Literature in the ESL Classroom

Abstract

This paper examines the pros and cons of using literature in an ESL classroom. The author argues that if literary texts are to be used successfully in the classroom, they must be carefully selected and approached in a manner which promotes an aesthetic interaction between the reader and the text. The paper concludes with a specific example of how a literary text might be approached so as to foster this type of interaction. Should literature to be part of an ESL curriculum? Today with the current focus in ESL on meeting the particular academic and occupational needs of the students, it is easy to view any attention to literature as unnecessary. Is there a rationale for including literature in the curriculum? Let's first examine the common arguments against using literature. The most common ones are the following. First, since one of our main goals as ESL teachers is to teach the grammar of the language, literature, due to its structural complexity and its unique use of language, does little to contribute to this goal. Second, the study of literature will contribute nothing to helping our students meet their academic and/or occupational goals. Finally, literature often reflects a particular cultural perspective; thus, on a conceptual level, it may be quite difficult for students. These arguments certainly need to be addressed if we are to reach a decision as to whether or not to use literature. Clearly, we all share the objective of promoting our students' awareness of the structure of the language. However, there are as Widdowson (1978:3) points out two levels of linguistic knowledge: the level of usage and the level of use. According to his definition, usage involves a knowledge of linguistic