What is "significant literary merit"? (AP Lit)

<p>Obviously the books they suggest and other "classics" are great choices for AP Lit. However, could I use a contemporary work with relevant themes? I read quite a bit of YA, and some of it the reader (grader) will likely be unfamiliar with, but could I still use it?</p>

<p>[AP</a> Literature: Titles from Free Response Questions since 1971](<a href=“http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/AP/APtitles.html]AP”>http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/AP/APtitles.html)</p>

<p>check if the book you read is on this list. </p>

<p>if not, then youre going to have to back up your essay with a lot of concrete details to convince the grader that it is worthy
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you can also read up on sparknotes.</p>

<p>My ap lit teacher told us not to use young adult novels. For instance, she said Harry Potter would be a big no-no (she did say that she thought it would be of acceptable merit in ten or so years). It just needs to be from an author who is heard of and stable. For instance, any of C.S. Lewis’s works are acceptable, even though they aren’t usually on the list and they’re not typically considered classics. Any book you’ve read in middle or high school should do just fine. So the answer to your question is no, you shouldn’t use young adult literature, unless it’s by an established author and was written about twenty to thirty years ago (or further). If the reader hasn’t heard of it, that’s going to be problematic.</p>

<p>Okay, thanks. I was wondering if they would just through out your whole essay if they didn’t like your book choice, so… I will stick to the standards.</p>

<p>But basically anything you can imagine being studied in a classroom in high school. Harry Potter is a great series, but do you know anyone who actually stuides it in class. Same with Hunger Games. Also, books like the Da Vinci Code, while “adult” in nature, isn’t really studied in class.</p>

<p>Anything published before ~1960 that some random critics thought was a dashing masterpiece.</p>