Literature in the Language Classroom Part A Aims and Objectives

Introduction  Literature was thought of as embodying a static, convoluted kind of language, far removed from the utterances of daily communication.  It’s ‘elitist’ and reserved for advanced level studies.  the need for accurate critical terms and, the ‘metalanguage’ of literary studies, convinced many teachers that it could not be studied in the foreign language.  Much of English in literature do not meet with the demands of particular uses in business, trade, travel, or tourism.  It’s a fact that many learners want and love literary texts.  The created world of fiction takes learners in contextualized situations.  Literature speaks to the heart as much as to the mind.

Teaching literature: why, what and how  Valuable Authentic Material  Literature offers a bountiful and extremely varied body of written material about fundamental human issues, and it’s enduring rather than ephemeral.  The works of literature are not fashioned for the specific purpose of teaching a language.  Cultural Enrichment  Although the ‘world’ of a novel, play or short story is a created one, yet it offers a full and vivid context of the social background.  Best seen as a complement to other materials used to increase the learner’s insight into the country. Why

Teaching literature: why  Language Enrichment  Literary works exposes the student to many functions of the written language.  Extensive reading increases a learner’s vocabulary and facilitates a more active form of knowledge.  Reading a substantial body of text, students get familiar with many features of the written language. –the formation and function of sentences, the variety of possible structures, different ways of connection ideas.  In tackling a novel or a play, students develop the ability to make inferences and deduce meaning from context.

Teaching literature: why  Personal Involvement  When a novel, play or short story is explored over a period of time, the reader begins to ‘inhabit’ the text. He or she is drawn into the book.  The reader is eager to find out what happens; he or she feels close to certain characters and share their emotional responses.  As long as the reader is well-motivated and the experience of engaging with literature is kept interesting and varied, it can have beneficial effects upon the whole language learning process.