In this classic beginner's guide to English literature, Mario Klarer offers a concise and accessible discussion of central issues in the study of literary texts, looking The new and expanded edition is fully updated to The book also features suggestions for further reading as well as an extensive glossary of key terms.
The above proved to be the most useful publication on literary theory I've ever read. Terms or definitions are followed by examples from various literary works and the author's style is not too complicated, which surely facilitates learning and helps to understand some basic concepts of literary criticism.
This is an excellent book for anyone new to literature to get a good overview of what literary studies involve. It introduces the main genres of novel, poetry, drama and film, and how literary approach apply to each genre. There is a short chapter on the key periods of English and American literature. The main literary theories oriented to text, author, reader and context are also included. As it is under 200 pages, you can't except much depth to be covered, but it gives a very concise introduction to the subject area.
So when he says 'introduction,' he's not kidding. This would, I suppose, be helpful if I was actually studying literature at an introductory level, but I'm not. It's kind of a handy reference, though. It even has a glossary.