To understand the history of Western literature or to comment on Western literature, you can refer to the following books: 1. A Short History of Western Literature by David Boaz The Manual: A Text Book of Western Literature by John Liss The Great Books of Western Literature by Stephen Hawkings Introduction to Western Literature by James Hooks The above books are all classic works in the field of Western literary research. You can choose one or more of them according to your interests and needs. At the same time, he could also follow some literary review websites or social media accounts to learn about the latest literary trends and research results.