Teaching Literature in ESL Classrooms: Implications from Rosenblatt’s Theory

Abstract

English literature is a cornerstone of cultural history, including vital works that constitute the pinnacle of human artistic achievement. However, people think it is difficult to convey their richness and complexity to children. Many pieces of English literature are simply beyond children's ability to absorb, while others leave them bored and restless. The purpose of teaching English literature to kids is to instil in them a love of the stories and to prepare them for more thorough study as they grow older. The reader-centred approach, based on reader-response criticism, emphasizes the individual as a reader-responder. It argues that reading a literary text is part of a complex process that includes collaboration between the writer, the text, and the reader. A text is re-created every time someone reads it, and it becomes, in the process, increasingly richer. The text is a stimulus that elicits responses from us based on our past experiences, our previous reading, our thoughts, and our feelings. The present paper tries to explore how teaching literature to children at elementary school level can be made interesting. Based on theory and research it can be said that children should be taught literature not just as texts following exercises but something meant for enjoyment. In this process children automatically learn the language.