Begin studying English literature by learning about the different periods of English Literature chronologically. Read Old English, then Middle English literature and then Renaissance works. Go on to study the Early Modern period, the Elizabethan Era, and Jacobean works. Continue chronologically by proceeding to read Caroline and Cromwellian works, Restoration period literature, and Augustan literature. Read books and works from the 18th century, then Romanticism literature and Victorian literature. Expand your knowledge and understanding of English literature by continuing your studies of English literature after 1900, Modernism, post-modern works and Post World War II literature.
Write a book report on work of fiction. Choose a book that personally interests you and read it. Write a book report outlining your understanding of the setting, the time period, the central characters and the plot. Write a review of the book expressing your personal opinions which should include how you were affected by the author's writing style and the mood of the novel.
Write a book report on a non-fiction work. Describe the content of the book in terms of the subject. Compose a summary highlighting the most important aspects. If you read a biography, you could explain a key event in the person's life story. If it was a reference book with various chapters, provide a description of each chapter. Writing book reports on fiction and non-fiction works will help you develop your reading comprehension.
Take a college or continuing education English Literature course in person or online. You will develop a large vocabulary and learn about sentence structure and writing techniques such as repetition and transitions. You should also learn about illustrative details, the use of rhetoric, and sustaining a consistent voice in literature. English literature courses typically offer the student the opportunity to write themselves and students should learn how to analyze works from various periods of English literature.
Teach yourself about English Literature. Internet websites offer free English lessons where you can read a story, for example, and then test your comprehension by answering questions. You can even design your test so that involves "fill in the blanks" or multiple choice responses, unscrambling words or building a sentence. Litlovers.com teaches English Literature lessons such as finding meaning, title/setting, characters, point of view, plot, irony and symbolism.