Critical Literature Pedagogy (CLP) is a teaching and assessment approach that promotes reading against the text and critically examining biases, norms, and stereotypes in literature. As literature teachers have limited knowledge of the use of CLP as an educational approach to teaching and assessment of literature, this practical action research explored changes in pre-service English teachers' knowledge of CLP following an educational intervention at a state-operated teacher education college in the Philippines. The quasi-experimental study involved 69 third-year pre-service English language teachers in a teacher education college in Central Luzon, Philippines. Results showed a significant increase in CLP knowledge, with participants' mean scores rising from 2.87 (Knowledgeable) to 3.73 (Very Knowledgeable). The improved CLP knowledge was further analyzed through factor analysis using PCA with a rotated component matrix, identifying four key components for developing CLP-based principles for literary education. Qualitative findings reinforced these results, highlighting CLP’s impact on content and pedagogical knowledge while also revealing challenges related to teachers, students, and administration. Strategies for addressing these barriers were grouped into three categories: Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge. The study’s results provide valuable insights for enhancing practices and curriculum design in literature education.