Page 39 - Getting of the fence

value of literature can be highlighted by advancing the students’ sensitivity to
literary texts through analysing literary language and conventions (Van, 2009) in
order for students to learn how to read between the lines and interpret relations
between linguistic forms and literary meanings (Carter & Long, 1991). Practicing 2 interpretation skills with linguistically demanding texts is useful for making
sense of all discourse (Widdowson, 1975). Having knowledge of literary terms and understanding their functions in texts can enhance comprehension (Picken, 2005). It could also allow for a more sophisticated understanding of the language, making students aware of how the use of literary terms can have an effect on the interpretation of the text (Barrette, Paesani, & Vinall, 2010).
Another aspect of importance in the Text approach is knowledge of genre and the ability to recognize and differentiate between different styles and types of texts (Van, 2009). Students at CEFR level B2 are supposed to have knowledge of “established conventions of genre” (Council of Europe, 2001, p. 62) when it concerns creative writing. Moreover, students at C1 level should be able to “appreciate distinctions of style in long and complex factual and literary texts” (Council of Europe, 2001, p. 62) 5. Besides sensitizing students to stylistic variation, the Text approach is also concerned with the role of story structure. Understanding a text requires the reader’s comprehension of how concepts within texts are related (Amer, 2003). Teaching strategies that explicitly focus on narrative text structure could enhance comprehension (Wilkinson, 1999). So-called ‘story grammars’ are formal devices that represent consistent elements found in narrative texts (Riley, 1993). By identifying these elements and their logical relationships, the reader identifies the story grammar and therefore the meta-structure of a literary text (Amer, 2003; Early & Marshall, 2008).
2.1.2.2 Context approach
Another element that is suggested to be of importance when students are required “to understand contemporary prose” (Council of Europe, 2001, p. 27) is the context surrounding literary works. Within the Context approach literature is regarded as a body of texts reflecting the culturally, historically, and socially rich diversities of our world (Carter & Long, 1991; Lazar, 1993). These diversities, contextualized in a literary work, often represent a “foreign world” (Littlewood, 1986, p. 180) to the language learner covering issues such as identity, political power, ethnicity,
5 Because this Chapter is based on a paper published in 2016 we refer to the 2001 CEFR. The Companion Volume only became available in 2018.
Exploring EFL literature approaches
37