Literary Lessons At Czech Higher Secondary Schools In Gender Perspective

Abstract

On the basis of an analysis of professional texts on the topic of women's writing theory, gynocriticism and gender studies and a material study of relevant curriculum documents, a research plan was formulated to monitor the real state of teaching literature in secondary schools with a focus on the application of knowledge in the field of gender and gynocriticism. The research was targeted at secondary school literature teachers and understanding their teaching preferences in the field of literature in the early 20th century. Fourteen teachers participated in the investigation, with a gender representation almost replicating the composition of secondary school teachers in the Czech Republic from different types of secondary schools and with different lengths of teaching experience. Its results indicate that teachers overwhelmingly do not perceive the inclusion of topics and knowledge in the field of gender and gynocriticism in the teaching of literature as essential. This fact is confirmed by an analysis of the titles offered in the catalogue of requirements for the Maturita examination and school reading lists, where women writers are minimally represented. The same situation is observable in secondary school literature textbooks. The accompanying analysis of 320 teaching practice records of students of Czech Language and Literature for Secondary Schools at the University of Hradec Králové, 62 of which related to the defined period, confirmed this fact again, with only 5 records reporting the inclusion of material about a Czech female author from a more narrowly defined period in the teaching of literature education.