First introducing foreign-language literature: Building upon familiarity

In the light of modern techniques of the Communicative Approach in teaching, it is crucial to find better ways to introduce English literature to non-native students at university level, instead of the traditional methods that are built on giving them terminology and definitions to learn, and then names of writers, schools, movements and literary works, as well as dates, to memorise. Observably, the old methods are prone to risk students’ interest in the study of literature, especially that this field of study commonly has its own difficulties and challenges even for native speakers. The present paper attempts to set a methodology, based on the author’s personal experience in teaching English literature at different universities worldwide for over two decades. The proposed methodology allows students to enjoy, and then participate in, their own act of learning English literature. By means of this methodology, psychological links are built between students and the literature of the foreign language. The proposed methodology makes students enjoy short, uncomplicated and familiar literary works in the target language. Next, classroom discussion and activities enable students to feel at home with this field of study, and enable their instructor to feed them smoothly and gradually with new literary concepts and terminology as tools that enhance students’ enjoyment and understanding of the texts at hand.