A P Literature and Composition
Summer Assignment
Dear Student,
In AP Literature and Composition you read a lot. This course is designed to train
you in the skills of close reading, critical thinking, and analytical writing. The pace
is rigorous, so if you are not a diligent student and a habitual reader, the course
will be extremely challenging. The summer is a great time to develop a reading
habit and build your reading skills by carving out a structured daily reading time
that you can continue throughout the upcoming year. This summer assignment is
designed to help you in this process and prepare you for the exciting and daunting
task of being an AP literature and composition student.
You will need to purchase your own materials. If you cannot attain any title,
please contact us as soon as possible.
Required summer reading texts and materials:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mythology, Edith Hamilton
How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas Foster
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
3 subject notebook
A P Literature and Composition
Summer Assignment
Assigned Texts
 Mythology
This text contains archetypal stories, characters and events frequently alluded to in literature. It will
give you the background you need to read the texts closely and accurately. Copies of this text can be
borrowed from the English department.
 How to Read Novels Like a Professor
While the other two texts help you in comprehending the subtle language of literature, this book will
help you in recognizing patterns that authors use in writing their texts. It analyzes the structural and
technical devices authors use and will help you read deeper.
 The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Your ability to read habitually is the first hurdle in being a successful AP Literature and Composition
student. The next hurdle is your ability to read actively. Annotating the text is a necessary step in
demonstrating your engagement and your comprehension. Moreover, it will help you with posing
questions in class, positing analyses during seminar, and making connections on the exam. You are not
expected to uncover every layer of meaning in a novel, but you are expected to highlight or underline
and annotate (commentary and analysis) while reading.
You are also required to write about the novel in your second week of class. The prompt for the writing
assignment will be included to help your frame your first literary analysis.
If you have any questions about the summer reading, please contact one of the AP Literature teachers
for clarification.
Mrs. Flor
Heather.Flor@lcps.org
Mrs. Glynn
Shelli.Glynn@lcps.org
Mrs. Wingard
Kanfinae.wingard@lcps.org
A P Literature and Composition
Summer Assignment
Part I: Mythology
Double Entry Journal (Allusion): (noun) an implied or indirect reference especially in literature; also: the
use of such references.
Directions:
Following the example below, develop an index in which you enter the following information on a page
in your journal (you may also type your entry and neatly attach to notebook pages) for each myth:
o
o
o
Left hand column: Name of story
Left hand column: A summary of the story that captures the main elements
Right hand column: A 50-word commentary on sources of conflict (plot) and their
significance, and when possible, any examples where you might encounter this allusion
(reading, travels, vocabulary, plot lines, etc.)
Example:
The Prodigal Son (title of story or myth)
Summary: In this story, one of the most well known
parables shared by Jesus, a man has two sons to whom
he has promised an inheritance. One of the sons asks
for his inheritance while the father is still alive. He
takes his money and spends it quite foolishly. Money
spent, he ends up so poor that he must work in a pig
yard, where he sees that the pigs have even more than
he. He decides to return to his father’s home to beg
forgiveness and to ask that his father hire him to work
in the fields. His father is overjoyed to see the son he
thought he had lost. In celebration of his return, the
father offers him new robes, an important ring, and
orders a fattened calf killed for a celebration. The
“good brother” is incensed that the brother who so
recklessly squandered his fortune should be welcomed
and forgiven. But the father explains the value of the
return of that which was thought lost.
Commentary: The central conflict of this
parable is sibling rivalry between the brother
who is dutiful and the one who is profligate,
going out and foolishly losing his
inheritance. It shows God’s mercy in that He
welcomes home all sinners who return to Him
and suggests that we too should be welcoming
of any wayward son or daughter. This
exemplifies how mercy is a higher moral value
than justice, as justice would have us believe
that the prodigal son does not deserve
forgiveness.
Part II: How to Read Novels like a Professor
Directions: Read and write a sentence outline of the text. It is our goal that you will be able to use
Foster’s guide book to reading to help you discover patterns and motivations of authors, which you
probably overlook or neglect to consider. You should outline each of the chapters based on the
following model:
I. Chapter title
a. Summary
b. Key terms
c. Textual references
d. Reflection (Very important that you demonstrate your understanding of Foster’s theory.
Do not recapitulate the ideas from your summary.)
A P Literature and Composition
Summer Assignment
Part III: Fiction
Directions: Read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. You should take note of all allusions to Mythology
and apply all of the theories from Foster’s How to Read Novels like a Professor that you recognize during
your reading. Complete the attached major work data sheet and attach to notebook in preparation for
first seminar. Also, you will write an essay responding to the following prompt from the 2011 AP Exam
during the second week of school.
Essay Prompt
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.
Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, 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. Do not merely
summarize the plot.