Ms. Callis

Survey of British Literature

Summer 2008

Summer Reading List

Each student is required to read and report on two books during the summer.  One book is required and will be read by every member of the class.  The second book should be chosen from the list of selections. 

 

Required Reading:        A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

 

Selections for Second Book:

 

Title                                                                              Author(s)

Watership Down                                                         Richard Adams

Jane Eyre                                                                    Charlotte Bronte

Lord Jim                                                                      Joseph Conrad

The Origin of Species (nonfiction)                                Charles Darwin

David Copperfield                                                      Charles Dickens

Rebecca                                                                       Daphne DuMaurier

Silas Marner                                                                George Eliot

The African Queen                                                      C. S. Forester

A Room with A View                                                   E. M. Forster

The Mayor of Casterbridge                                        Thomas Hardy

Random Harvest                                                         James Hilton

Green Mansions                                                          W. H. Hudson

Brave New World                                                        Aldous Huxley

Kim                                                                             Rudyard Kipling

The Light that Failed                                                  Rudyard Kipling

1984                                                                            George Orwell

On the Beach                                                               Nevil Shute

Astrophel And Stella (poetry)                                      Phillip Sidney

Kidnapped                                                                   Robert Louis Stevenson

The Crystal Cave        `                                               Mary Stewart

Dracula                                                                       Bram Stroker

The Hobbit                                                                  J. R. R. Tolkien

Around the World in Eighty Days                               Jules Verne

The Loved Ones                                                          Evelyn Waugh

The Time Machine                                                      H. G. Wells

The Picture of Dorian Gray                                        Oscar Wilde

To the Lighthouse                                                       Virginia Woolf

 

Both reports should be typed in Times New Roman font with a size of twelve-point.  The report should be printed in black on white 11 ½ by 8-inch paper with one-inch margins on all sides.  The report should be prepared in MLA format.  This means it should be double spaced, have a heading [Name/Teacher/Class/Date] on the first page, should have page numbers with last name on each page of text, and conclude with a works cited page.  For details refer to the MLA handbook.  Do not use first person.  Any deviation from these instructions will result in a reduced grade.  Grammar and content will also factor into the grade.  Use the format that follows only.  Each report should be stapled in the proper order.

 

Type the report in paragraph format.  Do not number or put extra lines between paragraphs.  “I don’t know” or its equivalent is not an acceptable answer.  Be sure to use appropriate paragraph format (topic sentence and supporting sentences).  Please note that the plot summary is to be one paragraph.  This format has been developed for novel.  Books which are not novels should follow this format as closely as possible.  Explain any deviation in a final paragraph.

 

1-Introduce your report with a bibliographic paragraph.  What is the title of the book, the author’s name, the publisher, place of publication, original publication date, and the copyright date of your version/edition?  [This information should also appear in the works cited entry]

2-There are five elements of a novel:  setting, plot, characters, point of view, and theme.  Write one well developed paragraph discussing each of these.  Setting is the time and place of the story.  Plot is the events in the story.  Note how and where the climax occurs.  Characters are the people in the story.  Focus on the major characters.  Point of view is usually first or third person.  Theme is what the author is trying to communicate by writing this novel; it is often subjective.

3-Conclude by choosing one of the elements and discussing how the author uses it and why it is the most important or outstanding element.

 

The required report is due the first day of class.  If it is late for any reason, points will be deducted.  Prepare your reports early.  Do not come to school and try to justify your tardiness by saying that there was a problem with the printer or the computer.  You have all of July and most of June and August to do this.  There is no guarantee that the book you choose for your second report is available.  Look for it early in case you have to order it.  Print your rough drafts in order to prevent a total loss due to computer/printer malfunction.  No excuses will be accepted.

 

 

Other Required Materials:

Classroom materials

Paper

Blue or black pen

Red pen

Notebook or other organization system

Books (purchase paperbacks if possible)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, by Joseph Gibaldi [same as for previous years]