Glen Ridge High School

200 Ridgewood Avenue

Glen Ridge, New Jersey 07028

 

Summer 2009

 

 

Dear English 12 AP Literature Student:

 

As summer gets into full swing and you are in need of something “novel” to do, I’ve just the thing!   Before school begins, read American Pastoral by Phillip Roth.  There will be associated assignments as the year begins.

 

Additionally, you should read and create a reading journal for Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.  The journal is due on the first day of school – no exceptions.  Failing to complete this project will dramatically affect your first marking period grade.  Follow the instructions carefully for this journal.  While you may or may not find this novel pleasing, it will be of great assistance to you in the study of similarly challenging literature. 

 

The Jane Eyre journal should be typed and uploaded to www.turnitin.com.  The class ID is 2745221  and the password is mrsk.  Create an identity with your email address and your own password.  Keep the information as we will be using the plagiarism service all year.  Please note that the service will be inactive from July 11- August 8.  Upload before or after that date.  Bring a hard copy your assignment to class on the first day.  Please note that your journal may lose its format when you upload; do not worry about that.  Also, you can only upload once, so be sure that wait until the journal is completed before you upload it.

 

Since the canon of western literature relies heavily upon biblical allusion, I highly recommend that you read several books of the Bible, including Genesis, Matthew and Revelations.

 

I am looking forward to an exciting year in Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition.  You can expect a rigorous course of study, firm deadlines and many intrinsic rewards.

 

 Have a restful, healthy summer.  See you in September!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Mrs. Koenig

 

P.S.  I occasionally check my voice mail, extension 2319, and my email, pkoenig@glenridge.org, over the summer.  If you lose the assignment, you will find it posted on the school website.

 

GLEN RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

RECOMMENDED SUMMER READING

Grade 12 – Advanced Placement

2009

 

A Prayer for Owen Meany                              John Irving

Portrait of the Artist                                       James Joyce

Ahab’s Wife Or, The Star Gazer                     Sela Jeter Nasland

Reading Lolita in Tehran                                Azir Nafisi

Madame Bovary                                              Gustave Flaubert

The Stranger                                                   Albert Camus

Obason                                                            Joy Kogawa

Anna Karenina                                                Leo Tolstoi

The Things They Carried                                Tim O’Brien

White Noise                                                     Don DeLillo

A Room of One’s Own                                                Virginia Woolf

The Awakening                                               Kate Chopin

All The Pretty Horses                                      Cormac McCarthy

The Stone Diaries                                            Carol Shields

Waiting For Snow in Havanna                       Carlos Eire

The Mayor of Casterbridge                            Thomas Hardy

The Age of Innocence                                     Edith Wharton

This Side of Paradise                                      F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jazz                                                                 Toni Morrison

A Mercy

A Lesson Before Dying                                    Ernest Gaines

Life and Death in Shanghai                            Nien Chang

Stand Before Your God                                   Paul Watkins

The Kite Runner                                              Khaled Hosseini

The History of Love                                        Nicole Krauss

Terrorist                                                          John Updike

Everyman                                                        Phillip Roth

What is the What                                             Dave Eggers

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle                           David Wroblewski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE

GUIDELINES FOR READER’S LOG

 

 

 

1.      Avoid plot summary.

 

2.      Put the page number and then your comment.  The log must be typed and uploaded to www.turnitin.com

 

3.      You are writing to me, so that comments and questions should be made in a way similar to class discussion.

 

4.      When a character or idea interests you, comment, and tell why you are interested.

 

5.      Respond to beauty or to craft.  Explain your response.

 

6.      If the writing or the plot confuses you, try to figure out why it does.  You may also ask questions.  Leave space for me to answer.

 

7.      Always explain why you have an opinion.  It is not enough to say, “I think this is really interesting.”

 

8.      Make connections and associations between this piece and others you have read.

 

9.      Look for patterns or repeated ideas, motif, imagery and symbols.

 

10.  Notice and comment on devices used to develop character.

 

11.  Look for words that set the tone.

 

12.  Notice dominant sentence structure (syntax).  Analyze its relevance to the message.

 

13.  Notice any literary devices, including pattern, and comment on how they support the work as a whole.

 

14.  Think about how plot and setting are entwined.

 

15.  All of your log entries should be in sentences that comment, analyze or interpret.