(This assignment applies only to students enrolled in the World Literature/AP World History bundle taught by

Mrs. Richwine and Ms. Ledford-Lyle.)

2017 Summer Reading: 10th Grade Honors World Literature

Mrs. Richwine
Just as you will begin your study of history from the earliest civilizations, this is also where your literary journey
will begin. Your summer assignment will explore some of the earliest recorded texts and the cultures that
produced them. Two basic sources from which writers, especially poets, draw allusions and sometimes metaphors are the
Bible and the ancient classical writings. From the very beginning of our literary history, writers have borrowed characters,
plots, and themes from these sources. Thus, Biblical and mythological characters have become through the years
synonymous with certain human qualities, and their names and stories are commonly used to represent counterparts in
modern literature. Familiarity with the characters and stories contained in the Bible and in classical myths and legends
will add appreciably to the enjoyment of good literature of all kinds. Therefore, you will also be reading and responding to
some stories from the Jewish Torah or Christian Old Testament to build this important background knowledge.
You may contact me if you have questions at my school email address: arichwine@oconeeschools.org.

 You will need to acquire a copy of How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. There
are now several editions, and any edition will do. This is a handbook we will use throughout your
remaining three years at NOHS. You may choose to either purchase the actual paperback version or
download the e-book to a portable reader. You will have specific chapters assigned from that book, as
well as other readings which will be found on my Moodle page. All assignments will also be posted
on Moodle (You will need to enroll with the following enrolment key: Inferno).
 All work must be done on your own and completed in your own handwriting.
 You will turn in ONLY the How to Read Literature Like a Professor work; keep the rest so you can study
for the quiz on the first day.
 Your work is due on Friday, July 14. Grades for late work will be reduced by 10%. Plan accordingly if
you have a vacation coming up!
 Label your work for Mrs. Richwine/Honors World Literature and turn it in separately
from your APWH work.

The additional texts and associated questions are available on Moodle. You may choose to print them or just
read them on your screen. Your assignment is as follows. I recommend completing the tasks in this order:

 Read the assigned chapters from How to Read Literature Like a Professor (HTRLLAP) by Thomas C. Foster and
complete the accompanying tasks. I am identifying them by chapter title as well as number since later editions
changed some numbers. The content remains the same. (See chart on page 2.)
 View “The Epic of Gilgamesh” episode in Invitation to World Literature at this link (+/- 27 minutes):
http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/gilgamesh/watch/ . Important: Begin viewing at the beginning, but
stop at 5:16. Resume viewing at 7:04 (Skip chapter titled “Enkidu of the Apes”). Take notes as you view. Your
notes need not be terribly detailed; focus on thematic elements and connections beyond the work itself.
 Read “The Epic of Gilgamesh” selection on Moodle. Complete the task associated with Chapter 1 of HTRLLAP.
Turn this in with the rest of the HTRLLAP work.
 Complete the epic hero chart for Gilgamesh (on Moodle). Keep this to study. Turn in on first day.
 Read the additional selections from the book of Genesis (on Moodle).
 Complete the questions for the selections from Genesis (on Moodle).
 Turn in only the work related to HTRLLAP. Keep everything else to study. You will turn it in on Day 1.
 Did I follow directions?

Be prepared to take a major quiz on these readings the first day of class
(Wednesday, August 2).
How to Read Literature Like a Professor:
Read the chapters as assigned below. You may, of course, want to read the entire book, but you are only required to read the ones
listed here. As you read, complete the tasks in the right-hand column on your notebook paper and in your own handwriting. Please
note that some questions ask you to summarize Foster’s points, but in nearly every case, you are also asked to apply what you have
learned to works of literature with which you are familiar. Consider works you have read in previous literature courses or works you
have read on your own. Be sure your answers are not simply copying Foster’s words; summarize where appropriate in your own
words.

Chapters from HTRLLAP: Read each
listed below.
Introduction: How'd He Do That?
Chapter 1 -- Every Trip Is a Quest
(Except When It's Not)
Chapter 5 --Now, Where Have I
Seen Her Before?
Chapter 6 -- When in Doubt, It's
from Shakespeare...
Chapter 7 -- ...Or the Bible
Chapter 8 -- Hanseldee and
Greteldum
Chapter 9 -- It's Greek to Me
Interlude -- Does He Mean That?
Chapter 12 -- Is That a Symbol?
Interlude -- One Story
Chapter 25 -- Don't Read with Your
Eyes
Assignments (to be completed in your own handwriting).
Most can be completed in a short paragraph (or even less).
 How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature?
 How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated
literature?
 Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by
understanding symbol or pattern. (paragraph)
 List the five aspects of the QUEST and then apply them to The Epic of Gilgamesh
in the format given in the chapter. You may create a chart or table for this, but
your entries should be handwritten.
 Define intertextuality.
 Discuss one example that has helped you in reading and understanding specific
works. You may be better able to answer this question after having read the next
three chapters. (paragraph)
 In an expanded example in this chapter, Foster shows how South African
playwright Athol Fugard reflects Shakespeare through both plot and theme.
 How does familiarity with Shakespeare enhance a reader’s (or viewer’s)
understanding of modern works that draw on Shakespeare as a source? (3-5
sentences)
 Your assignment for this chapter is to complete the assigned readings and their
tasks from the Bible. You will apply those readings throughout the coming year
as we read a variety of novels, poems, and plays.
 According to Foster, why are elements of fairy tales so often integrated into
other works?
 What role does irony play in this relationship? (3-5 sentences)
 According to Foster, for what reasons might a modern author incorporate
elements of mythology into his/her work? Be complete. (3-5 sentences)
 What is “lateral thinking?”
 How do authors employ it in their writing?
 What conclusion does Foster draw: Does he really mean that? (paragraph)
 Differentiate between symbol and allegory.
 Explain how not only objects and images but also events or actions can be
symbolic.
 Think of a work you have read recently and describe an important symbol from
that work. In a paragraph, explain the symbol’s significance to the work as a
whole.
 Write your own definition for archetype.
 Then identify an archetypal story type and apply it to a literary work with which
you are familiar. (paragraph)
 In the section that begins with “We all have our own blind spots…” and continues
through the paragraph that ends with “But that’s another story,” Foster explains
the necessity of appreciating the context of the work in order to fully appreciate
it.
 Read those two paragraphs and summarize Foster’s points (in a sentence or
two).