AP Literature and Composition
Short Story Boot Camp
Our goal with this unit if to explore the elements of fiction to understand how they influence
the overall meaning of a work. By the end of this unit you will have read 14 short stories,
completed 7 SIFTT pages, written 6 short analyses (250 – 500 words), 1 longer paper, and
discussed literature to your heart’s content. You will also have muttered some things under
your breath about my unreasonable expectations, but you will thank me later! (okay, maybe
much later)
Stories and Literary Elements: All page numbers refer to your Bedford Text. You can access the
handouts on my website.
Emphasized Short Story Element
Short Story
Plot / Structure
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
(handout)
“Killings” by Andre Dubus (pg. 107)
Character
“Saving Sourdi” by May-Lee Chai (pg. 130)
“Mines” by Susan Straight (pg. 173)
Setting
“IND AFF” by Fay Weldon (pg. 201)
“Christmas 1910” by Robert Olen Butler (pg.
210)
Point of View
“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest
Hemingway (handout)
“Roselily” by Alice Walker (pg. 266)
Symbolism
“The Cranes” by Peter Meinke (pg. 301)
“Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison (pg. 285)
Tone / Style / Irony
“Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver (pg.
344)
“Letter to a Funeral Parlor” by Lydia Davis
(pg. 357)
Theme / Combining all of the Elements
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery
O’Conner (pg. 445)
“Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer
(handout)
Schedule: Please pay attention to the reading schedule – you may read ahead, but remember
to focus on the appropriate emphasized short story element for each story.
Short Analysis:
 250 – 500 words (typed)
 MLA Format (Heading, Double-spaced, Size 12 Font)
 Analyze the meaning of the short story using the literary element we are studying. How
does it develop in the text and what effect does it have on the text as a whole?
 Include a brief introduction that ends with a thesis statement
 1 – 2 body paragraphs
 Clear Conclusion
*Think of these mini essays as polished timed writings
** Please pay attention to the rules of good writing: Don’t use personal pronouns; no grammar,
punctuation, or spelling errors; use “evidence” from the story to support your ideas.