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Cover: Literature & Composition, 4th Edition by Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago
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Literature & Composition

Essential Voices, Essential Skills for the AP® CourseFourth Edition| ©2027 Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

Designed specifically for the AP® English Literature course, the fourth edition of Literature & Composition gives you a flexible framework for building students’ skills from close reading to sophisticated literary analysis. Informed by feedback from hundreds of AP® ed...

Designed specifically for the AP® English Literature course, the fourth edition of Literature & Composition gives you a flexible framework for building students’ skills from close reading to sophisticated literary analysis. Informed by feedback from hundreds of AP® educators and insights from Chief Reader reports, the new edition provides targeted support for the areas where students need it most. Focused anchor texts keep opening-chapter instruction manageable, while intuitive graphic organizers and accessible enrichment help students develop defensible claims, strengthen commentary, and move beyond plot summary.

To simplify course planning, clear cross-referencing now connects skill lessons directly to the anthology’s classic and contemporary readings—including three new thematic chapters: Departures and Arrivals, Art and the Artist, and Creation and Transformation. Supported by "Diving into the Text" exercises, contextual framing, and updated AP® multiple-choice practice matching current exam rigor, Literature & Composition gives you the framework to customize your course while ensuring full alignment with the AP® Course and Exam Description.

Together, these resources make it easier to customize your course, revisit skills throughout the year, and give students structured practice as they prepare for the AP® Exam.

Read more

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Cover: Literature & Composition, 4th Edition by Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

The flexibility you want, the alignment you need.

Designed specifically for the AP® English Literature course, the fourth edition of Literature & Composition gives you a flexible framework for building students’ skills from close reading to sophisticated literary analysis. Informed by feedback from hundreds of AP® educators and insights from Chief Reader reports, the new edition provides targeted support for the areas where students need it most. Focused anchor texts keep opening-chapter instruction manageable, while intuitive graphic organizers and accessible enrichment help students develop defensible claims, strengthen commentary, and move beyond plot summary.

To simplify course planning, clear cross-referencing now connects skill lessons directly to the anthology’s classic and contemporary readings—including three new thematic chapters: Departures and Arrivals, Art and the Artist, and Creation and Transformation. Supported by "Diving into the Text" exercises, contextual framing, and updated AP® multiple-choice practice matching current exam rigor, Literature & Composition gives you the framework to customize your course while ensuring full alignment with the AP® Course and Exam Description.

Together, these resources make it easier to customize your course, revisit skills throughout the year, and give students structured practice as they prepare for the AP® Exam.

Features

Targeted Skill-Building that Spirals for Exam Success

  • Flexible 3-Section Framework helps you map instruction across three sections tied to AP® Units 1–9, giving students a clear progression from close reading (Units 1–3) to full-length essay writing (Units 4–6) and more sophisticated analysis (Units 7–9).
  • Scaffolded FRQ Support combines step-by-step graphic organizers, prompt breakdowns, targeted revision checklists, and scored sample student essays to guide students through every stage of crafting high-scoring AP® Prose Fiction, Poetry, and Literary Argument essays.
  • Actionable Test-Taking Strategies use AP® Tips, targeted Key Questions, and formative Culminating Activities informed by Chief Reader reports to help you address common challenges and build students’ confidence with AP®-style tasks throughout the course.

Captivating Literature that Deepens Analysis & Builds Exam-Level Stamina

  • Targeted Unit Alignment connects each Chapter Introduction to the chapter theme and AP® Unit, reinforces skills from the opening chapters, and introduces Key Questions that help focus students’ reading and interpretation from page one.
  • Scaffolded Anchor Texts for High-Scoring Commentary pair Central Texts by contemporary writers anchor each chapter, while world-renowned Classic Texts and historical framing in “A Broader Context” train students to analyze complex literature and earn the sophistication point.
  • Diverse Selections for Broad Prompt Practice bring together canonical benchmarks like Ralph Ellison’s “Boy on a Train” and Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses” with dynamic contemporary voices like Miranda July’s “Roy Spivey” and Jericho Brown’s “Crossing”, giving students experience analyzing a wide range of texts, styles, and perspectives.
  • Nuanced Interpretation via TalkBacks pairs challenging literary works with modern responses, modeling multi-layered analysis to help students write beyond surface-level plot summary.
  • Comprehensive AP® Exam Practice & Testing gives you multiple ways to build practice into your course through AP® Multiple-Choice Practice on Central and Classic Texts, versatile Suggestions for Writing (including AP®-style FRQs and synthesis prompts), and a complete full-length AP® English Literature Practice Exam.

Available in Achieve for On-the-Go Learning: BFW’s online courseware platform gives you quick access to student and teacher’s edition eBooks, as well as teacher resources, adaptive quizzing, digital library of full-length works, and a range of post-reading and AP® Exam Practice activities.

New to This Edition

The fourth edition of Literature & Composition gives AP® Literature instructors more targeted support for helping students become stronger readers and writers. Informed by feedback from hundreds of AP® Literature teachers, Chief Reader reports, and a Content Advisory Board of course experts, the new edition focuses on three common challenges: helping students move beyond plot summary, connecting skill instruction to reading, and developing cohesive commentary.

The book’s architecture has been redesigned to make that support easier to find and use—giving instructors practical tools to guide students where they need it most.

Streamlined Instructional Opening Chapters

  • Focused Model Texts center each opening chapter now centers on just one or two anchor texts, keeping skill acquisition clear, manageable, and focused.
  • Visual Graphic Organizers make literary analysis intuitive, giving students an actionable entry point to build confidence early.
  • Accessible Paths to Sophistication provide updated enrichment in Section 3 of each opening chapter provides step-by-step support to help every student scaffold to high-level analysis.

Expanded Thematic Anthology & Reading Tools

  • Three New Thematic Collections give you more flexibility to tailor your course with expanded text options in Departures and Arrivals, Art and the Artist, and Creation and Transformation—designed for smooth CED alignment and student engagement.
  • On-Ramps to Analytical Essay Writing combine new “Diving into the Text” exercises, targeted Guided Questions, and rich historical context in “A Broader Context” to help students craft defensible claims and build stronger commentary.

Seamless AP® Alignment & Updated Exam Prep

  • Integrated Skill Signposts connect opening-chapter activities directly to anthology readings—and anthology readings back to skill instruction—making it easier to revisit and reinforce skills throughout the year.
  • High-Impact Writing Instruction provides enhanced guidance that focuses on prompt breakdown, thesis construction, and line-of-reasoning development. Anthology readings feature short-answer questions tagged to AP® Big Ideas and essay prompts using stable exam wording.
  • Updated AP® Multiple-Choice Practice gives students practice with question sets updated to reflect the format, skill distribution, and rigor of the current AP® Exam.
Cover: Literature & Composition, 4th Edition by Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

Literature & Composition

Fourth Edition| ©2027

Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

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Cover: Literature & Composition, 4th Edition by Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

Literature & Composition

Fourth Edition| 2027

Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

Table of Contents

About the Authors

Letter to Our Colleagues

Guided Tour of Literature & Composition, Fourth Edition

Acknowledgments


Chapter 1 Analyzing Short Fiction

Key Concepts

Introduction to Short Fiction

Section 1

Analyzing Literary Element

    Edward P. Jones, The First Day

Character

    Key Questions: Analyzing Character

    Activity: Analyzing Character

Setting

    Key Questions: Analyzing Setting

    Activity: Analyzing Setting

Plot

    Key Questions: Analyzing Plot

    Activity: Analyzing Plot

Point of View

    First-Person Point of View

    Second-Person Point of View

    Tommy Orange, from Wandering Stars

    Third-Person Point of View

    Key Questions: Analyzing Point of View

Perspective

    Key Questions: Analyzing Perspective

    Activity: Analyzing Literary Elements

Analyzing Literary Techniques

Diction

    Key Questions: Analyzing Diction

Syntax

    Key Questions: Analyzing Syntax

Imagery 

    Key Questions: Analyzing Imagery

Figurative Language

    Comparisons: Similes and Metaphors

    Personification

    Zora Neale Hurston, from Their Eyes Were Watching God

    Key Questions: Analyzing Figurative Language

Tone and Mood

    Key Questions: Analyzing Tone and Mood

    Activity: Analyzing Literary Techniques

Putting It All Together: Making a Defensible Claim about a Passage of Fiction

Breaking Down the Prompt

Developing a Claim

Gathering Evidence

Drafting a Paragraph

Culminating Activity: Interpreting Short Fiction: Defending a Claim with Evidence

Section 2

From Reading to Writing: Crafting an AP® Prose Fiction Analysis Essay

Preparing to Write about Short Fiction

    Breaking Down the Prompt

    Guiding Your First Reading

    Key Questions: Guiding Your First Reading

    Jamaica Kincaid, Girl

    Annotating Short Fiction for Close Analysis

    Activity: Annotating Short Fiction for Close Analysis

    Moving from Annotation to Analysis

    Activity: Moving from Annotation to Analysis

Developing a Thesis Statement

    Activity: Developing a Thesis Statement

Supporting Your Thesis

    Writing Topic Sentences 

    Activity: Writing Topic Sentences

    Gathering Evidence

    Activity: Gathering Evidence

    Developing a Line of Reasoning through Commentary

    Activity: Developing a Line of Reasoning Through Commentary

    Documenting Sources

Introducing Your Essay

    Activity: Introducing Your Essay

Concluding Your Essay

    Activity: Concluding Your Essay

Revising Your Essay

    Activity: Revising Your Essay

Analyzing a Sample AP® Prose Fiction Analysis Essay

    Activity: Providing Peer Feedback for Revision

Culminating Activity: Crafting an AP® Prose Fiction Analysis Essay

Section 3

Adding Depth to an AP® Prose Fiction Analysis Essay

Considering Alternative Interpretations

    Exploring Multiple Perspectives

    Challenging Your Initial Position

    Revising Your Thesis to Add Alternative Interpretations

Refining Analysis of Style

    Reviewing Literary Elements and Techniques

    Revising Your Thesis to Add Literary Elements and Techniques

Incorporating Broader Context

    Cultural Setting

    Writer’s Environment

    Humanity

    Revising Your Thesis to Add Broader Context

Putting It All Together: Deepening Your AP® Prose Fiction Analysis Essay

Culminating Activity: Deepening an AP® Prose Fiction Analysis Essay


Chapter 2 Analyzing Poetry

Key Concepts

Introduction to Poetry

Section 1

Step 1: Get Oriented

    Seamus Heaney, Digging

Subject

    Examine the Title

    Read Aloud

    Find the Sentences

    Paraphrase

Speaker

Emotional Impact

    Activity: Getting Oriented

Step 2: Explore Foundational Elements

Diction

    Key Questions: Analyzing Diction

Structure

    Poetic Syntax

    Shifts

    Key Questions: Analyzing Structure

Figurative Language

    Simile and Metaphor

    Personification

    Allusion

    Symbol

    Key Questions: Analyzing Figurative Language

Imagery

    Key Questions: Analyzing Imagery

Tone and Mood

    Key Questions: Analyzing Tone and Mood

    Activity: Exploring Foundational Elements

Step 3: Refine Your Interpretation

William Shakespeare, My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun

Form

    Meter

    Key Questions: Analyzing Form

Sound

    Rhyme

    Key Questions: Analyzing Sound

Contrasts

    Juxtapositions, Antithesis, and Paradox

    Irony

    Key Questions: Analyzing Contrasts

    Activity: Refining Your Interpretation

Putting It All Together: Making a Defensible Claim about Poetry

Breaking Down the Prompt

Developing a Claim

Gathering Evidence

Drafting a Paragraph

Culminating Activity: Interpreting Poetry: Defending a Claim with Evidence

Section 2

From Reading to Writing: Crafting an AP® Poetry Analysis Essay

Preparing to Write about Poetry

    Breaking Down the Prompt

    Guiding Your First Reading

    Key Questions: Guiding Your First Reading

    Maxine Kumin, Woodchucks

    Annotating Poetry for Close Analysis

    Activity: Annotating Poetry for Close Analysis

    Moving from Annotation to Analysis

    Activity: Moving from Annotation to Analysis

Developing a Thesis Statement

    Activity: Developing a Thesis Statement

Supporting Your Thesis

    Writing Topic Sentences 

    Activity: Writing Topic Sentences

    Gathering Evidence

    Activity: Gathering Evidence

    Developing a Line of Reasoning through Commentary

    Activity: Developing a Line of Reasoning through Commentary

    Documenting Sources

Introducing Your Essay

    Activity: Introducing Your Essay

Concluding Your Essay

    Activity: Concluding Your Essay

Revising Your Essay

    Activity: Revising Your Essay

Analyzing a Sample AP® Poetry Analysis Essay

    Activity: Providing Peer Feedback for Revision

Culminating Activity: Crafting an AP® Poetry Analysis Essay

Section 3

Adding Depth to an AP® Poetry Analysis Essay

Considering Alternative Interpretations

    Reconsidering the Speaker’s Perspective

    Challenging Your Initial Position

    Revising Your Thesis to Add Alternative Interpretations

Refining Analysis of Style

    Reviewing Literary Elements and Techniques

    Revising Your Thesis to Add Literary Elements and Techniques

Incorporating Broader Context

    Writer’s Environment

    Humanity

    Revising Your Thesis to Add Broader Context

Putting It All Together: Deepening Your AP® Poetry Analysis Essay

Culminating Activity: Deepening an AP® Poetry Analysis Essay


Chapter 3 Analyzing Longer Fiction and Drama

Key Concepts

Introduction to Longer Fiction and Drama

Section 1

Susan Glaspell, Trifles

Plot in Longer Fiction and Drama

Significant Events

Conflict

Resolution

    Key Questions: Analyzing Plot in Longer Fiction and Drama

    Activity: Analyzing Plot in Longer Fiction and Drama

Character in Longer Fiction and Drama

Character Types

Contrasting Characters

Complexities of Character

Character Arcs

    Key Questions: Analyzing Character in Longer Fiction and Drama

    Activity: Analyzing Character in Longer Fiction and Drama

Narration in Longer Fiction and Drama

Point of View and Perspective

Tone and Mood

Complexities of Narration

    Unreliable Narrators

    Stream of Consciousness

    Key Questions: Analyzing Narration in Longer Fiction and Drama

    Activity: Analyzing Narration in Longer Fiction and Drama

Setting in Longer Fiction and Drama

    Key Questions: Analyzing Setting in Longer Fiction and Drama

    Activity: Analyzing Setting in Longer Fiction and Drama

Symbol in Longer Fiction and Drama

Allegory and Archetype

    Key Questions: Analyzing Symbol in Longer Fiction and Drama

    Activity: Analyzing Symbol in Longer Fiction and Drama

Theme in Longer Fiction and Drama

    Key Questions: Analyzing Theme in Longer Fiction and Drama

    Activity: Analyzing Theme in Longer Fiction and Drama

Collecting Interpretations about Longer Fiction and Drama

    Activity: Collecting Interpretations about Longer Fiction and Drama

Putting It All Together: Making a Defensible Claim about Longer Fiction or Drama

Breaking Down the Prompt

Developing a Claim

Gathering Evidence

Drafting a Paragraph

Culminating Activity: Interpreting Longer Fiction and Drama: Defending a Claim with Evidence

Section 2

From Reading to Writing: Crafting an AP® Literary Argument Essay

Preparing to Write a Literary Argument

    Breaking Down the Prompt

    Reviewing for Literary Argument

Developing a Thesis Statement

    Activity: Developing a Thesis Statement

Supporting Your Thesis

    Writing Topic Sentences 

    Activity: Writing Topic Sentences

    Gathering Evidence

    Activity: Gathering Evidence

    Developing a Line of Reasoning through Commentary

    Activity: Developing a Line of Reasoning through Commentary

Introducing Your Essay

    Activity: Introducing Your Essay

Concluding Your Essay

    Activity: Concluding Your Essay

Revising Your Essay

    Activity: Revising Your Essay

Analyzing a Sample AP® Literary Argument Essay

    Activity: Providing Peer Feedback for Revision

Culminating Activity: Crafting an AP® Literary Argument Essay

Section 3

Adding Depth to an AP® Literary Argument Essay

Considering Alternative Interpretations

    Exploring Inconvenient Evidence

    Challenging Your Initial Position

    Revising Your Thesis to Add Alternative Interpretations

Incorporating Broader Context

    Cultural Setting

    Writer’s Environment

    Humanity

    Revising Your Thesis to Add Broader Context

Putting It All Together: Deepening Your Literary Argument Essay

Culminating Activity: Deepening an AP® Literary Argument Essay


Chapter 4 Departures and Arrivals

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: Naguib Mahfouz, Half a Day (short fiction)

Classic Text: Eudora Welty, A Worn Path (short fiction)

    A Broader Context: “A Worn Path” and the Power of the Literary Journey

    1. Joseph Campbell, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces (nonfiction)

    2. Original Super Mario Bros. game cartridge (photograph)

    3. Carrie Law Morgan Figgs, We are Marching (poetry)

    4. Eudora Welty, Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead? (nonfiction)

Short Fiction

    Ralph Ellison, Boy on a Train

    Helena María Viramontes, The Moths

    Miranda July, Roy Spivey

    Emma Binder, Roy

Poetry

    Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Ulysses

    TALKBACK: Amorak Huey, We Were All Odysseus in Those Days

    Edgar Lee Masters, George Gray

    Linda Pastan, To a Daughter Leaving Home

    Rita Dove, Exit

    Ellen Bass, Gate C22000

    John Lee Clark, On My Return from a Business Trip

    Jason Koo, I’ll Follow You

    Jericho Brown, Crossing

    Elizabeth Acevedo, My mother is the first one in her family to leave the Dominican Republic for the United States

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    Naguib Mahfouz, from Half a Day

    Eudora Welty, from A Worn Path

Suggestions for Writing: Departures and Arrivals


Chapter 5 Home and Family

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: Richard Blanco, Mother Country (poetry)

Classic Text: Langston Hughes, Mother to Son (poetry)

    A Broader Context: “Mother to Son” and the Harlem Renaissance

    1. Alain Locke, from The New Negro (nonfiction)

    2. Countee Cullen, Heritage (poetry)

    3. Zora Neale Hurston, Spunk (short fiction)

    4. Jacob Lawrence, From every southern town migrants left by the hundreds to travel north(Migration Series #3) (painting)

Short Fiction

    Tillie Olsen, I Stand Here Ironing

    Susan Choi, Flashlight

Poetry

    Ben Jonson, On My First Son

    Theodore Roethke, My Papa’s Waltz

    TALKBACK: Robert Hayden, Those Winter Sundays

    Mary Oliver, The Black Walnut Tree

    Sharon Olds, High School Senior

    Li-Young Lee, The Hammock

    Victoria Redel, Bedecked

    Mohja Kahf, My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears

    Adrienne Su, Peaches

    Monica de la Torre, Equivalents

    Maggie Smith, Good Bones

    Ada Limón, The Raincoat

    Louise Glück, Second Wind

    CooXooEii Black, On Mindfulness

    Clint Smith, In the Grocery Store You Are Wrapped Tightly onto My Chest

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    Richard Blanco, Mother Country

    Langston Hughes, Mother to Son

Suggestions for Writing: Home and Family


Chapter 6 Tradition and Progress

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: August Wilson, Fences (drama)

Classic Text: Kate Chopin, The Awakening (novel)

    A Broader Context: The Awakening and Nineteenth-Century Marriage

    1. Elizabeth Gilmer, from Dorothy Dix Talks (nonfiction)

    2. Kate Chopin, Madame Célestin’s Divorce (short fiction)

    3. George Meredith, Modern Love: I (poetry)

    4. Knut Ekwall, The Proposal (painting)

Short Fiction

    Edith Wharton, Roman Fever

    Alice Walker, Everyday Use

Poetry

    William Wordsworth, The World Is Too Much with Us

    TALKBACK: Denise Lajimodiere, Tawkwaymenahnah

    Christina Rossetti, No, Thank You, John

    William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming

    Yehuda Amichai, The Eve of Rosh Hashanah

    Franny Choi, Gentrifier

    Angela C. Trudell Vasquez, In the Discount Lot

    Jared Harél, Numbers

    Frank X Walker, Canning Memories

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    August Wilson, from Fences

    Kate Chopin, from The Awakening

Suggestions for Writing: Tradition and Progress


Chapter 7 Self and Society

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies (short fiction)

Classic Text: James Baldwin, Sonny’s Blues (short fiction)

    A Broader Context: “Sonny’s Blues” and the Influence of Jazz

    1. Gerald Early, from Jazz and the African American Literary Tradition (nonfiction)

    2. Robert O’Meally, from Seeing Jazz (nonfiction)

    3. Stuart Davis, Swing Landscape (painting)

    4. Gwendolyn Brooks, We Real Cool (poetry)

Short Fiction

    John Steinbeck, The Chrysanthemums

    Doris Lessing, Through the Tunnel

    Joyce Carol Oates, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

    Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Apollo

Poetry

    John Milton, When I consider how my light is spent

    TALKBACK: Emma Lazarus, City Visions I

    Mahmoud Darwish, Identity Card

    Ai, The Man with the Saxophone

    Natalie Diaz, The Facts of Art

    Aracelis Girmay, You Are Who I Love

    José Olivarez, (citizen) (illegal)

    Dorothy Chan, So Chinese Girl

    Tommye Blount, The Pedestrian

    José Angel Araguz, Every S in This Poem Is Telling on Me

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    Jhumpa Lahiri, from Interpreter of Maladies

    James Baldwin, from Sonny’s Blues

Suggestions for Writing: Self and Society


Chapter 8 Love and Relationships

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: Terrance Hayes, Wind in a Box (poetry)

Classic Text: Edna St. Vincent Millay, Love is not all (poetry)

    A Broader Context: “Love is not all” and How the Sonnet Still Sings

    1. Edward Hirsch, My Own Acquaintance (nonfiction)

    2. William Wordsworth, Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room (poetry)

    3. Marilyn Nelson, How I Discovered Poetry (poetry)

    4. Oliver de la Paz, Diaspora Sonnet 40 (poetry)

Short Fiction

    William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily

    Lauren Groff, Mother of Men

Poetry

    Sappho, The Anactoria Poem

    John Donne, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

    TALKBACK: Adrienne Rich, A Valediction Forbidding Mourning

    Lord Byron, She Walks in Beauty

    John Keats, Bright Star, would I were stedfast as thou art

    Emily Dickinson, Wild Nights — Wild Nights!

    Nikki Giovanni, Nikki-Rosa

    Elizabeth Bishop, One Art

    Jimmy Santiago Baca, I love the wind . . .

    Philip Levine, What Work Is

    Eavan Boland, Pomegranate

    Chen Chen, I Invite My Parents to a Dinner Party

    Amy Alvarez, How to Date a White Boy

    Julian Talamantez Brolaski, What to Say Upon Being Asked to Be Friends

    Ethelbert Miller, Crossing the Line

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    Terrance Hayes, Wind in a Box

    Edna St. Vincent Millay, Love is not all

Suggestions for Writing: Love and Relationships


Chapter 9 Conformity and Rebellion

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: Nella Larsen, Passing (novel)

Classic Text: William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (drama)

    A Broader Context: Hamlet and the Evolution of Character

    1. Marjorie Garber, from Hamlet: The Matter of Character (nonfiction)

    2. William Hazlitt, from Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays (nonfiction)

    3. C. S. Lewis, from Hamlet: The Prince or the Poem? (nonfiction)

    4. Zbigniew Herbert, Elegy of Fortinbras (poetry)

Short Fiction

    Flannery O’Connor, A Good Man Is Hard to Find

    Lesley Nneka Arimah, Light

Poetry

    Emily Dickinson, Much Madness is divinest Sense —

    TALKBACK: W. H. Auden, The Unknown Citizen

    Dylan Thomas, Do not go gentle into that good night

    Carol Ann Duffy, Penelope

    Diana García, On the First Day She Made Birds

    Lorna Goodison, Reporting Back to Queen Isabella

    Kaveh Akbar, Ultrasound

    Rachel McKibbens, Remember the Boys

    Ruth Awad, Reasons to Live

    Kristiana Rae Colón, a remix for remembrance

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    Nella Larsen, fromPassing

    William Shakespeare, from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Suggestions for Writing: Conformity and Rebellion


Chapter 10 War and Remembrance

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: Jamil Jan Kochai, Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (short fiction)

Classic Text: Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried (short fiction)

    A Broader Context: “The Things They Carried” and Voices of the Vietnam Conflict

    1. Viet Thanh Nguyen, from On True War Stories (nonfiction)

    2. Quan Barry, Napalm (poetry)

    3. Paul Tran, East Mountain View (poetry)

    4. Ann Le, Between Home and Here(Woman Soldier 1) (collage)

Short Fiction

    Leo Tolstoy, After the Dance

    Bharati Mukherjee, The Management of Grief

    Scholastique Mukasonga, Grief

    Beth Bachmann, The Boy at War and Home

Poetry

    Sara Teasdale, There Will Come Soft Rains

    Wilfred Owen, Dulce et Decorum Est

    Pablo Neruda, I Explain a Few Things

    Czesław Miłosz, Dedication

    TALKBACK: Matthew Olzmann, Letter Beginning with Two Lines by Czesław Miłosz

    Henry Reed, Naming of Parts

    Claribel Alegría, Not Yet

    Laura Da’, Passive Voice

    Dujie Tahat, Veterans Day Assembly

    Gbenga Adesina, Citizen

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    Jamil Jan Kochai, fromPlaying Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

    Tim O’Brien, from The Things They Carried

Suggestions for Writing: War and Remembrance


Chapter 11 Art and the Artist

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: Ada Limón, The End of Poetry (poetry)

Classic Text: Marianne Moore, The Steeple-Jack (poetry)

    A Broader Context: “The Steeple-Jack” and the Modernist Vision

    1. T. S. Eliot, from Tradition and the Individual Talent (nonfiction)

    2. Amy Lowell, A London Thoroughfare. 2 A.M. and The Emperor’s Garden (poetry)

    3. Fernand Léger, La Ville (“The City”) (painting)

    4. Virginia Woolf, from Mrs. Dalloway (fiction)

Short Fiction

    Willa Cather, A Wagner Matinee

    Weike Wang, A Children’s Story

Poetry

    Alexander Pope, Sound and Sense

    Robert Browning, My Last Duchess

    Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A Musical Instrument

    TALKBACK: Percy Bysshe Shelley, Hymn of Pan

    Claude McKay, Poetry

    Richard Wilbur, The Writer

    Naomi Shihab Nye, Valentine for Ernest Mann

    Billy Collins, The Blues

    Ocean Vuong, Essay on Craft

    Tracy K. Smith, Wade in the Water

    Denice Frohman, Lady Jordan

    Danielle DeTiberus, The Artist Signs Her Masterpiece, Immodestly

    TALKBACK: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes and Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes

    Caridad Moro-Gronlier, I Did Not Take My Camera to Paris

    Amit Majmudar, Critical Theory

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    Ada Limón, The End of Poetry

    Marianne Moore, The Steeple-Jack

Suggestions for Writing: Art and the Artist


Chapter 12 Creation and Transformation

Chapter Introduction

Central Text: Sarah Ruhl, Eurydice (drama)

Classic Text: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (novel)

    A Broader Context: Frankenstein and the Ethics of Creation

    1. Jon Turney, from Frankenstein’s Footsteps (nonfiction)

    2. Brian Aldiss, Super-Toys Last All Summer Long (fiction)

    3. Kelly McKinney, Thoughts on Frankenstein, AI and the Perils of Our Unfinished Creation (nonfiction)

    4. David Sipress, What to Expect When You’re Expecting (cartoon)

Short Fiction

    Rosario Ferré, The Youngest Doll

    Rivka Galchen, Unreasonable

Poetry

    William Cullen Bryant, Mutation

    Gerard Manley Hopkins, Spring and Fall

    May Swenson, The Centaur

    Howard Nemerov, Figures of Thought

    Jesús Papolito Meléndez, EcologicHumanitarianIsm

    TALKBACK: Mary TallMountain, Poem 167: The Last Wolf

    Lucille Clifton, The earth is a living thing

    Wendell Berry, The Peace of Wild Things

    Arthur Sze, Downwind

    Camille Dungy, Sanctuary

AP® Multiple-Choice Practice

    Sarah Ruhl, from Eurydice

    Mary Shelley, from Frankenstein

Suggestions for Writing: Creation and Transformation

AP® English Literature Practice Exam

Glossary / Glosario

MLA Guidelines for a List of Works Cited

Text Credits

Index

Cover: Literature & Composition, 4th Edition by Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

Literature & Composition

Fourth Edition| 2027

Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

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Authors

Headshot of Renee Shea

Renee Shea

Renée H. Shea was professor of English and Modern Languages and director of freshman composition at Bowie State University in Maryland, where she taught graduate seminars in rhetoric. A College Board faculty consultant for more than thirty years in AP® Language and Literature, and Pre-AP® English, she has been a reader and question leader for both AP® English exams. Renée served as a member on many committees for the College Board, including the AP® Language and Composition Development Committee, the English Academic Advisory Committee, and the SAT Critical Reading Test Development Committee. She is co-author of The Language of Composition, American Literature & Rhetoric, Advanced Language & Literature, Connections in Language & Literature, and Foundations of Language & Literature, as well as volumes on Amy Tan and Zora Neale Hurston for the NCTE High School Literature Series. Renée continues to write about contemporary authors for publications such as World Literature Today, Poets & Writers, and Kenyon Review. She is doing a series of interviews for American Book Review entitled “The Laureates.”


Headshot of Robin Aufses

Robin Aufses

Robin Dissin Aufses was the Director of English Studies atLycée Français de New York, where she also taught AP® English Language and eighth-grade English. Before her foray into international education, she was the chair of the English department at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, New York, and, prior to that, an English teacher at Schreiber High School in Port Washington, New York. She has taught every grade and every level of English. She is a co-author of The Language of Composition, Conversations in American Literature, Connections in Language & Literature, and American Literature & Rhetoric, published by BFW. Robin continues her work in the world of education, teaching English part time at Be’er Hagolah Institutes in Brooklyn and serving on the board of Equality Charter School, a K–12 school in the Bronx.


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Lawrence Scanlon

Lawrence Scanlon taught at Brewster High School for more than thirty years and then for another ten years at Iona College in New York. For twenty-five years he was a Reader and Question Leader for the AP® Language and Composition Exam. Over that same period of time, he has conducted AP® workshops and institutes in both AP® English Language and AP® English Literature throughout the United States and also in South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East as a College Board consultant. He has served as a private consultant for many school districts. In addition, he also served on the AP® English Language Test Development Committee. Larry is co-author of American Literature & Rhetoric, The Language of Composition, and Conversations in American Literature and has published articles on curriculum and method for the College Board, Business Insider, and other publications.


Headshot of Katherine Cordes

Katherine Cordes

Katherine E. Cordes is a National Board Certified English teacher with a BA in English, psychology, and medieval studies; an MEd in curriculum and instruction; and an MFA in poetry. She has more than twenty-four years of experience in the secondary English Language Arts classroom and has taught AP® Seminar/Honors English 10, AP® English Literature, AP® English Language, and dual enrollment college writing. As part of the College Board’s Instructional Design Team, Katherine contributed to the development, review, and dissemination of the 2019 AP® English Literature Course and Exam Description, and she has been an AP® Reader for the AP® English Literature Exam and a Question Leader for the AP® Seminar Exam. She is a co-author of Bedford, Freeman & Worth’s The Language of Composition, Connections in Language & Literature,and American Literature & Rhetoric.


Headshot of Carlos Escobar

Carlos Escobar

Carlos A. Escobar teaches AP® English Literature and Composition and tenth-grade English at Felix Varela Senior High School in Miami, Florida, where he is also the AP® Program Director. Carlos has been a College Board Advisor for AP® English Literature, an AP® Reader, a presenter at local and national AP® workshops and conferences, and a member of the English Literature and AP® African American Studies Test Development Committees. As part of the College Board’s Instructional Design Team, he contributed to the development, review, and dissemination of the 2019 AP ® English Literature and Composition Course and Exam Description. Carlos designed and delivered daily live YouTube lessons streamed globally by the College Board and was the Lead Instructor for AP® Daily, the College Board’s skill-based, on-demand video series accessed through AP® Classroom. He is a co-author of BFW’s Advanced Language & Literature, The Language of Composition, and Connections in Language & Literature.


Headshot of Carol Jago

Carol Jago

Carol Jago has taught English in middle and high school for thirty-two years and is associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA. She is a past president of the National Council of Teachers of English and in 2021 was elected to the International Reading Association Executive Board. She also served as AP® Literature content advisor for the College Board. She has published seven books with Heinemann, including With Rigor for All; Papers, Papers, Papers; and most recently The Book in Question: Why and How Reading Is in Crisis. She has also published four books on contemporary multicultural authors for NCTE’s High School Literature series. Carol was an education columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and her essays have appeared in English Journal, Language Arts, NEA Today, as well as in other newspapers across the nation. She edits the journal of the California Association of Teachers of English, California English, and served on the planning committee for the 2009 NAEP Reading Framework and the 2011 NAEP Writing Framework. Carol also served a four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board. In 2020 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Association of Teachers of English.

Cover: Literature & Composition, 4th Edition by Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

Literature & Composition

Fourth Edition| 2027

Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

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Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago | Fourth Edition | ©2027 | ISBN:9781319615642
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Cover: Literature & Composition, 4th Edition by Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

Literature & Composition

Fourth Edition| 2027

Renee H. Shea; Robin Dissin Aufses; Lawrence Scanlon; Katherine E. Cordes; Carlos Escobar; Carol Jago

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