Much of the clamor about instructional relevance today results from student dissatisfaction with (1) the narrow and anachronistic definition of literature commonly given by teachers, (2) the artificial compartmentalizing of literary works, and (3) the assumption that literature can only be apprehended through analysis. Rather than concentrating solely on poetry, drama, and fiction, teachers should spend more time on non-fictional works and the new mixed genres. Rather than separating works by time, genre, or national origin, teachers should arrange sequences solely on the basis that one work is better understood because of its relationship to another. Teachers must also recognize that an effective experience involves more than literary analysis and must begin to deal directly with humanistic and moral values as well as esthetic ones. (DD)