Literary learning: A proposal for using literature for the acquisition of emotional competencies

Abstract

The concept of literary learning is based upon the conception that there are learning processes which through the use of literary texts have a productive result. The linking element between both terms is the development of some competencies, in particular, emotional as well as discursive. By presenting these considerations, new answers to old questions, which are still discussed in the didactics of literature, are provided: Why is literary reading necessary in Foreign Language Teaching (FLT), what goals are being pursued, how should literary reading be directed, and which learning processes are intended? The article deals with the aesthetic experience of literature on the basis of a lesson example. It is aimed at the aesthetic perception whereby not only is a pleasurable reading understood, but also a critical examination of the represented reality in the novel. The result is a productive and dialectic literary dialogue, in which the topics of narration are a starting point to an aesthetic judgment that also requires the ability to empathize with the characters and situations, so that learners ultimately improve their discursive skills.