greatness” + Literary techniques and their effects + Key concepts in advanced literature study + Researching scholarly sources on literary works + Placing texts in their socio-historical contexts