AP literature and Composition

AP LITERATURE & COMPOSITION SUMMER READING
Theme: Identity/Duality — Who we are vs. who we perform

Required Core Text:

Students should closely read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. You may purchase your own copy to annotate, or you may check one out from the Groves Media Center and annotate using post-it notes. 

Choice Book:

Choose a book that connects thematically to identity/duality. It may be modern or classic, but the central character should be complex and dynamic.

What You Will Turn In:

A standard composition notebook (for this class only, to be used all year and submitted at the start of the year). The goal is to track your thinking-not to record every page of the novel.

• Core requirement: 6 handwritten entries total per book (12 total for the summer)

• Include one entry that occurs around 20-30% through the book

• Length of each entry: ½ page to 1 page

Each entry must include:

1. A moment that stood out (quote or brief summary)

2. An interpretation (what it suggests about identity, morality, or pressure)

3. A question you genuinely have (confusion, curiosity, or “why did the author…”)

Example sentence stems:

• “This shows…”

• “This might suggest…”

• “I’m wondering why…”

For BOTH books, be prepared to identify:

• What society expects of the main character

• What the character hides or suppresses

• What breaks or reveals the truth

• One key symbol connected to identity

Be prepared to turn in your composition notebook and write your first essay on these texts when you return in the fall.