Composition & Literature Resources
When you prepare for your CLEP exam in composition or literature, we suggest that you read the exam description for your exam carefully, and match the knowledge and skills required to any free course or study content.
The following resources, compiled by CLEP test development committees and staff members, may help you study for your exam. However, none of these sources are designed specifically to provide preparation for a CLEP exam. The College Board has no control over their content and cannot vouch for accuracy.
- General Literature and Writing Resources
- American Literature Resources
- Analyzing and Interpreting Literature Resources
- English Composition Resources
- English Literature Resources
- Freshman College Composition Resources
- Humanities Resources
General Literature and Writing Resources
Textbooks
- Barnet and Bedau, Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: A Brief Guide to Argument (Bedford/St. Martin's)
- Bishop and Strickland, The Subject Is Writing: Essays by Teachers and Students (Boynton/Cook)
- Bullock, The Norton Field Guide to Writing (W.W. Norton)
- Eschholz and Rosa, Subject and Strategy: A Writer's Reader (Bedford/St. Martin's)
- Graff and Birkenstein, They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Persuasive Writing (W.W. Norton)
- Hacker, A Writer's Reference (Bedford/St. Martin's)
Online Resources
American Literature Resources
Read the American Literature exam description.
To prepare for the American Literature exam, you should read critically the contents of at least one anthology. Most textbook anthologies contain a representative sample of readings as well as discussions of historical background, literary styles and devices characteristic of various authors and periods, and other material relevant to the test. The anthologies vary somewhat in their content, approach, and emphasis; you are advised to consult more than one or to consult some specialized books on major authors, periods, and literary forms and terminology.
Textbooks
- Baym, ed., Norton Anthology of American Literature (Norton)
- Belasco and Johnson, Bedford Anthology of American Literature (Bedford/St. Martin's)
- Cain, American Literature (Penguin/Longman)
- Cushman and Newlin, Nation of Letters (Brandywine/Blackwell)
- Lauter, ed., Heath Anthology of American Literature (Wadsworth)
- McMichael, Anthology of American Literature (Prentice Hall)
- McQuade et al., Harper American Literature, Single Volume Edition (Longman)
- Perkins and Perkins, The American Tradition in Literature (McGraw-Hill)
You should also read as many as possible of the major novels that are mentioned or excerpted in the anthologies, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Other novelists whose major works you should be familiar with include Melville, Crane, Wharton, Cather, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Faulkner, Ellison, and Wright. You can probably obtain an extensive reading list of American literature from a college English department, library, or bookstore.
Online Resources
- California State University, Stanislaus: Perspectives in American Literature
- James Madison University: English and American Literature—Online Books for Educators
- Sam Houston State University: American Literature Anthology Writers' Index
- The Society of Early Americanists
- Washington State University: Dr. Donna Campbell's Literature Page
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature Resources
Read the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam description.
The most relevant preparation for the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam is attentive and reflective reading of the various literary genres of poetry, drama, and prose. You can prepare for the test by:
- Reading a variety of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction
- Reading critical analyses of various literary works
- Writing analyses and interpretations of the works you read
- Discussing with others the meaning of the literature you read
Textbooks and anthologies used for college courses in the analysis and interpretation of literature contain a sampling of literary works in a variety of genres. They also contain material that can help you comprehend the meanings of literary works and recognize the devices writers use to convey their sense and intent. You would do well to consult two or three texts because they do vary somewhat in content, approach, and emphasis.
English Composition Resources
Read the English Composition exam description.
Most textbooks used in college-level English Composition courses cover the topics relevant to the exam, but the approaches to certain topics and the emphasis given to them may differ.
To become aware of the processes and the principles involved in presenting your ideas logically and expressing them clearly and effectively, you should practice writing. Ideally, you should try writing on a variety of subjects and issues, starting with those you know best and care about most. Ask someone you know and respect to respond to what you write and to help you discover which parts of your writing communicate effectively and which parts need revision to make the meaning clear. You should also try to read the works of published writers in a wide range of subjects, paying particular attention to the ways in which they use language to express their meaning.
English Literature Resources
Read the English Literature exam description.
Most textbooks used in college-level English Literature courses cover the topics relevant to the exam, but the approaches to certain topics and the emphasis given to them may differ.
You should also read critically the contents of at least one literary anthology, many of which are used as textbooks in English literature courses at the college level. Most textbook anthologies contain a representative sample of readings, as well as discussions of historical background, literary styles, and devices characteristic of various authors and periods, and other material relevant to the test. The anthologies do vary somewhat in content, approach, and emphasis; you are therefore advised to consult more than one anthology, as well as some specialized books on major authors, periods, and literary forms and terminology. You should also read some of the major novels that are mentioned or excerpted in the anthologies.
Textbooks
- Black, Broadview Anthology of British Literature (Broadview)
- Damrosch et al., Longman Anthology of British Literature (Longman)
- Greenblatt, Norton Anthology of English Literature (W.W. Norton)
- Various eds., Oxford Anthology of English Literature (Oxford University Press)
Online Resources
- James Madison University: English and American Literature—Online Books for Educators
- Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature
- The Online Literature Library
- University of California, Berkeley: Webcast lectures for English 45
Freshman College Composition Resources
Read the Freshman College Composition exam description.
To prepare for the Freshman College Composition exam, you should consult books that are typically used as reference books or textbooks for first-year English composition and rhetoric courses. The books in the first group include handbooks of grammar and manuals for writing papers and research papers. They offer guidance on the various elements of writing (sentences, paragraphs, essays) as well as examples illustrating acceptable usage and punctuation.
The books in the second group generally include examples of writing, usually written by professional writers but sometimes by student writers. The books in this group suggest ways to make writing interesting, effective, and suitable to a particular purpose. They provide examples of different kinds of writing and practice in reading comprehension.
Humanities Resources
Read the Humanities exam description.
To do well on the Humanities exam, you should know something about each of the forms of literature and fine arts from the various periods and cultures listed in the exam description. It may also be helpful to refer to college textbooks, supplementary reading, and references for introductory courses in literature and fine arts at the college level.
Combined with reading, a lively interest in the arts (going to museums and concerts, attending plays, seeing motion pictures, watching public television programs such as Great Performances and Masterpiece Theatre, and listening to radio stations that play classical music and feature discussions of the arts) constitutes excellent preparation.
Textbooks
- Adams, Exploring the Humanities (Prentice Hall)
- Benton and DiYanni, Arts and Culture: Introduction to the Humanities (Prentice Hall)
- Bishop, Adventures in the Human Spirit (Prentice Hall)
- Cunningham, Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities (Wadsworth)
- Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition (McGraw-Hill)
- Martin, Humanities through the Arts (McGraw-Hill)
- Sayre, The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change, Vols. I and II (Prentice Hall)
- Witt et al., The Humanities (Houghton-Mifflin)
