AP English Language and Composition
Loun
The Scarlet Letter Reading Schedule
“Not to be deficient in this particular, the author has provided himself with a moral – the truth, namely, that the
wrongdoing of one generation lives into the successive ones.”
– Nathaniel Hawthorne, from The House of Seven Gables
While you should know yourselves by now, and while I am sure you are aware of your own
study habits, I fear that you will fail to read the book and still try to pass yourself off as
knowledgeable. This, as I am sure we all learned last semester, is not possible. You must read
the book to successfully integrate it into your life (and into your writing).
So, that said, I am going to try something new: I am giving you a reading schedule. Oh, don’t
worry, I won’t break it down by day or by page, but you will be responsible for reading through,
not to the following chapters on the following days:
Tuesday, 8 March
Tuesday, 15 March
Tuesday, 29 March
You just got the book. Start reading.
Chapter 8 (don’t forget to read through
chapter 8).
Finish the book. Just finish the whole thing.
Yes, that’s right: after this day, you’re done.
While you read, be sure to complete your dialectical journals. I will peruse them sometime
between now and the end of the book, and you will be allowed to use them on your quizzes,
which you will have for each of the reading assignments above. As you know, the quizzes will
assume that you have not only read, but also that you have thought about the reading. If you
are having trouble with the text, it would be best to come see me sooner rather than later,
don’t you agree? Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.