If you can fit Their Eyes Were Watching God in there somewhere, that's a great canonical text. Toni Morrison's Beloved has also been known to show up on AP Lit exams. I have scads of AA Lit references and short stories from teaching the class a few years ago. Let me know if you want to look through any of it.
Mal: Go on. Get in there. Give your brother a thrashing for messing up your plan. River: He takes so much looking after.
'Objects In Space'
Natter 58: Let's call Venezuela!
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Pix - Apr 24, 2008 5:56:39 pm PDT #3464 of 10001
The status is NOT quo.
Kat - Apr 24, 2008 5:57:34 pm PDT #3465 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
Beloved is such a slog for me! I mean, I know it's supposed to be wonderful. But I picked it up and put it back down uncompleted at least 3 times.
meara - Apr 24, 2008 5:59:10 pm PDT #3466 of 10001
Christopher Durang is so much fun! And given how beloved he is when it comes to doing silly college theater, I suspect a lot of AP high schoolers would love his stuff too.
Pix - Apr 24, 2008 6:00:39 pm PDT #3467 of 10001
The status is NOT quo.
He also fits the AP Board's call to teach "a variety of lit from the 16th to 21st century" (paraphrasing) since he's so contemporary.
ETA: BWAH! I'd never been to his homepage before. [link] (It was the "to enter, click on..." part that set off a coughing fit of laughter.)
sarameg - Apr 24, 2008 6:07:58 pm PDT #3468 of 10001
I love reading this discussion, Especially since I've read/heard (I don't know which) lately of Isabel Allende's latest bio-book. I read Paula on a bus through Slovakia in a fog and remember desperately trying not to cry as a castle came into view. Allende, Marquez, Alvarez, Cisneros and a few other latin authors have a special place for me.
Atropa - Apr 24, 2008 6:34:52 pm PDT #3469 of 10001
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.
Kat, would any of the short stories by Angela Carter work for what you're looking for?
Kat - Apr 24, 2008 6:41:42 pm PDT #3470 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
For Magical Realism, Jilli?
Atropa - Apr 24, 2008 6:44:16 pm PDT #3471 of 10001
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.
For Magical Realism, Jilli?
Yes. I was also trying to think if any of her short stories would work for your Grotesque section, but I'm not sure. Another author that would be good for Magical Realism is Ray Bradbury. Something Wicked This Way Comes or Dandelion Wine.
Atropa - Apr 24, 2008 6:46:31 pm PDT #3472 of 10001
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.
Wait, what age range is this for? I'm trying to figure out if Caitlin R. Kiernan would be a good choice for your Grotesque section. I mean, her work (and especially some of her short fiction) would be perfect, but some of the subject matter may be questionable, depending on the age of the students.
Kat - Apr 24, 2008 6:49:19 pm PDT #3473 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
DAMN! Maybe I'm dropping Romance because while I think it's a good category and if I go modern Romance, it's nice and light, I think I could use that place instead to do Social Commentaries... then I could get Obasan, which is fantastic, and Native Son and The Bone People.
The downside is that it's heavy heavy heavy to replace a fun and uplifting (in the medieval, gothic or modern sense) category like romance and replace it with serious heart wrenching lit.
Maybe put those in Tragedy, along with Things Fall Apart and Lear?