• Doyel Chatterjee

The accomplishment of any language lies in its inherent ability to equip the learners for a lifetime of communication . The aim of my paper is to portray the efficacy of using literature as a popular technique for teaching the four basic skills of language (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and strengthening simultaneously the other areas of language (vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation) for use in today’s context. Learning Language through Literature is definitely an exciting and different approach to language learning and it facilitates the process of language learning. This method in which language is taught in integration with literature proves to be effective as the teachers and learners engage in learning language in context through interesting pieces of literature-short stories and poems comprising majority of the spectrum of literary pieces in the given context..Although the studies in the use of literature in teaching English Language have been increasing abroad,and in the ICSE, CBSE school curriculum, the scenario is different in the public or government schools of the country where only English grammar is being taught and that too in isolation from the literary context. The learners are expected to memorise the rules by heart and accordingly are tested in their grammar and vocabulary skills which never enable them to learn and use the English Language when situation demands. English, therefore, remains a foreign language to them – something they are very scared of as the people in colonial India were. Thus,the purpose of my paper is to underscore why and how literary pieces like poems and short stories need to be used and can be used in order to teach a foreign language effectively and efficiently.I propose to familiarize the teachers and learners of English as Foreign Language (EFL) with the efficacy of using literature while trying to teach English as a foreign language. While some teachers may still believe that teaching EFL encompasses focusing on linguistic benefits only to enable their learners communicate effectively in the target language, others who have integrated literature in the curricula have realized that literature adds a new dimension to the teaching of EFL. Short stories, for example, enable students to learn the four skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing more effectively because of the motivational benefit embedded in the stories. Moreover,while teaching short stories, teachers can teach literary, cultural, and higher-order thinking aspects.However, before attempting to use short stories in their EFL classes, they should comprehend the benefits of short stories and plan classes that meet the needs of their learners.

Literature,language, teachers, skills, learners, interaction, context

"The Efficacy of Teaching English as Foreign Language through Literature", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 4, page no.l505-l508, April-2023, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2304B72.pdf

"The Efficacy of Teaching English as Foreign Language through Literature", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 4, page no. ppl505-l508, April-2023, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2304B72.pdf