Byron/AP Lit 2021-22 AP English Literature Summer Reading Mrs. Ivy Byron [email protected] Enochs High School

Greetings and welcome to AP English Literature! This is a fun, yet challenging course designed to strengthen your writing skills and broaden your abilities in analyzing literature. In preparation for our study in the fall, you do have some work to complete over the summer. All readings and assignments are expected to be completed and ready to turn in on the first day of school.

Assignment 1: Poetry Analysis Much of our studies will revolve around poetry. We will study poetry in full units and also on a weekly basis. In preparation for this, I would like you to complete an assignment that tells me your interpretation of “great poetry.” Select a poem that you consider to be worthy of study and instruction in AP English Literature. Read and thoroughly annotate your poem of choice. Then, write a 250+ word response explaining what makes this a “great” poem. I will not put any other parameters on you, I simply want to know what you think makes a poem worthy of your time. Avoid online assistance in completing this assignment. There is no “wrong answer!” ● If you’re not sure where to begin finding a poem try: poetryfoundation.org/poems ● A copy of the annotated poem and your 250+ word reflection are due on the first day of class.

Assignment 2: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë We will begin the semester with an essay question that will focus on your reading, so it’s important that you annotate your novels fully and take summary notes using the Major Works Data Sheet (MWDS). ● Your annotated novels and MWDS are due on the first day of class. ○ Annotations shall be completed on post-it notes throughout the pages of the novel, unless you’ve purchased your own copy then mark up your margins and text as you please. ○ MWDS must be handwritten.

Assignment 3: Choice Read of Literary Merit Throughout the year we will be reading several novels and plays in preparation for the AP English exam. Select a title to read over the summer from the list below. College Board frequently labels books or plays as titles with “literary merit,” although they never define that label. Annotate your novel fully and take summary notes using the Major Works Data Sheet. Upon completion, write a 250+ word reflection explaining what the phrase “literary merit” means to you, and why this novel fits into your understanding. Do not re-read a novel you’ve already read. ● Your annotated novels, MWDS, and 250+ word reflection are due on the first day of class. ○ Annotations shall be completed on post-it notes throughout the pages of the novel, unless you’ve purchased your own copy then mark up your margins and text as you please. ○ MWDS must be handwritten.

Titles in bold are available for check out from the Enochs bookroom. All other titles can be borrowed at our local library, or purchased at Yesterday’s Books, or online:

1847 – Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontё 1925 – The Great Gatsby – F. Scott 1869 – Little Women – Louisa May Alcott Fitzgerald 1884 – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – 1932 – Brave New World – Aldous Huxley Mark Twain 1939 – The Grapes of Wrath – John 1903 – The Call of the Wild – Jack London Steinbeck Byron/AP Lit 2021-22 1952 – East of Eden – John Steinbeck 2005 – Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro 1958 – Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe 2005 – The Glass Castle – Jeannette Wells 1976 – Woman Warrior– Maxine Hong (non-fiction) Kingston 2005 – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 1984 – The House on Mango Street – Jonathan Safran Foer Sandra Cisneros 2006 – The Road – Cormac McCarthy 1985 – The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret 2010 – Room – Emma Donaghue Atwood 2014 – Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi 1989 – A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Adichie Irving 2017 – Born a Crime – Trevor Noah 2003 – The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini (non-fiction) 2001 – Life of Pi – Yann Martel 2019 – Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng