AP ENGLISH LITERATURE
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT 2014-2015
OVERVIEW/DIRECTIONS
The following assignments are designed to demonstrate your knowledge of the text and to provide you with a resource you can use both in class discussion and at college. You might find that you again will be asked to read some of these titles or that they may relate to materials you are covering in college. Review this information and complete/return the attached contract by 6/6/14 with all required signatures.
First, you need two pocketfolders – in each folder, include the materials submitted for the novels you read from each group (as explained below).DO NOT USE BINDERS – FOLDERS ONLY. You will divide your information into the following sections by tab or divider, placing your work in each section. Finally, you are expected to submit your OWN ORIGINAL WORK. PLAGIARISM of any kind will result in you being dropped from the class.
REMEMBER: IF you miss the deadline, you will be reassigned to another English course.
FOLDER SETUP
In your folder, create the following sections for each novel you read:
- MAJOR WORKS DATA SHEET – In this section, you will complete the information requested on the Major Works Data Sheet for each novel from Group 1you read this summer. You must type the information (12pt. Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1-inch margins)and submit it in the order presented on the sample handout included with this packet.
- STYLE ANALYSIS–In this section, you must identify one example from the text for4 of the stylistic elementslisted in this packet and explain how these contribute to or help develop overall effect in each of the two novels you read. You may choose any 4 items from the list, but you MUST choose a DIFFERENT set of items for each novel (do not re-use any elements – there are 16 total). Your explication of each element must clearly identify the example from the text, be insightful, well-constructed, and use correct grammar, sentence and paragraph structure. There is no required length for each explanation – but your answers must be thorough, complete, and accurate.
- VOCABULARY – You must learn all words on the attached list by the first day of school and bring them with you to class (your notecards) for in-class review. You may record the word on a notecard (3 x 5put the definition on the back) or in LIST format which includes your source for each definition. You will be tested on these the first week you return to school in August.
- READER’S RESPONSE LOG and CRITICISM - For the ONE novel you choose to read from Group 2, you will complete a Reader’s Response Log and Literary Criticism Response using the directions provided with this packet.
- ESSAY–In this section, you will compose and submit ONE essay from ONE of the THREE novels you read this summer. Review the prompts provided on the next page and choose ONE to respond to. Clearly indicate in your essay which prompt you are addressing. Complete directions are provided with the Essay Prompts.
ESSAY PROMPTS
Carefully review the following questions and then compose a well-written, accurate essay res-ponse to ONE of the prompts. Use any of the novels you read over the summer as evidence to support your essay. Your essay must be typed, 12pt. Times New Roman, double-spaced with 1-in. margins, follow MLA style/format, and NO MORE than 2-3 pgs. in length. You are submitting ONE ESSAY ONLY for the entire summer workusingany of the3 novels you choose to read. If the essay is NOT submitted at the deadline, you will be rescheduled by Guidance into another English class.
PROMPTS (choose ONE only):
1. In The Writing of Fiction (1925), novelist Edith Wharton states the following: “At every stage in the progress of his tale the novelist must rely on what may be called the illuminating incident to reveal and emphasize the inner meaning of each situation. Illuminating incidents are the magic casements of fiction, its vistas on infinity.” Choose a novel and write a well-organized essay in which you describe an "illuminating" episode or moment and explain how it functions as a "casement," a window that opens onto the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
2. Select a novel and, focusing on ONE symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
3. A critic has said that one important measure of a superior work of literature is its ability to produce in the reader a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude. Select a novel that you read that produces this "healthy confusion" and write an essay in which you explain the sources of the "pleasure and disquietude" experienced by the readers of the work. Avoid plot summary.
DEADLINE
Your work will be checked at ONE specific deadline: Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2014. The specific work to be completed for that deadline is defined below.
AUG. 4, 2014 – ALL materials for all 3 novels are due (whether submitted in hard copy or via email). Please place your folders in the box in the senior high office BY 12 p.m. noon. NO EXCEPTIONS - Any materials submitted to the office AFTER 12 p.m. on this date will result in your being dropped from the AP English Lit course. The same goes for email submissions.
First Day of School – You will be given an objective test on the required summer readings – specific to the texts that you read – on the first day you return to school. In addition, you will complete an in-class essay on one novel of your choosing during the first full week of school.
READING SELECTIONS
For the deadline (AUG. 4, 2014), read any THREE of the following novels (choose two from Group 1; one from Group 2):
GROUP 1
♠ Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ♠ As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner ♠ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens ♠ Jane Eyreby Charlotte Bronte
♠ Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky ♠ A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
♠ King Learby William Shakespeare ♠ Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
GROUP 2
♠ The Awakening by Kate Chopin* ♠ Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko* ♠ A Thousand Splendid Sunsby Khaled Hosseini* ♠ Catch-22 by Joseph Heller* ♠ The Sun Also Risesby Ernest Hemingway ♠ Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison*
♠ Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by ♠ ThePoisonwood Bible by Barbara
James Joyce Kingsolver
*Books indicated by this markare recommended reading for high school AP students and reflect some of the most often cited texts on the AP CollegeBoard English Literature exam; however, they contain what some may find to be offensive language, adult themes, etc. Please keep this in mind as you make your selections. Some of these books are available for sign-out in Room 214 on a first-come, first-serve basis.
FINAL NOTE
Please remember: DO NOT COPY WORK FROM ANY SOURCE. Plagiarism of ANY KIND is not tolerated in this course or at Seneca Valley School District. You are expected to present your OWN WORK for each part of the assignment. If I find that you have copied any material – to any extent – Administration and your parents will be notified and you will be dropped from the course immediately. Also, if you do not complete the assigned work by thedeadline, a representative from the Guidance office will contact you to schedule another class.
My sincere hope is that each of you will complete the assigned work and enjoy reading some highly acclaimed, thought-provoking literature. If you have any questions about the work to be completed, please contact me via email at . I will be unavailable from Jun. 19 until July 25 so DO NOT wait until the last minute to contact me if you have questions. Be proactive – Good luck!
Major Works Data Sheet
(to be completed for EACH novel you read)
GENERAL INFORMATION
Title -Date Written(not published) -
Author -Genre -
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
-Society and environment always influence authors in some way. Write what you believe to be the 5 most important facts to know about the time period of authorship – when the book was WRITTEN, not published – for the novel.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
-Write what you believe to be the 5 most important facts to know about the author (besides when he/she was born and when he/she died).
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GENRE
-Write a minimum of 5 important, accurate facts (as noted by literary experts) about the literary genre your novel reflects.
AUTHOR STYLE
-Describe the author’s style (use of diction, point of view, structure, etc.), its impact on the novel, and provide one example/citation from the text that accurately demonstrates that style.
MEMORABLE QUOTES
-Select3 quotes from each novel (must reflect the beginning, middle and end of the book) that you read and explain the significance of each quote in the novel. REMEMBER: do NOT use SparkNotes, etc. for this material. These should reflect your own thinking as to why the quotes you chose are important to the story.
SETTING
-Identify the specific location for the Opening and Closing scenes of the novel and explain the significance of both.
POINT OF VIEW
-Identify the Point of View used in the novel and discuss its impact on the overall novel.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
-Write a 2-3paragraph character analysis for 2 MAJOR characters and 1 MINOR character in the novel. Describe the character, how the author develops the character (dialogue, detail, etc.) and discuss how the character is involved in the story’s MAIN conflict. Provide examples from the text to support your analysis.
Vocabulary Terms
Please record the definition for EACH of the following terms as directed in your instructions. You may use a coding system to indicate words found at the same source, but please provide a complete listing of citations and some explanation of your coding symbols/system with your work. Remember – your definitions MUST reflect the LITERARY use of the word and must be completed and submitted by the first day of school.
- Allegory30. Grotesque59. Deus ex Machina
- Alliteration31. Heroic Couplet60. Inversion
- Apostrophe32. Hexameter61. Malapropism
- Assonance33. Iamb62. Periphrasis
- Allusion (vs. Illusion)34. Internal Rhyme63. Portmanteau
- Amplification35. Lyrical64. Spoonerism
- Analogy36. Paradox65. Syllepsis
- Anaphora37. Parody
- Anastrophe38. Pentameter
- Anthropomorphism39. Rhetorical Question
- Antithesis40. Rhyme Royal
- Antecedent41. Soliloquy
- Aphorism42. Sonnet
- Ballad meter43. Syllogism
- Blank Verse44. Terza rima
- Bildungsroman45. Tetrameter
- Connotation46. Ellipsis
- Convention47. Imperative
- Dactyl48. Parallel structure
- Denotation49. Periodic sentence
- Didactic50. Syntax
- Digression51. Synecdoche
- End-stopped52. Metonymy
- Epigram53. Synesthesia
- Euphemism54. Chiasmus
- Emulation55. Polysyndeton
- Epithet56. Asyndeton
- Euphony57. Juxtaposition
- Free Verse58. Circumlocation
Stylistic Elements
(review definitions of each; choose the best set of 4 for each novel you read – a different set for each novel)
Tone
Attitude
Mood
Diction
Figurative Language (simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, etc.)
Detail
Imagery
Point of View
Organization
Irony
Syntax
Phrasing
Motif
Symbol
Allusion
Theme
ASSIGNMENT-BOOK #3 - READING LOG/Literary Criticism Response
Using the novel you chose from the SECOND group of titles, complete a reading log (see attached directions/template). This assignment will also evaluate how well you follow directions.
Include a minimum of 15 typed entries.
Be sure to use some of the background information you discovered about the author in your
reading log when appropriate.
OVERVIEW - Literary Criticism Personal Response
Find one literary criticism for the novel you read. The source must be credible; i.e. a published scholar. Print the criticism and review it, focusing on your response to the critic’s comments about the specific novel. You will be asked to complete a writing assignment during the first week of school that focuses on your understanding of the novel and your agreement/disagree-ment with the literary criticism.
Reader Response Log
OVERVIEW - Reading a Work and Responding To It Actively
Sometimes readers confuse a cursory reading with an active reading. A quick
reading of a work is little more than that: for example, you might read an entire story and
not be able to say anything about it at all. A more careful, active reading, however,
enables you to understand and respond to questions about meaning and organization.
Obviously, we must first follow the work and understand its details. At the same time we
must respond to the words, get at the ideas, understand the implications of what is
happening, and apply our own experiences to verify the accuracy and truth of the
situation and incidents, to appreciate the characters and their solutions to the problems
they face, and to articulate our own emotional responses. In short, as active, participating
readers, we should assimilate the work into our minds and spirits. (Literature: An
Introduction to Reading and Writing, Second Edition. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice
Hall, 1989.)
The following literary terms must be addressed within all reading logs. Each of you
must include 15 entries on your reading log. Be sure to utilize information found in your research about the author. Address the following terms in your reading log:
Tone/Shifts – the writer’s attitude toward the topic; identify the writer’s tone and any
shifts in tone that occur; words that describe an author’s tone might include critical,
angry, sympathetic, caustic, sarcastic, satirical, etc.
Style – anything a writer does which distinguishes him or her from other writers; identify
elements of the writer’s style of writing, what makes him or her unique
Theme – the main idea or message of a literary work; state a theme for the work using a
complete, general statement
Writer’s Intention – what the writer intended to convey to the reader; identify the
writer’s purpose
Conflict(s) – a struggle between two opposing forces; identify ALL conflicts including
internal (man vs. himself) and external (man vs. man, man vs. society, man vs. nature)
Point of View/Shifts – the vantage point from which the story is told; identify the point
of view of the work, first person, third person, and any shifts in point of view
Characterization Methods – the method a writer uses to familiarize the reader with the
characters in a work; identify the methods of characterization the writer uses, including
behavior, speech, physical description, thoughts and feelings, thoughts and feelings of
other characters toward the main character
For each of the above items, you must do the following:
First, identify what term you are discussing
Second, provide evidence (an example) from the reading (excerpts in quotes)
Third, discuss the implications of the use of this technique. How does it affect
the reading? What is the impact of its use? This is the analysis of the text.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR EACH ENTRY
Be sure that your reading logs include/address the following criteria:
Personal Connections – identify how the reading relates to your prior experience
Personal Response – identify your reactions to the reading AS YOU READ
Title’s Significance – identify how the title relates to the work
Use the reading log template below to complete your assignment. You must include a minimum of 15 entries in your reading log. Each of your entries must include a page number that corresponds to your response. You must be specific and thorough in your entries.
EXAMPLE - Reading Log Template
Name ______Book Title/Author______
______
Page # Definition of Term Example from Text Implication/Impact
______
22 Tone is the writer’s Steinbeck’s tone is
attitude toward the clearly observed in
topic. the passage. “provideSteinbeck’s tone impacts the
the actual text fromnovel in several ways…etc.
the book here”, etc.Explain, explain, explain…
His tone is critical
and angry toward
the banks and how
they treat thepoor.
***YOU MUST USE THE FORMAT ABOVE FOR YOUR READING LOG.
CONTRACT FOR SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT**
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition
I acknowledge receiving the summer reading assignment for the 2014-2015 AP English Literature and Composition course and I understand the requirements and task as assigned. I understand that these assignments must be completed by the given deadline in order to remain eligible for the course. If these assignments are not turned in by the deadline, or if I am found guilty of plagiarism of any kind, I understand that I will be scheduled automatically into an alternate English class.
______
Student Signature Parent Signature
______
Date
**Please complete and return this form with all requested signatures to Ms. Danner in Room 214 by June 6, 2014 to show you understand the assignment, possible consequences, and to ensure you are not dropped from the course.