Literature in Language Education (second edition)

Abstract

Since its first edition, published in 2005, Hall’s book Literature in Language Education had been a source of information and ideas I recurrently went back to when doing my own research. For over a decade, it served as a valuable point of reference for academics and practitioners interested in the use of literature in English language teaching. Ten years on, it largely remains the only publication that attempts to provide an overview of various theoretical approaches to literature in language teaching and learning as well as a review of the research done in the field. However, as the author points out himself, the considerable amount of research conducted since the first edition came out demanded a revision of each chapter ‘in detail’ with ‘substantial new sections’ and ‘more than 100 new references’ (p. x) being added to this second edition. Despite the additions and changes, the book remains faithful to the objective of the series which is to provide a ‘cross-over between research in applied linguistics and its practical applications in the professions’ (p. viii).