AP Literature Allusions Summer Research Project An allusion is a reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history. This is an important literary concept that you will encounter repeatedly in poetry, drama, and fiction. With allusions, authors can engage the reader in making associations and creating meaning. However, if you are unaware of allusions you will miss some of these meanings. Therefore, you need to learn all of the following background stories that are common sources for allusions. In September, you will be tested on your ability to discern what allusion a writer is using. I will include some links on my website to sources. Highly recommended sources are Edith Hamilton’s ​
Mythology ​
as a good overview of Greek and Roman myths. There are also hundreds of books on the bible, and if you are up for originals of texts check out Ovid’s ​
Metamorphoses and the ​
New Revised Standard Version ​
of the Bible. Britannia.com is a good site to start at for Arthurian character and story information. For fairy tale research use Sur La Lune: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/. Part One: Research and write short summaries on ten of the following stories (your choice): Two of your ten allusions will be the one you were assigned for part two, and then pick two more from each of the four categories. Write a summary in your own words and include a works cited page. These should be typed in Google Documents in MLA format and submitted in Google Classroom. Do not plagiarize or work together on this assignment. These are due the first day of class. Biblical Allusions Greek and Roman Mythology Creation Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden Cain and Abel David and Goliath Moses (birth to the promised land) Abraham and Isaac Jonah and the Whale Samson and Delilah Solomon Job Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors Daniel in the Lion’s Den Elijah Jezebel Sodom and Gomorrah Birth of Jesus Parable of the Prodigal Son Lazarus Prometheus (and Io) Narcissus The Golden Fleece Orpheus and Eurydice Daedalus (and Icarus) Cupid and Psyche Pygmalion and Galatea Daphne (and Apollo) Perseus Theseus Hercules Oedipus (including Sphinx) and (Antigone) The Trojan War (including the fall of Troy, Achilles, Hector, Paris, Helen, and the Trojan Horse) Midas Bacchus John the Baptist Last Supper Judas Crucifixion and Resurrection Doubting Tomas Armageddon and Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Leda and the Swan Pandora Odysseus/Ulysses (know who he is, do not study ​
The Odyssey,​
including Sirens) Arthurian Fairy Tale Uther and Igraine and the story of Arthur’s birth Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot (their stories and the love triangle) Sir Gawain and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” (story in verse) Merlin and Morgan(Morgana) le Fay Nimue ​
alias ​
Vivienne, Lady of the Lake Perceval Mordred Places:​
Avalon, Camelot and Knights of Round Table Objects​
: Excalibur, the Sword in the Stone, the Holy Grail The Ugly Duckling Rumpelstiltskin The Princess and the Pea The Pied Piper of Hamelin Little Red Riding Hood Hansel and Gretel The Frog Prince The Fisherman and His Wife Cinderella Bluebeard Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Part 2: Create 2 Google Slides Documents for the class, each with a summary of your assigned story, and a sample allusion to that story. You will briefly teach your stories to the class using the Google Slides Documents. For each of your assigned stories, you are going to create a Google Slide document that includes, in your own words, an explanation of your assigned story. Your story description does not need to be long; it should be a paragraph or so. The purpose of the assignment is to give you and your classmates a working knowledge of allusion structures. You must also provide a representative picture of your tale. Finally your slide must provide an example of the allusion being used by another text: poem, song, story, play, or novel. You should have a second slide with ​
MLA citations​
of information and images used for the first page. Even if you already know the story by heart (and you will probably know a few) double­check with an outside source for accuracy and cite the source. You will need to submit your Google Slides document on Google Classroom. This will be a review tool for your classmates. Part One Sample (of one entry, it would be in MLA and double spaced. You will have 10 total): Biblical ­ Daniel in the Lion’s Den In Daniel Chapter 6, when the men of a Kingdom criticize Daniel, a honorable man who is rising to power, the men fool their king to pass a decree that anyone who asks anything of a man or god would be thrown into a lion’s den. That is unless they pray to the King Darius ­ that is allowed. Daniel prays to God anyway so the men bring him to the king. The king throws him into the lion’s den and closes it with a stone with his markings on it, but he promises that God will save him. The next day Daniel is still alive and unharmed due to his belief in God, so the king throws the men and their families who had betrayed Daniel into the lion’s den. God rewards Daniel for his innocence and unyielding faith by protecting him from the lions. The men and their families are not rewarded. Works Cited “Daniel Chapter 6.” ​
King James Bible Online. ​
n.p. n.d. Web. 31 August 2015. Part Two Sample (you would do this for the two highlighted stories, and a works cited slide would follow):