AP Literature Book List to Help You Prep for the Exam

There is not a required AP Literature Book List reading list for the AP English Literature and Composition Exam, but the College Board provides a long list of authors and poets with whom you should be familiar and whose work is of the caliber and density that you are expected to understand. The list may seem overwhelming, but fear not! The following tips on how to approach poems, novels, novellas, and plays for the exam, along with a curated list, will make preparing for the AP Literature Exam a little easier.

Poetry

When you approach a poem on the AP English Literature exam, always read it at least twice before you go to the questions. The purpose of the first read is to get all the words in your head. Then, in your second read, focus on understanding what you’ve read in the simplest way possible. Don’t worry about symbolism Don’t worry about deeper meanings. The questions will direct you toward those aspects of the poem. Use your second read to look for the main idea. Practice reading the following poems at least twice to familiarize yourself with finding the main idea:

Longer Works

To be prepared for the Literary Argument, you should know at least three works very well. Two of them should be longer works that you’ve studied in class. We’ll call these the primary works.

Your primary works should be fairly hefty. One of Shakespeare’s plays or a thick, complex novel will do anything that is so rich in incident and form that no matter what the literary argument question asks, you have something to say. The following full-length works are all good choices.

Shorter Works

The third work you should prepare for the Literary Argument will act as a safeguard in case, for some reason, you can’t apply your knowledge of the other works to the question at all, or in case you need to back up your points with another example. This will be your secondary work. Trust us, the question stem may say that you need to choose only one work to discuss, but an exam reader will be hugely impressed if you can adeptly discuss two or three pieces of literature. Listed below are examples of shorter novels, novellas, and plays that are acceptable to the AP Readers.

Novellas and Short Novels:

Plays:

Hopefully this overview of how to prepare for the exam and introduction to the AP Literature book list will make studying for the AP Literature Exam more manageable.