The Shakespearean dramatic text in the English class in Brazilian high school

Abstract

This paper aims at demonstrating the possibility of insertion of literature in English in Brazilian High School classes. In the literary field, the object of study is the comedy play The taming of the shrew, by William Shakespeare. This text is utilized in the teaching proposal of the dramatic genre. Therefore, in this paper, the discursive, social and pedagogical dimensions due to the choice of a classical text in a High School syllabus will be considered and discussed from a theoretical review about governmental curriculum guidelines for teaching English at this school stage. The analysis of the concepts of literature, reader and response is tackled with emphasis on theories in the of Reception Aesthetics, aiming at the refl ection about the importance of school in a desirable popularization of the classics. It is intended to present a supported proposal for the teaching of English with this Shakespearean literary text, assuming that the dramatic genre contributes to articulate teaching of oral communication, writing and reading, which means an appropriate approach to English teaching in Brazilian Public High Schools, according to the Brazilian National High School Curricular Guidelines. Although it does not discuss the insertion of English literature, this document presents the concept of literacy as a basic element of foreign language teaching.

Key words: literature, dramatic text, literacy.