في الترجمة
Volume 5, Numéro 1, Pages 224-234
2018-12-31

The ‘i,’ The ‘other,’ And The Text: Is There Any Strategy In Teaching Literature?

Authors : Bouregbi Salah .

Abstract

Is methodology necessary for teaching literature? Does literature need theories? Is it fair to push students to see the text through the eyes of others? Does student need autonomy in understanding the text? The text is a mine, where the reader tries to dig and probe inside the multilayered structure of its depth. The more you dig and disturb its quietness and quietude, the more you discover unexpected elements, which are hidden under its sediments. Which meaning do we get from reading? Is it of the text, or the author, or the teacher or the student? Interpretation is not a logical process that looks at variations at different levels of meanings. Frequently, it cannot be done without free intentional process of meaning regeneration. The reader/the teacher recreates a story through his reading: this story cannot be labeled as the author’s: the text is beyond any grasp. So, what do we teach of/from the text? Where does meaning lie? What parameters can we use to find the relevant key to penetrate the text and decipher its meaning(s)?

Keywords

Teaching, Literary text, Reader’s response, Teacher-Mentor, Pact and Negotiation