作者：张洁
　　【Abstract】The purpose of this essay is to examine the reasons why literature should be used in the language classroom. It provides a rationale for using literary texts in language classroom. In order to illustrate the rationale， an activity which can be applied to language classroom is devised. It shows us how it works to use literary texts with English language learners.
　　【Key words】literary texts； cultural enrichment； language enrichment； personal involvement
　　【作者簡介】张洁，深圳职业技术学院。
　　I. Introduction
　　As we know， the goal of language teaching is to improve learners’ communicative competence. This seems to tell that teachers should teach learners standard language. While language in literature is not always the same as the language we actually use in daily life. Literary language may contradict the rules of syntax. Alternatively， they may be ambiguous or sophisticated. Then why is it beneficial to use literature in English language teaching classroom？ The following reasons have been suggested as a rationale for using literary texts in English language classes.
　　II. Advantages of using literature in the language classroom
　　2.1 Literature can provide access to the culture of a society in which the target language is spoken.
　　Language and culture are tightly linked. Culture， being the basis and source of language， essentially exerts significant effects on the latter （Feng X. ， 2014）.
　　Most language learners cannot go to the foreign country of the target language， as a result， literary works become an indirect way to understand the life in the country of the target language. In a novel or story， the “world” as a background can be experienced by the readers. They can understand people’s lives or the situation of the society in the literary work. Furthermore， readers can also clearly see the characters’ inner world—their feelings and their thoughts， whether they are happy or depressed，， kind-hearted or wicked. Through the imagined world in literature， learners can build up a concept of a remote society.
　　Carter and Long （1991） also suggest teaching literature in a cultural model. They think that literature， which contains people’s wise thoughts and point of view， is a crystallization of wisdom. It helps learners to understand cultural and ideological differences between foreign culture and their own. The similarities and even differences between cultures and languages can further our understanding of the whole world （Khatib M. ， S. Rezaei & A. Derakhshan， 2011）. For learners who want to go beyond a fairly basic， functional level of language， it is essential that they have a good grasp of the target culture. In order to use a language competently the learners need to know what is appropriate in different contexts. This is “sociolinguistic competence”， which is the ability to know “what is suitable for the social situation， to know when to speak and when to be silent， or what to say in certain circumstances”（Hedge， 2000）. Because literature， especially the novel， is so richly contextualised， it can give us a good idea of how the target language matches the social situation and how it varies according to different social situations.