English graduate digesting opening of major novel (4)
I believe the answer is:
emma
'novel' is the definition.
(novel by Jane Austen)
'english graduate digesting opening of major' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'graduate' becomes 'MA' (abbreviation for Master of Arts).
'digesting' indicates putting letters inside (inserted letters are eaten or ingested).
'opening of' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'major' is 'm'.
'ma' going around 'm' is 'mma'.
'e'+'mma'='EMMA'
(Other definitions for emma that I've seen before include "Jane Austen novel and Nelson's lover" , "Novel by June Austen" , "Mrs Bovary" , "Lady Hamilton or Lady Thompson?" , "Miss Woodhouse?" .)