English 12 AP
Literature and Composition Summer Reading 2008
1.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald
2.
East of
3.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Essay
# 1: Establish a connection – a controlling
idea – for discussion between The Great Gatsby and
East of
Essay
# 2: Compare Elizabeth Bennett’s situation
and characterization to that of Jane Eyre’s in the novels
Pride and
Prejudice
and Jane
Eyre. (In other words, compare each young woman’s reactions to the
conflicts in her life as she is portrayed in each novel.)
·
You
are expected to read all the books during your summer vacation; this makes the
year less stressful for your other AP courses. The bulk of your English reading
should be done by the time senior year
starts.
·
You
must submit the essays by September 25, 2008 (the 3rd Thursday after school starts)
·
Each
essay should be more than 800 words but less than 2000.
·
Make
sure that you read all the books assigned and take notes on your reading. Write down any questions that occur to you. You
can annotate inside the text, use post-it notes or a note book
·
Do
not substitute any commercial book notes for your reading experience. Do not "borrow" any materials for
your essays. Use them as study aids only.
·
The
essays must be typed and double-spaced – use the MLA format.
·
If
you have any questions during the summer, you may e-mail me, and I will be glad
to help you with any queries.
·
Mrs.
Lefurgy -
(gingerlefurgy@hotmail.com)
The
novels on the required list are enjoyable in themselves. East of
Eden is the most popular choice on the list, and The Great Gatsby is also well liked. Although Pride and Prejudice and Jane
Eyre are written by women, they have not just “chic” books. Give them a chance. They are two of the most beloved classics in
the English language. If you are hungry
for more suggestions, visit the Ram Reader website for more ideas on what to
read. Some of my favorite contemporary
novels include the following:
A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini
Peace Like a River Leif Enger
The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Luis Zafon
In the
No Country for Old Men Cormac McCarthy
Like Water for Elephants Sara Gruen
Pillars of the Earth Ken
Follett
Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami
A Prayer for Owen
Meany John Irving
The
Jonathan Strange and Mr.
Norell Susan Clark
Happy
summer reading! Please write to me by
email. I’d love to hear from you and
just chat about what you’ve been reading.
You can catch me on AIM as drowx@aol.com
(It’s crossword backwards and my other email address).