MODELS OF TEACHING

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
EngEd2/ELE127 – Teaching of
Literature
LITERATURE
• Etymologically: Latin “literatura”
derived from “littera” – a letter
or handwriting
• In broadest sense, is any single
body of written works
• Restrictively, it is writing
considered to be an art form, or
any single writing deemed to
have artistic or intellectual
value, often due to the use of
language in ways that differ
from ordinary usage
 LITERATURE defined

• literature / noun
1. stories, poems, and plays,
especially those that are
considered to have value as art
and not just entertainment
(c) Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 2003
• Literary texts are products that
reflect different aspects of
society. They are cultural
documents which offer a deeper
understanding of a country or
countries (Basnet & Mounfold
1993).
• There is no inherent quality
to a literary text that makes
a literary text, rather it is the
interpretation that the
reader gives to the text
(Eagleton 1983).
Brandes (1986:12)
claims that: “Learning
what is meaningful
and relevant depends
partly on what is
taught and partly on
how it is taught.”
 Why use literature?
• Literature is authentic material –
exposure for unmodified language
• Literature encourages interaction.
Literary texts are often rich has multiple
layers of meaning, and can be
effectively mined for discussions and
sharing feelings or opinions.
• Literature expands language awareness.
Asking learners to examine sophisticated
or non standard examples of language
(which can occur in literary texts) makes
them more aware of the norms of
language use (Widdowson, 1975 quoted
by Lazar 1993).
• Literature educates the whole person. By
examining values in literary texts,
teachers encourage learners to develop
attitudes towards them.
• Literature is motivating. Literature holds
high status in many cultures and
countries. For this reason, students can
feel a real sense of achievement at
understanding a piece of highly
respected literature. Also, literature is
often more interesting than the texts
found in course books.
Principles in Teaching
Literature
1. Help learners understand the
character’s world
2. Encourage learners to see the
world through the character’s
perspectives
3. Identify values underlying the
character’s conflict resolution
strategies
4. Relate self to the text and
critique the portrayal of
characters in the text and in
popular media
Principles in Teaching
Literature
6. Use variants of the same story or
collection of stories to help students
to build schema
7. Encourage students to talk, write,
and respond throughout reading
the (multicultural) texts.
8. The main purpose in the early
work in literary training is to arouse in
the learners the sincere love for the
best in our literature – elements that
arouse in them that rich and deep
emotional response; not the best
judged by standards of mature
criticism.
 Grammatical competence
Communicative competence
LITERARY COMPETENCE

Lazer (2000:12) argues that:

« Effective readers of a literary text
possess ‘literary competence’, in that
they have an implicit understanding of,
and familiarity with, certain
conventions which allow them to take
the words on page of a play or other
literary work and convert them into
literary meaning.
• Within literary reading, the reader is
very often confronted with a
language that uses metaphorical and
symbolic meanings which include
figures of speech, metaphors, simile,
etc.
• Readers should acquire a kind of
competence to enable them to
recognize literary genres since each
genre will require some specific
knowledge on the part of the readers.
On the whole, the more a reader is
aware of the literary style, devices,
techniques, genres and terms, the
more literary competent he will be.
Classifications, Major and sub
forms
Classifications:
Fiction or Non-fiction /
Prose or Poetry

Major forms:
Novel, Short story and
Drama
Different models
• different models suggested
on the teaching of
literature to ESL/EFL
students (Carter & Long,
Lazar).
• How teacher uses a literary
text depends on the model
chosen
• differ in terms of focus on
the text
Cultural model
• views a literary text as a
product
• treated as a source of
information about target
culture.
• most traditional approach
• often used in university
courses on literature.
Cultural Model
• examine the social,
political, historical
background to a text,
• tend to be teacher-
centred
• little opportunity for
extended language work.
Cultural Model
• Carter (1988) considers the
information-based
approach
• as a way of teaching
knowledge about literature
• literature is seen to offer a
source of information to
the students.
 Cultural Model

• Lazar (1993): focus on content

• require students to examine history and
characteristics of literary movements
• cultural, social, political and historical
background to a text,
• thus demanding a large input from the
teacher.
Activities
• lectures, explanation,
• reading of notes and
criticism provided in
workbooks or by the
teacher.
• usually cater for
instrumental purposes such
as examinations (Carter &
McRae, 1996).
Language Model
• most common approach to
literature in the EFL classroom
• Carter and Long (1991) refer
to as the ‘language-based
approach’.
• Carter (1988) : the language-
based approach helps
students to focus attention
on the way as to how the
language is used
Language Model
• seeks a closer integration
between language and
literature.
• Students can improve their
language proficiency
• by using literature as a
resource in language
learning.
Language Model
• little engagement of the
learner with the text
• For linguistic practice
• Provide a series of
language activities
Language Model
• enables learners to access
a text in a systematic and
methodical way
• e.g. literal and figurative
language, direct and
indirect speech.
Stylistic analysis
• close study of the linguistic
features of the text
• enable students to make
meaningful interpretations
of the text
• aims to help learners read
and study literature more
competently.
Activities
• cloze procedure,
• prediction exercises
• jumbled sentences,
• summary writing,
• creative writing and role
play
Personal growth model (PGM)
• outlined by Carter and
Long (1991)
• attempts to bridge the
cultural and language
model
• Focus on the particular use
of language in a text
placing it in a specific
cultural context.
 Personal growth
• seeks the opportunity for
students to relate and respond
to the themes and issues by
making a connection to their
personal lives.
• emphasizes the interaction of
the reader with the text.
• to construct meaning from the
reader's own experience
Personal growth
• development of language
competence and literary
competence of the
students
• pleasure and personal
fulfillment which come out
of the reading of literature
• making a literary text one's
own.
Personal Growth
• Model aims to infuse a
continuous love and
appreciation of literary texts

• Helps learners to achieve an

engagement with the reading
of literary texts.

• Encourages learners to enjoy

and love literature beyond the
classroom as mentioned by
Carter
 Personal Growth
• motivate and enliven the
students in the literature
class
• selecting appealing works
• can respond linguistically
and emotionally
• the process of reading - an
enjoyable, responsive,
individual and collective
experience for all.(Carter
and Long 1991:16-19)
Integrated Model
• Duff and Maley (1990),
• main reasons for
integrating these elements
• 1. linguistic,
• 2. methodological
• 3. motivational.
Linguistically,
• by using a wide range of
authentic texts
• we introduce learners to a
variety of types
and difficulties of English
language.
Methodologically,
literary discourse making
readers aware or have
sense to the processes of
reading:

• e.g. the use of schema,

strategies for intensive and
extensive reading etc.
Motivationally

• literary texts prioritise the

enjoyment of reading