English Honours VBU University Syllbus
LAST UPDATED: March 11, 2026
If you are pursuing a degree in English Honours (FYUGP) under the National Education Policy (NEP) from Vinoba Bhave University (VBU), having a clear and updated understanding of the syllabus is the first step toward academic success.
This guide provides a complete overview of the New Updated VBU English Honours Syllabus, including the semester-wise structure and Free Downloadable PDF Notes for all key topics. Whether you are preparing for upcoming exams or just starting your journey, these syllabus details and Topic-wise Handwritten Notes will help you study in a focused and organized way. From classic literature to modern Indian texts, this updated resource ensures you don’t miss anything important for your VBU Exams.
Table of Contents
Notification and New Updates.
BA English Honours Semester 1
| MJ Paper 1: Basic Literary Concepts |
| Unit I: Introduction to literature | 1. Definition of Literature 2. Types of Literature 3. Elements of Literature 4. Function of Literature |
| Unit II: Poetry | 1. Nature and Types of Poetry 2. Literary Terms and Metres |
| Unit III: Drama | 1. Nature and Elements of Drama 2. Element and Literary Terms |
| Unit IV: Fiction | 1. Nature and Elements of Drama 2. Types of Fictions & Literary Terms |
BA English Honours Semester 2
| MJ Paper 2: British Literature: 14th to 17th Century |
| Unit I: Historical Background | 1. Social Condition, Political Condition, Religious Condition, and Economic Condition. |
| Unit II: Poetry | 1. Nun’s Priest’s Tale – Geoffrey Chaucer 2. A Hymn to God the Father – John Donne 3. How Soon Hath Time – John Milton 4. The Garden – Andrew Marvell |
| Unite III: Pastoral Comedy | 1. As you Like It – Shakespeare |
| Unite IV: literary criticism | 1. An Essay of Dramatic Poesy – Dryden |
MJ Paper 3: British Poetry and Drama 18th Century  |
| Unit I: Historical Background | 1. Social Condition 2. Political Condition 3. Religious Condition 4. Economic Condition |
| Unit II: Alexander Pope | 1. Essay on Man (Epistle 1) |
| Unit III: William Black | 1. The Tiger 2. The Lamb |
| Unit IV: William Cowper | 1. Light Shining out of Darkness |
BA English Honours Semester 3
| MJ Paper 4: British Prose 18th Century (Fiction & Non-Fiction) |
| Unit I: Historical Background and Movements | 1. Social Condition 2. Political Condition 3. Religious Condition 4. Economical Condition |
| Unit II: Henry Fielding | 1. Tom Johes |
| Unit III: Horace Walpole | 1. The Castle of Otranto |
| Unit IV: Johnathan Swift and Samuel Johnson | 1. Swift’s Satires ( A meditation upon Broomstick, Letter of Advice to Young Poet) 2. Lives of Poets (Milton, Dryden) |
| MJ Paper 5: British Prose 19th Century ( Fiction and Non-Fiction) |
BA English Honours Semester 4
| MJ Paper 6: British Poetry 19th Century |
| Unit I: Historical Background | Significant Influences, Movements and Works |
| Unit II: William Wordsworth and S T Coleridge | 1. Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey 2. Kubla Khan |
| Unit III: P B Shelley and John Keats | 1. Ode to the West Wind 2. Ode to the Nightingale |
| Unite IV: Selected poems | 1. In Memoriam (Stanza LIV: Oh, yet we trust, CVI: Ring out, wild bells) – Tennyson 2. How do I love Thee (Sonnet No. 43) Elizabeth Barrett Browning 3. My Last Duchess – Robert Browning |
| MJ Paper 7: British Writing Early 20th Century |
| Unit I: Historical Background | English literature 1900-1950 significant influences and movements |
| Unit II: W B Yeats and TS Eliot | 1. Wild Swans at Coole 2. Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock |
| Unit III: G B Shaw and Graham Greene | 1. Pygmalion 2. The Heart of the Matter |
| Unite IV: T S Eliot | Tradition and the Individual Talent |
| MJ Paper 8: MODERN EUROPEAN DRAMA |
| Unit I: MODERN EUROPEAN DRAMA | Politics, Social changes and the stages, Text and performance, Realism and experimentation, Tragedy and Heroism |
| Unit II: Henrik Ibsen | 1. Ghosts |
| Unit III: Bertolt Brecht | The Good Woman of Setzuan – Trans. by Eric Bentley |
| Unite IV: Eugène Ionesco | Rhinoceros |
BA English Honours Semester 5
| MJ Paper 9: American Literature 19th & 20th Century |
| Unit I: Historical Background | 1. Social, Political, Religious, Economical conditions 2. American Writing in English 3. Significant movements, Influences and literary schools in 19th & 20th Century |
| Unit II: Poetry | 1. Walt Whitman Selectection from ” Song of Myself” a. A child said, what is the grass b. I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the star. 2. Robert Frost a. The Road Not Taken b. Two Tramps in Mud Time 3. Sylvia Plath a. Tulip b. Mirror |
| Unit III: Ernest Hemingway | 1. The Old Man and The Sea |
| Unit IV: Arthur Miller | 1. Death of a Salesman |
| MJ Paper 10: Women’s Writing |
| Unit I: Feminism | History of Feminism and Women’s writing in the west and India |
| Unit II: Feminism aspects and types | 1. Liberal Feminism 2. Radical Feminism 3. Marxist Feminism 4. Socialist Feminism 5. Cultural Feminism 6. Ecofeminism 7. Postmodern Feminism 8. Postcolonial Feminism 9. Black Feminism 10. Intersectional Feminism 11. Psychoanalytic Feminism 12. Materialist Feminism 13. Separatist Feminism 14. Anarcha-Feminism (Anarchist Feminism) 15. Existential Feminism 16. Third World Feminism 17. Cyber Feminism 18. Transnational Feminism |
| Unit III: Anita Desai | Fasting, Feasting |
| Unit IV: Toni Morrison | Sula |
| MJ Paper 11: Popular Fiction |
| Unit I: Sherlock Holmes | The Sign of the Four |
| Unit II: Chetan Bhagat | Five Point Someone |
BA English Honours Semester 6
| MJ Paper 12: Nature and Literature in English |
| Unit I: The syllabus covers a broad range of thematic areas | 1. Foundational Concepts – Nature and Human Society; The Western Concept of Nature. 2. Cultural Perspectives – Position of Nature in Indian Culture; Role of Nature in Tribal Communities of Jharkhand. 3. Literary Theory – Nature and English Literature; Nature and Postcolonialism; Ecocriticism. |
| Unit I: Poetry Overview This unit focuses on the evolution of “Nature Poetry” from the 17th century to the Romantic era: | 1. “To Daffodils” by Robert Herrick 2. “The Garden” by Andrew Marvell 3. “The Cloud” by P. B. Shelley 4. “Ode to Autumn” by John Keats |
| MJ Paper 13: Nature and Literature in English II |
| Unit I: Romantic Poetry This unit focuses on major works by two of the most significant poets of the Romantic era | 1. William Wordsworth: a. Daffodils (also known as “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”) b. The Solitary Reaper c. The World is Too Much with Us 2. S.T. Coleridge: a. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner |
| Unit II: Annie Dillard | Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (A foundational text in modern nature writing, focusing on the author’s observations and reflections on the natural world in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.) |
| MJ Paper 14: Nature and Literature in English III |
| Unit I: Henry David Thoreau | Walden: This classic work focuses on Thoreau’s reflections upon simple living in natural surroundings. |
| Unit II: Ruskin Bond | Time Stops at Shamli (Collection) This unit includes several short stories and essays by Ruskin Bond, known for his evocative writing about the Indian Himalayas. The specific titles listed are: a. The Funeral b. The Room of Many Colours c. Time Stops at Shamli d. Most Beautiful e. The Last Truck Ride f. The Fight g. The Tunnel i. The Summer Season j. Going Home k. Masterji |
| MJ Paper 15: Nature and Literature in English IV |
| Unit I: Amitav Ghosh | The Hungry Tide |
| Unit II: Indian English Poetry | Toru Dutt a. Our Casuarina Tree b. Baugmaree Sarojini Naidu a. Autumn Song b. Coromandel Fishers Keki N Daruwalla a. The Fish |
| Semester 7 and 8 syllabus will be updated soon….. |
