Page 38 - Getting of the fence

Chapter 2
approaches to studying foreign language literature: the Text approach, Context approach, Reader approach, and the Language approach (see Table 2.3).
Figure 2.1 Paran’s (2008) quadrant of the intersection of literature and language teaching
Table 2.3 Four approaches to foreign language literature education
Foreign language literature education
The study of literature focus: the literary text
Text approach Context approach
The use of literature as a resource focus: the student
Reader approach Language approach
The primary focus of the study of literature is the literary text, consisting of either the text itself (e.g. literary terms, character development) or the context surrounding the literary text (e.g. biographical details, cultural elements). The primary focus of the use of literature as a resource is the student, dividing into either personal development (e.g. personal interpretation, critical thinking skills) or linguistic development (e.g. vocabulary acquisition, reading skills improvement). In the next section the four approaches to foreign language literature education will be discussed in more detail.
2.1.2.1 Text approach
The Text approach is concerned with the teaching of the formal elements of literature, through, for example, close reading or educating students in the terminology of theoretical literary discourse. Within this approach the aesthetic
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