Kiyassova K.K., Yelubayeva R.S.,
Akhmetova M.R.
South Kazakhstan State Pedagogical
Institute
Reading a foreign literature is an
effective method of learning English
Ðåçþìå
Áұë
ìàқàëàäà õàëûқòàð àðàñûíäàғû қàòûíàñòû æàқñàðòó
ìàқñàòûíäà àìåðèêàí әäåáèåò³í
îқûòóäûң ðîë³ ìåí åðåêøåë³ã³ òóðàëû àéòûëàäû.
Ðåçþìå
 ýòîé ñòàòüå
ðàññìàòðèâàåòñÿ ðîëü èçó÷åíèÿ è îñîáåííîñòü àìåðèêàíñêîé ëèòåðàòóðû ïî
óëó÷øåíèþ îòíîøåíèé ìåæäó íàðîäàìè.
There has been a longstanding debate
about the role of American literature in EFL courses. Arguments, such as American literature predominantly portrays
American cultures and values, hence it does not take into consideration the
learners’ backgrounds, have ultimately left educators questioning the
importance of using it in the curriculum.
At the university where we teach in Kazakhstan, American literature is
no longer included the program; a semester of lecture seminars in British
literature is what the current EFL students undertake. The fact remains,
though, that university students studying a foreign language are expected to be
reading literature from the original texts by their third or fourth year of
study, and American literature should be no exception.
Studying literature in English provides
students with a tool for sustained communication, and also introduces them to a
variety of genres which can develop a deeper appreciation of the language. Reading British literature can accomplish
this, but American literature is no less necessary for students in the 21st
century. One consideration is to recognize the uniqueness of American
literature and how it comprises a multitude of cultures and values from its
diverse population. The plethora of Native-American, Asian-American,
Latin-American, African-American, and many other ethnic writers have
transformed how we view the traditional literary canon. Furthermore, these
ranges of voices have revealed a changing national identity that has continued
up to today. Sustained themes such as war, peace, freedom, complex family
histories, religion, and border-crossings have made it one of the most colorful
literatures to read.
Another consideration is to
encourage students not only to be fluent in the language, but fluent in the
cultural dimensions of the language as well. Educator Milton Bennett states
that people who do not understand the social or philosophical content of a
foreign language “may develop negative opinions of the native speakers whose
language they understand but whose basic beliefs and values continue to elude
them”. Basic English classes mainly focus on grammar, lexicology, etc., and
time is generally not spent on the cultural aspects of the language. By studying literature, however, one cannot
easily divorce the language with its culture.
Educators in Japan have noted that their EFL students who lack the
historical and cultural backgrounds of the literature they read and discuss are
more willing to listen to a mini-lecture about the author’s life and the
historical and social issues rose in the story. Class discussions on the
readings “serve to pique the student’s interest in social and cultural issues,
and before they even realize it, they are constructing quite complex questions
in English in order to satisfy their curiosity”. Excluding American literature
in the EFL classroom therefore runs the risk of breeding blatant
misunderstandings about American culture, and our universal goal as educators
should be to enhance our students’ knowledge in as many aspects as we can.
Exposing EFL students to a wider scope of literary works can help achieve this
goal.
Yet teaching American literature in
the EFL classroom is no easy task. In Western universities, a semester in
American literature is often limited to literary periods (such as a course focusing
solely on American Renaissance writers), hence it might take at least four
semesters to gain a satisfactory understanding of the massive subject. For an
EFL literature course that merely spans one semester, time is a strident
factor, and choosing the specific readings is an arduous task. Summer reading
lists can help tremendously if it is necessary to cover numerous works, but one
generally runs the risk of students avoiding this task. Choosing far too
advanced literature can also frustrate and lose the interest of the students.
We offer the following suggestions to combat these issues, as well as
suggestions for authors and texts to include in an American Literature course.
Initially, instructors need to
determine the reading fluency of their students. Since extensive reading is one
goal and since language in the original text might prove too challenging,
graded readers are a valuable and necessary resource to use in the EFL
literature class. They are books with vocabulary and grammar guidelines for specific
levels of difficulty. Graded readers are developed for different texts across
the literary spectrum. Books on tape
are a welcome addition as well, and many times you can find the story, novel,
or poem read by the original author. More importantly, books on tape aim in
improving students’ listening skills and can provide a heightened reading
experience as opposed to silent reading. If graded readers and books on tape
are not available, then we suggest using excerpts of novels and shorter poems
to begin, then moving onto short stories in their entirety. Ample class time,
though, must be spent with pre-reading and post-reading activities to ensure
students’ comprehension of complex texts. Assigning reading journals and
engaging in class discussions on the texts encourages active reading rather
than passive reading. Hopefully near the end the semester, students will feel
confident enough to participate in writing workshops to investigate the
subjects and issues they read further.
A literature course in an EFL
program is basically a survey course; hence by the end of the semester,
students should have a overall knowledge of the subject. As with other survey
courses, students begin studying the earliest written texts and move forward
into consequent literary periods in hopes of recognizing changes in style,
movements, and global characteristics. The span of American literature is as
extensive as its counterparts, and the list of integral writers in each
literary period is equally as extensive. Careful choosing of the texts is
needed, and we propose presenting a culturally pluralistic reading list to
broaden students’ ideas of American values while staying true to the
canon. Here are a few suggestions from
each literary period to include in a reading list.
The genesis of American literature
is traditionally regarded as those texts written by explorers, missionaries,
and settlers newly arrived to the continent, but the oral literature of the
Native-Americans – beginning centuries earlier than the others – can be an
excellent introduction to the course.
For example, exploring Native-American mythology, such as “How the World
Was Made” by James Mooney, a Cherokee Indian, reveals to students an
established and vivid culture that has been until recently been ignored. For
the Early Republic period, Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography is
extremely educational in its philosophical and ideal dreams of the budding
nation. During Romanticism, Henry David Thoreau’s Walden and the slave
narratives of Douglas and Jacobs are interesting choices for exposing a new
American identity. For Realism /
Regionalism, Willa Cather’s My Antonia, Mark Twain’s Huck Finn,
and the poetry of African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar characterizes the
realist details authors were viewing around them. For Modernism, Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neal Hurston’s Their
Eyes Were Watching God and John Steinback’s Tortilla Flat express a
culture that had profoundly changed after World War I. And finally, Post-Modernism choices include
Latin-American authors Sandra Cisneros’ House on Mango Street and Pat
Mora’s poetry, as well as Asian-American author Amy Tan for her brilliant novel
The Joy Luck Club. (It should be noted that non-fiction texts are
integral in a literature course also, and various essays and speeches from
prominent figures in American history deserve consideration.)
Reading literature can only benefit
the EFL student, and culturally diverse American literature has much to offer.
As educators, we need to reveal to our students the interconnectedness of all
people so they can learn to appreciate their own culture while gaining insights
into others. American literature, like British literature, should be an
established part of the curriculum and appreciated by many generations to come.
Literature
1.
Arrifin,
Sherene. “Culture in EFL Teaching:
Issues and Solutions.” 75-78. 21 Oct. 2007
2.
Bennett,
Milton J. “How Not to Be a Fluent Fool:
Understanding the Cultural Dimensions of Language”. New Ways in Teaching
Culture. 1997. 16-21.
3.
Furr,
Mark. “How and Why to Use EFL
Literature Circles.” EFL Literature Circles. 1-2.
20 Oct. 2007