新一轮本科专业教育改革将英语专业定位于人文性质的专业，志在将外语建设为“一流学科”的高校对英语专业的本科教学质量提出了更高的要求，特别强调的是人文思想的教育和思辨能力的培养。本文从“阅读”在外国文学教学语境中的概念界定入手，在显性和隐性两个层面上反思所谓“文学功用”之说，以《美国文学选读》的教材编写和教学实践为例着重探讨如何将人文主义教育理念渐次渗透到英语专业的文学教学之中，在此基础上寻求英美文学教学难点的突破方法，以期进一步明确文学阅读在英语专业课程设置中的定位。

In the new wave of undergraduate education reform in China, the humanistic nature of the English major is stressed. As a result, a higher standard is set for the undergraduate teaching quality of the English major in the universities that aim high at building “world first-class disciplines,” especially in terms of humanistic thoughts and critical thinking abilities. Based on a definition of “reading” in the context of foreign literature teaching, this paper explores the “uses of literature” at both explicit and implicit levels, discusses how to carry out humanistic education through the teaching of literature to English major students, and analyzes the difficulties commonly encountered in the processes of textbook compilation and teaching practice through examples from Selected Readings in American Literature, with a view to clarify the significance of literary reading in the English major curriculum.