AP ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION

Students focus on reading, analyzing, and writing about imaginative literature (fiction, poetry, drama) from various periods. Students engage in close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature to deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure. Through reading, students consider a work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as its use of figurative language, imagery, and symbolism. Writing assignments include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays that require students to analyze and interpret literary works. The course encourages students to devote themselves to the study of literary works written in—or translated into—English. Careful reading and critical analysis of such works of fiction, drama, and poetry, provide rich opportunities for students to develop an appreciation of ways literature reflects and comments on a range of experiences, institutions, and social structures. Students will examine the choices literary writers make and the techniques they utilize to achieve purposes and generate meanings. As a result of the increased rigor of this AP course, students read more texts than the regular and honors courses and instruction is delivered at the fastest pace. Students should be able to read and comprehend college-level texts and write grammatically correct, complete sentences. Students should be able to read and comprehend advanced texts and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.