Elias Daniel Passangeze
The use of literature as methods
Universidade Rovuma
Nampula
2025
1
Elias Daniel Passangeze
The use of literature as methods
This research belongs to the subject
of Literature of English, which will
be submitted at Rovuma
University, in letras e Ciências
department as evaluation.
Tutor: Barnabé Cachele
Universidade Rovuma
Nampula
2025
2
Content page
1. Use of Literature in Language Teaching and Learning: A Critical Assessment..........5
2. The reasons of the use of literary texts in ELT............................................................5
3. The Use of Literature in the Language Classroom: Methods and Aims......................6
4. The similarities and dissimilarities between Literature in Language Teaching and
Learning and Literature in the Language Classroom..........................................................7
5. The reason for using literature in ELT classroom context...........................................8
6. The hitches that many language teachers face when using literary texts in ELT........9
1. The distinctive features entailing between literary texts vs non-literary texts..........10
7. The reasons of literary texts be not pragmatic..........................................................10
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................12
References.........................................................................................................................13
3
Introduction
Studying Literature of English as student and teacher of language is very relevant also
crucial to understand the process of writing skill as well as to develop language skills and
to travel sited to other places.
As a university student its indispensable studying literature because it's a path to
discover, develop, improve, master the true English language as well as to get fluency
and accuracy.
In this piece of writing the student will discussing the use of literature in language
teaching, as methods and aims. Not so, will be giving answer of preview questions left.
The aim of this research is to give clear answer of the contents.
To simplify and facilitate the reader, the present work will contain four main parts that
are introduction, development, conclusion and at the end reference to certify the origin of
the information used.
4
1. Use of Literature in Language Teaching and Learning: A Critical
Assessment.
McKay (1982), supported the use of literature in language teaching, who argued that
literature offers several benefits to ESL classes. It can be useful in developing linguistic
knowledge both on a usage and use level.
Secondly, to the extent that students enjoy reading literature, it may increase their
motivation to interact with a text and thus, ultimately increase their reading proficiency.
It may also enhance students' understanding of a foreign culture and perhaps "spur their
own creation of imaginative works."
That means Literature in Language Teaching and Learning has several significance to
the students as well as to the teacher.
According to Brumfit (1986) said that literature was a skill subject, not a content subject
and stressed the potential of literature in enhancing the reading skills. (p.277). Literature
is viewed as a rich resource for language learning.
To Brumfit and Carter (1986), literary texts contain lots of meaningful contexts in which
linguistic components such as lexical items and grammatical structures are used in a
natural way.
By this its means, the students will be able to be exposed to a variety of unexpected uses
and types of linguistic expressions. Then they gradually gain familiarity with different
linguistic uses, conventional forms of written mode and develop their communicative
capacity.
With this aspect, literature offers learners a chance to process and interpret new
language in a specific context. Loff (1988) introduced literature because literature will
extend linguistic knowledge by giving evidence of extensive and subtle vocabulary
usage, and complex and exact syntax”.
2. The reasons of the use of literary texts in ELT
There are many arguments for the use of literary texts in the language classroom. Some
researchers like Enkvist statements that ‘to “know” a language you must cope not only
with menus, laundry lists and telephone books, but also with novels, plays and sonnets.
Literature is part of language, in more senses than one. And unless you know something
5
of the literature of a language, you do not really “know” the language’ (MacCabe, 1985,
p.47,cited in Zyngier 1994:p-6).
At the next are some reasons by which the teacher should use the literary text in ELT:
According to Zyngier (1994) states that Literary texts are intellectually
stimulating;
allow readers to create worlds with which they may not be familiar and the way
they do it is by relying on language;
In building meaning, the reader reconstructs or re-creates what he or she thinks the
writer is trying to communicate;
The teaching of literature in language classrooms is a fast-growing phenomenon,
although many language teachers are still reluctant to work with literary texts;
Povey (1972:187), in summarizing the aims of using literature in ESL classes,
argues that "literature will increase all language skills because literature will extend
linguistic knowledge by giving evidence of extensive and subtle vocabulary usage, and
complex and exact syntax."
3. The Use of Literature in the Language Classroom: Methods and Aims
Literature and language are closely related and this is a fact none can deny. Literature
is constituted by language and it represents one of the most recurrent uses of language.
Language and linguistic analysis can also be employed to access literature from the
learner's point of view.
Literature in a language classroom provides enough space for the learners to comment,
justify and mirror themselves. By using literary text the language class can turn out to be
lively and motivating. Literary texts of the target language were read and translated, used
as examples of good writing and “illustrations of the grammatical rules.
The focus of this teaching method was on form, on learning the rules of grammar and
the lexical items as they appeared in the text. There was no literary interest, nor interest
on content. After this method fell in disuse, literary texts also went forgotten for teachers
of second languages. Literature reading is, no doubt, a communicative activity and
literary texts are who could nowadays deny such thing, authentic examples of language
use.
6
The purpose of using literature in a language classroom is to make the class interactive
and it can be stated that an interactive class can obviously improve communicative
competence of the learners and keep a lasting impact on their mind. Such a class can
enhance the critical thinking abilities of the learners and at the same time maintain a
learner centre environment. Literary texts are a rich source of classroom activities and
can surely prove to be very motivating for learners. No wonder the use of literary pieces
play a significant role in English Language Teaching.
Literature opens a new world to the students. It cultivates the critical abilities of the
students. It encompasses every human dilemma, conflict and yearning unraveling the plot
of a short story is more than an automatic exercise.
Using literature as a resource offers teachers possibilities for basing language learning
activities on materials that can stimulate greater interest and involvement than is the case
with other texts (Carter and Long, 1991: 3).
Duff and Maley (1990: 6) formulate three types of justification for using literary texts:
linguistic, methodological and motivational. Linguistically, the use of literary texts is
justified on the grounds that they offer genuine samples of a very wide range of styles,
registers, and text-types at many levels of difficulty. Methodologically, they offer
opportunities for genuine interaction between learners because of their openness to
multiple interpretations. Motivationally, they deal with matters that are likely to engage
learners in a personal response from their own experiences.
Literary texts enrich the language input in the classroom and stimulate language
acquisition by providing levels of meaning of literary texts provide opportunities for
developing inferential and interpretational skills that students need for understanding all
kinds of representational materials. As literary language is patterned creatively
4. The similarities and dissimilarities between Literature in Language Teaching
and Learning and Literature in the Language Classroom
The focus of literature in the language classroom is the development of the students in
language skills as reading, listening, speaking and writing. In his situation the literary
text consist to provoke the thought or critical thinking of the students about certain issue
or content. However the focus of Literature in Language teaching and Learning is the
7
teacher, that is here literature is an approach that allow the teacher of language learn how
to teach use literary text in classroom.
5. 4. The reason for using literature in ELT classroom context.
Using literature in a language classroom is to make the class interactive and it can be
stated that an interactive class can obviously improve communicative competence of the
learners and keep a lasting impact on their mind. Such a class can enhance the critical
thinking abilities of the learners and at the same time maintain a learner centre
environment.
The use of literature is to focus on the positive contributions of a literary text as
exposes the learner to different registers, types of language use. The dialogic nature of
literary pieces paves the way for individual learner's response to a particular piece of
literature that ensures his or her use of creative faculty, of course through language.
Three main reasons for the teaching of literature have been consistently advanced.
Each embraces a particular set of learning objectives for the student. These are:
a) The cultural model
Teachers working within such an orientation stress the value of literature in
encapsulating the accumulated wisdom, the best that has been thought and felt within a
culture. Through literature students get to know the background not only of the particular
novel but also they learn about history, society, and politics of the country described in
the novel or story.
By experiencing this, they open themselves to understanding and appreciating
ideologies, mentalities, traditions, feeling, and artistic form within the heritage the
literature of such cultures endows.
b) The language model
Teachers working within such an orientation stress the value of literature in
encapsulating the accumulated wisdom, the best that has been thought and felt within a
culture. Through literature students get to know the background not only of the particular
novel but also they learn about history, society, and politics of the country described in
the novel or story.
By experiencing this, they open themselves to understanding and appreciating
ideologies, mentalities, traditions, feeling, and artistic form within the heritage the
literature of such cultures endows.
8
c) The personal growth model
One of the main reasons for a teacher's orientation towards a language model for
teaching literature is to give students knowledge with some sense of the more subtle and
varied creative uses of language.
A main impulse of language-centered literature teaching is to help students find ways
into a text in a methodical way and for themselves. If we take into consideration that
“literature is made from language” (Boas, we can easily conclude that if students can
improve their reading abilities they will be able to come to
terms with a literary text as literature.
6. The hitches that many language teachers face when using literary texts in
ELT classrooms.
Language teachers face several challenges when using literary texts in English
Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms, including:
Language difficulty: Literary texts may be too complex, with unfamiliar
vocabulary, poetic diction, and structure;
Cultural references: Literary texts may include cultural references that are
unfamiliar to learners;
Learner attitudes: Some learners may find literature boring or tedious
Text selection: Teachers may struggle to choose texts that match the students'
language proficiency levels;
Time management: Teachers may have difficulty managing their time;
Pronunciation: Students may have pronunciation difficulties;
Supporting tools: Teachers may lack supporting tools or resources;
Student confidence: Students may lack confidence;
Text complexity: It may be difficult to match the complexity of the text to the
students' language proficiency levels;
Linguistic gap: There may be a gap between the language of the text and the
everyday English that students are familiar with;
a) Grab the definition in italic and then paraphrase it: According to Moody,
``literature is like an umbrella term giving information on every business ``(Moody,
1971:1, cited in Turker 1991: p.299).
9
"According to the definition is possible to say that: A literature is a magic ball, where we
find different types of knowledge and provide essential information related to the culture,
science, and so on".
b)Brumfit (1986) argues that literature is a skill subject, not a content subject
and stresses the potential of literature in enhancing the reading skills.
Paraphrasing the Brumfit's standpoint: the focus of teaching or studying literature it's
not to teach or to learn a specific content, but yes the main focus is to improve language
skills as reading, writing, listening and speaking. While studying literature we improve
skills subject and it allow discover the history of another country, region or society.
c) The distinctive features entailing between literary texts vs non-literary
texts.
A literary text is an artistic, original and subjective work that makes use of rhetorical
resources, has a poetic function and lacks a practical purpose. This type of text does not
have a defined audience and is connotative, ambiguous and polysemic, so its
interpretation tends to be open.
A non-literary text is a text that has a referential function, has a specific purpose, is
aimed at a specific audience and is objective. This type of text avoids ambiguity and the
use of rhetorical resources, connecting the audience with a reality external to the text
itself. Next are some distinctive features between literary and non-literary text, the
literary text has as features Characters, plot, setting, theme, point of view, structure, and
for non-literary text Are: Word choice Steps to a process, use of command terms, logos.
7. The reasons of literary texts be not pragmatic
Literary texts are often considered non-pragmatic because they don't have an
immediate practical purpose, and they can have multiple meanings. Here are some
reasons behind of literary texts be a not pragmatic
a) Lack of immediate practical purpose: Unlike textbooks or notes, literary texts
aren't intended to be used for a specific task. Instead, they're meant to refer to a general
state of affairs.
10
b) Multiple meanings: Literary texts can have multiple meanings, and the meaning
can be unstable and open-ended. This requires readers to be creative and critical when
interpreting the meaning.
c) Irony: Irony can be used to expose flaws in pragmatic approaches, suggesting
that communication isn't always based on straightforward cooperation. Irony highlights
the role of ambiguity, misinterpretation, and multiple meanings.
d) Richness: Literary texts are rich in meaning, so they should be approached from
the outside.
However, some researchers believe that linguistic methods can help readers
understand literature more deeply. Pragmatic approaches can intersect with other areas,
such as psychology, linguistics, and rhetoric.
Clutch the following expression: 'he is standing in the water while dying of thirst``.
Identify the following element:
a) The sender: Is the tutor
b) Addresser: Is the author of the expression
c) The receiver: is the audience
d) The addressee: Is Elias Daniel
11
Conclusion
McKay (1982), supported the use of literature in language teaching, who argued that
literature offers several benefits to ESL classes. It can be useful in developing linguistic
knowledge both on a usage and use level.
Secondly, to the extent that students enjoy reading literature, it may increase their
motivation to interact with a text and thus, ultimately increase their reading proficiency.
It may also enhance students' understanding of a foreign culture and perhaps "spur their
own creation of imaginative works."
With this aspect, literature offers learners a chance to process and interpret new
language in a specific context. Loff (1988) introduced literature because literature will
extend linguistic knowledge by giving evidence of extensive and subtle vocabulary
usage, and complex and exact syntax”.
There are many arguments for the use of literary texts in the language classroom. Some
researchers like Enkvist statements that ‘to “know” a language you must cope not only
with menus, laundry lists and telephone books, but also with novels, plays and sonnets.
Literature is part of language, in more senses than one. And unless you know something
of the literature of a language, you do not really “know” the language’ (MacCabe, 1985,
p.47,cited in Zyngier 1994:p-6).
12
References
Brumfit, C.(1985)..Language and literature teaching: From practice to
principle. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Carter, R., & Long, M.N. (1991).Teaching Literature. United States of
America: Longman.
Moody, H. (1971). The Teaching of Literature. London: Longman.
Turker F.(1991). USING "LITERATURE" IN LANGUAGE TEACHING,
Hacettepe Üniversitesi EAltim Fakültesi Dergisi, 1991, 6/ 299-305
Povey, J. 1972. Literature in TESL programs: The language and the culture. In
H. Allen and R. Campbell (ed.) Teaching English as a second language. New York,
McGraw-Hill, 1972.
McKay, S. (1982). Literature in ESL Classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 16 (4),
529-536.
McKay, S. (2001). Literature as Content for ESL/EFL. In M. Celce-Murcia
(Ed,), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Heinle & Heinle.
13
