Conclusion

Most of the students in my class welcomed and were satisfied with the inclusion of literature.They reported that reading these literary works was highly“enjoyable”and“useful”.This case study intends to provide a new example of showing the importance of incorporating Chinese literary works，especially modern and contemporary works in Chinese second-language learning.Carroli reminds us that literature is more than the literary canon and can offer second-language students exposure to“the multiple languages and voices of people of a language community”(Carroli，2008:183).She adds that selecting literary texts in a curriculum can correct the problem of text books that sometimes present“outdated，stereotyped，unidimensional or simplified views”of the second-language culture.The status of second-language education in a university will be more sustainable and legitimate if we can manage to bring a deeper intellectual interest to the target language.As the examples shown in this chapter suggest，rather than using literature simply as a method to master the reading and writing skills in second-language teaching，we need to adopt literary works into our class to enhance，to nurture，and to provoke students’thinking about the target culture.Students’readings not only help them to improve their understanding of the target language，but also provide dynamic examples of how a literary text can be interpreted.In other words，the educators may benefit as much as the students.

A main question that confronts us，as Carroli astutely reminds us，is how to select the right texts and how to choose an appropriate pedagogy.An appropriate textbook should，as Andrew Scrimgeour says，“explore learners developing understanding of the target language and culture—and their own by comparison through an interactive dialogue and an inquiry orientation that promotes learners’interpretation and engagement with the concepts being addressed”(Scrimgeour，2011:35).The approach of requiring the students to read，to experience“the Other，”and then asking questions to make them reflect on and then articulate their interpretations is approved quite feasible and fruitful in this study.The reading and the comparing mode of bringing literary texts into classes in Chinese as a second language can be utilised in tertiary education as this mode largely motivates，stimulates，synthesizes and ultimately broadens the students’view of the culture with which they are unfamiliar.Fostering this improved and inclusive understanding of other cultures is not only one of the most important tasks facing second-language teachers，it is also an imperative for all educators and scholars in the humanities.Through learning languages，we learn how to address people of different cultural backgrounds，and by learning their literature，we can truly speak to the hearts of those who belong to those cultures，as well as speak to our own hearts，knowing better who we are.