Author+Project

AP Literature Author Project

Last summer, while many of you were hanging out on the beach and sipping latte, I was reading William Faulkner's work and bear-wrestling //The Sound and The Fury// to the ground. What I discovered is there is so much more to Faulkner than I learned when I studied //As I Lay Dying// in my AP Lit class in high school. I learned about Faulkner as a writer and his impact on other writers. Mostly, in looking at several of his books, essays, letters and interviews together, I gained insights about my writing that is helping me finish my memoir. As another example, Joyce Carol Oates, who lives near my hometown, has almost thirty novels on her resume. These experiences lead a reader to wonder about the career of a writer and not one work in a vacuum, as is so often the case in high school curricula. So, to remedy that injustice to your education, I have presented the year-long project. Woohoo!
 * Overview:**

In very general terms, the task is straightforward: you pick an author; you read as much of his/her work you possibly can; during your reading, you formulate and track the development of a thesis; you consult historical and critical resources; you write a paper between twelve and fifteen pages; you turn it in and celebrate a tremendous accomplishment; your parents look at you with admiration; Mr. Record stops you in the hall to ask how your paper is coming; when you tell him it's done, a proud smile crosses his face, and with all profundity says, "Congratulations." Sounds good, right?

Because AP Lit is a college-level course, you will have quite a bit of freedom on this work. In college English courses, most professors have you read a few books, then they say, "write a paper." There isn't a prompt; there aren't specific guidelines. The expectation is that you display some original thought and initiative. Part of the purpose of this project is to help you get to the point next year when you can shrug off the influence of teachers and blaze your own trail. However, I'm not letting you fly unfettered just yet.

It is a requirement of this project that you check in with me via small papers and journals throughout the year. I shall collect these papers and respond to what you've written about. We'll also conference on your progress throughout the year. I hope you are wildly excited about this project. If you choose the right author, you should be! Below is the schedule of big dates as well as a literary analysis chart which I expect you to pass in with each mini-paper. Please download a copy when you get your first book. As always, if you have questions, feel free to call, email, text (although my $10 phone makes this an agonizingly slow process) or make an appointment to chat.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES:

 * __ Note __**** : You will need to use vacation time to complete these readings, unless you are superhuman. If you do this, your life will feel much calmer and more manageable. Don’t test the bounds of your procrastination skills. **


 * September 27: ** Choose an author. If you have questions, come see me beforehand. No J.K Rowling or that guy who wrote //Captain Underpants//. Jodi Picoult won’t cut it either. Sorry.


 * November 5: ** First journal due. This is in letter form, addressed to me. In it, observe the style of your author. What did you notice about the sentences? Paragraphs? Chapters? Voice? What did you think your author did exceptionally well? What confused you about your author? Why? What questions do you have about your author so far? What do you expect from the next novel? And, the million dollar question: Do you think you made the right choice? **Length: 2 pages, double-spaced.** In addition, please attach the **literary analysis chart** for book #1. Chart is below under helpful documents on this page.


 * December 22nd ** : Second book due. Please write a 2-3 page **analytical paper,** comparing the two books of your author. Think about how the books are similar from a stylistic or thematic point of view. Please attach the literary analysis chart for book #2.


 * February 1st ** : Third book due. Here’s the fun one. Culling from your wisdom in reading three books by your author, construct a “short short” story where you imitate the style of your writer, using some of his or her signature “moves”. Length: no more than 1,000 words. We’ll do a similar assignmentIn addition, please include a process paragraph on how you chose to imitate the author.


 * March 22: ** Optional (but **HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**) rough draft due.**You must turn in at least 2 pages of your rough draft or a thesis and extensive outline.**


 * April 14: Final paper due. 12-15 pages. Blood, sweat, and tears. After I look at it, you can have it bronzed and put on your mantle. **

Helpful documents:
If you are thinking about the AP exam (or even if you are not), here is a list, by title, of the works which have appeared on the AP exam since 1971. They may give you some ideas for your author: [|http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/AP/APtitles.html/mseffie/AP/APtitles.html]

Literary analysis chart: You will have to submit one for each book you read, in addition to your letter or paper. Download the document here:

Here is the rubric for your project. Please download it here:

Exemplar papers: 