AP Literature Summer Reading – 2017-18
The College Board and the Advanced Placement English Literature Exam require no
particular books or plays that you must read. Because of time constraints, we cannot
read and discuss in class as many novels as we would like. Therefore, we encourage our
AP students to read during the summer and during the school year.
Purpose of the assignment:
The following is a partial list of titles that have been suggested on recent AP
Literature and Composition Exams for use on the open-ended question where
students are asked to respond to a prompt using a book or play of suitable literary
merit of their own choosing. You will find in parentheses the number of times
that title has appeared on the actual exam. This information may assist
you in choosing a book appropriate for you.

Your summer reading will consist of 2 books. You will read one book and write
the essay before the first day of school; bring the essay with you on the first day
of school.

You will need to read your 2nd book by the first day of school and be prepared
for an essay test the first Friday of school (August 14).
Book 1: Book Choice and appropriate essay.
Choose one of the following novels to read and complete the essay assignment.
All essays should include direct quotes (minimum 4-5), examples from the text and
should avoid plot summary. Be sure to document all quotes properly using MLA
documentation. In addition, all essays should be typed, double-spaced using 12 pt. TNR
font. Your essay should be 3-5 pages and is due the first day of school (Wednesday,
August 12).
Choice 1: Light in August (11) by William Faulkner
Essay: In a novel by William Styron, a father tells a son life “is a search for justice.”
In Act III, scene ii of Shakespeare’s King Lear, the central character proclaims “I am a
man more sinn’d against than sinning.” Identify the character from Light in August more
“sinn’d against than sinning” and indicate the reasons why the character feels this way
and whether or not the feeling is justified. Also, explain the significance of this to the
meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.
Choice 2: The Awakening (13) by Kate Chopin
Essay: Many times in literature a character is tempted to make a decision that runs
counter to his sense of morality, loyalty, social position or upbringing. Choose a
character who is tempted to act against his/her moral, social or spiritual foundation.
Then, in a well-organized essay, show what decision the character makes and indicate
how that decision later impacts both the character and the work as a whole. Avoid plot
summary.
Choice 3: Pride and Prejudice (8) by Jane Austen
Essay: In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that
emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the
main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of the minor character might be used
to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character.
From Pride and Prejudice choose a minor character who serves as a foil to a main
character. Write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor
character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot
summary.
Choice 4: Great Expectations (20) by Charles Dickens
Essay: Sometimes in literature an unexpected, unsettling, even traumatic experience
propels the character who experiences it on a physical or spiritual journey of selfdiscovery. Choose a character who experiences an unexpected, unsettling, even
traumatic event. Then, in a well-organized essay, illustrate what type of journey the
character undertakes and to what new understanding of self he or she comes. Also,
include the significance of the discovery to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot
summary.
Choice 5: The Color Purple (11) by Alice Walker
Essay: A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, recounts the psychological or moral
development of its protagonist from youth to maturity, when this character recognizes
his or her place in the world. Select a single pivotal moment in the psychological or
moral development of the protagonist of The Color Purple. Then write a well-organized
essay that analyzes how that single moment shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.
Avoid mere plot summary.
Choice 6: Wuthering Heights (23) by Emily Bronte
Essay: Oftentimes a belief, value, or possession can become a source of fierce
contention, causing dissension that threatens the bond between family members,
colleagues, friends or members of a social class. In a well-organized essay, show to what
extent the dissension damages the relationships of the individuals embroiled in the
conflict and the significance of this to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
Choice 7: Everyone Brave is Forgiven (0) by Chris Cleave
Essay: The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to
discover. However, in other works (for example, Measure for Measure) the full
significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Show how the
significance of this novel’s title is developed through the author’s use of devices such as
contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view. Avoid mere plot summary.
Book 2—Drama Choice (read one of these by the first day of school. Your essay test
will be the first Friday of school.)
Henrik Ibsen An Enemy of the People
Edward Albee Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
William Shakespeare The Tempest
Euripides Medea
Lorraine Hansberry A Raisin in the Sun
Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman
Tennessee Williams Streetcar Named Desire