Why & Why Not Literature: A Task-Based Approach to Teaching Literature

Having been teachers for some years, the researchers have appreciated the paramount significance and vicarious experience of being indulged in the world of literature. Astonishingly enough, quite a few teachers in junior high schools and high schools in Iran and elsewhere have acknowledged the indispensable role of literature to ameliorate learners' language development, cultural awareness, pragmatic awareness, emotional intelligence, critical thinking as well as their motivation. Therefore, to bridge the present vacuum, the present review tries to encompass three sections to firstly demystify the misconceptions surrounding English language teachers about the role of literature, and to secondly alleviate the ostensible obfuscations intimidating them to overlook literature in their classes. Finally, we propose a new model called "Whole Literary Involvement" and provide teachers with a succinct procedure of how to utilize and integrate literature in their classes capitalizing upon task-based approach.