Advanced Placement IV- Literature and Composition
Summer Assignments
Mrs. Powell
Hm #: (941) 460- 9231
Hello and welcome to AP Literature and Composition. I hope this past year went well and that you recover quickly. I am looking forward to discussing this year’s summer assignments with you as I truly feel they will change, or at least enhance, the way you perceive literature and will encourage you to explore new territory. I have copies How to Read Literature like a Professor in my classroom library which you may check out on a first-come-first served basis; however, it is so great, you may want to purchase your own copy. I also have some of the novels in my classroom library which you may check out over the summer; otherwise the bookstore, e-texts (Google books), or the library will have to work for you. There will be no excuse for not having these assignments complete and with you on the day you return to school, for we will begin our exploration immediately. Students will receive a zero on any missing summer assignment(s) and in the case of a class transfer, will take the zeroes with them. My e-mail address and phone number are on this paper should you run into any questions or concerns over the summer. Please do not wait until the last minute, though. First of all, I probably won’t be able to help at that point, or you may not enjoy the experience as you will feel rushed and resentful? Enjoy your literary travels.
The three (3) parts to this summer’s work are delineated below:
I] SUMMER READING-
1. Required : How to Read Literature like a Professor- Thomas C. Foster
2. Required:
A] Choose and read ONE novel from the list of contemporary classics (post-1980) on the back of this page. These will be appropriate for the open-response of the AP test IF you read them as a work of literature- thoughtfully and analytically. Caveat 1: Many of these works have been made into films. The film, as you know, is never a replacement for the novel. First of all, you are analyzing literature- the words that author painstakingly wrote. Secondly, the film is usually not an accurate representation of the novel. It has been made into a script. The order, characters, and endings have been altered and parts have been deleted or added. Please do not do this. Caveat 2: Do not replace reading the novel with online “aides.” This is a summer assignment which you are allowed CHOOSE your novel. You need to see if you can read the book by yourself. You will have to be able to read and analyze by yourself to prep for the exam and for college. Caveat 3: Do not read works that you have read for another class, even as a summer reading. You need to move forward and garner as much reading experience as possible.
B] Choose and read ONE short story and ONE poem from Foster’s appendix (pages 285-293)-Short stories and poems are indicated with quotation marks.
II] SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS
Keep helpful Reader/Writer Notebook entries for EACH of your choices, A and B above. Include connections that you have made between your works and the chapters in How to Read Literature like a Professor with quotes and page numbers to support your reading. You should be able to involve at least three Foster chapters for each work, and this would be a bare minimum. In addition, for choices A and B, make at least five thematic, characterization, and setting connections between other novels, plays, poems and short stories you have read – especially those of literary merit ( i.e. the ones you have studied in your high school English classes.) The key is to critically read and to get involved with the literature. These are a reflection of you and your hard work. We will be creating and presenting a project and will be writing a timed open- response-style essay based on your readings this summer. This notebook is due on the first day of class.
III] AP ESSAYS ASSIGNMENT
In addition to the summer reading, you are asked to write three (3), forty (40) - minute essays from a past AP Literature test. Please spend no more than two hours for all three. This is how long you will have on the exam. These will serve as a diagnostic tool from which we will embark on our quest to improve our literary analyses. Essay prompts are available in my room 326, your counselor’s office, or on our website if you did not receive one from your current English teacher. You will be expected to have these with you, handwritten in black pen - skipping lines, on the first day of class.
Contemporary Classics List- Please DO NOT read works you have already read or have covered in your high school curriculum, including as a summer reading. You want to cover as much ground as possible. Many of these works contain mature subject matter; if you or your parents deem any work objectionable, please choose another one. If you don’t like the novel, please choose another one. Perhaps do some research or ask your peers before committing. BOLD indicates that I have a few copies of that novel.
1) The Namesake- Lahiri
2) The House of Sand and Fog- Dubus
3) The Shipping News- Proulx
4) The Help- Stockett
5) The Poisonwood Bible-Kingsolver
6) The Joy Luck Club- Tan
7) A Prayer for Owen Meaney- Irving
8) The Road- McCarthy
9) Atonement- McEwan
10) The Life of Pi- Martel
11) The Kite Runner- Hosseini
12) Memoirs of a Geisha- Golden
13) The Power of One (not the young readers’ edition, please)- Courtenay
14) Cold Mountain- Frazier
15) A Yellow Raft in Blue Water- Dorris
16) Snow Falling on Cedars- Guterson
17) The Great Santini- Conroy
18) A Fine Balance- Mistry