Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
-The Tempest, Act III, sc ii, 129-130
Welcome! You've made it to AP English Literature and Composition! Here is your complete summer reading assignment:
Read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale by the end of the summer. Be ready to talk about it on day one. That's it. That's the whole assignment.
Here is a link to the version I will be using that I picked up on Amazon, but you can pick up a copy wherever you like, and any version is okay as long as it is the unedited, unabridged, original version.
Recommendations for how to read this book:
- Actually read the book. Sure, watch the series, too, if you like. Nothing substitutes for reading the actual text, and you will be found out.
- Start a character log in a notebook. Every time a new character is introduced, put that character's name at the top of a new page and make a short note about when that character is introduced. Every time something major happens to that character, make a short note on a new line.
- Check out the "notes that Spark the imagination" AFTER you have read the original. Again, nothing substitutes for reading the actual text, but there are several after-market aids to help you out, and there's no reason not to use them. Here's one I like (slightly risqué): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01VOISj8Fq0
See you next year!
