Chapter 5: Literature

Chapter 5: Literature

1. They are writings that are valued for their beauty of form, especially novels and poetry and games etc, written in prose or verse and that have excellence of form or expression and express ideas of permanent or universal interest

   • The use of literature in language learning
     • Beginnings of the twentieth century
       • literature had an intrinsic textual and moral valueinfluenced by F.R. Leavis
     • Mid twentieth century
       • living social context avoids literature
     • End of the twentieth century
       • again attention to literature
       • reader-response theory, Wolfgang Iser
       • giving to literature a conceptual framework within which it could operate in the teaching of foreign languages
   • Literature and Culture
     • its function is reciprocal
     • provides extended contemplations about the current concerns of a society
     • can provide a more accessible window into society's past
     • has sociocultural, attitudinal or even political implications
     • teachers should be aware of the cultural implications of the literature they are using with their students and encourage critical analysis and questioning of cultural ideologies as well as language conventions
     • certain genres are "trans-cultural" or universal, since they exist in all cultures, one of them is poetry.
   • Literature and Currency
     • 'Literature is always more than language'
     • these elements constitute the ideal literature for the learning of languages
     • literature has a "currency" that does not necessarily have to do with contemporaneity, but with the timeless relevance and appeal of the issues it addresses and the relationships and descriptions it describes
   • Literature and affect
     • is ideal for learning languages because of their potential interest and ability to elicit emotional responses in students.
     • The affective responses to the literature can range from light amusement or interest to deep commitment, pleasure, indignation or tears.
     • Whatever form it takes, response to literature is essential for learning;
   • The ‘Challenge’ of Literature
     • for the teacher, who must activate a kind of "intuitive classification system" to sift through the immense resource that is literature
     • for students since it is now recognized that linguistic awareness and knowledge of the text should be encouraged and developed from the earliest stages of language learning
   • Literature for Language Learning Principles
     • Use a combination of "canonical" and contemporary literature
       • Use literature to stimulate awareness of the use of language and the potential of language in the continuum from the everyday and the colloquial to the deliberately literary.
         • Explode the answer. Make use of non-verbal responses (visualization (drawing, imagery description), acting / imitation.
           • Respect the student. The student's right to silence, cognitive ability and intellectual demands.
             • Approach literature via the task
               • Exploit the ‘natural grading’ of literature to suit different proficiency levels
                 • Combine literary works with the other media in which they are available

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