Summer Reading & W=
ork
– AP English
1. &n=
bsp; Please
read at least two to three of the following books BEFORE we begin in August=
(Two are requ=
ired; if you read a thir=
d, you
won’t have to read an additional outside novel during the year). The library has some; I have some;=
AND,
if you are traveling, you might want to go to a book store (or, even cheape=
r, a
used book store) to pick up your summer books and any others you might want=
to
read throughout the year (You will be reading at least 4 or 5 outside books throughout the year). Choose those books which have appeared=
on
more AP exams than others, but you should also choose based on interest.
2. &n=
bsp; Write
an AP essay for one of the books you read. T=
he
topics are listed below; be sure you choose a relevant topic to write on. 3. &n=
bsp; Again, if you are
traveling, you might want to pick up some AP test prep books (those with CD̵=
7;s
are even better) to use and share throughout the year. 4. &n=
bsp; As
well, you should be checking the web page for the class. <=
/span>First, you can look at th=
e activities
and resources =
we
used this year in class. Second, I will be updating=
the
page throughout the summer with your curriculum for next year. Third, student essays are posted on the Ha=
ndouts
and Resources page that may serve as examples for your essays this summer.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Finally, again on the Handouts and Resources pag=
e,
you will find information about essay writing and other entertaining topics. 5. &n=
bsp; Finally,
you should che=
ck out
the resources at AP Central, the main site for the AP exams published by ETS
(the Educational Testing Service).
Here you can find resources, old tests and much more to get you
started. You will have to reg=
ister
to get the most out of the site, however, but there are no strings
attached. The URL is
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/. WORKS LISTED ON AP ENGLISH LITERATURE EXAM—AMERIC=
AN *Books that are Author Title=
Exam Years Albee THE ZOO STORY 82, 01 Albee WHO'S AFRAID OF VIR=
GINA
WOOLF 88, 94, 00 Anaya BLESS ME, ULTIMA 96, 97 Baldwin GO TELL IT ON THE M=
OUNTAIN 88, 90 Bauermister<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> THE DOLLMAKER 91 Cao 00 Cather MY ANTONIA 94 Chopin THE AWAKENING 87, 88, 91, 92, 95,=
97, 99 Dreiser AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY=
82, 95 Dreiser SISTER CARRIE 87, 94 Ellison INVISIBLE MAN 76, 78, 82, 83, 85,=
86, 87,
88, 89, 91, 94, 95, 96, 97, 01 Erdrich LOVE MEDICINE 95 Faulkner ABSALOM, ABSALOM 76, 00 Faulkner LIGHT IN AUGUST 79, 81, 82, 83, 85,=
91, 94,
95, 99 Faulkner SOUND AND THE FURY<=
/span> 86, 97, 01 Faulkner THE BEAR 94 Gaines A GATHERING OF OLD =
MEN 00 Gaines A LESSON BEFORE DYI=
NG 99 Glaspell TRIFLES 00 Guterson SNOW FALLING ON CED=
ARS 00 Hansberry RAISIN IN THE SUN 87, 90, 92, 94, 96,=
99 Hawthorne HOUSE OF SEVEN GABL=
ES 89, 96 Heller CATCH-22 82, 85, 87, 89, 94,=
01 Hellman LITTLE FOXES=
85, 90 Hemingway A FAREWELL TO ARMS<=
/span> 91, 99 Hemingway THE SUN ALSO RISES<=
/span> 85, 91, 95 Hurston THEIR EYES WERE WAT=
CHING
GOD 88, 90, 91, 94, 96<=
/span> James PORTRAIT OF A LADY<=
/span> 88, 92, 96 James 90 Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE C=
UCKOO'S
NEST 01 Kingston WOMAN WARRIOR 91 Lee NATIVE SPEAKER 99 MacLeish J.B. 81, 94 Mailer ARMIES OF THE NIGHT=
76 McCarthy ALL THE PRETTY HORS=
ES 96 McCullers THE MEMBER OF THE W=
EDDING 97 Melville BENITO CERENO 89 Melville BILLY BUDD 79, 81, 82, 83, 85,=
99 Melville MOBY DICK 76, 78, 79, 80, 83,=
89, 94,
96, 01 Melville REDBURN 87 Miller A VIEW FROM THE BRI=
DGE 94 Miller ALL MY SONS<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 85, 90 Miller DEATH OF A SALESMAN=
86, 88, 94 Miller THE CRUCIBLE=
83, 87 Momaday HOUSE MADE OF DAWN<=
/span> 95 Morrison SONG OF SOLOMON 81, 88, 96, 00 Morrison SULA 92, 97 Morrison THE BLUEST EYE 95 Mukerjee JASMINE 99 O'Brien GOING AFTER CACCIAT=
O 01 O'Brien IN THE 00 O'Connor WISE BLOOD 95 O'Neill LONG DAYS JOURNEY I=
NTO
NIGHT 90 O'Neill MOURNING BECOMES EL=
ECTRA 94 O'Neill THE HAIRY APE 89 Pielmeier AGNES OF GOD=
00 Rolvaag GIANTS IN THE EARTH=
94 Saroyan THE HUMAN COMEDY 94 Silko CEREMONY 94, 96, 97, 99, 01<=
/span> Steinbeck GRAPES OF WRATH 81, 85, 87, 95 Stowe UNCLE TOM'S CABIN 87 Tan THE JOY LUCK CLUB 97 Thoreau CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE<=
/span> 76 Twain HUCKLEBERRY FINN 80, 82, 85, 91, 92,=
94, 95,
96, 99 Tyler DINNER AT THE HOMES=
ICK
RESTAURANT 97 Updike THE CENTAUR<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 81 Vonnegut SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE=
91 Warren ALL THE KING'S MEN<=
/span> 00 Welch WINTER IN THE BLOOD=
95 Welty DELTA WEDDING 97 Welty THE OPTIMIST'S DAUG=
HTER 94 Wharton THE AGE OF INNOCENC=
E 97 Wilder OUR TOWN 86, 97 Williams CAT ON A HOT TIN RO=
OF 00 Williams DESIRE UNDER THE EL=
MS 81 Williams STREETCAR NAMED DES=
IRE 91, 92, 01 Williams THE GLASS MENAGERIE=
90, 94, 97, 99 Wilson JOE TURNER'S COME A=
ND GONE 00 Wilson THE PIANO LESSON 96, 99 Wolfe YOU CAN'T GO HOME A=
GAIN 94 Wright NATIVE SON 79, 82, 85, 87, 89,=
01 WORKS LISTED ON AP ENGLISH LITERATURE EXAM—BRITIS=
H Author Title=
Exam Years Austen EMMA 96 Austen 91 Austen PERSUASION 83, 88, 93, 94 Austen PRIDE AND PREJUDICE=
83, 88, 92, 94, 97<=
/span> Beckett WAITING FOR GODOT 94, 01 Bronte, C. JANE EYRE 78, 79, 82, 83, 86,=
89, 90,
91, 92, 97, 99, 00 Churchill THE CRISIS 76 Conrad LORD JIM 78, 82, 83, 86, 00<=
/span> Conrad VICTORY 83 Defoe MOLL 76, 83, 86, 87, 95<=
/span> Dickens BLEAK HOUSE<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 94 Dickens DAVID COPPERFIELD 78, 83 Dickens GREAT EXPECTATIONS<=
/span> 79, 80, 88, 89, 92,=
94, 95,
96, 00, 01 Dickens HARD TIMES 87, 90 Dickens OUR MUTUAL FRIEND 90 Dickens TALE OF TWO CITIES<=
/span> 82, 91 Eliot, G. THE MILL ON THE FLO=
SS 90, 92 Eliot, G. MIDDLEMARCH<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 95 Eliot, T.S.<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> THE WASTELAND 81 Eliot, T.S.<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> MURDER IN THE CATHE=
DRAL 76, 80, 85, 95 Fielding JOSEPH ANDREWS 91 Fielding TOM JONES 90, 00 Forster PASSAGE TO 78, 83, 88, 91, 92<=
/span> Friel (Irish) DANCING AT LUGHNASA=
01 Golding THE LORD OF THE FLI=
ES 85, 92 Greene 79 Greene THE POWER AND THE G=
LORY 95 Hardy JUDE THE OBSCURE 76, 80, 85, 87, 91,=
95 Hardy THE MAYOR OF CASTER=
BRIDGE 94, 99, 00 Ishigura REMAINS OF THE DAY<=
/span> 00 Joyce (Irish) PORTRAIT OF THE ART=
IST AS A
YOUNG MAN 76, 80, 81, 83, 86,=
88, 96,
99 Joyce (Irish) THE DEAD 97 Lawrence SONS AND LOVERS 83, 90 Madox THE GOOD SOLDIER 00 Marlowe DR. FAUSTUS<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 79, 86, 99 Milton 85, 86 Pinter THE BIRTHDAY PARTY<=
/span> 89, 97 Pinter THE HOMECOMING 78, 90 Pope THE RAPE OF THE LOC=
K 81 Rhys 89, 92 Richardson PAMELA 86 Shaffer EQUUS 92, 94, 99, 00, 01<=
/span> Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 80, 91 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> AS YOU LIKE IT 92 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> JULIUS CAESAR 82, 97 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> KING LEAR 78, 82, 83, 88, 89,=
90, 94,
96, 01 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> MERCHANT OF 85, 91, 95 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT=
DREAM 91 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> MUCH 97 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> OTHELLO 79, 85, 88, 92, 95<=
/span> Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> RICHARD III<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 79 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> ROMEO AND JULIET 90, 97 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> TEMPEST 78, 96 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> TWELFTH NIGHT 94, 96 Shakespeare<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> WINTER'S TALE 86, 89 Shaw CANDIDA 80 Shaw MAJOR BARBARA 79, 96 Shaw MRS. WARREN'S PROFE=
SSION 90, 95 Shaw PYGMALION 92 Shaw SAINT JOAN 95 Spark THE PRIME OF MISS J=
EAN
BRODIE 90 Sterne TRISTRAM SHANDY 86 Stoppard ROSENCRANTZ AND
GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD 81, 94, 00 Swift GULLIVER'S TRAVELS<=
/span> 87, 88, 01 Trollope THE WARDEN 96 Waugh BRIDESHEAD REVISITE=
D 94, 96 Waugh THE LOVED ONE 89 Woolf MRS. DALLOWAY 94, 97 Woolf A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN=
76 Woolf TO THE LIGHTHOUSE 83, 86, 88 WORKS LISTED ON AP ENGLISH LITERATURE EXAM—WORLD<=
/p>
Author Nationality Title=
Exam Years Achebe Nigerian THINGS FALL APART 91, 97 Aeschylus Greek ORESTEIA 90, 94 Aeschylus Greek THE EUMENIDES 96 Aristophanes=
Greek LYSISTRATA 87 Atwood Canadian ALIAS GRACE<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 00 Atwood Canadian CAT'S EYE 94 Brecht German MOTHER COURAGE 85 Camus French THE FALL 81 Chekov Russian THE CHERRY ORCHARD<=
/span> 83 Davies Canadian FIFTH BUSINESS 00 Dostoevsky Russian THE BROTHERS KARAMA=
ZOV 90 Dostoevsky Russian CRIME AND PUNISHMEN=
T 76, 80, 82, 88, 96,=
99, 00,
01 Dostoevsky Russian NOTES FROM UNDERGRO=
UND 89 Homer Greek THE ODYSSEY<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 94 Kafka German METAMORPHOSIS 78, 89 Kafka German THE CARETAKER 85 Kafka German THE TRIAL 89, 00 Kogawa Canadian OBASAN 94, 95, 97 MacLennan Canadian THE WATCH THAT ENDS=
THE
NIGHT 92 Moliere French THE MISANTHROPE 92 Nabokov Russian/American PNIN 97 Nabokov Russian/American PALE FIRE 01 Ondaatje Ceylon/Canadian COMING THROUGH SLAU=
GHTER 01 Paton South African CRY THE BELOVED COU=
NTRY 85, 87, 91, 95, 96<=
/span> Racine French PHEDRE 92 Richler Canadian THE APPRENTICESHIP =
OF DUDDY
KRAVITZ 94 Sartre French NO EXIT 86 Sophocles Greek ANTIGONE 79, 80, 90, 94, 99<=
/span> Sophocles Greek OEDIPUS REX<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"'> 83, 88, 00 Strindberg Swedish THE FATHER 01 Tolstoy Russian ANNA KARENINA 80, 91, 99 Tolstoy Russian THE DEATH OF IVAN I=
LLYCH 86 Turgenev Russian FATHERS AND SONS 90 Voltaire French CANDIDE 86, 87, 91, 96 Open-ended Questions f=
or
Advanced Placement English, 1970-2000 1970. Choose a character from a recogniz=
ed
literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the
standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) sh=
ow
how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summar=
ize
the plot. 1971. The significance of a title such a=
s The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to discover. However, in other works (for examp=
le,
Measure for Measure) the full significance of the title becomes apparent to=
the
reader only gradually. Choose=
two
works and show how the significance of their respective titles is developed
through the authors' use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion,=
and
point of view. 1972. In retrospect, the reader often
discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama
introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening s=
cene
of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it
functions in this way. 1973. An effective literary work does not
merely stop or cease; it concludes. &=
nbsp;
In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasu=
re
of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, howe=
ver,
always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reade=
r to
abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the end=
ing of
a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the =
ending
appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> 1974. Choose a work of literature written
before 1900. Write an essay in
which you present arguments for and against the works relevance for a perso=
n in
1974. Your own position should
emerge in the course of your essay.
You may refer to works of literature written after 1900 for the purp=
ose
of contrast or comparison. 1975. Although literary critics have ten=
ded to
praise the unique in literary characterizations, many authors have employed=
the
stereotyped character successfully.
Select one work of acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written
essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or characters
function to achieve the author’s purpose. 1976. The conflict created when the will=
of an
individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many
novels, plays, and essays. Se=
lect
the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from=
a
work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in
opposition to his or her society.
In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and
ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or actio=
n of
the work you choose. 1977. In some novels and plays certain
parallel or recurring events prove to be significant. In an essay, describe the major
similarities and differences in a sequence of parallel or recurring events =
in a
novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. Do not merely summarize the plot.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The Top 100 Novels w=
ith
Reviews - http://www=
.dougshaw.com/top100.html
Outstanding Books fo=
r the
College Bound Student - Annotated from American Library Association - http://www.ala.org/yalsa/=
booklists/obcb/
Enrichment Reading L=
ist
– Annotated - http://adhd.kids.tripod.com/enrichlist.html
crossed through SHOULD NOT BE
READ. Why? Basically because we will be readi=
ng
them OR they are part of the
curriculum here in English or other courses (If I missed any, please do not read them).
Faulkner<=
/s>
AS I LAY DYING
78, 89, 90, 94, =
01
Fitzgerald
GREAT GATSBY
82, 83, 88, 91, =
92, 97,
00
Hawthorne=
THE SCARLET LETT=
ER
78, 83, 88, 91, =
99
James=
TURN OF THE SCRE=
W
92, 94, 00
Knowles
A SEPARATE PEACE=
82=
Morrison<=
/s>
BELOVED
90, 94, 99, 01
Proulx
THE SHIPPING NEW=
S
97=
Salinger<=
/s>
THE CATCHER IN T=
HE <=
s>
01=
Steinbeck=
OF MICE AND MEN<=
/span>
01=
Walker
THE COLOR PURPLE=
91, 92, 94, 96, =
97
Wharton
ETHAN FROME
80, 95
Bronte, E.
78, 79, 82, 83, =
86, 89,
90, 91, 92, 96, 97, 99, 01
Conrad
HEART OF DARKNES=
S
76, 91, 94, 96, =
99, 00,
01
Hardy=
TESS OF THE D'UB=
ERVILLES
82, 91
Huxley
BRAVE NEW WORLD<=
/span>
89=
Orwell
1984<=
s>
94=
Shakespeare
HAMLET
88, 92, 94, 97, =
99, 00
Shakespeare
MACBETH
83, 99
Shelley
FRANKENSTEIN
89, 00
Atwood
Canadian<=
/s>
THE HANDMAID'S T=
ALE
92=
Camus=
French
THE STRANGER
79, 82, 86
Cervantes=
Spanish
DON QUIXOTE
92, 01
Euripides=
Greek=
MEDEA=
82, 92, 95, 01
Flaubert<=
/s>
French
MADAME BOVARY
80, 85
Ibsen=
Norwegian=
A DOLL'S HOUSE
83, 88, 94, 95, =
00
Ibsen=
Norwegian=
AN ENEMY OF THE =
PEOPLE
99, 01
Ibsen=
Norwegian=
GHOSTS
00=
Ibsen=
Norwegian=
HEDDA GABLER
79, 92
Ibsen=
Norwegian=
THE WILD DUCK
78=
Marquez
Colombian=
ONE HUNDRED YEAR=
S OF SOLITUDE
89, 94
Moliere
French
TARTUFFE<=
/s>
87=
1978. Choose an implausible or strikingl=
y unrealistic
incident or character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary
merit. Write an essay that ex=
plains
how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible
elements in the rest of the work.
Avoid plot summary.
1979. Choose a complex and important cha=
racter
in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of=
the
character’s actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain=
both
how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us rea=
ct
more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
1980. A recurring theme in literature is=
the
classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a =
love,
a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emo=
tion
or drive may conflict with moral duty.&nbs=
p;
Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of=
a
private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clear=
ly the
nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significanc=
e to
the work.
1981. The meaning of some literary works=
is
often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of
literature. Select a literary=
work
that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay =
in
which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze ho=
w it
enhances the work's meaning. =
1982. In great literature, no scene of
violence exists for its own sake.
Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audience
with a scene or scenes of violence.
In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribut=
e to
the meaning of the complete work.
Avoid plot summary.
1983. From a novel or play of literary m=
erit,
select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, a=
nalyze
the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in =
the
work. Do not merely summarize=
the
plot.
1984. Select a line or so of poetry, or a
moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially
memorable. Write an essay in =
which
you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work =
in
which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.
1985. A critic has said that one importa=
nt
measure of a superior work of literature is its ability to produce in the
reader a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude. Select a literary work that produc=
es
this "healthy confusion." Write an essay in which you explain the
sources of the "pleasure and disquietude" experienced by the read=
ers
of the work.
1986. Some works of literature use the e=
lement
of time in a distinct way. The
chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or
accelerated. Choose a novel, =
an
epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's
manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a
whole. Do not merely summariz=
e the
plot.
1987. Some novels and plays seem to advo=
cate
changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and no=
te
briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently
wishes to modify. Then analyz=
e the
techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's views.
1988. Choose a distinguished novel or pl=
ay in
which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for
example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describ=
e how
the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement,
suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
1989. In questioning the value of litera=
ry
realism, Flannery O'Connor has written, "I am interested in making a g=
ood
case for distortion because I am coming to believe that it is the only way =
to
make people see." Write an essay in which you "make a good case f=
or
distortion," as distinct from literary realism. Analyze how important elements of =
the
work you choose are "distorted" and explain how these distortions
contribute to the effectiveness of the work. Avoid plot summary.
1990. Choose a novel or play that depict=
s a
conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyz=
e the
sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the mea=
ning
of the work. Avoid plot
summary.
1991. Many plays and novels use contrast=
ing
places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the
land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to =
the
meaning of the work. Ch=
oose a
novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the =
places
differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to t=
he
meaning of the work.
1992. In a novel or play, a confidant (m=
ale)
or a confidante (female) is a character, often a friend or relative of the =
hero
or heroine, whose role is to be present when the hero or heroine needs a
sympathetic listener to confide in.
Frequently the result is, as Henry James remarked, that the confidan=
t or
confidante can be as much "the reader's friend as the protagonist's.&q=
uot;
However, the author sometimes uses this character for other purposes as
well. Choose a confidant or
confidante from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an e=
ssay
in which you discuss the various ways this character functions in the
work. You may write your
essay on one of the following novels or plays or on another of comparable
quality. Do not write on a po=
em or
short story.
1993. "The true test of comedy is t=
hat it
shall awaken thoughtful laughter."&nb=
sp;
Choose a novel, play, or long poem in which a scene or character awa=
kens
"thoughtful laughter" in the reader. Write an essay in which you show w=
hy
this laughter is "thoughtful" and how it contributes to the meani=
ng
of the work.
1994. In some works of literature, a cha=
racter
who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Choose a novel or play of literary=
merit
and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the =
work. You may wish to discuss how the
character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters.
1995. Writers often highlight the values=
of a
culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that cultur=
e or
society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which =
such a
character plays a significant role and show how that character's alienation
reveals the surrounding society's assumptions or moral values.
1996. The British novelist Fay Weldon of=
fers
this observation about happy endings.
"The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting
response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy ending throug=
h moral
development. By a happy endin=
g, I
do not mean mere fortunate events—a marriage or a last minute rescue =
from
death--but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even
with the self, even at death." Choose a novel or play that has the kin=
d of
ending Weldon describes. In a
well-written essay, identify the "spiritual reassessment or moral
reconciliation" evident in the ending and explain its significance in =
the
work as a whole.
1997. Novels and plays often
include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Such scenes may reveal the values =
of the
characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includ=
es
such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene ma=
kes
to the meaning of the work as a whole.&nbs=
p;
You may choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of
literary merit.
1998. In his essay
“Walking,” Henry David Thoreau offers the following assessment =
of
literature:
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; In
literature it is only the wild that attracts us.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Dullness
is but another name for tameness.
It is the
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; uncivilized
free and wild thinking in Hamlet and The Illiad,
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; in
all scriptures and mythologies, not learned in schools,
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; that
delights us.
&=
nbsp; From
the works that you have studied in school, choose a novel, play, or =
epic
poem that you may initially have thought was conventional and tame but that=
you
now value for its “uncivilized free and wild thinking.” Write an essay in which you explai=
n what
constitutes its “uncivilized free and wild thinking” and how th=
at
thinking is central to the value of the work as a whole. Support your ideas with specific
references to the work you choose.
1999. The eighteenth-ce=
ntury
British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, “No body, but he who has felt=
it,
can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn
asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a
contrary direction at the same time.”
&=
nbsp; From
a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose =
mind
is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions,
obligations, or influences. T=
hen,
in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and
explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the
work as a whole. You may use =
one of
the novels or plays listed below or another novel or work of similar litera=
ry
quality.
2000. Many works of
literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre
nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In these works, the solution to the
mystery may be less important than the knowledge gained in the process of i=
ts
investigation. Choose a novel=
or
play in which one or more of the characters confront a mystery. Then write an essay in which you
identify the mystery and explain how the investigation illuminates the mean=
ing
of the work as a whole. Do not
merely summarize the plot.
2001. One definition of
madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from
it." But Emily Dickinson wrote
Much madness is divinest Sense—=
;
To a discerning Eye—
Novelists
and playwrights have often seen madness with a "discerning Eye."
Select a novel or play in which a character's apparent madness or irrationa=
l behavior
plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you exp=
lain
what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be ju=
dged
reasonable. Explain the significance of the "madness" to the work=
as
a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.