Literature as a Part of the Socio-cultural Content in Youth and Adult Teaching/ Learning Through the Example of French as a Foreign Language

This paper offers a summative review of the functions of literary text as a cultural component of foreign language teaching, with a focus on French language textbook materials aimed at adolescents and adults, and with respect to the common traits with adult education/teaching. It is shown that French– and Yugoslavian-authored textbooks dating from the mid-20th century imply a didactic/educational aim of handling literary texts, in other words, an elitist and populist view of culture. The end of the1980s sees the ideologically-based criteria for choice of literary texts in teaching foreign language on the one hand, and a transmissive pedagogy, on the other, replaced with cultural content now increasingly adapted to presumed skill levels, learners’ needs and motivations, as well as dominant values of the new era. Such values include, among other things, overcoming ethnocentrism within each aspect of the educational process (curriculum author, textbook, teacher, student), with the view to beneficial communication and coexistence with foreigners. In line with new attitudes, the 21st century sees an update of the old educational activities, through an inclusion of the analysis of the literary text in multidisciplinary and project-based tasks, equally suitable for the young and the adults.

Jelena Brajović, PhD is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade.