Why should literature be used in the language classroom?

Communicative methodologies that emerged in the 1970s stress the importance of using authentic materials and activities in the classroom in order to help students achieve communicative competence that will enable them to use the language for communicative purposes in the real world. However, the materials and classroom activities focus on the referential function of the language and do not offer opportunities for imaginative involvement. Therefore, students do not acquire the ability to understand the creative uses of the language or to function in situations in which they have to make interpretations and evaluations, and give their personal response and reaction. This paper argues that inclusion of literature in language teaching materials will provide students with the opportunities to experience and use the language more creatively and to develop greater awareness of the language they are learning. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Keywords: literature; language acquisition; authentic materials, language awareness; communicative competence