An advanced placement literature course for high school seniors that stresses the development of the techniques of literary and artistic criticism is described in this paper. Also set forth in the paper are the philosophy underlying the course, the course objectives, textbooks and other required materials, the method of evaluation, the teacher's role in an advanced placement course, and a reading list and composition assignments for students to complete during the summer preceding the course. The major portion of the paper presents a detailed outline of course content and a bibliography for teacher reference and student research. (AEA)