Literature in an Intercultural Perspective Edited by: Nives Zudič Antonič Literature in an Intercultural Perspective Literature in an Intercultural Perspective Edited by: Nives Zudič Antonič Koper 2015 Literature in an Intercultural Perspective Edited by/Zbrala in uredila: Nives Zudič Antonič Technical Editor/Tehnična urednica: Jadranka Cergol Reviewers/Recenzentke: Paola Baccini, Neva Čebron, Elisabetta Pavan Layout/Tipične strani: Mateja Oblak Typesetting/Stavek: Alenka Obid Cover/Naslovnica: Alenka Obid Photo on the cover/Forografija na naslovnici: Marrakech (photo/foto: Paola Deffendi) Publishers/Izdajatelja: University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities; Università Ca'Foscari Venezia, Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Comparati For the Publisher/Za izdajatelja: Irena Lazar Publishing House/Založnik: University of Primorska, Science and Research Centre, Annales University Press For the Publishing House/Za založnika: Rado Pišot E-publication (pdf) Available at http://www.zrs.upr.si/monografije CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 82.0:316.7(082)(0.034.2) LITERATURE in an intercultural perspective [Elektronski vir] / edited by Nives Zudič Antonič. - El. knjiga. - Koper : University of Primorska, Science and Research Centre, An- nales University Press ; Venezia : Università Ca’Foscari, Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Comparati, 2015 ISBN 978-961-6964-06-7 (University of Primorska, Science and Research Centre, Annales University Press, pdf) 1. Zudič Antonič, Nives 277537536 Contents Nives Zudič Antonič: Literature and Culture | 9 David Newbold: Across the Ditch and into the Jungle: New Approaches to Bilingualism for Writers from Wales | 13 Olivera Terzić: Cultural Diversity in Michel Tournier’s The Golden Droplet | 25 Jenaeth Markaj: Joseph Brodsky and the Cosmopolitan Ideal | 39 Jagtar Kaur Chawla, Nidhi Nema: Negotiating Cultures: A Comparative Study of First and Second Generation Indian Immigrants in USA with Reference to Jhumpa Lahiri’s Works | 69 Igor Grbić: “Tagore Syndrome”: A Case Study of the West's Intercultural (Mis)Readings | 83 Assunta De Crescenzo: New Approaches to Literature and Globalized Narrative Strategies and Skills | 95 Elena Furlanetto: Voices from Anglophone Turkey: The Reasons for English in Contemporary Turkish Literature | 109 Maka Elbakidze: Medieval Georgian Romance by Shota Rustaveli in the Context of European Chivalry Romance | 129 Irma Ratiani: Introducing New Georgian Literature: In and Out of World Literary Process | 145 Dario Saftich: Eastern Adriatic: Intercultural Laboratory | 167 Nives Zudič Antonič: Educazione letteraria in prospettiva interculturale: presentazione di una ricerca svolta nella zona bilingue del Litorale sloveno | 183 Katarina Dalmatin: Imaginary Dalmatia and Its Women in the Transadriatic Mirror of Italian Writers | 207 Ivania Petrin: Italian as a Language of Culture in Dalmatia in the First Half of 19th Century | 221 Jadranka Cergol: L'immagine dello sloveno nella letteratura triestina italiana e l'immagine dell'italiano nella letteratura slovena nel periodo fascista: confronto tra due stereotipi | 231 Irena Graovac: Women and History: Two Mothers’ War Stories (Elsa Morante’s La Storia and Ester Sardoz Barlessi’s Una famiglia istriana) | 241 Ana Bukvić, Andrijana Jusup Magazin: An Intertextual Reading of Brumec's Francesca da Rimini and Dante's Divine Comedy | 255 Beatrice Nickel: Concrete Poetry as an Intercultural and a Medial Phenomenon | 269 Alessandra Korner: Literature for a Social and Cultural Integration | 281 Verusca Costenaro: The Importance of Being Intercultural: Introducing Multicultural Literature in Italian Secondary Education | 289 Abstracts | 305 Index | 323 Authors | 325 Literature and Culture In the past, culture used to enter school nearly exclusively through literary instruction that was thus considered as culture bearer and a strong motivational tool for language learning. Such approach can no longer be accepted because it is utterly inappropriate to the continuous and rapid change in the society causing constant change in students’ needs as well. Today, it is crucially important to introduce culture instruction in linguistic curriculum, where culture is under- stood as everyday life. Knowledge on cultures makes language instruction more interesting and motivating. Students who have reached a high level of knowledge are more aware of the world around us and can use literature as an excellent tool for the intercultural didactics promotion by entering in worlds that are spatially and temporally dif- ferent and/or distant to be lead by teachers to reflect on difference (of males or females; of the young or the adults; of Slovenes, Italians or foreigners; of someone living North or South etc.) and consequently to reconsider their responsibilities. Literature instruction also enables teachers to establish a dialogue with the text, its author, schoolmates and the teacher giving rise to emotions sharable by eve- ryone. These are the aspects of literature study that make it more than merely a formative process, but rather as a strong motivation particularly important to intercultural discourse. 9 Literature in an intercultural perspective Kramsch (1993) designed a theoretical approach to literary texts cultural analysis on the basis of the critical dialogue concept, that is, on students’ need to interact with a particular language and its context. These are, defined extensively, the following: – text’s culture, including its form: oral or written; – other students’ reactions to the text; – culture and relations between students and the teacher during instruction. In such a dialectics language learning does not aim at reading, writing or speaking acquisition in itself, but rather at discovering the various interrelations that occur between the speaker and the listener, between the writer and the rea- der, and the text or cultural context at the dialectics centre. In this way Kramsch integrates language and culture. This dialectics is based on the important concept of subjectiveness understood as inter-subjective, inter-textual and intercultural. Inter-subjective relations in classroom, including the teacher, leads to the awareness of multiplicity of voi- ces, experiential diversity, ethnic, racial and gender traits, as well as the rest of identity sources involved in discussion. As a result, numerous levels of meaning that contribute to discussion are created. Particularly in literature instruction readers’ voices do not always coincide with the text voice. Inter-textual approach to literature allows readers to interact with the text’s author voice. When readers exchange meanings with text, this dialogue allows for a variety of interpretation, perception and experience. As a consequence, student’s world opens to a set of attitudes and values that make literature and culture inseparable (Kramsch 1993). The conception of intercultural recognizes the subjective nature of each culture. Individual’s experience and perception can easily overcome stereotypes originating in information exchange. In such a context, culture and language are taught and learned through interpersonal processes, examination of differences and interdisciplinary approach to language and culture analysis. In literary discussion, emphasis on the individual, the interrelation of literature and social sciences and the examination of differences between languages and cultures is what Giroux (1992) refers to as “crossing borders” (a very important factor, parti- cularly to the comprehension of our cultural reality). This pedagogical approach “is based on requirement of conditions that allow students to write, speak and listen in a language whose meaning becomes manifold and disperse and resists to permanent rejection” (Giroux 1992). Traditional pedagogy envisages a teacher as head of subject and distributor of knowledge. However, by allowing students to concentrate on perspectives, experiences and products of others these will express their own perspectives willingly. They will thus cross the border between 10 Literature and culture information passage and personal participation. Once this border is crossed students themselves are seen as authors of their learning. The result is learning openness to variety and voice multiplicity, as well as meaning negotiation in a variety of texts and contexts in which learning takes place (Kramsch 1993). In language programs, borderline overcoming connects language and culture inextricably. Furthermore, it represents a basis for personal insight of culture that cannot occur through a mere passage of information. The peculiarity of our reality requires the use of literary text through which students acquire cultural contents about their home milieu. These texts reawaken empathy essential to view change. The use of literary text is considered essential to intercultural didactics also because it reassures students that are initially hesitant to participation in a topic and decides to follow it from the outside as observer. He himself decides when and how much to get involved into the topic discussed. Literature discussed from intercultural standpoint allows us to approach cultures different from our own: a novel creates a “long” listening space and time that is particularly privileged and we quite often lack when coming across these cultures in our towns; it carries us across an unknown cultural ground that we might accept to explore fearless only in literature; it gives rise to a feeling inside that each