ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH SUMMER READING PACKET
Dear Class of 2012 AP English Students,
I know you are all looking forward to a relaxing summer, with the minor exception of completing
a few reading assignments for those challenging courses you signed up for next fall. To prepare
for next year’s AP English class, please complete the following assignments.
EVERYBODY WILL NEED TO READ
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
and
E. Annie Proulx’s 1994 Pulitzer Prize-winning The Shipping News
and
Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain
First published in 2003, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is a wonderful little guide to
reading that is so funny and easy to read that you’ll hardly notice how much you are learning.
We will use the text all year as we discuss and write about the great literary works you will read
in AP English. I’ll give you more explicit directions about how you will demonstrate your summer
work with this volume in a bit. Now to the novels…
A journey lies at the center of each of these novels and should provide food for thought.
Remember as you read that a journey well documented will do so much more than move from
point A to point B. Think about the physical, of course; but don’t neglect the metaphysical, the
spiritual, the revelatory. Think about changes in setting, in characters, in tone, in the many
invisible yet perceptible aspects that affect a reader. [Coincidentally, the first chapter of How to
Read Lit is titled “Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not).”]
To document your reading, please keep READING JOURNALS for both of these novels. (See
“Reading Journal Primer.”) Record impressions and book elements (setting, characterization,
plot, and others) so you’ll have that resource as a reference in the future. A journal is probably
best kept if you work on it as you finish sections of a novel — when I’d read a whole book and
then try to do the journal, it somehow never worked out. Be advised: A well-executed reading
journal on each of your novels will be a great resource both at the start of the semester
preparing for unit tests and at the end of the year when you are reviewing for the Advanced
Placement exams.
Unfortunately, I do not have classroom sets of the books, so you’ll have to round up your own
copies. I have asked Barnes and Noble to order copies, so you may want to check with them. If
you don’t see the books on the summer reading table, ask about them at the information desk.
(If you have a member discount card, you can use it to save a few dollars.) Maybe you know
somebody who owns a copy. Check websites (like Amazon.com or bottomdollar.com) to find a
cheap copy. Or go to a store that sells used books. Or (imagine!) go the library and check one
out (though they frown on your annotating library copies). Get your books quickly, or they may
be gone. Other than these summer reading books, I should be able to lend you most of the
other novels we’ll read in AP.
If you have questions, contact me at phyllis.cooper@bcsemail.org or call me at 828-299-8809 or
828-777-3547. Enjoy your summer AND your summer reading!
Phyllis Cooper
READING STRATEGIES FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH
AP students often lament: “I read the book, but I still did poorly on the quiz.” The
question, then, is not “Did you read?” Instead, the question is, “How did you read?”
Successful readers in this class will read carefully – the term academics use is
“close reading.” If you follow these strategies, you will fare better on classwork, recall
important aspects of the literature more readily, and appreciate the works more fully.
You should work to understand the literature on several different levels that range from
very specific to holistic.
LITERARY ELEMENTS: As you read, look for specific elements of the literature’s form:
if you see a compelling metaphor (“Oh, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”) or
important symbol (oh, say, like water in Beloved or Gatsby’s fabulous shirt collection),
you should right then and there annotate it — first, mark the text, then identify the
element and, if possible, cite functions that you see that element performing in the
text (AP Tests are big on how an element “functions” in the piece of literature). For
instance, the scorpions quote above illustrates the painful doubts that Macbeth feels at
the threat Banquo poses to his reign and characterizes Macbeth’s torment at this point in
the play nicely.
CHARACTERS: Similarly, if you see a character described (usually for the first time),
you should mark the text and put the character’s name next to the description. Tert
Card, a minor player in The Shipping News, is described as being “filled . . . like a cream
horn with itch and irritation.” Not only does that description allow readers to see the
guy more clearly, but perceptive thinkers will also be able to infer from that description
that he is a nemesis to protagonist Quoyle. So, not only do you see the characterization,
but you also figure out a bit more of the plot. Thinking and seeing on multiple levels will
help you.
SETTINGS: And, if you see descriptions of settings, note those as well because, like the
aforementioned characters, settings will help you understand why the plot unfolds the
way it does, why the characters act in the ways that they do, and how impressive it is
that they actually managed to do what it is that they did. Here’s an annotation hint
for settings: put brackets around the passage of the text and simply label where it is
that is being described. You can use these marks later to go back to either figure the
text out more fully or to prepare for tests of the future.
However, rather than focusing only on the figurative trees and failing to see the forest,
you should also consider the ideas that the literature conveys as a whole. Moving up
one level from the aforementioned specifics, work to see those elements that recur.
Instead of a single image of a river, look to see if the author consistently uses water
throughout the novel. Or does the author use a group or type of characters or images
to perform a larger function in the work? Think back, for instance, to the broad range of
images, dialogue, and settings that Fitzgerald uses in The Great Gatsby to characterize
the excesses of 1920’s society early on in the novel. There, he uses different tools again
and again to create a feel for that time period.
You should also consider as you read the artist’s THEME, the main idea that the author
is trying to convey through the work. Often the theme is implied rather than stated.
The broad range of elements, characters, and ideas in the novel combine to
communicate theme. If there is a single aspect that counters your interpretation of
theme, you should rethink your idea to accommodate the disparate information. And
remember: the theme is NOT the subject matter of the novel. Instead, the
theme is the idea that the artist uses that subject matter to communicate. As
you compose a list of major and minor theme possibilities, remember that you should
express the theme in the form of a statement. A work’s theme is not “Good Versus
Evil.” It is entirely possible that the work’s theme is, “Despite the preponderance of evil
in the world, good sometimes triumphs.”
SOME GENERAL RULES OF THUMB FOR READING:

Reading only once, at midnight the night before the reading is due, will not suffice.
You should read some every day at those times when you are alert and
undistracted. You should also reread the difficult or cool passages. And, you
should review fairly frequently. For instance, you should look back at what you
read the day before yesterday to see how well it got into your head.

If you can afford to do so, purchase your own copy of the text. Then you can
annotate as you read and record that information in your reading journal later.

As you read, bear in mind the different levels of perceptiveness you should
employ. Look for both the holistic and the specific elements in the work.

Spark Notes and the like are useful for getting your bearings in a novel; but for
the most part, those resources convey only general information. For example, the
sites will usually give you an incomplete list of characters and will identify those
characters in general terms. Rarely, if ever, do the sites go into much depth about
how each of the characters functions. And figuring out those functions alone will
be a task that, if completed, will elevate your interpretation and insights above
middling generality.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT SENIOR PROJECT
I strongly recommend that you decide on your practical experience for the North
Carolina Graduation Project now and complete your hours this summer. AP English
students add senior project to an already full plate first semester.
All of you, in addition to your heavy academic load, your extracurricular activities, your
jobs and your service projects, will spend many hours working on college applications. If
you can get your practical experience hours out of the way, it will relieve some of the
stress of completing senior project.
You can access information on senior project on the school website. Please check with
me and/or media specialists Kelli Self and Allen Kromer about approval for your project.
KEEPING YOUR READING JOURNAL
When asked, you will submit reading journals for both The Shipping News and Cold
Mountain. In short, your reading journals will provide evidence of your careful
reading and corresponding reflection. If your reading consists basically of the
words going in front of your eyes, your reading journal will suffer. So think about what
you are reading and be conscientious about your journal.
SECTION I – CHARACTERS
Provide detailed descriptions that consist of both paraphrase and quotes that
characterize the folks in the novel. I think it is a good idea to include the page number
where the quoted or paraphrased material appears so you can access it quickly
later.
Include interesting or significant things that the characters say.
Most importantly, indicate how each of the characters FUNCTIONS in the novel.
Yes, Quoyle IS the protagonist. But your thoughts on how he functions should elicit
much more than that.
SECTION II – SETTINGS
Again, include detailed descriptions with paraphrases and quotes. (Remember to include
page numbers.)
You should have functions for each of the settings as well. What functions, for
example, does the Tickle Bar and Motel perform in SN? Or Junior’s cabin in CM?
SECTION III – CHAPTER SUMMARIES
OR
QUIZZES
In an effort to keep the work from becoming tedious, I am offering you the option to
write summaries of the chapters in one of the novels and to generate quizzes on the
chapters in the other. You may decide to do summaries of Cold Mountain and quizzes
on Shipping News or vice versa. The choice is yours.
Please follow these suggestions for the two options.
A. SUMMARIES:
Details here are good, but don’t get crazy with it.
Most important in your summaries will be evidence that you understand how
the sections of the novel work together. What changes have occurred from
chapter to chapter? Or what effect do the two narrative perspectives have on
readers in CM, and how do those perspectives change as the novel progresses?
For ease of execution, integrate this information into your summaries.
B. QUIZZES:
Create short answer quizzes on each chapter in the novel.
Generate a minimum of three questions on each chapter.
Strive for questions that address important elements of the novel, but avoid vague
questions that require too much interpretation. On the other hand, don’t be too
simplistic in your approach.
EXAMPLE: In Cold Mountain, what is described as riding “with their heads thrust
out like crated poultry to catch the breeze”? (Answer: Wounded soldiers riding in
a train boxcar to a hospital in the South. Chapter 1, page 7) It is a good question
because it provides an image of the sad state of the Southern soldiers,
disenchanted with the glories of war and feeling as helpless and forgotten as
chickens headed for slaughter. A good reader will be affected by the power of that
image and what it says about the disillusionment the Southern soldiers felt. AND
the answer cannot be disputed because it can be located in the text.
Provide an ANSWER KEY that includes the chapter and page of the novel where
the answer can be found.
SECTION IV – THEMES
Here, you will compose three statements that you can defend as the theme of
each of the novels. See the Reading Strategies Handout for ideas on theme and how
to express it.
NOTE: Avoid consulting Spark Notes or similar entities. I do not want to see character
lists or theme ideas, for example, that come from other sources. I am interested in
what you think.
In addition, I will be more impressed with QUALITY than quantity. This is not
meant to be burdensome. It is meant to enhance your understanding of these
literary works, which will be reflected in your discussion and writing about the novels in
the fall.
APPLYING LITERARY CONCEPTS
Now that you’ve read all three books, I want you to apply some of the principles you
learned from reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor to the two novels.
Choose three concepts you learned from How to Read Lit and apply them to Cold
Mountain. Write your thoughts about how the concepts manifest themselves in the
novel. I’m not expecting lengthy essays, but give clear evidence from the literature to
support your claims.
Then choose three different concepts and apply them to The Shipping News.
EXAMPLE: If, as Thomas Foster claims in How to Read Literature Like a Professor,
“Every Trip is a Quest,” what is Inman in search of? Does the protagonist of Charles
Frazier’s Cold Mountain trek hundreds of miles across North Carolina just to get back
home, or is there more to it than that?
These assignments will be collected for grades, so be thoughtful and thorough. I look
forward to what you have to say.
Please follow standard formatting for any writing you plan to turn in – 12 point font;
double spaced; 4-line heading on the left (Name, Cooper, AP English, Date); one-inch
margins top, bottom, and sides; last name and page number in the header, right
justified.
SAMPLE JOURNAL ENTRIES
CHARACTERS
Mrs. Moosup: (pages14-15) “Four days after Bunny was born, the baby-sitter came to
loll in front of the television set – Mrs. Moosup with arms too fat for sleeves…”
“…it was Mrs. Moosup doing overtime in a trance of electronic color and simulated life,
smoking cigarettes and not wondering. The floor around her strewn with hairless dolls.
Dishes tilted in the sink, for Mrs. Moosup said she was not a housemaid, nor ever would
be.”
Mr. Moosup is a minor character who appears only in Chapter 2. She functions to
accentuate the squalor and the demoralization Quoyle faces in his life with his wife, Petal
Bear. Mrs. Moosup is supposed to take care of the two young daughters. When Quoyle
comes home after being fired from his job to find that his wife has taken off with the two
little girls, Ms. Moosup’s biggest concern is for her pay.
SETTINGS
Mockingburg: (pages 10-11) “…bedraggled Mockingburg. A place in its third death.
Stumbled in two hundred years from forests and woodland tribes, to farms, to a
working-class city of machine tool and tire factories. A long recession emptied the
downtown, killed the malls. Factory for sale. Slum streets, youths with guns in their
pockets, political word-rattle of some litany, sore mouths and broken ideas.”
This is the New York town where Quoyle lives. Its down-trodden characteristics reflect
similar traits in Quoyle. Even the name is symbolic: Mocking-burg…a town that mocks
the less-than-impressive protagonist.
CHAPTER SUMMARIES
Chapter One: “Quoyle” (pages 1-11) – The first sentence summarizes the chapter as
“an account of a few years in the life of Quoyle…” And a dreary account it is.
The first thing the reader notices is the drawing of a “quoyle” – a coil of rope. Thumbing
through the book, one sees that each chapter is introduced with a type of rope knot,
each one symbolic of the chapter’s content.
So skillful is Annie Proulx that the reader is quickly drawn into the story and feels
empathy for Quoyle, “a great damp loaf of a body…with a monster chin.” We see his
abusive father and brother, his one friend, his loneliness, his inability to be successful at
his job with his constant hiring, firing, rehiring pattern. He is “waiting for life to begin,”
so the reader anticipates that the rest of the novel will be about that life.
QUIZZES
Chapter One
1. Which character in Chapter One is a foil for Quoyle and why?
Answer:
(pages 4-5) “Partridge black, small, a restless traveler
across the slope of life, an all-night talker…Quoyle large,
white, stumbling along, going nowhere.”
2. Give one example of a positive characteristic of Quoyle found in this chapter.
Answer:
(p.9) “The truth was Punch had noticed that Quoyle, who
spoke little himself, inspired talkers. His only skill in the
game of life.”
AP English Literature and Composition
Summer Assignment 2010
Cooper – phyllis.cooper@bcsemail.org
Name______________________
Date_______________________
Summer Reading Rubric
READING JOURNAL:
COLD MOUNTAIN
Section I:
Characters
_____/10
Section II:
Settings
_____/10
Section III:
Chapter Summaries OR
Section IV:
Themes
READING JOURNAL:
Chapter Quizzes
_____/10
_____/10
THE SHIPPING NEWS
Section I:
Characters
_____/10
Section II:
Settings
_____/10
Section III:
Chapter Summaries OR
Section IV:
Themes
Chapter Quizzes
_____/10
_____/10
APPLYING LITERARY CONCEPTS from HOW TO READ LITERATURE LIKE A PROFESSOR
Cold Mountain examples
_____/10
The Shipping News examples
_____/10
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT (MAJOR GRADE)
_____/100