Understanding Cultural Context in Responding to Literature: Researching the Teaching of Literature in EFL Classroom Context

Abstract

This paper shares some insights into the notion of having EFL students collectively respond to literature. Understanding and appreciating a piece of literature is determined by how one can convey the concepts and words to new situations. During this process, several types of interaction happen: interaction between experience and the text, interaction between author’s culture and reader, and interaction of the reader with other readers. In order to interpret a text in the way the author has intended, readers need to develop knowledge of the author’s cultural and historical contexts. This paper describes several innovative, interactive methods that will help students make connections between life experiences and literary texts, between the author’s culture and their own, and between their ideas and those of other readers.