Do I have to take an English or literature course in college

not only do you have to be a literature major, but you must obtain a phd in it before the age of 25.

Don't major in English in an American Uni, you will be majoring in critical theory with sjw activism. Major in something that will make you more rounded like Philosophy or Classics.

>>9870565
PhDs are for scientists...
Unless that's the joke in which case hahaha

>>9870571
>critical theory with sjw activism
Yeah, that's one of the several reasons as to why I don't want to take such a course.

>>9870571
But I also want to pursue a career with a PhD required. Do I have to compromise one or the other?

>>9870547
you just need to do the research and understand the history of literature as well as a serious lit major. It doesn't really matter if you took a course or not. However, I recommend you take a course as long as your university isn't inundated with bullshit, which there is a good chance it isn't since there are still plenty of serious literature scholars who are silent and are not attention whores. You may be surprised to find how little you know about literature and how weak your literary analyses are.

>>9870643
Fantastic. You know, I actually research stuff as a hobby, so I guess this could be a breeze for me. Thanks man.
>as long as your uni isn't inundated with bullshit
Fat chance lmao.

>>9870596
If you wanna do your PhD in lit then make sure you try to do your BA in something that will give you multiple view points. You should take the good from sjw activism and critical theory but don't turn it into a fucking power tool.

>>9870657
I believe every ideology and movement, even the most radical and illogical of them, have some truth within. That said, the SJW movement, despite being about 99% pure, concentrated bullshit, that 1% is still pretty meaningful (is 1% too generous though?) I'm not gonna waste my time on some SJW social engineering marxist bullshit class lmao.

>>9870547
You have to have read the entirety of the Western Canon twice then study each book with the preeminent scholar of that era/school of thought. Once you've done this you must write a one page single-spaced report to Harold Bloom on one genre fiction book of your choosing. It is important that you have not read this book. From the book cover and summary on the back, you must detail one aspect of the book that disqualifies it from being in the Western Canon. Perhaps, you could mention how the author repeatedly uses the phrases "stretch their legs" to explain to the reader that the character went for a walk. If Harold Bloom doesn't reply to you, you have failed. You may not repeat this process, again. If Harold Bloom dies before you complete any step in this process, tough luck, kid.

>>9870767
>Harold Bloom
Holy shit is there really only one shot? Are there no other, equally valid literary critics out there?

>>9870547
Not only is it not required, you're far better off not taking those courses. I've never met a single English or Literature major who could write a decent paragraph if their life depended on it.

>>9870767
Where does it say that it has to be this way? Have you tried it out yourself? Are there instructions online or anywhere else? Interviews? Explain.

>>9870547
Yes.
>>9870565
This

File: michelhouellebecq_religion_jourfixeblog_gaby_dos_santos.jpg (238KB, 682x1024px) Image search: [Google]

238KB, 682x1024px

>>9870547
Even if you don't study lit at uni you'll find that all the great writers worked on very strict schedules, so essentially you would have to devote most of your working hours to reading and writing. So you might as well go to uni and get feedback from professors experienced in the field.