Chapter_1.INTROD.What.pdf

Chapter 1: Introduction to Literature

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1.1 Preamble 1.2 What is literature? 1.3 Genres of literature 1.4 Why use literature in the ESL class? 1.5 Maleys reasons for using literature in the ESL context 1.6 Reasons for not using literature in the ESL classroom

Key Words Summary References

Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

Define what is literature

Explain the different genres in literature

Justify the teaching of literature in the ESL classroom

C Chapter 1: Introduction to Literature Chapter 2: Literature and Language Teaching Chapter 3: Teaching Poetry Chapter 4: Teaching Short Stories 5 Chapter 5: Teaching Drama Chapter 6: Teaching Novels Chapter 7: Literature Circles Chapter 8: Childrens Literature Chapter 9: Literature in Malaysia


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This chapter introduces the meaning of literature and the different genres in literature prose, poetry and drama. Also discussed are justifications for using literature in the ESL classroom

and also some objections to its use.

Literature originates from Latin litterae which means the art of written work or "things

made from letters". Broadly speaking, "literature" is used to describe anything from creative

writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to

works of the creative imagination such as works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines literature as:

written works (such as poems, plays, and novels) that are considered to be very good and to have lasting importance

books, articles, etc., about a particular subject

1.2 What is Literature?

1.1 Preamble

Literature consists of writings which are sophisticated, serious, dry, or heavy, hence boring. Literature is almost always impossible to understand because it uses many difficult, flowery, or bombastic words. When we study literature, we try to find out the underlying or hidden meanings and messages which we assume the author is trying to convey to his/her readers. Literature is good writing which English teachers should get their students to read and appreciate.


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printed materials (such as booklets, leaflets, and brochures) that provide information about something

The Free-Dictionary defines literature as:

writing in prose or verse regarded as having permanent worth through its intrinsic excellence.

the entire body of writings of a specific language, period, people, etc.

the writings dealing with a particular subject.

the profession of a writer or author.

literary work or production.

any kind of printed material, as circulars, leaflets, or handbills.

Archaic. literary culture; appreciation of letters and books.

Encyclopedia Britannica defines literature as a body of written works. The name has

traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the

intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. Literature

may be classified according to a variety of systems, including language, national origin,

historical period, genre, and subject matter.

Literature represents the culture and tradition of people. It introduces us to new worlds of

experience. We enjoy the comedies and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we

may even grow and evolve through our literary journey with books.

Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and

how he/she says it. We may interpret the author's message through the use of literary theory.

Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even

when it is ugly, literature is beautiful.

In short, literature is the art of written works. It is the body of written works of a period or

culture. Literature is published in written works in a particular style or particular subject.

Literature is the mirror of life. Our lives and all the subjects that are related to our lives can

be the subject matters or elements of literature. So we can get the touch with our lives

through literature.

The following are different ways in which the word literature is used:

She took courses in history and literature. Her education gave her an appreciation for great literature. He's an expert in Malaysian literature. The literature of the Renaissance period Studies in different Asian literatures Can you send me some literature about your product?


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Genre, is a French word which means "kind" or "sort" which originates from Latin word

genus to mean category. It is used to refer to different categories of literature, paintings, films, dance and music based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by

conventions that change over time as new genres are invented and the use of old ones are

discontinued. Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining

these conventions. Sometimes forms are used interchangeably to define genre.

Genre is used as a label for a particular type of work that enables a reader to know what to

expect. For example, if a particular written work is classified as poetry, then the reader will expect certain styles or characteristics of poetry which is different from a short story. Genre is a category characterised by similarities in style, or subject matter. Genre should not be

confused with age category, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused with format, such as graphic novel or

picture book. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined,

often with subgroups. While are several approaches in classifying genres in literature, the

following is one approach (see Figure 1.1)

Figure 1.1 Genres in Literature

A) PROSE

Consists of those written within the common flow of conversation in sentence and

paragraphs. Prose is a form of language which applies ordinary grammatical structure and

natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure (as in traditional poetry). The following

are different types of prose:

1.3 Genres of Literature

Genres in Literature

PROSE POETRY DRAMA


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NOVEL: This is long narrative divided into chapters. The events

are taken from to life storiesand spam long period of time. e.g. To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper, The Return by K.S. Maniam

(see picture).

ANECDOTES: A merely product of the writers imagination and the main aim is to bring out lessons to the readers and attitudes.

ESSAY: This is expresses the viewpoint of the writer about a

particular problem or event.

A BIOGRAPHY is a book giving an account of a person

considered famous or a celebrity written by another person other

than themselves, e.g. Tunku: His Life and Times by Mubin

Sheppard (see picture). An AUTOBIOGRAPHY is a book written

by a person on their own life. Both explain events in relation to

their childhood, youth and adulthood. .

NEWS: Is Report of everyday events in society, government,

science and industry and accidents, happening nationally or not.

ORATION: A formal treatment of a subject and is intended to be

spoken in public. It appeals to the intellect, to the will or to the

emotions of the audience.

MYTHOLOGY is a type of legend or traditional narrative. This is often based in part on

historical events, that reveals human behaviour and natural phenomena by its symbolism;

often pertaining to the actions of the gods. A body of myths, as that of a particular people or

that relating to a particular person.

FOLKTALE is a story that has been passed down, usually

orally, within a culture. It may be based on superstition and

feature supernatural characters. Folktales include fairy tales,

tall tales, trickster tales and other stories passed down over

generations

FABLES: These are also fictitious, they deal animals and

imitate things that speak and act like people, and their purpose

is to enlighten the minds of children to events that can mould

their ways and attitudes . e.g. Aesops Fables (see picture).


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SCIENCE FICTION stories examine how science and

technology affect the world. The books often involve fantasy

inventions that may be reality in the future, e.g. Journey to the

Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (see picture).

LEGENDS: These are fictitious narratives handed down over

generations and is believed to be based on history, though it

typically mixes fact and fiction. The hero of a legend is

usually a human, e.g. King Arthur and the Roundtable

FANTASAY NOVELS are often set in worlds much different from our own and usually

include magic, sorcery and mythical creatures. e.g. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

SHORT STORY: It is a narrative involving one or more

characters, one plot and one single impression. . e.g. The Pearl by John Steinbeck (see picture)

B) POETRY

Comes from the Greek word poiesis broadly to mean create or make, seen also in such terms as hemopoiesis, more narrowly, the making of poetry. It is refers to those expressions

in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and stanza and has a more melodious tone. Poetry

aims to instruct the reader, provide pleasure to the reader and to uplift the reader to some

higher insight or meaning. The following are different types of poetry:

1. NARRATIVE POETRY - describes important events in life real or imaginary.

Epic: An extended narrative about heroic exploits often under supernatural control. It may deal with heroes and gods.

Metric Tale: A Narrative, which is written in verse and can be classified either as a ballad or as a metrical romance.


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Ballads: Of the narrative poems, this is the shortest and simplest. It has a simple structure and tells of a single incident.

2. LYRIC POETRY - refers to that king of poetry meant to be song to the

accompaniment of a lyre, but now this applies to any type of poetry that expresses

emotions and fillings of the poet.

Folksong - These are short poems intended to be sung. The common theme is love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope and sorrow.

Sonnets A lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling of an idea. e.g. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare (see picture above)

Elegy - This is a lyric poem, which express feelings of grief and melancholy and whose theme is death.

Ode - A poem of noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no definite syllables or definite number of lines in a stanza.


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B) DRAMA

Drama, is simply a work that is written to be performed on

stage by actors. From the Greek dran, meaning "to do,"

drama is thought to have developed from ancient religious

ceremonies. For instance, Greek comedy is traced to

ancient fertility rites. Tragedy (which comes from the Greek

word for "goat song") can be traced back to sacrificial

rituals. The term play has come to mean drama written

exclusively for performance, while the "loftier" term drama,

is commonly reserved for works that are considered to be

more serious works. The following are different types of

drama.

COMEDY - It is comes from the Greek komos meaning festivity or revelry. This is usually light and written with the purpose of

amusing, and usually has a happy ending.

MELODRAMA - It is usually used in musical plays with opera. It arouses immediate and

intense emotions and is usually sad but there is

a happy end ing for the principal character.

TRAGEDY - Involves the hero struggling mightily against dynamic forces; he meets

death or ruin without success and satisfaction

obtained by the protagonist in a comedy.

FARCE - Exaggerated comedy, situations are too ridiculous to be true; and the characters seem to be caricatures and the motives undignified and absurd.

a) What is literature? b) What do you mean by genre? c) State the difference between prose, poetry and drama. d) Discuss the different types of prose. Give an example for each type. e) List the different types of poems. f) Explain the different types of drama.


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Using literature in the ESL classroom has gaining momentum. Language educators have been

debating as to how, when, where, and why literature should be incorporated in the ESL

curriculum. Discussion of how literature and ESL instruction can work together and interact

for the benefit of students and teachers has lead to the proposal of interesting ideas on

learning and instruction. Many teachers consider the use of literature in language teaching as

an interesting and worth considering (Sage 1987).

Why should a language teacher use literary texts in the language classroom?

What sort of literature texts should be use for teaching of language skills?

What are the benefits of using different genres of literature to teach language?

The use of literature in teaching the four basic language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening

and speaking) and language areas (i.e. vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation) gaining

prominence in many countries where English is taught as second language. Why do you think

literary texts such as short stories, poetry and drama are used to teach English? According to

Collie and Slater (1990), there are FOUR MAIN REASONS which has led language

teachers to use literature in the classroom (see Figure 1.3).

Figure 1.2 Reasons for Literature in the Language Classroom

1) Real World Material

Most works of literature are not created for the primary purpose of teaching a language.

Teachers who have incorporated literature in the language classroom realise their potential

because students are introduced to real life or real life like settings. For example, Aesops Fables are used in the primary school, the values learned from the fables can be applied to the

daily life of students. In addition, by using literary texts, students learn to cope with language

which intended for native speakers (but there are several literary works written in English by

1.4 Why Use Literature in the ESL Classroom?

Why LITERATURE?

R Real World Material

R Cultural Enrichment

R Language Enrichment

R Personal Involvement


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Malaysians for Malaysians). They learn different linguistic forms, communicative functions

and meanings.

2) Cultural Enrichment

It cannot be denied that most of the literary works in English originate from England, the

United States and Australia. However, in most countries where English is taught as a second

language, there is a growing body of local literature written in English such as Malaysian

literature in English, African literature in English, Indian literature in English, Arab literature

in English and so forth.

The teacher has the choice of using American, English or Australian literary works or local

literary works in English Malaysian literature in English. Using literary works from other countries such as novels, plays and short stories facilitate understanding how communication

takes place in that country. Though the world of a novel, play, or short story, learners gain an

insight into characters from different cultural backgrounds with their unique customs,

traditions, feelings, beliefs, fears, what they enjoys, values, habits and way of thinking,

Literature is perhaps best regarded as a complement to other materials used to develop the

second learners understanding into the country whose language is being learned. Also, literature adds a lot to the cultural grammar of the learners.

3) Language Enrichment

Literature provides learners with a wide range of individual lexical or syntactic items.

Students become familiar with many features of the written language, reading a substantial

and contextualized body of text. They learn about the syntax and discourse functions of

sentences, the variety of possible structures, the different ways of connecting ideas, which

develop and enrich their own writing skills. Students also become more productive and

adventurous when they begin to perceive the richness and diversity of the language they are

trying to learn and begin to make use of some of that potential themselves. Thus, they

improve their communicative and cultural competence in the authentic richness, naturalness

of the authentic texts.

4) Personal Involvement

Literature can be useful in the language learning process owing to the personal involvement it

fosters in the reader. Once the student reads a literary text, he or she is drawn into the text.

Understanding the meanings of lexical items or phrases becomes less significant than

pursuing the development of the story. The student becomes enthusiastic to find out what

happens as events unfold via the climax; he or she feels close to certain characters and shares

their emotional responses. This can have beneficial effects upon the whole language learning

process.

ln short, the students are engaged in the plot that they pay little attention to or even forget

about the difficulties they might have regarding vocabulary or any other aspects of the target

language. Somehow, they become more worried about understanding the s tory, which

actually becomes part of their concern. It works as if a person were trying to understand a

movie he/she is not able to d ecode the language. The desire to unde rstand and become part


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of the context is infuriating that it helps the learners to overcome language obstacles. Again,

the instructor's involvement is of extreme importance. Hence, heishe needs to carefully

choose what is to be read, "for it is a t this point that the difference between the expectations

of the teacher and those of his disciples become painfully

Maley (2001) lists further SEVEN reasons for regarding literature as a potent resource in the

language classroom as follows:

1. Universality Because we are all human beings, the themes literature deals with are common to all cultures despite their different way of treatment - Death, Love,

Separation, Belief, Nature ...the list is familiar. These experiences all happen to

human beings.

2. Non-triviality Many of the more familiar forms of language teaching inputs tend to trivialize texts or experience. Literature does not trivialise or talk down. It is about

things which mattered to the author when he wrote them. It may offer genuine as well

as merely authentic inputs.

1.5 Maleys Reasons for Using Literature in the ESL Classroom

a) Literature is regarded as real world material. How does it help in learning English among second language learners?

b) How do literary works encourage learners to understand the culture of the setting in the story, drama or poem?

c) How do literature enrich language learning? d) Do you agree a reader can get personally involved in the text he or she reads?

Universality Non-triviality Personal Relevance

Variety Interest Economy & Suggestive Power

Ambiguity


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3. Personal Relevance Since it deals with ideas, things, sensations and events which either constitute part of the readers experience or which they can enter into imaginatively, they are able to relate it to their own lives.

4. Variety Literature includes within it all possible varieties of subject matter. It is, in fact, a battery of topics to use in English language teaching. Within literature, we can

find the language of law and of mountaineering, of medicine and of bull-fighting, and

nursery talk.

5. Interest Literature deals with themes and topics which are intrinsically interesting, because part of the human experience, and treats them in ways designed to engaged

the readers attention.

6. Economy and suggestive power One of the great strengths of literature is its suggestive power. Even in its simplest forms, it invites us to go beyond what is said to

what is implied. Since it suggests many ideas with few words, literature is ideal for

generating language discussion. Maximum output can often be derived from

minimum input.

7. Ambiguity As it is highly suggestive and associative, literature speaks subtly different meanings to different people. It is rare for two readers to react identically to

any given text. In teaching, this has two advantages.

The first advantage is that each learners interpretation has validity within limits.

The second advantage is that an almost infinite fund of interactive discussion is guaranteed since each persons perception is different. That no two readers will have a completely convergent interpretation establishes the tension that is

necessary for a genuine exchange of ideas.

Apart from the above mentioned reasons for using literature in the foreign language class,

one of the main functions of literature is its sociolinguistic richness. The use of language

changes from one social group to another. Likewise, it changes from one geographical

location to another. A person speaks differently in different social contexts like school,

hospital, police station and theatre (i.e. formal, informal, casual, frozen, intimate styles

speech).

The language used changes from one profession to another (i.e. doctors, engineers,

economists use different terminology). To put it differently, since literature provides students

with a wide range of language varieties like regional dialects, jargon, differences because of

socio-economic status and so forth.

Povey (19727), 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."


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While several reasons have been put forward on why literature should be part of the ESL

curriculum, there are language educators think otherwise? The following are common

arguments AGAINST USING LITERATURE:.

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 language, does

little to contribute to this goal. For example, the language of poetry may violate

grammar rules and may confuse the learner

Second, the study of literature will contribute nothing to helping our students meet their academic and/or occupational goals. However, if literature helps one with

their reading fluency, then literature can contribute to their occupation in later life

Finally, literature often reflects a particular cultural perspective; which may be be quite difficult for students. Others argue that by knowing the culture of another

community through its literature, people may be more tolerant and appreciative of

the community.

These arguments certainly need to be addressed if we are to reach a decision as to whether or

not to use literature.

KEY WORDS

Literature Genre Prose Poetry Drama

Language enrichment Cultural enrichment Universality Ambiguity Non-triviality

1.6 Reasons for Not Using Literature in the ESL Classroom

a) What are Maleys arguments for using literature in the ESL classroom? b) What are the reasons for not using literature in the ESL context?


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SUMMARY

Literature originates from Latin litterae which means the art of written work or "things made from letters".

Literature are written works (such as poems, plays, and novels) that are considered to be very good and to have lasting importance.

Genre, is a French word which means "kind" or "sort" which originates from Latin word genus to mean category.

Genre is used as a label for a particular type of work that enables a reader to know what to expect.

Prose is a form of language which applies ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure (as in traditional poetry).

Drama originates from the Greek dran, meaning "to do," drama is thought to have developed from ancient religious ceremonies.

Drama, is simply a work that is written to be performed on stage by actors.

Poetry comes from the Greek word poiesis broadly to mean create or make, seen also in such terms as hemopoiesis, more narrowly, the making of poetry.

Poetry refers to those expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and stanza and has a more melodious tone.

Teachers who have incorporated literature in the language classroom realise their potential because students are introduced to real life or real life like settings.


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REFERENCES

Collie, J. and S. Slater. 1990. Literature in the Language Classroom: A Resource Book of

Ideas and Activities. Cambridge: CUP.

Himanolu, M. (2005), Teaching English Through Literature. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. 1(1), April.

Maley, A. 1989. Down from the Pedestal: Literature as Resource in Literature and the

Learner: Methodological Approaches. Cambridge: Modern English Publications.

Maley, A. (2001). Literature in the Language Classroom. in R. Carter and D.Nunan (eds.).

The Cambridge Guide to TESOL (pp. 180-185). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

McKay, Sandra (1982). Literature in the ESL Classroom. TESOL Quarterly. 16 (4).

December.

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Chapter_1.INTROD.What.pdf