AP Lit course focuses on poems, plays, novels, short stories

AP Literature (Lit) follows previous English classes’ structure as students read novels, short stories, poems and plays, but the course is not just a continuation of the first three years of high school. The class delves further in-depth and students read at a faster pace.

AP Lit is a course that covers a wide breadth of literature, from Greek tragedies to Shakespearean dramas to Hispanic Poetry.

“I like how we are reading the [literature] chronologically,” senior Katya Simpson said. “It’s interesting to see the transitions between old, middle and so on.”

While each night’s homework is different, students can expect to read books, such as the “Odyssey,” “King Lear” or “Heart of Darkness,” in one or two weeks. Lit is definitely a step up from English 11 Honors, but AP Lit teacher Catherine Head feels that the class is still accessible for all students, for both students who took English 11 Honors and English 11.

“The real key to taking AP Lit is whether or not you like reading literature because there definitely is a lot of reading,” Head said. “The student must like reading literature and talking about literature with other people.”

Simpson enjoys the more concrete and critical view of literature that AP Lit includes in discussions.

“In addition to discussing themes, we have very in depth discussions about the structure and the style of writing,” Simpson said. “[It is] a more intense view of literature, almost like a scientific approach to literature.”

While a noticeable difference from previous English classes is the increase in analyzing poetry, the key difference lies in the material that students will cover.

“In AP Lit, you’re reading and writing about the literature and in the discussions, you’re discussing the ideas [found in] the literature,” Head said. “So we discuss the philosophy of the literature, but we are not reading philosophy, like in AP Lang.”

While students do write a lot of essays, including the personal essay, throughout the year, Head’s essay system allows for student experimentation and improvement without fear of damaging their grades. Generally, students will write an in-class essay that follows the AP style prompts. Students will peer and self-evaluate the essay and after three to five essays, students then choose and turn in the essay they feel has the most potential to get the best grade.

In the end, the most important factor in choosing between AP Lang and AP Lit is preference for which subject.

“When choosing an AP English class, the choice depends on the fact that you have to like the work that you are going to do,” Head said.