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Determining Literary Merit

What is "literary merit"?

According to the Macmillan dictionary, “Literary merit” relates “to books that are considered to have value as ART. “  So, what is art?  According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, art is “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.”  It’s not just about entertainment and making money; it’s about producing soul-moving literature.
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In the honors/AP program, you will be asked to read novels of “literary merit” in order to write the final essay on the AP exam.  You can view this list by following this link or by downloading the file below.  As you approach your senior year, you will be asked to read more and more from the options on this list.  

Suggested Titles of Literary Merit

titles_of_literary_merit_from_the_college_board.pdf
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General Characteristics that Determine Literary Merit

1. The characters are interesting and elicit discussion of the novel’s themes.
2. The book has/expresses social, political, or ideological impacts on/about society.
3. The themes elicit good discussion; there is not one trite message tied up neatly at the end.  There is room for ambiguity and consideration of ideas from different angles.
4. The book is fresh/demonstrates innovation in style – the message, characters, voice, and plot and structure are not just repeats of books that have come before it.
5. The themes and the story are appealing to a wide audience and are relevant over time; therefore, the story has withstood/has the potential to withstand the test of time.
6. The book is artfully written – consider the use literary elements used to convey theme (i.e. symbols, foreshadowing, imagery…all used to create a piece of ART, not just entertainment).
7. The novel, or elements of it, evokes a strong emotional response that speaks to the human condition rather than being a story of mere sentimentality, cliche, or "pulp" fiction.

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"Interview" Presentation & Defense of Literary Merit

Your assignment is to choose a novel or play of literary merit, read it, and then be interviewed about it in front of members of the class.  You will need to be ready to:

1. offer a brief overview of the story,
2. "sell" your text to us as one that we should read,
   
3. be ready to address a few elements of literary analysis (a.k.a. "book club" topics), AND
4. defend or qualify the book's literary merit based on a few of the characteristics above.  In your presentation, be certain to provide specifics from the story to support what you have to say.  Remember, you do not need to defend all seven; however, you should try to cover those characteristics that are present.

While you may need to look up information about the text's publication, the social/political/ideological impact of the text, and/or the innovations in the text's style, you should use your OWN knowledge to analyze the elements of the story itself, such as plot, character, symbols, etc. I want to hear YOUR voice and interpretations of what you read and YOUR rationale for the book's merit. Be thoughtful and sincere.  

Example Presentation