AP English Literature
Summer Reading 2012
Mrs. Palmiter
EMAIL: palmiterk@glcomets.net
I am excited to transition into teaching the AP English Literature class next year.
This class will help you expand on your English background and analyze literature
at the next level. In order for all of us to prepare for the next school year, you will
have summer reading (as all AP English classes do). I will be attending training this
summer to prepare for our time together. Since this is a college class, I have
expectations that you will also prepare for our class.
Required Preparation:
Assignment 1 – READING AT THE NEXT LEVEL
Obtain a copy of How to Read Literature like an English Professor by Thomas C. Foster
(ISBN # 978-06-000942-7). You can order it through Barnes and Noble. If this is difficult
for you to obtain, please see me.
Assignment 2 - ALLUSIONS
Objective: Familiarize yourself with world mythology, Hebrew and Christian
biblical stories. In order to have a reasonable knowledge of Egyptian, Babylonian,
Indian, Greek, Roman, Norse mythology, and Arthurian legends, and working
knowledge of the most common biblical allusions, please read the following texts:
Cliffs Notes: Mythology (ISBN: 0822008653) – Please take notes as you read paying
special attention to Greek Mythology. Include in your notes the name of each story,
names of the major characters, and the special features of those characters. I would
also include a brief 1-2 sentence description of the basic plot of each story.
The Bible: Please use the King James Version of the Old and New Testament.
(This is because the KJV was the translation most commonly used by the writers
that we will study.) The New Revised Standard Version can offer additional
historical context and clarification, and may be used in addition to the KJV.
Please take notes as you read. Include in your notes the name of each story, names
of the major people, and the special features of those people. I would also include a
brief 1-2 sentence description of the basic plot of each story. Read the following
books/chapters from The Bible:
• Genesis
• Exodus
• Job
• Psalms 19, 22, 23, 95, 12, 137
• Matthew
• Luke 10
• Luke 15
• John 11
 Revelations
Old Testament Stories you need to know:
The Creation, Adam and Eve
Cain and Abel
Noah and the Ark David and Goliath
Moses (birth to the Promised Land)
Abraham and Isaac
Jacob and Esau
Tower of Babel
Jonah and the Whale
Samson and Delilah
Solomon
Job
Ruth
Jacob and the Ladder
Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors
Daniel in the Lion's Den
Elijah
Jezebel
Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah
New Testament Stories you need to know:
Birth of Jesus
Parable of the Prodigal Son
Lazarus
Sermon on the Mount
John the Baptist
Last Supper
Judas
Crucifixion
Resurrection
Doubting Thomas
Armageddon
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The notes you take will help for reference and review in September when we
return. You will be allowed to use your notes on the opening test.
Assignment 3 – YOUR WRITING
Read the story The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Choose one of the following
essays to write after reading. Take notes as you read to help – these will be
turned in WITH your essay.
Option 1 from the 2002 AP English Literature Test:
Morally ambiguous characters – characters whose behavior discourages readers
from identifying them as purely evil or purely good – are at the heart of many works
of literature. Write an essay in which you explain a character from The Awakening
can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is
significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
Option 2 from the 2007 AP English Literature Test:
In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the
present actions, attitudes, or values of a character. Within The Awakening choose a
character that must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or
societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character’s relationship to
the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Option 3 from the 2009 AP English Literature Test:
A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a
range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea,
clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Focusing on one symbol within The
Awakening, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and
what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Avoid mere
plot summary.
Your essay is due at the Open House on Wednesday, August 29, 2012. IF YOU cannot
come to the Open House, please make arrangements to drop off your essay and your
notes during the day or the day prior. Because this is a college course, NO LATE
assignments will be accepted so plan accordingly.
OPTIONAL:
If you are looking to fend off brain death from summer please also read Homer’s The
Odyssey. If you need a copy, please let me know, and I will help provide one for you.