Case studies of two novices at a large midwestern university trace their development from student teacher to first-year teacher in secondary English classrooms, focusing primarily on their conceptions of literature and the relationship of these conceptions to their classroom practices. Data included in-depth, semi-structured interviews, observation in student teaching seminars and during student teaching and first year of teaching, and written artifacts. Both subjects pointed to several major influences on their development as teachers of English: their students, their English education coursework, their peers from those methods courses and from their student teaching seminar, and their colleagues in school settings. Although "Maureen" rarely mentioned professional development activities, "Jenny" believed that local workshops and publications were important. To a lesser degree, Maureen said that her cooperating teacher played a role in her development; in contrast, Jenny felt that her relationship with her cooperating teacher was not useful. Jenny felt that her college English classes had little impact on her development; and the teaching styles of most of Maureen's college English professors clashed with her own developing teaching style. Implications for teacher educators include: (1) provide students opportunities to identify and examine their beliefs about teaching; (2) help beginning teachers understand that their attitudes toward students can have a powerful impact on their instructional decisions; and (3) help prospective teachers when their ideas"clash" with what they experience in the school context. Contains 58 references. (RS)