LITERARY LITERACY AND THE TRAINING OF READERS IN A SCHOOL CONTEXT

Abstract

It is presented in this paper a reflection on the important and complex school task that is to train literature readers. Initially, we highlight two main approaches to reading in the field of Applied Linguistics. Firstly, the psychosocial, which is based on the psychological sciences (Psycholinguistics and Cognitive Psychology) and, secondly, the socio-historical, with emphasis on the conception of reading proposed by the New Studies of Literacy, which conceives reading as a social practice limited to the real contexts of language use (STREET, 2014). We aim to demonstrate how these approaches have impacted or impact on the work with reading in schools. We then discuss more specifically the contributions of literacy studies with an emphasis on literary literacy assumptions for the teaching of literature. From this perspective, work with reading should consider the following principles: the “literary experience”, “not reducing to the canonical system” and “building a community of readers” (COSSON, 2012, 2014). Finally, we propose the reading circle as a literary literacy practice that can contribute to the formation of critical and proficient readers in the school context.