Literature
Teaching literature is an engaging way to develop your linguistic skills. It can also be a means of growing vocabulary and a vehicle for expressing opinions and ideas. It can also illustrate the prescribed themes and recommended Language B topics. Although two literary works are required for HL, literature is also encouraged for the SL course.
The Subject Guide requires, at HL, that students should study two literary texts, and their grasp of these texts is assessed in the internal assessment, Individual Oral. Literature is also encouraged in SL.
The requirements for the study of literature in Language B are explained in pp.20-21 of the Subject Guide. Briefly, the key concepts are:
- The two literary works must have been originally written in English (i.e., works of other languages, in translation, would not be suitable)
- study should focus on "...fundamental elements ... such as themes, plot and characters", and note that...
- "...literary criticism is not an objective of the language B course..." - since literary criticism concepts and skills are taught under Group 1 Literature, and Language & Literature courses, and students should not duplicate their efforts in their Diploma programmes
- 'literary works' means "...works of prose fiction, prose non-fiction, poetry and drama" - and yes, a selection of short stories is also acceptable, as 7-10 short stories is equivalent to one literary work.
- Poems are also acceptable; 15-20 poems/600 lines, is appropriate.
- Graphic novels are acceptable, but no more than 3-4 pages should be submitted for the extract.
- Plays are also considered appropriate for literary works.
- The works should be selected to (1) relate to one or more of the Themes of the programme; (2) promote the development of sophisticated language skills; and (3) be appropriate to the actual language skills of the students
Finally, what about 'Anglophone Culture'?
The May 2024 subject report remarks that Criteria B1 presentations tend to score well when the candidate “demonstrates ability to link the literary extract to the options studied, and to the target culture.”
(For futher clarification see page 29 in the TSM under FAQ “Regardless of the structure of the course, it should be noted that the prescribed themes, and the topics that the teacher has selected for each theme, should be addressed within the context of the target culture(s), and the conceptual understandings that are required for effective communication must be taken into account.")
The approach
In the page Reading Good Reads, the PNCCPS framework is introduced as a framework for knowledge about any work of narrative fiction :
- Plot ... What the story is
- Narrative ... How the story is told
- Character ... What the characters are
- Characterisation ... How the characters are developed and deployed
- Point ... What the story has to say, its meaning
- Style ... How the meaning is expressed
You will note from the use of colour above that these concept categories fall into two key approach questions: What? and How?
- 'What?' questions require comprehension and interpretation of the work's message, in detail
- 'How?' questions require analysis and commentary on the author's strategies and techniques in presenting that message
The second and third bullet points in the list of requirements at the top of this page indicate that we should be principally concerned with 'What?' questions ("themes, plot and characters") and not really with 'How?' questions (since these are concerned above all with analysing techniques - and "...literary criticism is not an objective of the language B course...").
In the eBook in the Student Access pages, you will find the following:
- A complete unit for Trevor Noah's memoir ‘Born a Crime’, with supplementary texts to develop all four skills
- A collection of short stories from a range of authors, covering all five prescribed themes. 7-10 short stories can be considered one of your two literary works.
Between these two resources, there is enough to cover the requirements for two literary works in your course.
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