Teaching American Literature at Tertiary

Level in Vietnam: A Discourse-

based Approach

By Tran Thi Ngoc LienHaiphong Private University, Vietnam

Current Situation

Time constraint

Limited Material Development

Conventional Teaching Method

Language-based Syllabus

Questions

What to better learners’ appreciation of literature in EFL class.

How to make a literature-based syllabus work;

How to access to a literary text;

A discourse-based approach: does it work?

Discourse analysis in application to analysis of literary texts

Interactions

Discourse Organization

Discourse Properties

Relevance between discourse analysis and literary appreciation

Interactions

Characters Characters

Authors Readers

The Gift of Magi by O’Henry

Character – Character

Jim and Bella – A poor couple : Great Love

Author - Readers

Love : Sacrifice

Love makes people the wisest

Discourse organization

Discourse patterns:

- Problem-solution- Cause-effect- Conversation patterns- Etc.

Poem of Natureby Emily Dickinson

106“Nature” is what we –seeThe Hill – the Afternoon -

Squirrel-Eclipse-the Bumble bee-Nay-Nature is Heaven-Nature is what we hear-The bobolink-the Sea-Thunder-the Cricket

Nay-Nature is Harmony-Nature is what we know-Yet have no art to say-

So impotent Our Wisdom isTo her Simplicity

Emily Dickinson (cited in American Literature: A Course Book. College of Foreign Languages _Vietnam National University,

Hanoi, 2007)

824

The Wind begun to rock the GrassWith threatening tunes and low-He threw a Menace at the Earth-

A Menace at the SkyThe Leaves unhooked themselves from Trees-

And started all abroadThe Dust did scoop itself like hands

And threw away the Road!…………….

That held the Dams had parted holdThe Waters Wrecked the Sky,

But overlooked my Father’s House-Just quartering a Tree

Exerp from “Poem of Nature” by Emily Dickinson

What is Nature in Man’s life?

What is your impression of Nature in poem 824?

Questions cited from

Teaching American Book, ULIS, VNA

What I f?

Poem of Nature 106 - Sensory perceptions

Poem of Nature 106 - Sensory perceptions

Poem of Nature 824- Contrasting versifications

Discourse PropertiesContext

Cooperative principle

Politeness

“Hills like the white elephants” by Hemingway

Conversation analysis:

Transaction

Exchange

Move

ActSinclair and Courthard, 1975

The warm wind blew the bead curtain against the table.

"The beer's nice and cool," the man said.

"It's lovely," the girl said.

"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig," the man said. "It's not really an operation at all."

The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on.

"I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in."

The girl did not say anything.

"I'll go with you and I'll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural."

"Then what will we do afterward?"

INITIATION

RESPONSE

FOLLOW UP

"What makes you think so?""That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only

thing that's made us unhappy."The girl looked at the bead curtain, put her hand

out and took hold of two of the strings of beads."And you think then we'll be all right and be

happy.""I know we will. You don't have to be afraid. I've

known lots of people that have done it.""So have I," said the girl. "And afterward they were

all so happy.""Well," the man said, "if you don't want to you

don't have to. I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But I know it's perfectly simple."

"And you really want to?“…

Violation of maxims => hesitant or neglected or struggling or disgusting?

Politeness strategies => deviant purposes

Context

- Inner context

- Outer context

- Intertextual context

- Social context

Farewell to armBy Hemingway

“Priest to-day with girls,” the captain said looking at the priest and at me. The priest smiled and blushed and shook his head. This captain baited him often.

“Not true?” asked the captain. “To-day I see priest with girls.”

“No,” said the priest. The other officers were amused at the baiting.

“Priest not with girls,” went on the captain. “Priest never with girls,” he explained to me. He took my glass and filled it, looking at my eyes all the time, but not losing sight of the priest.

“Priest every night five against one.” Every one at the table laughed. “You understand? Priest every night five against one.” He made a gesture and laughed loudly. The priest accepted it as a joke.

(Hemingway, 1929:2)

Inner context: Friendship between the Captain and Priest

Social context: Wartime

DA or Literature teaching?

Discourse-based Syllabus for American Literature Teaching

Overview of literary text

Discourse Properties

Literary Appreciation

Experience beyond Literature

literature via language or language via literature?

Thank you!