Critically examine the link between the teaching of English and Literary Texts.

Teaching of English and Literary Text -English study in India is largely a text-oriented study. It is not primarily an examination of historical and cultural context of English but rather a scrutiny of English texts. In such a situation, the centrality of the text1 textbook assumes a special significance. It is on the strength of the availability of textbooks that English departments negotiate their exploration of English literature. Hence, the intervention of the publishing industry is a proactive one.

When the teaching of English in India was instituted, the publishing industry actively stepped in to snake available texts that enabled teaching of English in India. In this way, the role of the publishing industry in the successful formulation of English studies in India and its smooth institutionalising became a central and participatory one. Publishing in English, thanks to the colonial official institutionalisation of English education became a profitable enterprise. Much of the total publication in India was in English.