Poetry in a language classroom: developing linguistic knowledge with literature for literature's sake.

Abstract

Language learning through literature dates to the teaching of classical languages, with the grammar-translation method. Years after the consensus on the limitations of this method, the use of literature in language classes is still very similar to that of those times. Today, studies such as those by Duff and Maley (1990) and Babaee and Yahya (2014) point to a more conversational use of literature, emphasizing its various cognitive, cultural, and communicational aspects. The purpose of this research is to survey the theories that support this communicative use of literature in the classroom and, in the end, to analyze data on the experience of putting such views into practice. The results show that teachers can help learners improve their language skills by using the vast possibilities of literature while talking about existential, cultural, historical, and poetic themes of literary texts.