ABSTRACT
The ability to read or write is about functional literacy, or the ability to cope with the everyday requirements of reading and writing in a developed society. It is a skill that you have or don’t have. Although the teaching of that skill may involve complex techniques (phonics, etc.) and theories of teaching basic literacy may be disputed, the teaching of functional literacy demands a pragmatic approach. At the end of the day it is the teaching of a defined skill. Literacy that looks towards the literary, however, can never be only about teaching a skill. Whereas functional literacy is about a defined objective (i.e being able to read and write), the literary is an open-ended aim, a continuous engagement and grappling with the critical tradition of literature.
