ABSTRACT
The justification for the place of literature in the language teaching curriculum is commonly made with reference to three main models: the linguistic model, the cultural model, and the personal-growth model. This chapter begins by setting out the challenge which literature faces concerning the many sources of distraction in the context. It argues that literature might be perceived as more relevant if the way texts are chosen were to be extended. The chapter discusses three possible approaches to the use of literature in language teaching programmes: literature as study, literature as resource, and literature as appropriation. Neither the literature as study, nor the literature as resource models therefore seem to offer the kind of access to literature needed in an age of distraction. The chapter suggests five main ways in which literature could be more effectively incorporated into language programmes. These are familiarisation, extensive reading, performance, creative writing and techniques for getting inside the skin of texts.
