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Teaching American Literature at Tertiary Level in Vietnam: A Discourse-based Approach. By Tran Thi Ngoc Lien Haiphong Private University, Vietnam. Current Situation. Time constraint. Limited Material Development. Language-based Syllabus. Conventional Teaching Method.
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Teaching American Literature at Tertiary Level in Vietnam: A Discourse-based Approach By Tran Thi Ngoc Lien Haiphong Private University, Vietnam
Current Situation • Time constraint • Limited Material Development • Language-based Syllabus • Conventional Teaching Method
Questions • How to access to a literary text; • What to better learners’ appreciation of literature in EFL class. • How to make a literature-based syllabus 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 Magiby 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 –see The 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 is To 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 Grass With threatening tunes and low- He threw a Menace at the Earth- A Menace at the Sky The Leaves unhooked themselves from Trees- And started all abroad The Dust did scoop itself like hands And threw away the Road! ……………. That held the Dams had parted hold The 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 I f? What is your impression of Nature in poem 824? Questions cited from Teaching American Book, ULIS, VNA
Poem of Nature 106 • Sensory perceptions Poem of Nature 106 • Sensory perceptions Poem of Nature 824 • Contrasting versifications
Discourse Properties Context Cooperative principle Politeness
“Hills like the white elephants” by Hemingway • Conversation analysis: Transaction Exchange Move Act Sinclair and Courthard, 1975
INITIATION 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?" 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
Discourse-based Syllabus for American Literature Teaching • Overview of literary text • Discourse Properties • Literary Appreciation • Experience beyond Literature