You can write about any novel or play that is considered “canonical literature” for the AP® English Literature essays, but there are a few works every student taking this test should read because of their literary importance and variety of themes and situations – making them versatile subjects good to respond to almost any essay prompt with.

1. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

This novel is revered for its complex presentation of imperialism and racism, its oppressive mood (to which every feature of the novel, from the pacing to the language, contributes), its use of the frame-story narrative structure, and symbolism. The development of Marlowe as he journeys towards the “heart of darkness” is also perfect for discussion in an essay about character dynamism.

Consider the following as you read or review this work: How does the setting affect the story? Consider not only the Congo River, but the boat on which the story begins and the urban settings the author describes. What is the meaning of the sword and flame symbols, and how do they influence one another? What is the purpose of the episode toward the novel’s end with “the Intended?”

2. Herman Melville’s Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

Although this novella is so short it is rarely published on its own, it is one of the great achievements of 19th-century literature and an essential part of your AP® English Literature book list. Melville uses a great deal of humor in this story, but ultimately it is a highly affecting tragedy.

The conflicts in this story are especially helpful on the exam, as they are clearer than in many great literary works; there is an obvious dichotomy and conflict between the eponymous character and his society, and a more subtle but equally important internal conflict within the nameless narrator. There is also rampant use of symbolism, especially in the opening pages, in which walls are used as a motif which represents the communicative walls between Bartleby and his fellows while also hemming the characters and reader in, creating a claustrophobic effect.

Also think about the significance of the story’s minor characters, the mention at the end of the dead letter office, and the interplay between light humor and darkly Romantic melodrama.

3. Yann Martel’s Life of Pi

This is a more recent novel, but as legitimate and serious as anything else included on this AP® English Literature book list. Martel’s adventure story is also a deeply psychological and philosophical musing on the variety and depth of human suffering.

Consider the ways Martel uses imagery to create an atmosphere that is both realistic and dreamlike, the statements the characters make about art and literature (and what the ending and structure say about the nature of storytelling), and the possible meanings of the more surreal episodes that take place during the later parts of Pi’s time at sea.

Also, what effect does allusion have on the story? For extra depth, study or read the obscure Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, the only novel Edgar Allan Poe ever wrote, to which this work alludes heavily. What do these allusions mean?

4. Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit

This short French Existentialist play is perfect for studying how authors inject their philosophical ideas into their work, as Sartre was a noted philosopher. There is also ample opportunity to study the effects of setting (the stage is described lavishly – what do these descriptions contribute to the story and its themes?) and conflict. What makes these characters hate each other so much? What does the setting say about the fate of the modern man trying to exist among other people?

This study in human hypocrisy and hatred is bitter, but well-crafted and worthy of reading both for its beauty and for its potential for use on the exam.

5. Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five

We promise, reading this won’t feel like exam prep – it’s loud, funny, and crude, but also one of the great novels of the twentieth century. A totally unique blend of war satire, quasi-science fiction story, and literary slapstick comedy, this novel deals with the sociopolitical issue of war more directly and angrily than almost any other while also addressing such complex ideas as mental illness, marital infidelity, and dissatisfaction with ordinary life – all while making you laugh.

However, Vonnegut’s use of humor isn’t just to make finishing your AP® English Literature reading list easier – consider its effects on the narrative and themes; does it make the tragic bombing at the story’s center more or less real, more or less poignant? Also look out for this story’s metafictional elements and use of irony – both great things to mention in virtually any essay on an author’s literary technique.

Let’s put everything into practice. Try this AP® English Literature practice question:

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