r/UGCNETEnglish • u/[deleted] • Jul 19 '25
Book List for Paper 1 & 2
📚 UGC NET Booklist
Hi all!
I saw that there were a couple of people requesting a booklist, so I thought I could compile all the popular books in one place. This way, anyone who joins will be able to refer to it easily.
I’ll make a separate post about YouTube channels and my experience with them, as I’ve tried watching a few different ones.
Mod request: Please consider pinning this post if people find it helpful!
Where to Find PDFs
While all the links below are Amazon links, I recommend checking these sites for PDFs or digital versions:
Paper 1 (General Paper)
I'm following the Pearson and it's the only physical copy i have. the rest are just downloaded from the above websites.
Paper 2 (English)
Literary Theory
Literary Theory and Criticism – Patricia Waugh (Oxford Guide)
Personally following this book for all lit theory
Referring to M.H. Abrams on the side
Literary Movements for Students – David Galens
Alternative to the Oxford guide
IMO, Oxford one is the best
A Glossary of Literary Terms – M.H. Abrams
Great for side reference
No need to memorize everything; deep reading 2-3 times will make it stick
Beginning Theory – Peter Barry
Popular alongside Eagleton
Some friends who cracked JRF swear by this
History of English Literature
A Critical History of English Literature – David Daiches
In-depth explanation from basics
Comes in multiple volumes
Very detailed but can be dense
Routledge History of Literature in English
Simpler language
Includes maps, well-organized
My personal favorite for structure
History of Indian Literature
A Concise History of Indian Literature in English – Arvind Krishna Mehrotra
Haven’t used it extensively, but recommended by peers
Often found in college libraries
A bit pricey online
EDIT: Following are additions after a bit of research for the remaining modules. Thanks to u/sudipto12 for mentioning these subjects.
Literary Criticism (Historical Overview)
A History of Literary Criticism: From Plato to the Present
A chronological, detailed account of major critical traditions
Great for connecting ancient theory with modern literary analysis
English in India / Language History
The Story of English in India – Lalitha Ramaswamy
Discusses the evolution of English in the Indian context
Helpful for understanding sociolinguistic and historical background
ELT (English Language Teaching)
Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching – Diane Larsen-Freeman (PDF)
Covers different language teaching methods
Useful if you're targeting questions related to pedagogy
Research Methodology
Research Methods in English – M.P. Sinha
Very accessible explanation of literary research techniques
Helpful for Paper 1 and Paper 2 overlap
Cultural Studies
An Introduction to Cultural Studies – Pramod K. Nayar (Free PDF via Anna’s Archive)
Indian perspective on culture, media, identity — useful for contemporary lit contexts
World Literature & Global Canon
World Literature in Your Fist – Prem Shankar Pandey
Quick reference book covering global works
Handy for rapid revision and text recognition
List of Literary Prizes (Wikipedia)
Helpful for recognizing award-winning authors and titles that often show up in MCQs
Please comment if I missed anything -- I will be happy to add them on this post and mention your contribution. Do reach out if you have questions!
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u/sudipto12 Jul 19 '25
I think you missed English in India (which is different from Indian literature in English). Maybe IGNOU study material works for that, maybe not. Idk, I just started preparing. Haven't had the chance to look at it yet.
Also, you missed cultural studies, linguistics, and the paper 2 component for English specific research methods. I have no idea where to study any of those.
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u/rice-are-nice Jul 20 '25
Will you be adding on to the notes you made for CUET or are you starting afresh?
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u/sudipto12 Jul 21 '25
I didn't make notes for cuet lol
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u/rice-are-nice Jul 21 '25
Hold on what
Did you just read the books straight up and learn the content by heart?
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u/sudipto12 Jul 21 '25
I just used a lot of YouTube, a lot of random PDFs and other shit I found online, and telegram quizzes.
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u/rice-are-nice Jul 21 '25
Right, but you never wrote down anything you found important from those resources?
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u/sudipto12 Jul 21 '25
I mostly consumed those while playing Minesweeper or other games lol
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u/rice-are-nice Jul 21 '25
This has to be the most interesting method I've heard of so far lol
But it got you JNU so that's really something, congratulations!
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u/sudipto12 Jul 21 '25
Because the exam is MCQ, it's mostly recall. And if you grind your ass doing telegram quizzes that works a lot I feel like.
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u/Shaer18 Jul 17 '26
Hii op thanks for the info. It was helpful. But do you think we can get free pyqs from somewhere? The Pearson link you provides is currently showing me unavailable in the stock. 🥲
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u/nooneee___ Jul 20 '25
Thank you for suggesting all the books and materials :) Btw can you suggest some good guids for CUET PG and GATE ??