Choice Novel Summer Reading Assignment
AP English
Requirements:
o BEFORE leaving school for the summer, set up a JSTOR account. Ask Ms.
Medved for help.
o Read ONE novel or play from the AP Open Question Text List1
o Complete the form below.
o After finishing your novel or play, research literary criticism articles about
your novel or play. Use JSTOR. It’s the best.
o Select one article. Read it.
o Write a précis about your article. A précis is a brief summary of the main
argument and ideas in the article. It should be typed and fewer than 250
words. Include a full MLA citation of the article at the bottom of your précis.
Due Date:
The précis, a copy of your literary criticism article, and this handout are all due the
first Friday of the school year.
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NOTE: The first choice novel will be due the first week of the school year. The AP Text List is available
at http://mseffie.com/AP/APtitles.html. Please select a novel or play you have NOT read before. Ignore
King Lear, Oedipus Rex, Antigone, Medea, Crime and Punishment, Wuthering Heights and Beloved as
these are required reading for AP.
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Choice Reading Assignment Tracking Handout2
As you read your choice novel, track the plot, structure, conflict, characters, settings,
themes and resolutions on the form below. This structure will prepare you for the
impromptu essay you’ll write about your novel during the first week of school in
September. Specifically, prepare to write an impromptu essay about the characters
and themes in your novel. Feel free to collaborate with peers, talk about your novel
with friends and family, or read additional literary criticism about your novel.
Immerse yourself in the ideas and delights of your choice book!
Components of Plot:
 Exposition—beginning of novel/play when readers learn setting, characters,
main conflict
 Conflict—main obstacle preventing the protagonist from reaching his/her
goal
 Rising action—complications that develop and prolong the main conflict
 Climax—turning point in story
 Falling action—result of conflict
 Denouement/Resolution—ties up loose ends
Plot Review
Name the TEN most important events in the plot. Be sure to include key moments of
conflict, climax, and resolution. Consider charting them out by chapter/section/act.
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Adapted from Barron’s AP English Literature and Composition Test Preparation, 4th edition
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Character:
Identify the protagonist and antagonist. Describe the nature of their conflict, how it
affects their behavior, and what resolution—if any—contributes to the overall
meaning of the novel/play. Describe the appearance, speech, actions, thoughts (if
accessible)3, and opinions of others (how others view them) for EACH of the key
characters.
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In drama, the audience usually has limited access to internal thoughts. These thoughts are revealed
through asides or soliloquies.
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Character II:
Choose ONE memorable character and analyze the techniques used by the writer to
develop that character. Again, consider appearance, speech, actions, thoughts, and
the opinions of others.
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Theme
Identify THREE major themes in each work studied. For each theme, note the
evidence (aka quotes with page numbers) that support the development of each
theme (e.g. specific references to dialogue, plot, characters, language, setting, etc.)
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Setting:
List FIVE ways the setting contributes to the meaning or effect of the
novel/play. How does the setting influence emotions, thoughts, and actions of
characters? Are there certain types of events or conversations that only take place in
ONE location? Do different locations hold symbolic meaning?
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Structure:
Examine the structure of the novel/play. Describe its structure or shape. In what
ways does the structure contribute to the work’s themes, characters, or overall
meaning? In what ways does the novel/play follow the traditional five-act plot chart
(exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution/denouement)?
Where does it deviate from this template?
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Figurative Language:
Pick a few random passages to re-read in a novel/play. Identify the figurative
language used in those passages (allusion, metaphor, personification, etc.). Name
the figures of speech and note the patterns they create. HOW does the writer use
them to contribute to the purpose or meaning of the work? How does the writer use
them to effect particular scenes? Consider the use of figurative language in the
writer’s development of tone, character, and theme.
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