Rethinking the Teaching of English Literature (The Case of Moroccan Universities)

Abstract

This paper analyses the situation of English literature and its teaching in Moroccan universities. The gap between students and literature is widening. The malaise is obvious. Some students no longer know how to approach literary texts. They have no clear strategy for reading, understanding and criticising a text. Moreover, a sense of the literary activity is also missing. Why read novels, plays and poems? What is the purpose of it all? These questions continue to resonate in the minds of our students without finding the courage to address them with their teachers. In order to be in a position to identify the problem and propose realistic and practical solutions, it was necessary to organise two different surveys. While the first dealt with methodology, the second focused on motivation and the meaning of literary activities. The results show that the problem exists and that the need to rethink the teaching of literature becomes more than significant.