2017-2018 AICE 12 Advanced Literature and Composition Reading List and Summer Assignment Mrs. Tiedt/Mrs. Costa tiedtce@pwcs.edu/costama@pwcs.edu Please purchase the following texts for the following school year. When we are reading a text, it is required you have a copy of the book; however, this copy may be digital or in print. I suggest print for annotation purposes but fully understand the cost of books. If you have any questions about the assignment over the summer, we will be checking our email every Monday morning. Have a great summer and do not procrastinate! Prose: How to Read Literature like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas Foster (summer assignment due September 15 th ) *The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton ( due October 1 st ) The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (due January 7 th ) *available online Drama: *Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (No Fear Shakespeare series recommended) *Henry IV Part 2 by William Shakespeare (No Fear Shakespeare series recommended) Philadelphia, Here I Come! by Brian Friel Death and the King s Horseman by Wole Soyinka Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams *available online We will also be doing a comprehensive study of the poets Robert Frost and Elizabeth Jennings.
AICE Literature Grade 12 Summer Reading Assignment 2017-2018 How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, Copyright 2003 by Thomas C. Foster Due Dates: September 14 th /15 th depending on your class meeting time. Bring your copy of this text with you to class. It may be an electronic copy. Assignment: As you read, keep an annotated log of your responses to the following questions. Please remember that the standard conventions of language apply, i.e., complete sentences, appropriate language, and correct grammar. The log may be either hand written or typed and should be written as you go through each chapter as a reflection. The chapters are not particularly long and Foster is a very friendly writer, not stuffy and often funny. Your answers should be no more than a paragraph long a small log to show you have read the text. Please try your best to make connections to LITERATURE and not television shows or movies. Yes - this is a grade. Yes - It will help you tremendously with the reading this year. Introduction: How'd He Do That? How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by understanding symbol or pattern. Chapter 1 -- Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not) List the five aspects of the QUEST and then apply them to something you have read (or viewed) in the form used on pages 3-5. Chapter 2 -- Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion Choose a meal from a literary work, any literary work that has literary merit, and apply the ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary depiction. Chapter 3: --Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires What are the essentials of the Vampire story? Apply this to a literary work you have read or viewed. Chapter 4--Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? Define intertextuality. Discuss three examples that have helped you in reading specific works.
Chapter 5 -- When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare... Discuss a work that you are familiar with that alludes to or reflects Shakespeare. Show how the author uses this connection thematically. Read pages 44-46 carefully. In these pages, Foster shows how Fugard reflects Shakespeare through both plot and theme. In your discussion, focus on theme. Chapter 6 --...Or the Bible Read "Araby" (http://fiction.eserver.org/short/araby.html). Discuss Biblical allusions that Foster does not mention. Look at the example of the "two great jars." Be creative and imaginative in these connections. Chapter 7 -- Hanseldee and Greteldum - Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. Does it create irony or deepen appreciation? Chapter 8 -- It's Greek to Me Write a free verse poem derived or inspired by characters or situations from Greek mythology. Be prepared to share your poem with the class. Chapter 9 -- It's More Than Just Rain or Snow Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary work, not in terms of plot. Chapter 10-Never Stand Next To The Hero Summarize the first paragraph. Interlude -- Does He Mean That? Chapter 11 --...More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are different. Chapter 12 -- Is That a Symbol? Use the process described on page 106 and investigate the symbolism of the fence in "Araby." (Mangan's sister stands behind it.) Chapter 13 -- It's All Political Assume that Foster is right and "it is all political." Use his criteria to show that one of the major works assigned to you as a freshman is political.
Chapter 14 -- Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in a significant literary work. Try to choose a character that will have many matches. This is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film -- for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus, Gladiator and Ben-Hur. Chapter 15 -- Flights of Fancy Select a literary work in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail. Chapter 16 -- It's All About Sex... and Chapter 17 --...Except the Sex OK.. These are really all about gender issues. Choose a novel or movie (Movies count.) in which gender plays an important role in the plot. Discuss how the gender issues are handled and how this affects the theme or develops characterization. Chapter 18 -- If She Comes Up, It's Baptism Think of a "baptism scene" from a significant literary work. How was the character different after the experience? Discuss. Chapter 19 -- Geography Matters... Discuss at least four different aspects of a specific literary work that Foster would classify under "geography." Chapter 20 --...So Does Season Find a poem that mentions a specific season. Then discuss how the poet uses the season in a meaningful, traditional, or unusual way. (Submit a copy of the poem with your analysis.) Interlude -- One Story - Write your own definition for archetype. DO NOT use a dictionary. Then identify an archetypal story and apply it to a literary work with which you are familiar. Chapter 21 -- Marked for Greatness Figure out Harry Potter's scar. If you aren't familiar with Harry Potter, select another character with a physical imperfection and analyze its implications for characterization. Chapter 22 He s Blind for a Reason, You Know Find a story or film that prominently features a blind character. Based on your example, do you find Foster s statements true or false? Explain. Chapter 23 -- It's Never Just Heart Disease...And Rarely Just Illness Questions and/or comments about the chapter. Be prepared to discuss in class.
Chapter 24--Don't Read with Your Eyes Respond to this quotation by Clifton Fadiman: When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before. How does this quote inspire and/or clarify your thinking about some of Foster s assertions, particularly the ideas he presents in chapter 24? Chapter 25--It s My Symbol and I ll Cry If I Want To In chapter 25, Foster encourages us to discover possibilities beyond the literal (p. 243) to interpret texts. Apply this idea in explaining some of the literary terms used throughout the book. Create or find images and symbols to figuratively represent these words: allegory, archetype, intertextuality, irony, paradox. Explain the symbolic representation you chose. Chapter 26 -- Is He Serious? And Other Ironies Foster sums up irony as deflection from expectation (p. 256) and concludes that irony trumps everything. What do these phrases mean? How do these ideas shed light on your understanding of irony? Can you think of a movie or television show that you have read recently where irony was present? What layer(s) did irony add to the film comic, tragic, wry, perplexing, etc.? Explain. Chapter 27 -- A Test Case Read the Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield. Complete the exercise on pages 282-283, following the directions exactly. Then compare your writing with the three examples. How did you do? Write a brief reflection on what you missed and why. After reading the essay comparing Laura with Persephone, do you understand the story better? Are you confused? What (if anything) does it add to your appreciation of Mansfield s story? Postlude: Who s in Charge Here? Towards the end of his book, Foster encourages his readers to take ownership of your own reading and to read confidently and assertively (p. 301). Discuss how the contents of his book have strengthened your ability to read confidently and assertively. What are the most important lessons you have learned for forming opinions and interpreting literature? What lessons about reading between the lines resonate with you the most and will stick with you? Questions adapted from assignments that were originally posted on The English Teacher s Web and Harper Academic.