Kirby/AP Lit
AP English Literature and Composition Summer Assignment
During this summer you are required to read one of the novels listed below and view the movie version of the novel.
Also during the first week of class, you will be required to demonstrate your knowledge of both the novel and the
movie. All summer assignments are due the first day of school, regardless of when your AP Lit class actually
begins. You may not read any novel that you've read before.
For this assignment, you may accumulate up to 48 points that may be used to increase major test or essay grades
(excluding any 9 weeks test). This amounts to 12 points per question if answered thoroughly and intelligently. If you
fail to complete the assignment, all of it, then 48 points will be subtracted from your first major assignment. These
titles are taken from a list of the most frequently used titles on the AP English Literature and Composition Exam,
and this list will be posted on my Petal High School website. I have not read all of the novels nor have I seen all the
films; therefore, use common sense and good judgment when selecting a novel. I tried to steer away from any movie
that had an R rating, but if something offends you in either the novel or the film, then don't use that one! Do a
diligent search for the right novel for you and do some research on the film. Only the films and novels I have listed
may be used; any substitution will result in an automatic loss of 48 test points. Google searches are not always the
most reliable concerning movie dates, so keep that in mind when reading my list of movies, and also keep in mind
that these novel titles are from the AP list, so if you find a novel or movie that seems non-AP, more than likely it is.
The four questions that follow must be answered in order and your responses must be thorough, in depth, and
intelligent, and they must be answered in essay-like form (prose/paragraph). Your responses will determine how
many points you receive: the length must be long enough to sufficiently and intelligently answer what is being asked
of you. The 48 point spread doesn't seem like much until it drops a 90 test grade to a 42, or it raises a 42 test grade to
a 90. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at bill.kirby@petalschools.com. Have a great summer!
AP Literature Summer Assignment Books/Movies
Mrs. Dalloway
Wuthering Heights
Catch-22
The Great Gatsby
The Color Purple
Anna Karenina
All the King's Men
All the Pretty Horses
The Grapes of Wrath
Lord Jim
The Sun Also Rises
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Age of Innocence
Brideshead Revisited
Brighton Rock
The Brothers Karamazov
The Chosen
Cold Mountain
Cry, The Beloved Country
Daisy Miller
Desire Under the Elms
The Dollmaker
Doctor Zhivago
Don Quixote
Crime and Punishment
The Hours
Wuthering Heights (1939 Lawrence Olivier version or 2011 version)
Catch-22 (1970)
The Great Gatsby (1974 Robert Redford version or 2013 one with Leonardo
Dicaprio)
The Color Purple (1985)
Anna Karenina (2012)
All the King's Men (1949 Broderick Crawford version or 2006 one with Sean
Penn)
All the Pretty Horses (2000)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Lord Jim (1965)
The Sun Also Rises (Tyrone Power version 1957 or Hart Bochner 1984 version)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
Roman Polanski’s 1979 film Tess or the BBC 2008 4 hour series Tess of the
D’Ubervilles
Age of Innocence (1993)
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
Brighton Rock (1947- probably best version or the 2008 version)
The Brothers Karamazov (1958)
The Chosen (1981)
Cold Mountain (2003)
Cry, The Beloved Country (1951 version or 1995 version)
Daisy Miller (1974)
Desire Under the Elms (1958)
The Dollmaker (1984 Made-for-TV movie starring Jane Fonda)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Don Quixote (Orson Welles’ Don Quixote 1992 or John Lithgow in 2000)
Crime and Punishment (1998 TV Movie or 2002 version with Crispin Glover)
Kirby/AP Lit
Ethan Frome
A Farewell to Arms
Great Expectations
Gulliver's Travels
Jane Eyre
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Moby Dick
Native Son
A Passage to India
Sister Carrie
Billy Budd
Heart of Darkness
The Sound and the Fury
Wide Sargasso Sea
Portrait of the Artist as a
Young Man
As I Lay Dying
Their Eyes Were Watching God
The Scarlet Letter
Bless Me, Ultima
Jude the Obscure
The Portrait of a Lady
Pride and Prejudice
Frankenstein
Bleak House
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Wise Blood
An American Tragedy
Atonement
Brave New World
David Cooperfield
East of Eden
Germinal
The Golden Bowl
The Good Soldier
The Heart of the Matter
A High Wind in Jamaica
House Made of Dawn
The House of Mirth
The House of the Seven Gables
In the Lake of the Woods
In the Time of Butterflies
The Kite Runner
A Lesson Before Dying
Little Women
Look Homeward, Angel
Lord of the Flies
The Member of the Wedding
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
The Mill on the Floss
Middlemarch
1984
Oliver Twist
One Day in the Life of
Ivan Denisovich
Ethan Frome (1993 version with Liam Neeson)
A Farewell to Arms (1932 or 1957 versions)
Great Expectations (1946 version or 2013 version)
Gulliver's Travels (TV movie 1996)
Jane Eyre (1943 version, 1983 British TV mini-series with Timothy Dalton,
1996 version, 2006 BBC 4 part mini-series, or 2011 version)
The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978 TV mini-series or 2002 TV movie)
Moby Dick (1956 version or the 1998 TV mini-series with Patrick Stewart)
Native Son (1951 version or 1986 version)
A Passage to India (1984)
Sister Carrie (1952)
Billy Budd (1962)
Heart of Darkness (1993 with Tim Roth and John Malkovich)
The Sound and the Fury (1959)
Wide Sargasso Sea (2006 TV Movie)
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1977)
As I Lay Dying (2013)
Their Eyes Were Watching God (TV movie 2005)
The Scarlet Letter (1979 TV mini-series or 1995 movie version)
Bless Me, Ultima (2013)
Jude the Obscure (1996 version with Kate Winslet)
The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV mini-series or 2005 movie)
Frankenstein (1994)
Bleak House (1985 TV mini-series or 2005 TV series)
Go Tell It on the Mountain (1984)
Wise Blood (1979)
An American Tragedy (1931)
Atonement (2007)
Brave New World (1998 TV movie)
David Cooperfield (1935 movie or 1999 TV movie)
East of Eden (1955 version or 1981 TV mini-series)
Germinal (1993)
The Golden Bowl (2000)
The Good Soldier (1981 TV movie)
The Heart of the Matter (1953)
A High Wind in Jamaica (1965)
House Made of Dawn (1987)
The House of Mirth (2000)
The House of the Seven Gables (1940)
In the Lake of the Woods (1996 TV movie)
In the Time of Butterflies (2001 TV movie)
The Kite Runner (2007)
A Lesson Before Dying (1999 TV movie)
Little Women (1933 or 1949 or 1994 version)
Look Homeward, Angel (1972 TV movie)
Lord of the Flies (1963)
The Member of the Wedding (1952 or 1997 TV movie)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008)
The Mill on the Floss (1937 movie or 1997 TV movie)
Middlemarch (1994 TV mini-series)
1984 (1956)
Oliver Twist (1948 or 2005 version)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1970)
Kirby/AP Lit
One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest
The Other
Our Mutual Friend
Le Pere Goriot
Persuasion
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Ragtime
The Red Badge of Courage
The Remains of the Day
The Return of the Native
A River Runs Through It
The Road
Robinson Crusoe
A Room with a View
The Secret Life of Bees
A Separate Peace
The Shipping News
Siddhartha
Silas Marner
Slaughterhouse Five
Snow Falling on Cedars
To Kill a Mockingbird
To the Lighthouse
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Trial
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Women of Brewster Place
Victory
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
The Other (1972)
Our Mutual Friend (1998 TV mini-series)
Le Pere Goriot (1968 TV mini-series or 2004 TV movie)
Persuasion (1995 or 2007 TV movie)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
Ragtime (1981)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951 or 1974 TV movie)
The Remains of the Day (1993)
The Return of the Native (1994 TV movie)
A River Runs Through It (1992)
The Road (2009)
Robinson Crusoe (1954 or 1997 version)
A Room with a View (1985)
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
A Separate Peace (1972)
The Shipping News (2001)
Siddhartha (1972)
Silas Marner (1985)
Slaughterhouse Five (1972)
Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
To the Lighthouse (1983 TV movie)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945 or 1974 TV movie)
The Trial (1962)
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927 film or 1987 TV movie)
The Women of Brewster Place (1989 TV movie)
Victory (1940)
Essay Questions for Summer Reading Assignment
1. Select a scene not included in the movie version of your novel; then explain why the scene is important to the
author's purpose in the novel and why you believe it was omitted from the movie. Be certain to focus on scene.
2. Sometimes artistic decisions made by script writers, directors, and others in the production of a movie enhance,
perhaps even surpass, the achievement of the novelist. Select one artistic decision in the movie version of your novel
that, even though it may go beyond the novelist's original intention, contributes significantly to a reader's
understanding. Your selection of an artistic decision should not include the omission of a scene or a character.
3. Discuss a major or minor character whose portrayal by an actor in the movie captures the essence of that
character.
4. Often minor characters that serve important functions in a novel do not appear in the movie version. Select an
important minor character omitted from the movie and explain how this omission prevents the viewer, but not the
reader, from understanding a complex issue treated in the novel. Be certain to focus on character.
**** This assignment is an adaptation of a lesson guide written by AP Workshop Presenter Sandra Daye