TEACHING LITERATURE THROUGH TRANSLATION. JOHN MILTON, DYLAN THOMAS AND T.S. ELIOT: PARALLELS WITH THE CORDOVAN SCHOOL OF MODERN POETRY

Abstract

Literature is usually taught using primary sources written in the language of the literature being taught. This pedagogical proposal is based on translations of literature, advanced as a didactic element enhancing literature lessons. More specifically, this work focuses on English literature translated into Spanish and published in the Cordovan journal Cántico, in order to explore how the translations of international works can be valuable elements in the teaching of Literature. To achieve these objectives some of the translations of the English works appearing in Cántico are studied: two fragments of John Milton, a poem by Dylan Thomas, and another poem by T.S. Eliot. The final conclusion drawn is that the interpretation of the original poems, their poets, and their context, as well as a presentation of the context in which these poems were translated, are pedagogical undertakings that enhance the teaching of foreign literature, and literature in general.