Identifying conceptions of literature in EFL textbooks through a multimodal analytic framework

Scholarship on literature in foreign language education has tended to see textbooks as an arch enemy that not only marginalize authentic literary texts in foreign language classrooms but also offer students inauthentic texts and an incoherent literary syllabus to learn from. Studies on literature in textbooks have found it challenging to operationalize definitions of ‘literature’ and have overlooked the role of textbook images in shaping students’ understanding of what literature is and can be. This study constructs a multimodal framework for analysing visual and written references to literary texts in textbooks, and applies the framework to two Finnish textbooks of English as a foreign language. The study shows that the proposed framework successfully builds a coherent understanding of literature as conceptualized in foreign language textbooks. Applying the framework to the textbooks, the article argues that the textbooks include mostly references to parts and kinds of literary texts, with some symbolic references. By emphasizing references to parts and kinds of literary texts, the textbooks equip students with the meta-skills and knowledge to read, produce and evaluate literary texts through both visual and textual references to literary texts. The numerous references to parts of literary texts support students’ multiliteracy skills, and while the references to kinds of literary texts do not form a coherent literary syllabus, neither is this the intent in light of the curricula the textbooks are founded on. For foreign language pedagogy, the key conclusion to draw is that the polar relationship of literary texts versus textbook texts is not as stark as one might presume: conceptions of literature are embedded in textbooks and their images, and the textbooks thus contribute to shaping learners’ conceptions of literature. The study provides a fresh perspective and means to consider conceptions of literature conveyed through other multimodal teaching materials, also.