Download AP Literature: Independent Reading Assignment #1

AP Literature: Independent Reading Assignment #1
For this assignment, you will read the non-contemporary novel or play of your choice
(choose something from, say, 1940 or earlier). Suggested AP-appropriate writers include
Jane Austen, C or E Bronte, Joseph Conrad (except Heart of Darkness), George Eliot,
Henry Fielding, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, William Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy
and Mark Twain. Feel absolutely free to choose a classic work by an author not listed
above. We’ll review your picks in class.
Here are my humble suggestions for choosing your book, in order of preference:
1. Pick something you’ve always wanted to read.
2. Pick something that a respected friend recommends.
3. Pick something whose reviews on Amazon.com appeal to you.
4. Go to the store and judge the books by their covers.
Your responsibilities:
1. READER’S JOURNAL. I expect five entries spread evenly through the work.
Quotation (with page #)
Situation
Importance to Plot or Character
Analysis
2. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. Briefly report important info like date &
place of birth, other famous works, place in literary history. Be sure all responses
are your own original words.
3. CHARACTER/CONFLICT. Briefly but vividly describe the main character(s)
and the conflict they face, explaining how this fuels the plot of the work.
4. THEME. Identify a major theme of the work and support this theme in a wellorganized, one-paragraph discussion. No one-word themes (we’ll discuss)!
5. SYMBOL. Identify and analyze a significant symbol in the work in a wellorganized, one-paragraph discussion. (And don’t tell me there aren’t any – be
creative.)
Note: You will need to submit your written work via turnitin.com and by hard-copy in
class.
DUE DATE: _____________________________
AP Literature: Independent Reading Assignment #2 – Contemporary Novel
For this assignment, you will read the contemporary novel of your choice. You are
invited to choose from the following works:
Away (Amy Bloom – hardcover only)
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides)
Waiting or War Trash (Ha Jin)
The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned (Walter Mosley)
The Shipping News (E. Annie Proulx)
Housekeeping or Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
The Plot Against America (Philip Roth)
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
If you would prefer to read a different contemporary or 20th century novel, please discuss
it with me as soon as possible. Do not suggest a title that you have already read.
Please feel free to coordinate with your classmates on this assignment. If enough people
choose to form reading groups (maximum size: four people) I will reserve some class
time for focused group discussions. Each group member will need to write and submit
the required work for this assignment individually.
Your responsibilities:
1. Maintain a reader’s journal in the form of the chart shown below. I expect one
entry for every 25 pages.
Quotation ( with page #)
Situation
Why It’s Important
Response/Analysis
2. Complete the attached Major Works Study Form. I suggest you type it up yourself
to allow sufficient room for your responses. Provide only the most basic
biographical information (birth/death, location, career achievements) and plot; be
sure all responses are your own original thoughts and words.
3. Be prepared to discuss why you would recommend this book to others – or why
you would not recommend it!
Note: You will need to submit your written work via turnitin.com and by hard-copy in
class.
DUE DATE: _____________________________