The Quest for Literature in EFL Textbooks – A Quest for Camelot?

Abstract

The article sets out to explore the proven benefits of using literature in EFL, which have been established in recent (theoretical) sources, including methodology books for teachers. It then moves on to examine the presence of literary texts in a selection of past and current EFL course books spanning over a period of almost seven decades. The results reveal that literature, while mostly perceived as beneficial, is not widely used in the EFL arena today. Finally, some possible reasons for the decline of literature in current ELT are highlighted.