PERSONAL READING INVENTORY
(PRI)
PURPOSE:
This will be a list of major works you have read which will go into your portfolio. You
will use this PRI as a study guide for your Senior AP test (English Literature and
Composition) open prompt questions.
OBJECTIVE:
Document novels of literary merit that you have read.
REQUIREMENTS:
Type in 12 point Times New Roman font, double space heading, center the italicized title
of the work on the first line; then begin (left aligned) with the author’s name, genre, etc.
IMPORTANT: double space between format headings; single space within headings –
see model. Use one inch margin all around. Please refer to the model; it will help you
organize your paper.
FORMAT:
title (name of work)
author’s name
genre (category or type of literature)
subgenre
setting
major characters (protagonist, antagonist, and others important to the story)
point of view
symbols
conflict(s)
brief summary (not a re-telling of the story)
theme(s) (what the story is really about; the universal message of the story)
GENRES AND SUBGENRES:
prose fiction (novels and short stories)
allegory (two levels of meaning: literal and figurative)
bildungsroman (coming of age novel)
epistolary novel (narrative carried forth in letters)
gothic (mystery, the supernatural, and/or chivalry are the chief characteristics)
historical fiction
novel of manners (exploration and description of human experience of primary importance)
romance (passionate love prevailing against social, economic, or psychological odds, or more
simply, any plot that revolves around love)
social commentary
science fiction
utopian/dystopian (describes an imaginary ideal world/an imaginary but unpleasant world)
poetry
lyric (short poem in which the speaker expresses an emotional state or thought)
epic – (such The Iliad or The Odyssey)
drama (plays – dominated by dialogue and meant to be performed on stage)
comedy
melodrama (serious subject matter that ends happily)
tragedy
passion plays (about the life of Christ)
nonfiction prose
autobiography
biography
essay (literary composition that reflects the author’s outlook or point)
narrative nonfiction (factual information presented in a format which tells a story)
PERSONAL READING INVENTORY
(PRI)
speech (public address or discourse essays)