Mrs. Taylor’s Intro to Lit
Summer Reading Assignments
Welcome to HACC's Intro to Literature course! This summer students are required to read a wide variety of novels and plays. I have chosen 5 books I would like you read. I also would like you to keep a journal for each book and write one essay on the readings. The journals and the essay will be due the first day of school. Also, check Schoology for online discussion boards on the readings throughout the summer.
Novels/Play •
How to Read Literature Like A Professor, Thomas C. Foster
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Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
This is an excellent and amusing guide for reading, analysing, and understanding literature. Foster discusses popular themes, symbols, structures, and allusions found in literature and unlocks the secrets to reading literature on a deeper level. Read this novel closely as you will be required to reference it when writing your essays this summer, as well as essays you will write during the semester.
This timeless bildungsroman (coming-of-age) story relates the emotions and experiences of its female protagonist, Jane Eyre, on her journey as a young girl in boarding school to a young woman working as a governess for the wealthy Mr. Rochester. This classic Victorian novel builds on the author’s real-life experiences to create a story filled with passion, fear, suspense, romance, and mystery.
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Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys This novel is often considered the prequel to Jane Eyre. The Caribbean author, Jean Rhys, changes the majority of the setting of the classic novel, Jane Eyre, from Victorian England to the Caribbean, depicting the life story of Bronte’s minor character, Antoinette Mason. Though directly influenced by Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea stands on its own as one of the greatest stories written in the twentieth century
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Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
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A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
This novel appears on the AP exam more than any other novel or play. Written in a jazzlike style, Invisible Man depicts a young African American man living in Harlem during the early twentieth century and his struggle to integrate successfully into society. Eventually believing he is invisible to society, the protagonist decides to live in an underground hole in the city. Race, identity, ideology, power, and ambition, are just some of the many themes touched upon in this compelling novel.
Hansberry’s revolutionary play, first performed on Broadway in 1959, depicts the first realistic African American family on the American stage. The play uses black vernacular and references controversial themes, such as poverty, race, discrimination, and assimilation. A Raisin in the Sun also focuses on the universal themes, of family, pride, dreams and hopes, and suffering.
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This is an extensive list for the summer and the texts are complex, but I feel it is doable for the dedicated student who is serious about the course. Please read How to Read Literature Like a Professor first so that you can apply what you’ve read to the other novels and play. Also, please make sure you read the texts in their entirety. Resist the temptation to read summaries of the texts on on-line sources like Sparknotes and Shmoop. Sparknotes and Shmoop are good sources to reference if you are having trouble with the texts, but they should not be read as a substitute for reading the text. The authors’ writing styles and use of language are often just as important, and just as spectacular, as the plot and themes of the text. You will miss out on this great treasure if you simply read the summaries on-line. Ideally, you will purchase your own copies of the texts so you can make annotations as you read. You may purchase any edition of these books, including eBooks. If you are unable to do so, please check your local library for copies to borrow.
Journals You are required to keep a journal for all 5 of the reading selections. The easiest way to do so is to record all 5 journals in one notebook, dedicating a new section of the notebook to each novel/play. Be sure to label your entries with the title of the work and the chapters/page numbers about which you are writing. I expect a journal entry of about ½ page to a page for every 1-2 chapters, or about every 20 pages if there are no chapters. The purpose of your journal is to record your thoughts, questions, and predictions about the texts. This is a place for you to write freely about the stories without the fear of formal grading. DO NOT SUMMARIZE. Instead, write thoughts, questions, connections, etc. to your life or other texts. Your journals are due the first day of school.
Journal Grading The journal is worth 100 points in total (20 points for each novel/play). Students will lose points if they simply summarise the stories, are missing entries, or if the entries are too short.
Essays You will write 1 three-page literary analysis essay this summer that is thesis-governed and uses textual evidence from the primary sources to support your claim (no secondary research is required). It must be written in MLA format. You can find MLA guidelines on the High School library webpage. Click on “research tools” found on the left side of the home page. Then click on the “OWL MLA citation guidelines” link. If you have any questions about MLA formatting, please contact me via email. The essay will be due the first day of school, Monday, August 25. Use the following prompts to develop your essay and reference the provided rubric for specific guidelines. You can print your essay on the first day of class or submit it through google docs at ec99.vtaylor@staff.elcoraiders.com. Failure to complete the summer work on time will result in removal from the class.
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Choose ONE of the two essays to write:
Essay Option 1: After reading How to Read Literature Like A Professor, apply Chapter 5: Where Have I Seen Her Before to Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea. Write a three-page essay discussing the connections/influences between the two novels. Develop a thesis based off a claim made by Foster in Chapter 5 that unites the two novels. Include direct quotes from all three novels to support your thesis. Write in MLA format. Reference the attached rubric for specific guidelines.
Essay Option 2: After reading How to Read Literature Like A Professor, apply Chapter 13: It’s All Political to Invisible Man and A Raisin in The Sun. Write a three-page essay discussing the connections between the novel and the play regarding political issues. Develop a thesis based off a claim made by Foster in Chapter 13 that unites the play and the novel. Include direct quotes from all three texts to support your thesis. Write in MLA format. Reference the attached rubric for specific guidelines.
Essay Grading I will use the provided rubric to determine your grade. Review the rubric closely to ensure that you have met all the requirements. As the rubric indicates, I value correct formatting, a direct and easily identifiable thesis, clarity in writing, a well-organized structure, textual evidence, and insightful thoughts. Each essay is worth 108 points. Essays that are turned in late will not be eligible for full credit. Also, I have copies of previous essays, so please do not be tempted to submit an essay written by a previous student. Do your own work. Discussion Boards You will be required to join the Intro to Lit Group on Schoology. Here I will post discussion questions on each of the readings. You are to respond to the questions in a well developed paragraph and provide textual evidence. Then, in another well developed paragraph, respond to at least one classmate's post. Discussion Board Grading Discussion Boards will be worth 10 to 20 points. They should reflect a deep understanding of the text. Avoid superficial posts that lack analysis.you will lose points if your post is not well developed.
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Please email me with questions and/or concerns throughout the summer. Enjoy reading!! My email address is vtaylor@elcosd.org
Literary Analysis Essay
Checklist/Rubric
Purpose: Write a literary analysis essay that is thesis governed and uses textual evidence to support your claim. Follow MLA formatting guidelines.
Intro ___ 1-2 paragraphs in length ___ Begin by introducing the titles and authors of the stories being analyzed ___Provide very brief background information/summary of the stories (puts them in context) ___ Reveal thesis statement-your clear, direct, and concise interpretation/reading of the novel based off an idea in Foster’s novel, How To Read Literature Like a Professorthis should be ONE SENTENCE long ___Preview supporting points
Body ___3-5 paragraphs in length ___ Focus on 3-5 examples/passages from the novels that backup/prove your thesis. ___ A new paragraph is created for each new example/supporting point ___Each new example/supporting point is introduced to your reader ___ Thesis is repeated/restated throughout body of essay ___ Examples and support are thoroughly explained to your reader and reveal how they back up your thesis ___ Quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from your outside sources are included throughout your essay to support and strengthen your argument
Conclusion 4
___1 paragraph in length ___Sum up argument-restate thesis and support ___Leave strong lasting impression or new point for reader to contemplate
MLA format/Grammar/Essay Characteristics ___ 3(full) pages long ___ written in 3rd person (he, she, they, it, etc.) ___avoids 1st(I, we) and 2nd person (you) ___written in present tense ___follows provided structure for a Literary Analysis Essay ___ Includes your name, the instructor’s name, the class title, and the date in the upper left hand corner ___The title is properly capitalized and centered ___ typed ___ stapled ___ Page numbers are included with last name on the top right side of each page ___ Margins are approximately one inch (margins are set at one inch by default) ___ Written in Font TIMES NEW ROMAN size 12 ___ Everything is double-spaced ___ Titles are italicized throughout the essay ___ Minimal grammatical and usage errors ___ ClichÊs and slang are avoided ___ Vague and Abstract wording is avoided ___ Contractions are avoided ___ Transitions are used ___ In-text citations are included and are formatted correctly using author ___ Works cited page is formatted correctly by MLA standards and is on a separate page
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