AP Literature and Composition Summer Reading
Directions: read each of the required texts and complete journals. It is very important that you know each of these texts well as they will be alluded to frequently throughout the course. There are various translations available for each text. I have listed the preferred translations below.
Required Texts:
Beowulf , translated by either R. M. Liuzza (the best), Seamus Haney, or E. Talbot
Donaldson (prose translation)
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Beowulf was composed by an anonymous author, probably in the seventh or eighth century A.D., although no one knows for sure. Only one text survives, and there is no record of its whereabouts until the sixteenth century when Sir Robert
Cotton, an antiquarian, purchased it for his library. An epic-heroic poem, Beowulf stands as the single greatest achievement in Old English literature, but it was not until J.R.R. Tolkien made a now famous speech to the British Academy in the
1930’s that literary critics viewed the work as anything other than an historical artifact. The plot involves the heroic warrior Beowulf in successive battles against three monsters: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Themes include heroic values and the traits of a good king.
The Odyssey , by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald
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Written between 750 and 700 B.C. by Homer, The Odyssey and its values are set in a time before Homer, between 1200 and 800 B.C. Although the story is fraught with historical inaccuracies, Greeks during Homer’s time and after accepted it as historical fact. This story was extremely well known throughout the
Mediterranean region, so much so that Plato complained about the Greeks’ obsession with it. In contrast with Beowulf , several hundred copies of The
Odyssey survived from antiquity. The plot is concerned with the hero Odysseus and his return voyage from the Trojan War. It is a classic coming of age story that highlights heroic values and that, in the end, hints at a more civilized future.
AP Journals
No study-guides are provided for AP English Students. Students are expected to create journals for each story that describe and analyze the literary aspects of the stories.
Journals must include two distinct parts, notes and analysis. Items for note taking include character, conflict, motif, potential foreshadowing, figurative language, and potential symbolism. Analysis should explain your thoughts about deeper meanings in the novel based on analysis of the notes you have taken. How you structure the journals is up to you. You could use a two column format, with notes on the left and analysis on the right, or you could use headings and subheadings with bullets underneath, or you can use a structure you come up with yourself. However you structure your journals, make sure to divide them by chapter/book and to include some page numbers (or line numbers for epic poems). Journals will be used for class discussion and will help prepare you to write an

essay about each story. Journals should be a minimum of five pages for a short work such as Beowulf , and ten pages for a longer work such as the Odyssey . You are not to use
Sparknotes , Pink Monkey Notes , Cliff Notes , or any other type of book notes in writing your journals. Your ideas need to come from your mind. Journals need to be typed. See the note below.
Deadline: A paper copy is due by August 1, 2011 in the main office. Failure to submit your summer reading journals to the main office by this date will result in your being dropped from the course unless you have made prior arrangements with me.
Deadline : An electronic copy is due by August 1, 2011 at 6 PM at www.Turnitin.com
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Below are the course ID and password you will need to enroll in the AP Literature
Course on Turnitin.com:
Class Name: AP Literature 2012-2013
Class ID: 5134866
Password: dulinap12-13
To enroll in the course you will need an email address and you will need to create your own password. If you forget your password, you can have it sent to your email address.
Once you create an account uploading your journals should be fairly simple. When you upload the Beowulf journals and the Odyssey journals you will only be allowed to upload one document for each, so do not plan to upload chapters or sections seperately. If you have trouble with either enrolling in the class or uploading your documents, do not panic.
Just email me at sean.dulin@bsd.k12.de.us
and I will try to guide you through your difficulties. Make sure, however, that you do turn in a hard copy to the main office by the due date.