Making the Transition from Language to Literature

Abstract

One of the challenges in foreign language teaching is to prepare students to make a smooth transition from their lower-division language courses to their upper-division literature courses. Until recently, language instruction operated under the assumption that focusing on the acquisition of grammar and vocabulary, the fostering of speaking and reading skills, and, to a lesser extent, the development of writing skills should suffice to prepare students adequately for their upper division courses. The teaching of literature was seen as a separate endeavor; the encouragement of the higher-level critical thinking skills necessary for responding to texts at the upper division level was seen as beyond the scope of the language classroom. It is the position of this article, however, that it is never too early to introduce literature into the language classroom, and that, in fact, it is necessary to do so in order to bridge the gap between the adjacent fields of language and literature. This article proposes a multifaceted approach to incorporating literature in the language classroom, an approach that aims to encourage the development of critical thinking skills at the same time that it furthers the development of advanced writing skills (focusing on thesis statements and interpretation), grammar acquisition in context, close reading skills, and speaking skills. The article backs up theoretical discussion with a sample unit using Maupassant’s short story “Le Horla” in intermediate French courses .

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