An Apparatus:

Teaching literature through language & vice versa

Emma DAWSON & Odette VASSALLO
The Universit o! Nottingham
In choosing texts to teach as literature or to teach language through literature, one may find
that teachers feel uncomfortable using literature that is linguistically or culturally obscure.
Linguistically, this obscurity may be manifested through variant grammar and syntactical
structures, use of foreign lexemes or non-standard use of punctuation. Culturally, the
literature may present ideas, concepts or mentalities far removed from the host environment
and far removed from the teachers own cultural and social nowledge.
!hat we are faced with here are "uestions of how to teach linguistically variant literature as
well as who to teach literature containing elements of cultural #social$religious% specificity.
&he "uestions of how and who may be tacled through the use of a particular apparatus for
the reading of such variant literatures. !hat is being suggested here is the adoption of a
stylistics-based checlist which can help both teacher and student in their approach to these
texts. It focuses on the students needs and facilitates the design of a tas-based apparatus
for literary texts. &he following is an example of such an apparatus whereby we demonstrate
how one may teach a variant literary text whilst meeting specific teaching ob'ectives in
language and literature.
&he approach exposes the student to a structured approach to literary texts and thus serves
as a guide both to the organisation of the analysis and the way in which it can be applied to a
wide spectrum of texts. (elow is a copy of the apparatus itself based on the chosen literary
text) *esus Is Indian, a short story by +gnes ,am #-./.%, illustrating how this can be
achieved. 0ollowing the apparatus is a detailed account #rationale% concerning the decisions
made in creating the apparatus with certain ob'ectives in mind. &he apparatus is based on
*ohn 1c2aes stylistic checlist #1c2ae, -..-%.

Apparatus
"re#reading
Who invented school? Who said little children must sit still in a desk pretending they
wide awake when they dreaming of comics and swings and stealing fruit from Mrs
Mumble? #,am, -./.%
-. !hat type of sentence is used here3
4. !hose point of view may this be3 5ow do you come to this conclusion3
$irst reading
-. !ho is I in the second paragraph3 $!hat ind of narrator is used in the text3
4. !hat$!ho is Hama3
6. !ho is in the classroom with +ngelina3
7. !hy is the word sister written with a capital ,3
Second reading
-. !hat do you notice as unusual about the layout techni"ue#s%3
4. In your opinion,
a. what effect do the bracets have on the narrative3
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b. what effect does the use of italics have on the narrative3
c. other than the use of bracets and italics, what other typographical form is
used in the passage3 &o what effect3
6. Loo at page 49, lines -9 : 6;. !hat does this passage reveal to you about the
relationship between ,ister and +ngelina3 !hat tells you this3
7. Continue to explore the relationship using the following<.

Sister %onaventura Angelina
&eacher student
<< <<
<< <<
9. Loo at the following)
Honey and I fight like tigers. cratching. !iting. pitting. "icking. #inching. #ulling
hair.
!hat are your thoughts on the sentence structure3
=. !hat are your thoughts on ,isters definition of tokoloshe3
;. 1aing reference to the text,
a. how would you describe +ngelinas perception of herself3
b. what is +ngelinas idea of a girl of whom ,ister would not be critical 3
Discussion & Tas&s
2ewrite the passage found in bracets #page 49, 4
nd
paragraph% and the passage
in italics #page 4/, last paragraph% into ,tandard >nglish.
?ramatise from page 64 last line to page 66 line -6.
Carry out research to find out how and when the Indian population came to be in
,outh +frica.
The 'ationale:
(o) and )h the apparatus is created in this )a
+s mentioned previously we shall now turn to loo in some detail at the reasons for the
apparatus being designed the way that it is. !e shall consider the various phases step by
step as you have seen on the apparatus itself. !e shall also mae reference to 1c2aes
#-..-) .9-.=% stylistic checlist in order to highlight certain linguistic features that the student
would be made aware of #albeit subtly%.
+s a matter of interest, the #1c2ae% checlist follows)
lexis #words%
syntax #how the words are put together%
cohesion #the lining mechanisms within the text%
phonology #sounds%
graphology #the loo, and visual effects%
semantics #areas of meaning and how the meaning is achieved%
dialect #usually spoen variants of standard >nglish
register #tone%
period #archaisms, fusions of genre, etc.%
function #message, authors intention, etc.%
"re#'eading
Let us begin by looing at the @re-reading phase. &he first two sentences of the short story
are revealed. &he function of the @re-2eading is to)
introduce the theme of the text
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draw attention to the linguistic variety inherent in this particular text
draw attention to the possible dominant point of view in the story.
Linguistically, the @re-reading "uestions focus the students attention on)
syntax, semantics A graphology : Buestion -
lexis A register - Buestion 4
$irst 'eading
&he next phase is the 0irst 2eading, whose function is to introduce the reader to the text for
the first time, checing basic comprehension of the text through lower-order "uestions.
0or the 0irst 2eading the apparatus ass the reader to read alone, silently.
&his allows the reader to interact with the text on a more personal levelC hearing the voice#s%
of the text in the head. >"ually, it presents a more direct approach to the text, eliciting an
instinctive response to it.
In terms of basic text comprehension, by using lower-order "uestions #Carter A Long, -..-%
the reader has the opportunity to get a clear view of the basic story line and characters. &his
is not restricting personal interpretation in any wayC one cannot move to the level of
interpretation if the basic elements of the story have not been properly understood.
Linguistically, the 0irst 2eading phase focuses the students attention on)
the function of the first person singular A narrative perspective - Buestion -
lexical variety - Buestion 4
lexis A grammatical awareness : providing orientational information #>mmott, -...%
for the reader who is still constructing the text in their virtual world - Buestion 6
graphology, lexis A semantics - Buestion 7
Second 'eading
&he next phase is the ,econd 2eading. &he function of this phase is to revisit the text with the
basic comprehension in place and to move towards a deeper understanding of how the text
means.
0or the ,econd 2eading the apparatus ass the reader to read aloud. !hy3 2eading aloud
acts as a re-enactment of the text)
An e!!ective reading aloud * the teacher can also serve to clari! di!!iculties:
di!!icult )ords can *e +enacted, and unclear or comple- snta- can *e
unravelled in the process o! an oral dramatisation., #Carter A Long -..-)/4%
&his phase is also an arena for the exploration of language devices used for literary effect sC at
this point we move from lower-order to higher-order "uestions.
Linguistically, the ,econd 2eading phase focuses the students attention on)
graphology A function - Buestions - and 4
lexis, syntax, semantics, graphology, register A function - Buestion 6
lexis A semantics #>xploration of lexical field% - Buestion 7
lexis, graphology, syntax, semantics A function - Buestion 9
lexical variety A function - Buestion =
lexis, syntax, graphology, register A function - Buestion ;
Discussion & Tas&s
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&his phase is the final phase of the apparatus and is an ideal opportunity to explore further
readings such as) cultural, socio-cultural/ political, post-colonial, feminist, and other readings.
&his would obviously depend on what the teacher decides to do, the aim of the lesson or
where the students would lie to tae it.
It also provides an opportunity to research an extended topic that may have been mentioned
or focussed on through the text. 0urther exploration could also be carried out on thought and
speech presentation through textual intervention such as rewriting tass that enable students
to gain a sharper appreciation of textual effects by means of trying out alternative stylistic
choices #for more textual intervention suggestions see @ope -..9%.
0oncluding 'emar&s
!hat we have addressed in this apparatus are the first four pages of the short story, which we
used as a point of entry for the rest of the text. +ny part of a short story can be selected as a
point of entryC it is a "uestion of which part or parts of the text would be suitable as a
breaing-off point which would motivate the students to read on and discover more.
5owever, the most valuable aspect of the apparatus : and the stylistic approach to texts in
general - is its usefulness as a tool in any cultural context. !hether the target group is >0L,
>,L or 0irst Language, it serves the purpose of helping the students find a way in to the text
and empowering them by e"uipping them with the tools that they will be able to apply to the
text at other levels of interpretation. Conse"uently, the students will examine the linguistic
features of the text in order to 'ustify their readings. 0urthermore, teachers are also
empowered by the possibility of having a wider selection of texts in >nglish from all over the
world which possess unlimited cultural richness that could be introduced in various
international contexts. &hese can in turn be exploited in class either through a language- or
literature-based approachC the focus of the apparatus presented here is on the latter.
5ere is a fusion between the linguistically or culturally obscure and the diverse and
multilevel interpretations that can be present in any literary text. &he aim of any literature
class should be to see to e"uip the student with the necessary tools to explore the text,
interpret and finally 'ustify their interpretation by maing direct reference to the text without
having to rely on authorities. &his is a way of looing closely at linguistic features which can
explain the effects generated by the text. Increased language awareness in the analytical
approach to literary texts will mae the student sensitive to the way language is used in a
literary text, thus boosting their confidence on the way to more formal critical approaches and
beyond,
+1it is usuall more important that participants in a given session gain
con!idence !rom *eing a*le to achieve something the can value as a learning
e-perience than that the have *een presented )ith te-ts o! a higher level o!
di!!icult )hich onl con!irm their di!!idence at *eing una*le to carr out the
prescri*ed tas&s e!!ectivel., #Carter A 1c2ae, -...);4%
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'e!erences
Carter, 2. and Long, 1. D. #-..-%, Teaching Literature, 5arlow) Longman.
Carter, 2. and 1c2ae, *. #-...%, Language, Literature and the Learner: Creative Classroom
Practice, London) Longman.
>mmott, C. #-...%, Narrative Comprehension, Exford) Exford Fniversity @ress.
1c2ae, *. #-..-%, Literature with a small l, London) 1acmillan.
@ope, 2. #-..9%, Textual ntervention, Critical and Creative !trategies "or Literar# !tudies,
London) 2outledge, Interface ,eries.
,am, +. #-./.% $esus s ndian %nd &ther !tories Exford) 5einemann @ublishers.
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