I am Legend reading schedule

11/7 - finish up Rosemary's Baby film and discussion
11/9 - I am Legend (p 1-51)

11/14 - I am Legend (p 51-107)
11/16 - I am Legend (p107-159)
11/18 - short stories (p160-192)

11/29 - short stories (193-263); Independent Reading Completed
12/1 - short stories (264-312)

12/5 - begin The Shining

Rosemary's Baby - reading schedule

10/21    71-132
10/25    133-205
10/27    206-256
10/31     tba
11/2      256-319 (end)

Rosemary's Baby

Please read Chapters 1-5 (9-70) for class on Wednesday!

Reading for Tuesday 9/27

Please find a PDF of the book The Philosophy of Horror HERE.

For Tuesday, you are to read pages 97 - 108 ("Plotting Horror"). To aid your reading, take notes in outline form. We will go over it next week in class.

HAVE FUN in NYC!!!

Homework for Thursday 9/15

1) Read the articles posted on the sidebar: "The Thinking Reader's Guide to Fear"

2) In light of our discussion on Tuesday and the readings, write a reflective paper (one page) using the following questions as possible discussion points:
- Are horror movies, stories, and novels a genre worthy of study in an academic class? why or why not?
- Can horror literature be considered on the same artistic plane as, say, a Shakespeare play?
- When is horror art, rather than just terrifying entertainment?

Summer Reading 2011

Warning: Enter at Your Own Risk … the Legends of Horror Senior Elective!

For this summer’s reading, you are to read Night Shift by Stephen King. It is his first collection of short stories published, and many of the stories have been made into movies (unsuccessfully, but we’ll talk about that later).

What you are to do:

1)   Purchase the book. It doesn’t matter which version, but it must have the introduction by Stephen King, even if it’s your parent’s beat up version hidden in the depths of the bookcases at home. While many don’t want to admit they read King, he has sold over 300 million copies worldwide, so there is a good chance there is one at your home.

2)   Read each and every story. After each story, give it a rating out of 5 (5 being the best, 1 is the worst). Then write down 3-5 sentences on why you felt that way. These should be brought to class the first day.

3)   Read King’s introduction in which he talks about fear. Fear does not just come from our imagination, but also from the life’s events that will take all our strength to overcome.

4)   Choose three short stories from Night Shift that really speak to you. In his introduction, Stephen King states, “life is full of horrors small and large, but because the small ones are the ones we can comprehend, they are the ones that smack home with all the force of mortality.” It could be that you are trying to quit a bad habit, you just went swimming in a lake, or you mow your lawn every week, but now you do it with trepidation.

5)   Of the three stories you chose in #3, write a paper looking at a connecting thread that you see through them all. Perhaps they deal with the everyday fears, or perhaps it is the “unknown” of the supernatural.  Whatever it is, write about it. There is no set thesis I am going to give you, but as seniors, you know the expectations. This is a formal paper, but have fun with it! Your paper should be at least three pages long, with plenty of references and direct quotes from the stories. Be prepared to hand this in on the first day.

6)   I can be reached by cell at 882-5475 or email: joymstrickland@gmail.com

Enjoy!

Ms. Strickland