Literary Reading and Creative Activities in the Digital Literature Classroom

Abstract

The article discusses the potential impact of using digital platforms and digital tools on the teaching of literature. In a survey of relevant literature, the article focuses on the conflicts as well as the links between literary reading and digital culture. Special attention is paid to the different conceptualizations of literary reading, including Hayles tripartite scheme, the relationship between immersive and reflective reading, and recent revisions of the concept of close reading in a digital environment. These revisions claim that non-textual media effects can and should be read as texts. They also place increased emphasis on the social and contextual components of reading, without losing sight of the importance of linguistic detail. The second part of the article presents a classroom experiment which has provided relevant empirical data for the theoretical debates. In the experiment, students have been asked to work with literary texts using creative digital tools (mind-mapping, collaborative writing, picture and video editing software). The results suggest that creative and interactive digital methods, instead of leading students away from the literary text, may enhance and deepen the understanding of literature.