Lit Libros

Going through everything we read in AP Lit

Beowulf

Oldest poem in English

Pagan tale told by a Christian narrator

3 honorable goals: Glory, loyalty, and pride

Epic poem

Wergild - finanial recompense for killing someone

Wyrd - fate

Beowulf Characters

Beowulf - really strong dude, knows he is strong

Hrothgar - Danish king of Denmark

Herot - mead hall

Hrunting - sword

Grendel - First monster Beowulf fights/deafeats

Grendel’s mom - Wants vengeance for her son’s death

Wiglaf - soldier who doesn’t desert Beowulf and defeats the dragon

Beowulf Theme/Messages

Highlights importance of courage, strength, honor, loyalty, generosity, and hospitality
Glory can turn into greed, loyalty can turn into blind allegiance, and pride can become arrogance
Story of the courage and strength of a strong hero

The Scarlet Letter (Quarter 1 Reading)

By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Satire
A lot of biblical allusions (David and Bathsheba tapestry)

The Scarlet Letter Characters

Hester Prynne - adulteress/protagonist

Pearl - “devil child,” Hester’s daughter born out of sin

Roger Chillingsworth - Hester’s missing husband, the town doctor, eaten up by revenge

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale - Pearl’s father, keeps his sin a secret for most of the novel and is eaten up by guilt

Governor Bellingham - wants to take Pearl away from Hester so she is ‘raised better’

Pastor John Wilson - side character

The Scarlet Letter Plot

Hester gives birth to her daughter Pearl, but her husband has been missing for a while. She is shamed and forced to wear a scarlet A on her bosom. Her husband Roger reappears, but his true identity is kept a secret from the rest of the town. The Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is Pearl's father and is eaten up by guilt. Roger, who is his doctor, figures this out. When Reverend Dimmesdale confesses, he dies in Hester's arms. Hester moves from Boston to Europe to begin a new life with her daughter.

The Scarlet Letter Themes/Messages

Criticizes how the woman takes the blame, but the man is able to hide it
Guilt can destroy a person, physically and emotionally
The need for revenge blackens a person's soul
A person can still find life and honor in the midst of shame and isolation from society

The Canterbury Tales

By Geoffrey Chaucer

Satirical (At its heart satire is reform)

Written in Middle English Frame

Narrative

Incomplete 24/120 tales written

The Canterbury Tales Characters

19 pilgrims and Chaucer the pilgrim (not the poet)

Host - challenges pilgrims to tell two stories on the way to and from Canterbury. He will choose the winner of the best story.

The Canterbury Tales - General Prologue Plot

A group of 30 pilgrims goes on a holiday/pilgramage journey together. Their host challenges each of them to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back. The host will pick his favorite story.

The Pardoner's Tale Characters

Pardoner - the worst pilgrim

3 rioters - go after Death

Death - sort of self explanatory

Old man - points rioters in direction of Death

The Pardoner's Tale Plot

The pardoner, who is greedy and deceitful, tells a story about greed being the root of all evil. There are 3 rioters who decide to go after Death and defeat him. An Old Man points them in the direction of Death. In that location, the rioters find 8 bushels of gold florins. They decide to wait until night to take the money. The youngest rioter stays to guard while the other two go to town for provisions. The two town rioters decide to kill the youngest rioter so they only have to split the gold two ways. The youngest rioter has a similar idea and buys poison to put in wine to kill the other rioters. The town rioters return and kill the youngest rioter, but then drink from the poisoned wine and die as well.

Points out gluttony, pride, and greed

Archetypes: trio, the quest, mysterious guide

The Canterbury Tales Messages

Satirical against different people, especially the eclessiastical class. Chaucer the pilgrim doesn’t see how hypocritical some of the pilgrims are.

Paradise Lost Characters

God \= the Father
Jesus Christ \= the Son
Holy Spirit \= the "muse"
Satan \= Devil (politician, spirit)
Beelzebub \= Second in command to devil. Devil's alternate personality. (planner, organizer)
Adam & Eve

Paradise Lost

By John Milton
Epic in Modern English (unheard of at the time)
in media res

Paradise Lost Summarized/Messages

Satan is thrown out of Heaven for challenging God. He finds evil in all good. Even in Hell, Satan wants to rechallenge God. This leads to his manipulation of Adam and Eve, leading to the fall of man. God gives man free will, allowing them to choose between good and evil.

God allows Satan in the world to allow free will to exist. He is a just God. God can use anything to work for His plan.

Cliche

Hamlet

By William Shakespeare
Motifs: mirrors and reflection, death and decay, hearing and ears, actors and the theater
Hamlet's hesitation is important
Thematic topics: revenge, appearance & reality, moral corruption, mortality
Ambiguity
When Hamlet chose revenge, he forfeited his own life
Double entendre \= double meaning
Tension between duty and love

Hamlet Characters

Hamlet - Prince of Denmark, protagonist

Hamlet Sr. - The king, Hamlet’s dead father

Ghost - The dead king who tells Hamlet to seek vengeance for him

Gertrude - Queen, Hamlet’s mother

Claudius - Hamlet’s uncle-father guy, killed Hamlet Sr.

Ophelia - Hamlet’s love interest, the ‘perfect’ daughter, drowned, drowned, drowned

Polonius - Ophelia’s nosy, talkative father

Laertes - Ophelia’s brother (foil to Hamlet)

Fortinbras - seeks vengeance for his kingdom (foil to Hamlet)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - Hamlet’s “friends” who spy on him

Horatio - Truly loyal to Hamlet

Hamlet Messages/Summary

Death is the great equalizer.
Allusions to Cain and Abel (Claudius and Hamlet Sr.)

Claudius kills the King, then marries his brother's wife. Ghost tells Hamlet. Hamlet is going to seek revenge for his father, but is hesitant throughout the novel. Ophelia is mistreated/pushed away by Hamlet. Hamlet stabs Polonius while he is spying. Ophelia drowns, drowns, drowns, out of madness after her father's death. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are beheaded when they are sent to England instead of Hamlet. Claudius and Laertes try to trick and kill Hamlet. This ends in Gertrude dying from being poisoned and Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet dying from a poison-tipped sword. Fortinbras arrives at the scene of the mess.

\
Accepting revenge is a death wish.

The Little Foxes (Quarter 2 Reading)

By Lillian Hellman
Play
Manipulation!

The Little Foxes Characters

Addie - 55 year old African American servant

Cal - Middle aged African American servant

Birdie Hubbard - 40 year old white southern lady (boss of the house)

Oscar Hubbard - late 40s, white man (Birdie's husband), beats Birdie

William Marshall - guest who is involved in a buisiness deal with the Hubbards

Leo - Oscar and Birdie's son, 20 years old

Regina Giddens - 40 years old, white southern lady

Alexandra Giddens - 17 years old (Regina's daughter)

Benjamin Hubbard - 55 years old, large happy man (other Hubbard brother)

Horace Giddens - Regina's husband, has been sick at Johns Hopkins for a while (heart problems - bad conscience, marriage issues)

The Little Foxes Plot

Oscar, Ben, and Regina want to do a business deal with William Marshall. Regina needs her husband's money first. He doesn't want to give it to her. Oscar and Ben are going to do the buisness deal without her. They take Horace's money with the help of Leo. In the midst of all this, Regina wants Alexandra and Leo to marry. Birdie warns Alexandra of the plan. Regina doesn't give Horace his meds quick enough and he dies. She blackmails her brothers into returning the bonds to her. Her daughter hates her. Regina is left rich, but alone without family.

"Addie said there were people who ate the earth and other people who stood around and watched them do it" - Alexandra

The Catcher in the Rye

By J.D. Salinger
Stream of consciousness

The Catcher in the Rye Characters

Holden Caulfield - protagonist, mentally ill, depressed, lives by the moment

Phoebe Caulfield - Holden’s younger sister, the only one who truly makes him happy

Allie Caulfield - Holdens dad brother who he idolizes

D.B. Calfield - Holden’s screenwriter older brother

Jane Gallagher - The girl Holden admires

Sally Hayes - A girl Holden dates but calls stupid

Mr. Antolini - An old teacher of Holden’s. Holden stays at his house, but leaves when he starts acting like a pervert.

Mr. Spencer - Holden’s elderly teacher that he mostly likes. Mr. Spencer voices concern for Holden.

Stradlater - Holden’s romate who goes out with a lot of girls. Holden gets mad when he goes out with Jane.

Ackley - Holden says Ackley is gross and doesn’t like him, yet he hangs out with him a lot.

Catcher in the Rye Plot

Holden flunks out of school again. He leaves to go walk around New York City before he goes home. He calls everything "stupid," he is "depressed as hell," and is very flaky and indecisive. He pays a prostitute just to end up talking to her. His sister Phoebe tries to talk some sense into him and asks what he wants to be. He wants to be a "catcher in the rye," catching kids from falling off a rye field (save them from a fake adulthood). The story ends with Holden in a mental institute.

Farenheit 451 (Quarter 3 reading)

By Ray Bradbury
Dystopian novel

Farenheit 451 Characters

Montag - protagoinst, fire fighter

Clarisse - neighbor who opens Montag’s eyes to the world around him, she is “run over by a car” and disappears

Mildred - Montag’s wife, overdoses, mentally struggles, in love with her wall family

Faber - old man and ex professor who teaches Montag about books

Beatty - fire chief, suspects Montag

Hound - machine that can hunt down anyone

Farenheit 451 Plot

Basically this is a government controlled society. Books are burned and are seen as pointless knowledge. People don't discuss or think for themselves. Montag, a firefighter (one of the book burners) takes some books for himself and he thirsts for more knowledge. He runs off with knowledge he's learned from Faber and escapes town while he is being hunted down.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

By Samuel Coleridge
Published in Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge
Coleridge \= opium addict

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Characters

Mariner

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Plot

Mariner keeps the wedding guest captive with his eyes and tells him his story. Ancient mariner killed an albatross, was cursed. Life in Death won a gamble against Death. The mariner's crew died, but he lived on. He lives on forever having to tell everyone his story.

Albatross \= guilt

Frankenstein

By Mary Shelley
Romantic/gothic novel
Frame narrative

Frankenstein Characters

Robert Walton - On a sea voyage, Victor’s doppelganger

Margaret - Robert’s sister/Us! the reader

Victor Frankenstein - protagonist

Elizabeth Lavenza - Victor’s cousin/sister/wife…yeah

Henry Clerval - Vic’s bestie for the restie, foil to Victor

Carline Beaufort - very kind, loving soul, Vic’s mom

Alphonse Frankenstein - Vic’s dad

William Frankenstein - Vic’s little bro

Ernest Frankenstein - other Frankenstein brother, pretty irrelevant tbh

Justine - servant who is wrongly accused of William’s murder

The Creature - created by Vic, just wants friends

The DeLacey family - benevolent souls who also end up rejecting the Creature

Frankenstein Plot

Walton meets Frankenstein and tells his story. Frankenstein creates the Creature and abandons him. The Creature is lonely and seeks revenge on his creator. This leads to the deaths of William, Justine, Alphonse, Clerval, Elizabeth, and, ultimately, Victor himself. The Creature commits suicide after Victor's death.

The Old Man and the Sea

By Ernest Hemingway
Novella

The Old Man and the Sea Characters

Santiago - old man, has had 84 days of being skunked out at the sea

Manolin - young boy who takes care of Santiago

Marlon - respected, but also hunted by Santiago

Joe DiMaggio - pro baseball player for the Yankees, Santiago’s idol

The Old Man and the Sea Plot

Santiago has had salao, the worst kind of luck, for 84 days. He goes off to sea, finds a marlon, and goes out too far to catch it. He spends 3 days catching the marlon. On the way back, sharks eat up the marlon and he is left with its skeleton (head and tail). He goes home, where Manolin takes care of him.

Theme: Even if you fail overcoming obstacles or meeting a goal, you have still succeeded in becoming a hero if you face the obstacles with dignity, decency, and courage.