Critique on “Simple Text and Reading Text”
By Prof.
Jonathan Acuña Solano
Wednesday,
May 6, 2015
Twitter:
@jonacuso
Post 166
Should
students in the literature class be provided with the classics as they are, or
a simplified version, or even a graded version? As Vincent (1986) posits, “the
reader must bring to the text linguistic, conceptual, and cultural
understanding of a high order.” If learners lack these kinds of understanding, they are bound to face a
lot of problems in trying to deal with the classic English literary pieces. And
what about when we have learners who are in EFL or ESL programs? Can they read
the classics?
“For
the foreign reader, literary text will usually be even more linguistically
difficult” than for a regular native speaker (Vincent 1986). For McKay (1986),
that literary works need to be carefully chosen, and not at random. And though
experts have been talking about this for ages, it looks like we have not found
the right books to teach literature correctly. It is for this reason that
Vincent (1986) claims that simplified versions should not be used, and that classics
must be avoided in an early developmental stage of language learning. And the
use of literary pieces should not only be linked to classics but to
translations of mother-tongue texts or lighter, more accessible literary
productions.
Vincent
(1986) proposes a systematic way of working with reading as a prelude to the
teaching of literature. As a first stage, it is proposed that students get
exposed to “extensive use of simple texts” (Vincent, 1986) to really develop
learner’s capacity to read in the target language. As a second stage, Vincent
(1986) suggests “lighter works of fiction” and perhaps “a couple of abridged
classics or fairly reputable works of the second rank.” Additionally, the
author urges the use of “simple texts” and non-fiction works that can help
pupils develop their reading capacity, which can be a brain gym prior to
getting into the classics. What I suggest in this section, and what Vincent
does not account for, is the use of storytelling to equip learners with
schemata, aesthetic responses, and why not efferent reading.
“Simplicity
… enables the learner to respond to … works of literature, not as reading
puzzles” (Vincent, 1986). Simplified or abridged classics do lose a lot of its
essence when they are modified to fit students’ language level. Instead,
storytelling along readings to prepare learners for more complex reading should
be used. As McKay (1986) suggests, the success in the study of literature rely
on the literary pieces that are chosen. It cannot be done at random and the
classics at a beginning learning stage can be counterproductive rather than
profitable for the pupil. Literature must be enjoyed and not a punishment for
the learners.
McKay,
S. (1986). Literature in the ESL
Classroom. Literature and Language Teaching. Edited by Brumfit &
Carter. Oxford: OUP
Vincent,
V. (1986). Simple Text and Reading Text.
Literature and Language Teaching. Edited by Brumfit & Carter. Oxford: OUP
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