Pedagogical Approaches to Foreign Language Education: A discussion of poetic forms and culture

Abstract

In recent years an increasing interest has been directed to the study of the interplay of language and literature and to the various ways linguistic features in reading and teaching literature are related. This paper argues for the importance of poetry for cultural awareness in foreign language education. Through examining classical Chinese poetry, I emphasize that the non-ordinary use of poetic language has a special function in promoting cross-cultural understanding. This study focuses on examining the three poetic dimensions by showing their connotative potentials for social and cultural aspects essential to teaching poetic texts. Through exploring these three levels of poetry contributing to cultural significance, I explore the appropriate pedagogy in foreign-language poetry teaching.