Here's what we'll be covering this year in AP Literature:
Unit 1: Using Literary Elements in Analytical Writing
We'll read Kate Chopin's
The Awakening (1899) and learn a boatload of literary elements and devices (selection of detail, structure, narrative technique, dramatic irony, and so many more!) You'll also learn the basics of writing literary analysis, which is the type of writing expected of you on the exam.
Unit 2: Pre-19th-Century Poetry
We'll learn the tricks of the trade for poets working before 1800. These poems are not as indecipherable as they appear, but you need to learn to think like these poets did, and understand what was important to them interms of both language and ideas. To get some idea of what kind of poetry I'm talking about, look up John Donne.
Unit 3: 19th-Century Novels
We'll most likely read a novel by Charles Dickens. Novelists in the 19th-century wrote long sentences, so we'll be practicing "sentence stamina" - sticking with a long sentence until you've unraveled its meaning. Authors from this period often turn up in MC passages and in the prose essay on the exam, so it's important to be familiar with their stylistic habits.
Unit 4: Shakespeare
Shakespeare, because in 400 years no one has outdone him - according to common wisdom, he remains the greatest playwright of all time, perhaps the greatest writer. We'll find out what all the fuss is about! He also writes in a combination of prose and poetry, allowing us to hone our skills in both.
Unit 5: Modern Poetry
More recent poetry usually uses more straight-forward vocabulary, but their innovative uses of structure, imagery and connotative meaning are integral to meaning, and require a different interpretative approach. So, we'll spend some time with modern poetry in the early spring. To get a sense of this type of poetry, look up Mary Oliver or Seamus Heaney.
Unit 6: Contemporary Literature
In the 20th-century, many authors became bored with the typical "hero solves a problem" narrative approach. We'll read Ralph Ellison's
Invisible Man (1952) to get just a taste of how 20th-century authors adapted the novel to respond to the world around them in new ways.
Throughout the entire course, we will be practicing strategies for answering multiple choice.
