This book examines how literary texts can be incorporated into teaching practices in an EFL classroom. It takes a multi-faceted approach to how English language teaching and learning can best be developed through presentation and exploration of literary texts.

A state of the art critical review of research into literature in language education, of interest to teachers of English and modern foreign languages. Includes prompts and principles for those who wish to improve their own practice or to engage in projects or research in this area.

KAT LOMB (1909-2003) was one of the great polyglots of the 20th century. A translator and one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world, Lomb worked in 16 languages for state and business concerns in her native Hungary. She achieved further fame by writing books on languages, interpreting, and polyglots. Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, first published in 1970, is a collection of anecdotes and reflections on language learning. Because Dr. Lomb learned her languages as an adult, after getting a PhD in chemistry, the methods she used will be of particular interest to adult learners who want to master a foreign language.

Literature and Language Teaching is for teachers and trainers who want to incorporate literature into the language classroom. It is suitable for teacher trainers, teacher development groups or teachers working on their own. This book contains tasks and activities which encourage reflection on some of the issues and debates involved in using literature in the language classroom and explore different approaches to using literature with teenage and adult learners at all levels. It suggests criteria for selecting and evaluating materials for classroom use and identifies some of the distinctive features of novels, short stories, poems and plays so that these can be successfully exploited in the classroom. A wide range of practical ideas and activities for developing materials is provided. Tasks also encourage the observation and assessment of lessons using literacy texts, and draw on English language material by a variety of authors from all over the world.

Innovation has replaced stereotypical and old methods as an attempt to make English language teaching and learning appealing, effective, and simple. However, teaching a second language through literature may be a paramount tool to consolidate not only students’ lexical and grammatical competences, but also for the development of their cultural awareness and broadening of their knowledge through interaction and collaboration that foster collective learning. Despite past difficulties, literature’s position in relation to language teaching can be revendicated and revalued. Using Literature to Teach English as a Second Language is an essential research publication that exposes the current state of this methodological approach and observes its reverberations, usefulness, strengths, and weaknesses when used in a classroom where English is taught as a second language. In this way, this book will provide updated tools to explore teaching and learning through the most creative and enriching manifestations of one language – literature. Featuring a range of topics such as diversity, language learning, and plurilingualism, this book is ideal for academicians, curriculum designers, administrators, education professionals, researchers, and students.

This book unpacks recent changes in the landscape of literature and language teaching, and aims to find new explanations for the altered relationships between readers and writers, the democratisation of authorship, and the emergence of new ways of using language. By examining topics as various as literature and technology, multimodality, and new Englishes, the authors take a fresh look at the use of literature as a tool in the teaching of English to second-language speakers. More than simply a way of teaching aesthetic and ethical values and rhetorical skills, they argue that literature can also be used to help students to critically evaluate assumptions about society, culture and power which underpin the production and reception of texts. The book relates theories of language acquisition and literary criticism to examples of literary texts from a wide range of global literature in English, and discusses new ways of engaging with it, such as transmedia story telling, book blogs and slam poetry. It will be of interest to language teachers and teacher trainers, and to students and scholars of applied linguistics, TESOL, and digital literacies.

A variety of imaginative techniques for integrating literature work with language learning.