AP English Literature & Composition Summer Reading Grade 12. Required Core Texts

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1 Page 1 of 11 AP English Literature & Composition Summer Reading Grade 12 Advanced Placement English literature and composition students are required to read five core texts and the supplementary reading listed below before the first day of class in September. Since these works and their respective themes will continue to be addressed throughout the school year, it is imperative that you read each text closely. In order to encourage active reading, complete book notes for each work using the template provided on page You will be assessed on the core texts and supplementary reading through two tests comprised of reading comprehension questions, quotation analysis, and short answers, as well as multiple essays during the month of September. Required Core Texts William Shakespeare s King Lear Note: A free copy of this work is available through Project Gutenberg at King Lear abdicates the British throne and divides his kingdom among his three daughters in proportion to their professed love of him. His plan misfires when Cordelia, his youngest and favorite daughter, refuses to flatter her father ( Mary Shelley s Frankenstein (1831 edition) Note: A free copy of this work is available through Project Gutenberg at A monster assembled by a scientist from parts of dead bodies develops a mind of his own as he learns to loathe himself and hate his creator ( John Steinbeck s The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression follows the western movement of one family and a nation in search of work and human dignity ( Franz Kafka s The Metamorphosis Note: A free copy of this work is available through Project Gutenberg at Kafka s literary masterpiece is about Gregor Samsa, a young man who transformed overnight into a monstrous vermin who becomes an essentially alienated man ( Samuel Taylor Coleridge s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Note: Use Project Gutenberg online to access a copy of the poem at A world of fantasy that nevertheless reflects the human condition emerges from Samuel Coleridge s famous tale of a doomed sea voyage (

2 Page 2 of 11 Required Supplementary Reading The supplementary reading assignments below should help frame your insights and be reflected in your analysis of each of the literary works. It is highly recommended that you study the supplementary material before reading the summer reading texts. 1. William Shakespeare s King Lear Prior to reading King Lear, investigate the concept of the Great Chain of Being and consider the impact this concept has on Shakespeare s work. o Suggested website: o Read the sections titled The Great Chain of Being and Political Implications of the Chain of Being 2. Mary Shelley s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus Prior to reading Frankenstein, read the following and consider the impact these literary allusions have on Mary Shelley s work. Note: It is highly recommended that you read Samuel Taylor Coleridge s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner before you read Frankenstein. Creation from Genesis o Suggested website: Chapter 1 from The Garden of Eden from Genesis o Suggested website: Chapter 2 from The Fall from Genesis o Suggested website: Chapter 3 from Prometheus myth o Suggested website: 3. John Steinbeck s The Grapes of Wrath Investigate the Dust Bowl of the 1930 s in America prior to reading The Grapes of Wrath. 4. Franz Kafka s The Metamorphosis Prior to reading The Metamorphosis, read three articles from Bloom s Online Literary Reference. You can access these articles through the OBHS webpage. o Go to the OBHS webpage o Click on Academics o Click on Library Media Center OBHS o Click on the AP English Literature tab

3 Page 3 of 11 Book Notes Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to help you become a more analytical, critical, and reflective reader. This assignment will encourage interaction with the text and its author in order to understand, analyze, and reflect upon what you are reading. Your completed book notes will serve as study tools for the assessments in September and the AP exam, as well as points of discussion for class activities. A NOTE REGARDING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Students should complete their book notes without the help of any secondary sources. The purpose of this assignment is to encourage the process of reflection. Thus, students can only find the answers for this assignment in their own minds. Directions: You are welcome to use a three-ring binder, single subject notebook, or multiple subject notebook for class. Your book notes should be neatly handwritten in your notebook or you can print five copies of the template and record your insights directly on the template for each core text work. Scroll below for the template on pages 4-11.

4 Page 4 of 11 Name: AP Book Notes Title of novel, play, or poem: Author: 1. Concise and synthesized plot summary: 2. Characters Name of character Characterization and effect of characterization on narrative Conflict character faces and effect on narrative Adjectives to describe character

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6 Page 6 of Setting What is the setting of the story? Remember that setting is temporal (time period) and spatial (place). Time period: What is the significance of the setting? How does it impact the plot and characters? Impact of time period: Location: Impact of location:

7 Page 7 of Significant Quotations Quotation in MLA format Line(s) from story (author s last name #). What is the significance of the quotation and its connection to the story s theme?

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9 Page 9 of Theme What is a theme of your book? How is the theme developed and how does it impact the literary work? 6. Literary Device Specify a significant literary device Analyze the effect of this literary device utilized such as symbolism, irony, satire, on the text. or allusion.

10 Page 10 of Chronological Structure Identify the organizational pattern(s) What is the significance of the such as chronology, importance of plot, chronological pattern on the literary epistolary form (letter form), or work? flashback. 8. Ending of the literary work How does the book end? What is the significance of this ending?

11 Page 11 of Supplementary Reading Notes on supplementary reading What is the significance of the supplementary concept(s) within the literary work?