NAME: ______________________________________________________________ AP Literature and Composition Reading & Writing Transition Tasks In addition to getting to know you, and your writing style, through the College Application Personal Statement Essay, I am also providing you the opportunity to alleviate some of the learning curve associated with the transition from AP Language & Composition (English 5, 6) to AP Literature & Composition. During the 2018-19 school year, we will focus on fiction, including novels, plays, short stories, and poetry; therefore, we need to attune your mind to the language of literary analysis. I have aimed the information and activities provided within this packet at doing just this. Enjoy your time off, rest and relax your mind, but please complete the tasks below before you come back (see the suggested timeline as you consider how to budget your time). Purpose: to practice literary analysis in preparation for AP Literature and Composition Tasks: 1. Pre-view this packet. o For the final tasks, you will need to access and read the short stories on my website, the given websites, or another source, so pre-view these stories before you start 2. Read and annotate “Essential Elements of Fiction;” we will use these to discuss fiction. 3. Access the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and read it closely in order to complete the “Elements of Fiction Graphic Organizer.” 4. Read and annotate the “Literary Devices That Create Voice” (tone, diction, detail, figurative language, imagery, & syntax); these are the main devices that create what we call “voice” in writing 5. Complete all six “Literary Device Practice” (practice, read, think, annotate, respond sections for each device) 6. Access and read the six other short stories; we will start the year with these stories. Outcome: Turn in all of your written work (this completed packet) on August 17, 2018. Suggested Timeline: Before the school year officially starts (at the end of July, beginning of August), carve out 30 minutes to 2 hours each day to complete the written tasks and reading. If you have a trip planned during this time, either complete this in the earlier part of the summer and/or use “down time” (plane or driving time, sitting in waiting rooms, etc.) to complete these. Day 1: Familiarize yourself with this packet, including accessing short stories Day 2: Read and annotate “Essential Elements of Fiction” Day 3: Close reading of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” annotating for “Elements of Fiction” Day 4: Complete the “Elements of Fiction Graphic Organizer” for “The Yellow Wallpaper” Day 5: Read & annotated “Literary Devices That Create Voice” for Tone and complete all Tone Practice (A) Day 6: Read & annotated “Literary Devices That Create Voice” for Diction and complete all Diction Practice (B) Day 7: Read & annotated “Literary Devices That Create Voice” for Detail and complete all Detail Practice (C) Day 8: Read & annotated “Literary Devices That Create Voice” for Imagery and complete all Imagery Practice (D) Day 9: Read & annotated “Literary Devices That Create Voice” for Figurative Language and complete all Figurative Language Practice (E) Day 10: Read & annotated “Literary Devices That Create Voice” for Syntax and complete all Syntax Practice (F) Days 11- 16: Selected a short story from the list and read it; read all six. Task 2: Essential Elements of Fiction (read & annotate) An author of literary fiction uses the elements defined and discussed below to not only create a work but also to create deeper meanings within a work. By studying how these elements work individually and together, we can consider how they produce the meaning of the work as a whole, a fundamental concept in an AP literary analysis. PLOT: what happens in a narrative; a series of events; arranged conflicts, complications, resolutions creating logical cause-effect relationships; the what & the why; believable (but not necessarily realistic) Five main stages of a conventional narrative: Exposition: opening section providing background of character, setting, situation, nature of conflict Rising Action: conflicts and complications begin to build. Conflict: the struggle within the plot between opposing forces, taking the form of a character, society, nature, or an aspect of the protagonist’s personality; external: a struggle against some outside force, another character, society as a whole, or some natural force; internal: a conflict between forces or emotions within one character Climax: occurs when the emotional tension or suspense of the plot reaches its peak; includes a turning point where fortunes of the protagonist move or worsen; building to this occupies most of the story, what follows is relatively brief. Falling Action: details the result (or fallout) of the climax or turning point; conflicts are resolved. Denouement (pronounced day-noo-mah): French for “untying the knot;” very brief; conflict resolved and balance restored; 20th-21st century writers often close without this final resolution. In medias res: Latin for “in the middle of the action;” a story starting just as an important event is to take place Flashback: describes events that have taken place before the story begins Foreshadowing: hints at things that might happen later in the story Questions: Is the plot arranged in chronological order, or does it being in medias res, or other progression? Does the plot contain flashbacks or foreshadowing? To what purpose? What is the nature of the conflict? Is it external or internal? How is the conflict resolved? Is there a denouement? If not, why is the story inconclusive? CHARACTERS: Protagonist: main or central character; often in conflict with another character (see next); engages the reader’s interest and empathy Antagonist: character, force, or collection of forces that stands directly opposed to the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story. Round character: complex, more fully developed; exhibits a range of emotions and changes over the course of the story; dynamic Flat character: embodies one or two traits or qualities, not as psychologically complex; provide background to protagonist’s actions; static Stock characters: stereotypes (e.g. "town drunk" or the "mean stepmother") Foil: character who through contrast underscores the distinctive characteristics of another; usually a minor character to serve as a foil for a major character. CHARACTERIZATION: the process by which a writer reveals the personality of a character Two major methods: Direct characterization (telling): author intervenes to describe and/or evaluate the character (e.g. humble, ambitious, vain, gullible, etc.) Indirect characterization (showing): the author presents a character* letting the reader infer what kind of person the character is. *describes how the character looks and dresses, allows the reader to hear the character speak, reveals the character’s private thoughts and feelings, portrays the character’s effect on other individuals— showing how other characters feel or behave toward the character, presents the character’s actions Questions: Who are the main characters in this story? Protagonist? Antagonist? What do you know about them? Direct or indirect characterization? How do they, or do they, change from the beginning to the end? What is the function of the minor characters in the story? SETTING: time and place; the where and when; may include objective facts: nation, town, date, time, weather and season; the physical and social context Geographical location: topography, scenery, and physical arrangements Historical era: a time-period (with political, economic, or social upheavals) Cultural environments: manners, mores, customs, rituals, codes of conduct related to actual period culture, or community, or an invented one Questions: What is the geographical setting? Time, place, weather, seasons? What is the historical or social environment being depicted? What background information is required to understand the situation? What details of the setting create an atmosphere or mood? POINT OF VIEW: perspective through which a story is presented/told, whether by one character or from different vantage points (layered perspectives); narrative voice (vs. author) First-Person POV: a major or minor character in the story, tells the tale from his or her point of view; use of I, we pronouns; some include multiple narrators; a narrator may be unreliable (naïve, mentally ill, biased, corrupt, or immoral) Third-Person POV: an outside narrator, not playing a role in the actual plot; use of he, she, it pronouns; Omniscient narrator: third-person narrator who sees into each character’s mind and understands all the action going on; has access to what all characters think and feel Limited omniscient narrator: third-person narrator who generally reports what only one character sees and thinks Objective narrator: third-person neutral narrator; reports recounts only what characters say and do Stream of consciousness: inside the mind of the narrator, recounting thoughts, impressions, and feelings; without filters of causality or logic, the reader is privy to all of the character’s thoughts, scrolling through his or her consciousness/interior monologue Narrative frame (frame story): establishes who is telling the story and under what circumstances; usually create a shift in perspective (e.g. first POV to flashback) Questions: Is the point of view first person or third person? Is the narrator a participant or an observer in the story? If the POV is first person,