Welcome to AP English Literature and Composition! This college level literary analysis course covers both fiction and non-fiction American, British, and World literature from the sixteenth century to present day.
Because of the nature of the class, students must consistently do the following throughout the school year in order to successfully prepare for the AP exam at the end of the year:
- Complete extensive reading--both independent and class-assigned
- Maintain an independent reading log documenting character analysis, themes, literary devices such as imagery and symbolism, familiar/favorite passages from short stories and novels, quotes from plays with Act and Scene number, as well as opening/closing sentences or lines beginning with the summer prior to taking the class. A list of College Board (the organization creating the exam) recommended works and authors will be given to the students prior to the start of the summer break.
- Learn the most common approaches to literature used in literary analysis and apply them to both class-assigned works and independent reading
- Correctly define various literary terms used on the AP exam and identify applicable examples
- Create a plot map for fictional works and dramas
- Learn how to analyze the technical aspects of poetry through use of scansion and rhyme scheme
- Learn the various poetic forms and correctly identify examples of each
Because students literally "hit the ground running" once the school year begins, there is only one required summer reading assignment--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's English translation of Dante's The Inferno. This is considered the most accurate translation from the Italian and is what is used in class. Longfellow's translation is available online.
Homework for this class is found on the "Things to Do" link in the menu.