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1、StudiesontheteachingofliteraturecourseChapter1IntroductionAristotleoncedefined“literature”as“abranchofartwhichimitatesnature”(1997:63),whichmeansliteratureisthebasicrepresentativeofhumanemotions,feelings,actions,andthoughts.AccordingtoCarterandLong(1991:3),itispossibletoclassifythesig
2、nificanceoflearningliteratureintothreegroupsnamely“linguistic”,“cultural”,and“individual”ones.Linguistically,literatureiscreatedfrombasicmaterialsoflinguisticstudy(Chapman1973:44),soitcanbeusedasaperfectmeanstoexemplifystructuresandvocabularyforEFL.Intermsofculture,literaryworksareref
3、erredtoas“aresponsetothebackgroundinwhichitisactualized”andsaidtobe“identicalwithcivilization”(WellekandWarren1956:20).Forindividuals,Griffith(1987:1)believesthatteachingliterature“enlargestheuseofstudents’imaginationandimprovestheircreativity”.Inshort,literaturebearsgreatsignificance
4、initself.ManyprofessorsofEFLattachconsiderableimportancetotheteachingofEnglishliterature.YinQiping’s(YinandChen2002)viewsinthisrespectcanbeusedtosupportourargument.Heagreesthatliteraturehasacrucialroletoplayincultivatingstudentstobemoreimaginativeandcreative,andthat“…anEnglishprogramt
5、hatdoesnotlooktothepastworksofliteratureinparticular,deprivesourstudentsoftheopportunitytoparticipateintheongoing,cross-culturalandlife-enrichingdialoguebetweenpastandpresent”(p.320).Fromtheseremarkswecanconcludethatliteraturecoursesareindispensableforforeignlanguagelearners.However,t
6、hepastfewyearshavewitnessedadifficulttimeformanyteachersofEnglishliteratureinChineseuniversities.YinQipingobservesthatthe“pragmatictrend”placesever-increasingpressureonbothliteratureteachersandEnglishmajors,asemployersoftengivepreferencetothosewhohavetaken“pragmaticcourses”,namely“Eng
7、lishforSpecificPurpose”(ESP)coursessuchasForeignTradeEnglish,EnglishforScienceandTechnology(YinandChen2002:320).Asaresult,theattitudeofdenialortheneglectofthevalueofliteratureprevailsamongEnglishmajors.SurveysshowthatmoreandmoreEnglishmajorsbegintothinkEnglishliteraturecoursesare“bori
8、ngand
