Literary Competence Beyond Conventions

Abstract

Comparing reading test results with an understanding of 'literary competence' as internalized literary conventions, the present article proposes a revision of the conception as well as a model view for practical use. Two Russian students' texts, produced within the framework of an ongoing international research project, are used as examples, showing that literary competence cannot be reduced to internalized literary conventions, although they are recognized as a fundamental component of literary competence. In accordance with Mikhail Bakhtin, aesthetical reading is understood as a profoundly personal act, taking place beyond conventions. Therefore, if too much attention is paid to 'performance competence', two important components of literary competence can be overlooked: 'constitutional competence', the hallmark of the human species, according to Aristotle; 'literary transfer competence', more or less identical with the 'subtilitas applicandi' of the hermeneutic tradition. In the light of this broader understanding of literary competence, the article also tries to discern typical merits and weaknesses of literary school cultures in Sweden and Russia.