2018-2019 (HS)2
General English—Grade11
Summer Reading Packet
Ms. Kunes

The purpose of the summer reading assignment is to encourage students to enjoy reading, improve reading and writing skills, improve vocabulary, and make personal connections with literature. As a result, you are required to select and read one novel from the attached list and complete the Major Works Data Sheet. Follow the guidelines as you complete the sheet. This data sheet is due the first day of school. I encourage you to read background information on the book as well as biographical information on the author before you begin reading your novel. This will strengthen your comprehension of the work. I will be checking my school e-mail periodically, so feel free to contact me with your questions at the e-mail addresses below. 

Enjoy your summer, and happy reading! 

Ms. Kunes 
janet.kunes@reyn.org 
Book List:  Select your summer reading novel from the link below.  
https://www.perfectionlearning.com/top-100-american-literature-titles

**NOTE
As we may read the following books this year, please DO NOT READ THESE BOOKS:
The Crucible
The Things They Carried
The Color Purple
Into the Wild

 Guidelines for Major Works Data Sheet 

For all categories: Write small but legibly. Add additional sheets to add information that does not fit in the boxes

Characteristics of the genre: A work may belong to more than one genre. Provide definitions for the genres to which the work belongs. (You may copy definitions from handbooks of literary terms, online sources, etc. – I’m not going to worry about plagiarism here. This does not have to be in your own words, and you don’t have to give credit for where you got the information.) 

Biographical information about the author: Look for important details from the author’s life – not trivia. What influenced his/her writing? Bulleted items are fine. 

Historical information about the period of publication: Look for important events in politics, religion, science, art – anything that helps you put the work in context. Who were the political leaders in England and the U.S.? Was it a time of war? When you do a little research about the novel, do you find historical events that are important to understanding the novel? Workers’ rebellions? Economic depression? Industrial revolution? Bulleted items are fine. 

Plot summary: This DOES have to be in your own words. Attach pages as needed, especially if you have a larger handwriting. You will need this in the spring to help you review for the exam. Include as much significant detail as possible. 

Describe the author’s style: Please do NOT copy this from another source. Develop your own ability to analyze style. Is the author descriptive and ornate? Formal and academic? Informal – even colloquial? Terse? Does he emphasize strong action verbs or use lots of descriptive adjectives? Does she use poetic language (lots of similes, metaphors, imagery, etc.?) Does inverted syntax (reversal of normal word order with subject-verb-object) make his writing formal and difficult to understand? Does she use mostly short, simple sentences or long, complex sentences with lots of adverbial clauses? Is she more abstract or concrete? Select three or more style traits that characterize the work. 
An example that illustrates style: For each style trait you listed, give an example. Quote it literally. 

Quotations: As you are reading the work, underline, highlight, scribble in the margin, use sticky notes to mark interesting spots. On the MWDS, list 6-10 important quotations from the work. (Ten is safer.) Look for brief quotations that provide a key to understanding characterization or the theme of the work. Do NOT pull quotes from some online study guide. (Using The Scarlet Letter as our example, you might select, “This rose-bush, by a strange choice, has been kept alive in history; but whether it had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness . . . we shall not take upon us to determine.” You may use ellipsis, but include enough of the quotation to recognize its significance. ) 

Significance of Quote: Significance is rarely related to plot summary or obvious details about a character. (This quote shows that the character was sweet or had red hair or that the girl was going to get the guy in the end. Blech!) Better comments tie the quotation to the theme of the novel. Look for some symbolism or universal truth that the author was trying to illustrate. (For the quote listed above, you might comment, “Like the rose by the prison door, Hester is a woman who survives in an austere setting. There is a particular beauty about a rose or a woman who can thrive in such a harsh world.) 

Characters: Role in the story includes simple character descriptions. Arthur Dimmesdale was the minister who fathered Hester Prynne’s child. His significance is that he was a central character who struggled with hidden guilt and sin. Adjectives to describe him might include: sensitive, tortured, hypocritical, guilty. Include all major characters and all or most minor ones. For most of the works you read this year, this will be a long list. When the AP exam rolls around, you cannot be fumbling on an essay trying to remember if it was Mr. Bumble or Mr. Brownlow who tried to aid Oliver. Flubbing names can cost major points. This will help you review in the spring. Take the time to make a complete list.

Setting: You must include time AND place. Be as specific as you can. What cities or regions are used in the work? Describe important estates or houses. You may not know the exact year(s) for the work, but you should be able to make a rough estimate. Mid-nineteenth century? Around 1850? 11th century? 

Symbols/Images/Motifs: Consider what recurs throughout the work and how it varies. For instance, are there instances of water? Is it always a liquid or do we see it as snow or fog? Is it in a lake, flowing from a tap? What kinds of meaning can we discern from the form the symbol/image/motif takes as well as the symbol/image/motif itself? 

Significance of the opening scene: Opening scenes usually provide important hints about the theme of a work. They may create tone or foreshadow future events. Best answers will clearly connect something in the opening chapter (or scene of a play) to the theme of the work. The answer is NOT, “This is where the author introduces the characters and gets the story going.” 

Significance of the closing scene: Same rules apply as for the opening scene. The answer will NOT be, “This is where things basically wound up and everything worked out. If Character A had not done Action B, then Result C would not have occurred.” Instead consider the implications of the story’s end. 

Possible Theme(s): Let’s use fully stated themes, not general topics. Technically, “love” or “love vs. hate” is a theme. However, try to determine what the author was saying about love. Again using The Scarlet Letter as an example, “Guilt” is technically a correct description of a major theme of that novel. However, “unresolved guilt is a destructive force with the power to destroy body and soul” is a more useful way to talk about theme. Put a lot of thought into this. 
Do NOT use study guides to help you. READ THE BOOK.

Major Works Data Sheet 
Your Name:                                                                                     

Title: 
Author:
Date of Publication:
Genre:
	Biographical Information about the Author:	
Historical Information:

		
	Characteristics of the Genre:	
Plot Summary:	
Describe the Author’s Style:	Provide an example that demonstrates the style:

	
Memorable Quotes	
Quotes	Significance of each Quote:

	

CHARACTERS
NAMES	ROLE IN STORY	SIGNIFICANCE	ADJECTIVES

	

Setting	Significance of Opening Scene	
		
	Significance of Ending or closing scene	
Symbols	 Possible Themes	
		
Remaining Questions You Have Regarding This Novel