2011 Summer Reading List for Twelfth Grade English
	Required Reading consists of two works: 1) The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle  2) The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Assessment: Students will be tested early in September on The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Time Machine. Students should also be prepared to write an essay comparing and contrasting the two novels. Students are encouraged to read further works from the recommended summer reading list.   *Recommended Reading:  Charles Dickens Fiction    Great Expectations When the secret of the anonymous benefactor to young "Pip,"orphaned at the age of five, is revealed to the adult "Mr. Pip," a lesson about snobbery becomes a major theme in this timeless Victorian novel.  Dickens' ongoing concern with the plight of orphans remains at the forefront of this mystery for readers of all ages. Christopher Marlowe Drama    Doctor Faustus The essential plot of the story of Faustus is simple. Tired of his own limitations and the pettiness of human knowledge, Faustus turns to magic. He makes a contract with Lucifer: in exchange for 24 years of earthly pleasure, Faustus will become Lucifer’s slave for all eternity. The legend of the man who sold his soul for knowledge and power originated in Germany but has been used by composers and writers throughout the world. Jonathan Swift Fiction    Gulliver's Travels Adventures among the miniature inhabitants of Lilliput, the giants of Brobdingnag, the immortal Struldbrugs, and the reasoning Houyhnhnms form a masterful eighteenth century satire on humans and their institutions. Thomas Hardy Fiction    Return of the Native A dramatic story of passion and revolt, this Victorian novel tells the story of the beautiful Eustacia Vye as she struggles to break away from the solemn and brooding heath of southern England. Emily Bronte Fiction  Wuthering Heights This is a poignant story of intense and frustrated lives, of hate and revenge, set in the wild moors of England.   Suggested Readings for Extra Credit:  Thomas Hardy Fiction     Far from the Madding Crowd This nineteenth century pastoral novel addresses the forces of fate versus the individual’s personal control over his own destiny. Three men seek the love of Bathsheba Everdene in this romantic novel of betrayal and murder in rural England. T. S. Eliot Drama  Murder in the Cathedral The assassination of English Archbishop Thomas Becket is re-created with depth and vitality by this great poet. Oscar Wilde Fiction  The Picture of Dorian Gray A handsome young man’s portrait becomes a mirror, increasingly grotesque, of his true inner self.