Lit 21 - New Literary Genres in the Language Classroom Augsburger Studien zur Englischdidaktik Edited by Engelbert Thaler (Augsburg) Editorial Board: Sabine Doff (Bremen), Michaela Sambanis (Berlin), Daniela Elsner (Frankfurt am Main), Carola Surkamp (Göttingen), Christiane Lütge (München), Petra Kirchhoff (Regensburg) Volume 2 Volume 5 Engelbert Thaler (ed.) Lit 21 - New Literary Genres in the Language Classroom © 2019 · Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH + Co. KG Dischingerweg 5 · D-72070 Tübingen Das Werk einschließlich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung außerhalb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlages unzulässig und strafbar. Das gilt insbesondere für Vervielfältigungen, Übersetzungen, Mikroverfilmungen und die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung in elektronischen Systemen. Internet: www.narr.de eMail: info@narr.de CPI books GmbH, Leck ISSN 2367-3826 ISBN 978-3-8233-8307-9 (Print) ISBN 978-3-8233-9307-8 (ePDF) ISBN 978-3-8233-0171-4 (ePub) Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http: / / dnb.dnb.de abrufbar. www.fsc.org MIX Papier aus verantwortungsvollen Quellen FSC ® C083411 ® www.fsc.org MIX Papier aus verantwortungsvollen Quellen FSC ® C083411 ® 7 A. 13 29 49 B. 61 71 105 117 Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Theory Engelbert Thaler Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ansgar Nünning Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change: Emerging Genres and New Trends in 21st-Century British and American Novels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Strasser There’s an App for that! ? How Educational Applications Enhance the Teaching of Literature in the EFL Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Methodology Frauke Matz The Challenge of Teaching Dystopian Narratives in the Global Age. Learning about the ‘Terrors’ of the 21 st Century in the EFL Classroom . . . . Katrin Thomson Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching. Literary Learning with a Lit 21 Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sophia von Finckenstein Series 21: House of Cards and the Shakespeare Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claudia Deetjen Teaching Comics Journalism. Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan’s Welcome to the New World. The True Story of a Syrian Family’s Journey to America and Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. 137 143 151 157 173 179 185 Lessons Valentina Kleinert Drabbles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cherelle Hobson Graphic Novels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isabel Mair Digital Picture Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth Fanfiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eduard Gitt Text-Talk Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anja Wahler Digi Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Contents Introduction Panta rhei. The world is in motion. So is literary production. The “Big 5 -ation waves”, i.e. globalization, digitalization, visualization, diversification, and multi-optionalization, are rocking the literary boat by adapting traditional genres, spawning new text types and modifying demands put on contemporary readers. New literary genres like visual literature, transcultural imaginaries, crunch lit, doodle fiction, fanfic, clifi, cosmopolitan novels, text-talk fiction, email novels, twitterature and digi fiction are gaining ground, and should be evaluated as regards their foreign language learning potential. For all these reasons, this book is dedicated to the use of Lit 21 in TEFL. As all edited volumes in the SELT (Studies in English Language Teaching) series, it follows a triple aim: 1. Linking TEFL with related academic disciplines 2. Balancing TEFL research and classroom practice 3. Combining theory, methodology and exemplary lessons This triple aim is reflected in the three-part structure of this volume. In Part A (Theory), the topic of Lit 21 is investigated from the perspectives of three academic disciplines, i.e. from the viewpoints of TEFL, literary studies and media studies. Part B (Methodology) assembles four contributions on selected genres, media and techniques. Six concrete lesson plans can be found in Part C (Class‐ room). These lessons were designed by lecturer (editor) and students at univer‐ sity, then conducted and assessed by teachers at German schools, and finally revised by the editor. Each of these chapters is divided into genre (brief back‐ ground information on the new text type), sample texts, procedure (source, synopsis, competences, topics, level, time, phases of the lesson), materials (texts, worksheets, board sketches), solutions (expected answers), and bibliography. Part A is introduced by the TEFL perspective. Engelbert Thaler adopts a five-step approach to examining the didactic potential of post-millennial fiction in the language classroom: What is the 21st century like? Who are the 21st century readers? What are the features of 21st century literature? What new literary genres can be identified in the 21st century? How should you teach these genres in the 21st century language classroom? The perspective of literary studies is adopted by Ansgar Nünning. First, his essay accounts for the cultural dynamics of generic change by providing a brief look at some salient contexts and new concerns which serve as catalysts for the transformations of new genres of Lit 21. Second, it gives a selective overview of some emerging genres and new trends in 21st-century British novels, including hybridization, ‘fictions of the Internet’ and the rise of frag‐ mentary essay-novels. Third, the author proposes some reasons why reading and teaching contemporary fiction matter in an age dominated by digital and social media. Thomas Strasser adopts the perspective of media studies. He investigates the potentials of digital storytelling and tag cloud applications in a blended learning context focussing on productive and receptive skills in the EFL litera‐ ture classroom. His findings show that certain educational applications, which consider various dimensions of the teaching of literature, elicit motivating phases of L2-acquisition among the learners. Part B is introduced by Frauke Matz. She makes students realize the ‘terrors’ of the 21st century by recommending dystopian narratives, as they offer fic‐ tional insights into global discourses and serve as suitable texts when pursuing global education. Her article informs us about the genre and its current devel‐ opments as well as discusses ways of fostering critical thinking skills, global attitudes and democratic participation within the context of global education. Katrin Thomson is convinced that text-talk fiction, which attracts espe‐ cially a young adult readership, offers great, yet still mostly untapped potential for the EFL literature classroom. She explores the characteristic features of this genre, discusses the didactic and methodological implications of reading text-talk narratives in the foreign language classroom, and presents a series of specific classroom activities. Sophia Finck von Finckenstein explains the Netflix effect and the narra‐ tive power of series 21 by turning to the political drama series House of Cards. Taking one of the first Netflix originals as an example, she demonstrates how to foster media literacy, political learning and literary competence (via al‐ lusions to Shakespeare tragedies) in advanced TEFL classes. Claudia Deetjen uses comics journalism to help learners engage critically with the multi-modal ways of making meaning. When dealing with the graphic report of a Syrian refugee family or the account of Hurricane Katrina, learners may acquire multiple literacies, develop skills in selecting relevant information and critically assess multi-modal texts in terms of their constructedness. 8 Introduction Part C comprises six contributions, which demonstrate how new literary genres can be made use of in the English language classroom: • Shorties, to put it tautologically, are ideal texts for TEFL because they are short and narrative. Among the wealth of Shorties, also called flash fic‐ tion, skinny fiction, prosetry, short short story, or mini-fiction, we also find the sub-genre of drabbles, which consist of exactly 100 words. Val‐ entina Kleinert has teenagers reflect on everyday life, stress, making ends meet, nature, and yearning for peace by reading a drabble titled What might not Happen. • Cherelle Hobson encourages learners to discuss similarities and differ‐ ences between growing up in an Islamic and a Western culture by reading Persepolis. This autobiographical graphic memoir by Marjane Satrapi deals with her childhood and coming of age within a loving family living in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq War. • Isabel Mair is convinced that digital picture books are among the most exciting innovations in literature for children in a long time. That is why she familiarizes us with the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL), which makes children’s books from all over the world accessible, online and free of charge. To pave the way for the introduction of the ICDL in elementary TEFL classrooms, she suggests a lesson on The Jungle School. • Maximilian Leoson and Julian Schafroth are fans of fanfiction, i.e. a fan’s interpretation of a well-known text of popular culture, which leads to the creation of a narrative text produced by this fan. They intend to make learners become fans of Game of Thrones and write their own pieces of fanfiction. • Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differ‐ ently online than they do in person. This painful insight is gained by Claire, a hopeless romantic, Lottie, who is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect, and Will, who wants his secret crush to finally notice him. Tweet Heart, a text-talk novel written entirely in emails, tweets and instant messages, is recommended by Eduard Gitt. • Anja Wahler introduces us to the innovative text type of digi fiction, i.e. fiction written for and read on a computer screen, combining visual, auditory and textual stimuli. The topics of immigration, intercultural en‐ counters and refugees can be explored with the sample text of Flight Paths, which supports a multiliteracies approach in class. 9 Introduction The theoretical, methodological and practical contributions in this volume may open the doors a bit to accessing Lit 21 in our English language classrooms, so that we can strike a fair balance between pre-millennial fiction und post-mil‐ lennial literature. As a matter of fact, there are not only the omnipresent DWEMs (Dead White English Males), but also the LANGs (Living Authors and New Genres). Cuncta fluunt. 10 Introduction A. Theory Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature Engelbert Thaler Panta rhei. The world is in motion. So is literary production. And TEFL has to reflect that. Addressing the topic of this paper, one should adopt a five-step approach: What is the 21 st century like? Who are the 21 st century readers? What are the features of 21 st century literature? What new literary genres can be identified in the 21 st century? And how should you teach these genres in the 21 st century language classroom? 1 21 st Century Attempting to summarize contemporary developments is bound to be both a challenging and selective endeavour. The following seven trends, which are highly interrelated, have affected literary studies and teaching literature to a considerable degree. • Globalization: It is a truism to state that today’s world is an increasingly transnationally configured one. “Indeed, globality seems to emerge as the new mega paradigm, superseding even post-modernism and post-structuralism, while transcultural studies are taken for granted in most disciplines today” (Gohrisch/ Schmidt-Haberkamp 2017: 211). It is also a dialectical platitude that modern phenomena both have their blessings and draw‐ backs - or as the Indian-American literary scholar Spivak (2011: 1) in her seminal essay proclaimed: “Globalization takes place only in capital and data. Everything else is damage control.” This damage control ensues in numerous fields, whether in migration, law, police, identity formation, education, or teaching. • Digital Era: The process of converting information into a computer-readable format, where the information is organized into bits, is also changing TEFL meth‐ odology. Tools of digital transformation such as computer, Internet, smartphone, digital camera, projectors, and the IWB (interactive white‐ board) provide students with a widespread availability of authentic re‐ sources, the chance to communicate with people online inand outside the classroom (extra-mural English), and a huge variety of learning apps on the go; teachers can access digital platforms, make use of online cor‐ pora, profit from online CPD (continuous professional development) and the global staffroom (Lütge 2018). However, long before digital media entered the classroom, Albert Einstein already demanded in his famous dictum: “The human spirit must prevail over technology” - and, more recently, the popular computer scientist Jaron Lanier (2018) proposed “10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.” • Visual Turn: The humanities have also witnessed a pictorial or iconic turn (Boehm/ Mitchell 2009). The linguistic turn is challenged by the visual turn (imagic turn, visualistic turn), in which the picture has dethroned the written word. Today’s world, more than ever, is determined by visual artefacts, and the image seems to have thrown the letter from its pedestal. • Multiliteracies: As we seem to have a paradigm shift every second day, we are also facing a multi-modal turn, in which “sit-back” media are increasingly substituted by “lean-forward” media. “In the 21 st century, meaning-making is multi-modal in orientation with different semiotic systems interacting in complex ways” (Delanoy 2017: 13). In the mid-1990s, The New London Group (1996) coined the term Multiliteracies to describe an approach to literacy theory and pedagogy which, apart from linguistic diversity, high‐ lights multimodal forms of linguistic expression and representation. A words-only approach has become outdated because “written-linguistic modes of meaning interface with oral, visual, audio, gestural, tactile, and spatial patterns of meaning” (Kalantzis/ Cope 2012: 2). • Multi-optionality: A variant form of the affluent society, the multi-optional society reflects the profound influence technology has had on society, as consumers are accustomed to having everything literally at their disposal. In our Multi‐ optionsgesellschaft (Gross 1994), “nothing is impossible”, everybody has the right to demand more and better things, for which Gross has coined the neologism “Mehrgott” (1994: 366). Multi-optionalisation increasingly affects every domain of life: consumption, ownership, work, family, re‐ lationships, education - and reading. With the decrease of traditional ob‐ ligations, a space has opened for the individualisation in society, “Why 14 Engelbert Thaler not? ” and “I construct myself ” have advanced to the most frequently heard mantras in a multioptional I-society. • Diversity: Another mega-trend can be observed in the growing respect for group dif‐ ferences, whether they refer to race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, phys‐ ical health, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, mental health, personality, or behaviour. Terms like superdiversity and intersectionality reflect the fact that these categories overlap in various forms (Walgenbach 2014). The acceptance of diversity is connected with cosmopolitanism (or multi-/ transculturalism), which claims that all human beings belong to a single community, and individuals from different areas and domains form relationships of mutual respect. Political creeds supporting the notion of diversity being desirable are convinced that promoting these diverse cul‐ tures will aid communication between people of different backgrounds. Critics of diversity voice concerns, among others, about the buzzword character of the term (bandwagon hopping), PC excesses (Political Correct‐ ness), or the oppression of the silent majority (Thaler 2016a). • World risks: “The time is out of joint. O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right! ” (Hamlet I, v). What Shakespeare’s protagonist bemoaned more than 450 years ago, has lost nothing of its significance. With his concept of the world risk society, Beck, however, distinguishes between the ‘old risks’ and the ‘new risks’: “Old risks (industrial accidents, wars) and natural catastrophes (earth-quakes, tsunamis) overlap and are becoming associ‐ ated with new risks (catastrophic climate change, global financial crises and suicide attacks) and thus can trigger in turn new, incalculable and unpredictable turbulences” (Beck 2012 [2009]: 19). The contemporary Hamlet has to set right calamities like a tremendous global population increase, mass migration, terrorism, religious clashes, global warming, vanishing cropland, extreme poverty, economic crunches, impeding shortages of fresh water, oil and other natural resources, just to name a few. In the 21st century “crisis” may be the new “normal”. 2 21 st Century Reader Contemporary trends, of course, affect the conditions of reading and the de‐ mands made on modern readers (Delanoy et al. 2015, Hall 2005, Hammer et al. 2012, Lütge 2013, NCTE 2013, Paul 2010, Proserpio/ Gioia 2011, Ribbat 2005, Wyse et al. 2010, Thaler 2016b, 2012). The New London Group (1996) has brought to 15 Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature our minds the need of a new definition of being literate in modern culture. With society and technology changing and literate environments becoming more complex, readers have to possess multiple literacies, which are dynamic and malleable (Friesen 2011). Since digital natives grow up using technology as a learning tool, they can navigate and comprehend digital media, interpret coded language and decode graphics. They are expected to read, understand, analyse, evaluate and create multi-modal texts. Compared to older digital immigrants, however, younger readers tend to have a shorter attention span, which calls for shorter, varied and more attractive input. In our multioptional society it seems important to give people more options on how they consume entertainment - and books. Until recently, the intended reader was mainly an upper-secondary student with rather advanced linguistic abilities and some intrinsic interest in literature. Recent developments now offer the opportunity to include new reader groups. “In contrast, the focus on young learners and multi-modal texts includes en‐ gagement with less advanced and more reluctant learner groups” (Delanoy 2017: 19). More diverse and alluring text formats may also counteract the so-called Leseknick, i.e. a considerable decrease of reading interest at the beginning of adolescence (Bland 2013: 74, Lewis 2015). 3 21 st Century Literature Post-millennial literature, as heterogeneous as it may appear, can be character‐ ized by the following features (Friesen 2011, Nünning et al. 2012): • It has been written by contemporary authors and comprises new literary work created from 2001. • It deals with current topics and issues, and frequently reflects today’s technological culture. • It builds on traditional genres. For example, the new text-talk genres like email novels have their predecessor in the epistolary novel, the novel of letters like Samuel Richardson’s Pamela or Henry Fielding’s parody Shamela. So the ancient terms for this process of interaction with the literary past, i.e. imitatio (“imitation”) and aemulatio (“competition”), are still relevant; “imitation”, however, does not mean slavish copying, but creative adaptation of the tradition. • It adapts classical texts. Adaptations, remixes and mash-ups are en vogue, so Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights becomes Wuthering Bytes (osten‐ sibly a vampire story), Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is changed to Jane 16 Engelbert Thaler Eyre Laid Bare or Jane Slayre (with a blood-sucking twist), and Jane Aus‐ ten’s Pride and Prejudice is extended to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. • It often breaks traditional writing rules. Rules are meant to be broken - which holds true for post-modernism or any other literary movement. Whether unconventional pieces really create something inspiring and original, or give novelty a bad name due to an overweening desire to achieve newness, is often a matter of dispute. • It sees the emergence of new genres (Surkamp 2019). Various forms of electronic literature such as hypertext (interactive) fiction, animated po‐ etry, or SMS (text-message) fiction, to a certain degree, reflect the much heralded “death of print”. • It consists of numerous multi-modal texts. In teaching literature, “this multi-modal turn has shifted attention to the interplay of words and pic‐ tures in text-types such as picturebooks, comics and graphic novels” (De‐ lanoy 2017: 14), and in language learning, “symbolic competence” (Kramsch 2006: 251) is the new goal. • Its genre lines are blurred. Whether a certain piece of visual fiction must be classified as a graphic novel, an illustrated novel or doodle fiction, is often hard to decide. The boundaries of genres are fluid and are often breached for literary effect. • It is immensely diverse in at least three dimensions: aesthetic quality, intended reader group, technical format. 4 21 st Century Literary Genres The genre of a literary work still remains an important factor today - in spite of post-structuralists’ aversion to classification. One may argue that every text belongs to a genre and that it is not possible not to write in one as even the most ingenious writers trying to break free of convention are still involved in “ex‐ perimental” literature. A genre can be characterized as a dynamic group of texts which share certain similarities - whether of form, style, subject matter, historic origin, intended readership, mode, or performance context (Nünning/ Nünning 2018, Nünning et al. 2012). The following survey attempts to briefly describe the genres and sub-genres as well as suggest a few representative texts, which may also be read in class. 17 Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature 4.1 Visual Fiction The visual turn (cf. 1.) has increased the presence of images in fiction (Elsner et al. 2013, Kimes-Link/ Steininger 2012, McCloud 1994, Rüschoff 2013) and pro‐ duced at least four sub-types. • Graphic Novels: Although the origins of the form are open to interpre‐ tation (Baetens/ Frey 2015), “[b]ook-length, high-quality comic books that introduce children and adults to a wide range of literary fiction and non‐ fiction subjects” (Burdge 2006: 166) really became popular after the com‐ mercial success of Art Spiegelman’s Maus (1986) - in TEFL classrooms as well. Example: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (2006) • Illustrated Novels: Compared to a graphic novel, an illustrated novel, i.e. “an extended narrative with multiple images that, together with the text, produce meaning” (Godbey 2010: 418), still views the text as pre‐ dominant. Examples: Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told through Stuff by Jennifer Holm (2007), The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2007) (cf. also Thaler 2010) • Manga: Manga is Japanese for comics, knows at least four target audi‐ ences (boys, girls, youths, matured), and, in its original form, is read from the right to the left (pages, panels, text). Examples: Chi’s Sweet Home by Konami Kanata (2004 ff.), Adolf by Osamu Tezuka (1983-1985), Shakespeare’s Macbeth by Robert Deas/ Richard Ap‐ pignanesi (2008) • Doodle Fiction: Doodles are “drawn by hand, include speech or thought balloons, interjections or some other form of text” (Merklinger 2018). Examples: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (2007 ff.), Wonkenstein - The Creature from My Closet by Obert Skye (2011) 4.2 Text-Talk Fiction Text-Talk novels are hybrid texts in the sense that they combine features of 21st century modern literature with features of the traditional 18th century episto‐ lary novel (cf. Thomson in this volume, Lomicka/ Lord 2012, Page/ Bronwen 2011, Schmidt et al. 2010). Starting with Deep Love (2003) by Yoshi, the cell phone novels (mobile phone novels) were originally written on a cellular phone via text messaging. The stories are told almost completely in dialogue simulating social network exchanges, display a strong visual component, are often multi‐ modal and always intermedial (different medial formats like letters, emails, 18 Engelbert Thaler notes, IMs). Although they adopt a 1 st person point of view, they provide mul‐ tiperspectivity. The absence of a narrator creates a lack of coherence, so the readers have to take a much more active role in filling the gaps. • Email novels: Heart on my Sleeve by Ellen Wittlinger (2004) • IM novels (instant messaging): Connect2God. Instant Messages from God to Teens by Andy Cloninger/ Kurt Cloninger (2004) • Blog novels: Kiss & Blog by Alyson Noël (2007) • Twitterature (Twitter literature): TweetHeart: A Novel in E-mails, Blogs, and Tweets by Elizabeth Rudnick (2010) 4.3 Digi Fiction Digi texts are written for and read from a computer, can be webor app-based (for tablets and smartphones) or accessed via CD-ROMs, and would lose some‐ thing of their structural form and aesthetic impact if they were removed from the digital medium, as they are “born digital” and not just e-books (Bell et al. 2014, Blake 2013, Dudeney et al. 2013, Hammond 2016, Jonneg 2017, Koskimaa 2016, Rustad 2014). Interactive Fiction contains hyperlinks, moving images, sound effects, mini-games and further gadgets, so the reader constructs the nar‐ rative him/ herself by controlling a character’s journey through the narrative, changing the way the story unfolds at every major turn, unlocking what-if-storylines through embedded links, interacting with the author through a voting platform, re-reading key scenes from the perspective of different char‐ acters. So the 21st century readers no longer are the passive consumers, but the active producers (prosumers), which is in line with the concept of Web 2.0 or even Web 3.0. A creative outlet for writerly and technological types among them is Kinetic Poetry, which synthesizes moving multimedia art with poetic tradi‐ tions by employing tools like Java, Flash or other animation programs to trans‐ form ideas into motion. Examples: Inanimate Alice by Kate Pullinger/ Chris Joseph (https: / / inanimate alice.com, digital story including text as well as visual elements, sound and even short games, presenting different episodes with Alice, who lives in various parts of the world), Flight Paths by Kate Pullinger/ Chris Joseph (http: / / flightpaths.net, immigration story about young Pakistani airplane stowaway Yacub encountering London resident Harriet, written with contributions from readers, including sound effects, photography, video, music, graphics and written text) 19 Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature 4.4 Crisis Fiction Not much unlike any other period, crises abound in the 21 st century and trigger literary output (Horton 2014). Two of them loom large, one in the political field, the other in the financial-economic one. • 9/ 11 fiction: The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York on 11 September 2001 gave rise to several novels (Kovach 2016). Examples: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (2007), Falling Man by Don DeLillo (2007) • Crunch Lit: This type of “recession writings” is based on the financial crisis of 2008, contains lots of unsympathetic characters, is set around banking institutions, and satirizes modern life, consumer culture and the credit boom. Examples: Capitalism by John Lanchester (2011), A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks (2009), The Fear Index by Robert Harris (2011) 4.5 (Post-)Apocalyptic Fiction If one may compare neo-dystopias (new anti-utopias) to classical dystopias (Voigts/ Boller 2015, Matz 2015, Matz 2017), 21st century dystopias can rely on the increasing popularity of dystopian fiction and film, comprise more young-adult fiction catering for younger audiences, show the protagonists at least partially triumph over the oppressive regime, and frequently deal with themes like the destruction of individuality, the enslavement and silencing of citizens, environmental threats, and post-apocalyptic events, in which the civ‐ ilization of the Earth is collapsing or has already collapsed. They present “a non-existent society […] that the author intended a contemporaneous reader to view as considerably worse than the society in which that reader lived” (Sargent 1994, in Booker 2013: 6). The growing number of dystopian books in young adult fiction like Susan Collins’ The Hunger Games (2008-2010), Scott Westerfield’s Uglies (2005) and Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go (2005) promises to “reenergize the genre for new generations” (Booker 2013: 11) and sustain its aesthetical value. (Post-)Apocalyptic Fiction is usually centred around the following five types: • climatic apocalypse (CliFi, climate fiction), e.g. Solar by Ian McEwan (2010) • natural apocalypse (impact event etc.), e.g. Remnants by K. A. Applegate (2001-2003) • man-made apocalypse (nuclear holocaust, resource depletion etc.), e.g. The Road by Cormack McCarthy (2006) 20 Engelbert Thaler • medical apocalypse (plague, virus etc.), e.g. A Lovely Way to Burn by Louise Welsh (2014) • imaginative apocalypse (zombies, alien invasion etc.), e.g. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman (2003 ff.) 4.6 Diversity Fiction Integrating characters from diverse backgrounds, books are meant to become more truly representative of the fabric of life in this diverse world (Alvermann et al. 2013, Harris 1997, Martinez 1993, Moore-Kruse 1993, Oswald/ Atkinson 2011). At least four forms of diversity have come to the fore in the literary market. • Ethnic, e.g. books about the Hindi Dalit, considered “untouchable” in India’s caste system, by Omprakash Valmiki, Chandrabhan Prasad, or Rajat Rani Meenu • Occupational, e.g. Cashier Memoirs, i.e. memoirs by cashiers and other overlooked service workers approaching life behind the register as both humorous and thankless, like Checkout Girl - A Life behind the Register by Anna Sam (2010) • Gender, e.g. Bitpunk, i.e. an amalgamation of “8-bit” and “punk” inspired by the sounds, textures and visuals of classic 8and 16-bit videogames, like the screenplay for the film Spork by J.B. Ghuman Jr. (2010) • Age, e.g. Gran-Lit, i.e. grandparents’ literature trying to prove that ro‐ mance and passion are not the privilege of just the young, like Thursdays in the Park by Hilary Boyd (2011) 4.7 Cosmopolitan Fiction At the beginning of the new century, Paul Jay called for the study of “literature’s relations to the processes of globalization” ( Jay 2001: 35). Globality having be‐ come the new mega paradigm, researchers explore Fictions of Globalization (Annesley 2006), Transcultural Imaginaries (Tunkel 2012), and the Cosmopolitan Novel (Schoene 2009). Example: Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (2006), a politically informed, cross-cul‐ tural adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations (1860), and an auto‐ diegetic coming-of-age narration, in which Great Expectations is read, retrieved and recreated at least six times and in different ways (Nowak 2017) 4.8 Miscellaneous This residual category not only results from being at a loss to find a common term for other types, but also reflects the diversity of today’s literary world. 21 Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature • Mythopoeia Greek for mythos-making, mythopoeia refers to a narrative genre where a fictional mythology is created by the author. Sometimes it comes as a series of epic fantasy novels. Example: A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin (2011), turned into TV drama Game of Thrones • Fanfic Short for fanfiction, Fanfic is prose or poetry written by fans of a film, TV show or book featuring the person’s favourite characters. The products are posted online or published in a “fanzine” enabling a wide audience to share and discuss stories on the web. Typical characteristics of fanfic are its non-commercial use, intermediality, intertextuality, hypertextuality, and the transformation of the original. Example: the multitude of stories around Harry Potter • Progression Literature Representatives of progression literature put a heavy emphasis on the past, pursue (an often subjective) truth, imitate how people perceive time and events in their lives, and usually conclude with open-endedness, leaving readers to form their own ideas on the characters’ futures. Example: Me & Lee - How I Came to Know, Love and Lose Lee Harvey Oswald by Judyth Vary Baker (2010) • Flash Fiction Shorties, i.e. short narrative texts, are nothing new as Ernest Hemingway is said to have written the first piece with his 6-word story “For sale, baby shoes, never worn”. With the advent of the Internet, microfiction, how‐ ever, has experienced a real boom (Botha 2016). Example: Shorties - Flash Fiction in Language Teaching by Engelbert Thaler (2016c) • Bizarro This genre of weird literature contains both strange and fascinating, thought-provoking and funny elements by depicting an unstable universe where the inexplicable becomes the norm and incongruities are made flesh. Example: Shatner Quake by Jeff Burk (2009), a novel about every character that Star Trek’s lead actor William Shatner has ever played 22 Engelbert Thaler 5 Teaching 21 st Century Literary Genres Based on the preceding chapters, the following decalogue of TEFL suggestions may help you meeting the demands of Lit 21. 1. Assess the quality of the text/ genre. Is it trash or treasure? However, it is anything but easy to distinguish between the 3 K’s: Kunst, Kitsch, Kom‐ merz. 2. Judge the suitability of the genre for your learner group. Gran-Lit may not be the most appropriate text type for young adults. 3. Evaluate each individual work. Even highly praised works by distin‐ guished Nobel Prize winners like Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro con‐ tain long and dreary passages in the first half of the book. 4. Consider reluctant readers. Multi-modal literary texts can be the answer here as they “enable the struggling reader, motivate the reluctant one, and challenge the high-level learner” (McTaggart 2008: 32). Dual coding can ease understanding, thus helping the struggling reader; comics may en‐ courage reluctant ones to read more because of their positive attitude towards this genre; a close study of text-picture relationships can chal‐ lenge advanced learners. 5. Employ FVR (free voluntary reading) and rely on extensive reading, fun reading, reading for enjoyment - and your classroom library (Thaler 2008). 6. Do not shy away from DEAR (Drop everything and read) - under two conditions: first, everybody must choose a book and read, and second, all must be quiet. 7. Encourage “thinking out of the box” - which may be all the more impor‐ tant in the COS era, i.e. the age of the competence obsession syndrome. 8. Select suitable reading approaches. Many Lit 21 pieces need not be studied along the segment or straight through approach. The sandwich approach, appetizer approach, topic approach, and patchwork approach are suitable alternatives (Thaler 2016b). 9. Make use of intermediality (intertextuality). Numerous film, TV, music and videogame adaptations for many modern works are available (Thaler 2018, 2009). 10. Balance trad fic and Lit 21. Incorporate modern texts into literature in‐ struction as we have pre-millennial fiction and post-millennial fiction, and beside the DWEMs (Dead White English Males), there are also the LANGs (living authors and new genres). Cuncta fluunt. 23 Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature Bibliography Alvermann, Donna/ Gillis, Victoria/ Phelps, Stephen (2013). Content Area Reading and Lit‐ eracy. Succeeding in Today’s Diverse Classrooms. Boston: Pearson. Annesley, James (2006). Fictions of Globalization. London: Continuum. Baetens, Jan/ Frey, Hugo (2015). The Graphic Novel. New York: Cambridge University Press. Beck, Ulrich (2012 [2009]). World at Risk. Cambridge: Polity Press. Bell, Alice/ Ensslin, Astrid/ Rustad, Hans (2014). Analyzing Digital Fiction. New York: Routledge. Blake, Robert (2013). Brave New Digital Classroom. Washington, DC: Georgetown Uni‐ versity Press. Bland, Janice (2013). Children’s Literature and Learner Empowerment. London: Blooms‐ bury. Boehm, Gottfried/ Mitchell, Thomas (2009). Pictorial versus Iconic Turn: Two Letters. Culture, Theory and Critique 50: 2-3, 103-121. Booker, Keith (ed.) (2013). Dystopia. Ipswich, Mass: Salem Press. Botha, Marc (2016). Microfiction. In: Einhaus, Ann-Marie (ed.), The Cambridge Com‐ panion to the English Short Story. New York: Cambridge University Press, 201-220. Burdge, Anthony (2006). Graphic Novels. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children’s Litera‐ ture. Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 166-167. Delanoy, Werner (2017). Picturebooks, Comics and Graphic Novels. In: Da Rocha, Karin/ Haidacher-Horn, Agnes/ Müller-Caron, Amy (eds.), Picture That! Leykam: Graz, 13-27. Delanoy, Werner/ Eisenmann, Maria/ Matz, Frauke (eds.) (2015). Learning with Literature in the EFL Classroom. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Dudeney, Gavin/ Hockly, Nicky/ Pegrum, Mark (2013). Digital Literacies. Research and Re‐ sources in Language Teaching. Harlow: Pearson. Elsner, Daniela/ Helff, Sissi/ Viebrock, Britta (eds.) (2013). Films, Graphic Novels & Visuals. Developing Multiliteracies in Foreign Language Education. An Interdisciplinary Ap‐ proach. Berlin: Lit. Friesen, Calle (2011). 21st Century Literary Genres. Retrieved from: www.slideshare.net/ d arinjohn2/ 21st-century-literary-genres-by-calle-friesen (last accessed: 12/ 12/ 2018). Godbey, Margaret (2010). The Encyclopedia of the Novel. Retrieved from: https: / / onlinelib rary.wiley.com/ doi/ book/ 10.1002/ 9781444337815 (last accessed: 12/ 12/ 2018). Gohrisch, Jana/ Schmidt-Haberkamp, Barbara (2017). Cosmopolitan/ Global/ Planetary Fictions: The Uses and Abuses of Comparative Approaches. In: Berns, Ute/ Mathieson, Jolene (eds.), Anglistentag 2016 Hamburg Proceedings. Trier: WVT, 211-217. Gross, Peter (1994). Die Multioptionsgesellschaft. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. Hall, Geoff (2005). Literature in Language Education. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 24 Engelbert Thaler Hammer, Julia/ Eisenmann, Maria/ Ahrens, Rüdiger (eds.) (2012). Anglophone Literaturdi‐ daktik. Zukunftsperspektiven für den Englischunterricht. Heidelberg: Winter. Hammond, Adam (2016). Literature in the Digital Age. An Introduction. Cambridge: Cam‐ bridge University Press. Harris, Violet (ed.) (1997). Using Multiethnic Literature in the K-8 Classroom. Norwood, Mass: Christopher-Gordon. Horton, Emily (2014). Contemporary Crisis Fictions. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Jay, Paul (2001). Beyond Discipline? Globalisation and the Future of English. PMLA 116: 1, 32-47. Jonneg, Susann (2017). Blogging about New York City. Einen Blogpost über NYC ver‐ fassen. Englisch 5 bis 10, 2/ 38, 20-25. Kalantzis, Mary/ Cope, Bill (2012). Literacies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kimes-Link, Ann/ Steininger, Ivo (2012). Erzählkonventionen einer „graphic novel“ un‐ tersuchen. Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Englisch 46/ 117, 14. Koskimaa, Raine (2011). Cybertext Challenge. Teaching Literature in the Digital World. In: Thomas, Michael (ed.), Online Learning 2. Los Angeles: Sage, 131-145. Kovach, Elizabeth (2016). Culture Ontologies after 9/ 11. Trier: WVT. Kramsch, Claire (2006). From Communicative Competence to Symbolic Competence. The Modern Language Journal 90, 249-252. Lanier, Jaron (2018). Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now. London: Bodley Heade. Lewis, Gordon (2005). The Internet and Young Learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Lomicka, Lara/ Lord, Gillian (2012). A Tale of Tweets. Analyzing Microblogging among Language Learners. System 40: 1, 48-63. Lütge, Christiane (ed.) (2018). Digitales Lernen. Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht, 4. Lütge, Christiane (2013). Developing ‘Literary Literacy’? Towards a Progression of Lit‐ erary Learning. In: Eisenmann, Maria/ Summer, Theresa (eds.), Basic Issues in EFL Teaching and Learning. Heidelberg: Winter, 191-202. Martinez, Elizabeth (1993). The Politics of Multicultural Literature for Children and Ado‐ lescents. Combining Perspectives and Conversations. Language Arts 70: 3, 168-176. Matz, Frauke (2015). Alternative Worlds. Alternative Texts. Teaching (Young Adult) Dys‐ topian Novels. In: Delanoy, Werner et al. (eds.), 263-280. Matz, Frauke (2017). Thinking the (Im-)Possible. Science Fiction, Utopien und Dystopien. Praxis Englisch 3, 6-8. McCloud, Scott (1994). Understanding Comics. The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Per‐ ennial. McTaggart, Jacquelyn (2008). Graphic Novels: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. In: Frey, Nancy/ Fisher, Douglas (eds.), Teaching Visual Literacy. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, 27-46. 25 Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature Merklinger, Veronika (2018). Teaching 21st Century Literature. Augsburg: UnA. Moore-Kruse, Ginny (1993). The Politics of Multicultural Literature for Children and Adolescents. Combining Perspectives and Conversations. Language Arts, 70: 3, 168-176. NCTE National Council of Teachers of English (2013). The NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies. Retrieved from: www2.ncte.org/ statement/ 21stcentdefinition/ (last ac‐ cessed: 22/ 11/ 2018). Nowak, Helge (2017). Around the World in 18 Pages; or, Fresh Ground for Comparison of Literature in a Global Context. In: Berns/ Mathieson (eds.), Anglistentag 2016 Ham‐ burg Proceedings. Trier: WVT, 219-232. Nünning, Ansgar et al. (eds.) (2012). Narrative Genres im Internet. Trier: WVT. Nünning, Ansgar/ Nünning, Vera (eds.) (2018). The British Novel in the Twenty-First Cen‐ tury. Trier: WVT. Oswald, Ruth/ Atkinson Smolen, Lynn (2011). Introduction to Multicultural Literature. In: Oswald, Ruth/ Atkinson Smolen, Lynn (eds.), Multicultural Literature and Response. Affirming Diverse Voices. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1-16. Page, Ruth/ Bronwen, Thomas (eds.) (2011). New Narratives. Stories and Storytelling in the Digital Age. Lincoln, London: University of Nebraska Press. Paul, Laura (2010). Digitale Konkurrenz und Trivialliteratur. Die Gefährdung des Lesens im 21. Jahrhundert. Retrieved from: www.lesen-in-deutschland.de/ html/ content.php? object=journal&lid=993 (last accessed: 24/ 11/ 2018). Proserpio, Luigi/ Gioia, Dennis (2011). Teaching the Virtual Generation. In: Thomas, Mi‐ chael (ed.), Online Learning 3. Los Angeles: Sage, 271-289. Ribbat, Christoph (2005). The Windshield and the Rear-View Mirror. An Introduction to Twenty-First Century Writers, Books and Readers. In: Ribbat, Christoph (ed.), Twenty-First Century Fiction. Readings, Essays, Conversations. Heidelberg: Winter, 7-32. Rüschoff, Bernd (2013). Comics in Language Learning. The Pedagogical, Didactic, and Methodological Framework. In: Ludwig, Christian/ Pointner, Frank (eds.), Teaching Comics in the Foreign Language Classroom. Trier: WVT, 5-25. Rustad, Hans Kristian (2014). (In-)Between Word, Image, and Sound: Cultural Encounter in Pullinger and Joseph’s Flight Paths. In: Bell et al. (eds.), 3-20. Schmidt, Torben/ Hagelmoser, Rebecca/ Saage, Sven (2010). To Tweet or not to Tweet? Das Kommunikationstool Twitter im Fremdsprachenunterricht. Praxis Fremdsprachenun‐ terricht 7: 4, 7-11. Schoene, Berthold (2009). The Cosmopolitan Novel. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP. Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty (2011). An Aesthetic Education in the Era of Globalization. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. 26 Engelbert Thaler Surkamp, Carola (2019). Digitale Literatur und Literaturvermittlung. In: Grünewald, An‐ dreas/ Herthey, Meike/ Struve, Karen (eds.), Kontrovers: Literaturdidaktik Meets Lit‐ eraturwissenschaft. Trier: WVT. Thaler, Engelbert (2018). Singer-Songwriters - Poetries, Pop-try, Poe-try. In: Thaler, En‐ gelbert (ed.), Singer-Songwriters - Music and Poetry in Language Teaching. Tübingen: Narr, 13-24. Thaler, Engelbert (2016a). Diversität. Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 5, 5-6. Thaler, Engelbert (2016b). Teaching English Literature. Paderborn: UTB. Thaler, Engelbert (2016c). Shorties - Flash Fiction in Language Teaching. Tübingen: Narr. Thaler, Engelbert (2012). Englisch unterrichten. Berlin: Cornelsen. Thaler, Engelbert (2010). Buchtipps. Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 5, 19. 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London: Routledge. 27 Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Literature Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change: Emerging Genres and New Trends in 21st-Century British and American Novels Ansgar Nünning 1 Introduction: Changing Contexts and Emerging Genres in Contemporary Fiction The key concepts in the title provide a highly abridged version of the main point this essay attempts to make: New literary genres of the 21st century typically emerge as a result of changing contexts and new cultural concerns, both of which have an impact on prevalent forms of life, most notably on “our digital form of life” (Lynch 2016: 3, 8). Given the unprecedented speed with which in‐ novation in digital technology has recently changed not only contemporary communication and lifestyles, but also our minds and values, it hardly comes as a big surprise that “Fiction in the Age of Amazon” (McGurl 2016) has brought forth a wide range of new forms and genres, as Engelbert Thaler’s survey of post-millenial literature in this volume serves to show. These generic develop‐ ments thus confirm an observation made by James Phelan in the Appendix of his book Living to Tell About It, namely that “the living of our lives affects the way we tell our stories, where the telling of our stories affects the way we go on living, and where part of our living is given over to talking about our telling” (Phelan 2005: 205). This observation not only implies that the way we live and the way we tell our stories mutually shape each other, it also suggests that changes in our forms of life will have an impact on the forms and genres in which we prefer to tell our stories. Such an ongoing feedback-loop between forms of life and storytelling also suggests that the far-reaching changes of the prevalent forms of life ushered in by digital technologies, the Internet and what is somewhat euphemistically called ‘social’ media is likely to have repercussions on literary forms of story‐ telling, generating emerging new genres in 21st century fiction. Taking its cue from Phelan’s emphasis on the mutual impact between living and storytelling, this essay explores “the cultural dynamics of generic change” (Basseler/ Nünning/ Schwanecke 2013), i.e. the question of how literary genres emerge, transform and adapt due to altered social, cultural and historical constellations. The focus will be on the emergence of new genres in 21st-century Anglophone fiction, including fictions that engage with the Internet and the rise of the frag‐ mentary essay-novel, putting this genre as well as some others on the map of literary studies and the teaching of literature. Although literary genres are char‐ acterized by sets of conventions that constitute their respective generic reper‐ toires, they are also dynamic and subject to historical change. This essay pursues three main goals: First, it attempts to account for the cultural dynamics of ge‐ neric change by providing a brief look at some of the salient contexts and new concerns that serve as catalysts for the transformations of new genres of 21st-century fiction (section 2). Second, it will give a (highly) selective overview of some emerging genres and new trends in 21st-century British novels, in‐ cluding hybridization, ‘fictions of the Internet’ and the rise of fragmentary essay-novels (sections 3 and 4). Third, I will propose some arguments and rea‐ sons for why reading and teaching contemporary fiction matter in an age do‐ minated by digital and social media (section 5). Though we have witnessed both a renewed interest in genre theory and genre history, and an emergence of a wide range of innovative forms of novelistic storytelling, recent developments and trends in 21st-century American and English fiction have received only relatively scant scholarly attention so far. While many of the novels that would immediately spring to mind as paradigm examples of emerging genres and new trends in contemporary British fiction have been published to wide critical acclaim, receiving raving reviews and often winning prestigious literary awards like the Man Booker Prize or the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, recent overviews of 21st-century fiction have tended to focus less on new departures and emerging literary genres than on topics and general trends (cf., e.g., Acheson 2017; Boxall 2013; Bentley/ Hubble/ Wilson 2015). Leaving aside for the moment the delayed critical reception and canonization of contemporary fiction in literary studies, one could venture the hypothesis that one of the reasons why new genres and hybrid novels have not yet been subjected to close readings, critical inquiry and narratological analyses is that they represent innovative kinds of storytelling that often defy generic catego‐ rization and challenge traditional notions of narrative coherence. On the other hand, however, new hybrid genres are particularly appropriate and suitable for the foreign-language classroom precisely because they not only engage with contemporary concerns but also do so with forms like fragmentation, hybridity, 30 Ansgar Nünning intermediality and networks that no doubt appeal to the digital form of life of what has been dubbed today’s “iGen” (Twenge 2017). While teachers who wish to understand “Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids are Growing Up Less Re‐ bellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy - and Completely Unprepared for Adult‐ hood” should read Jean M. Twenge’s seminal book (which features this long quote as its subtitle), those who seek to recover and rekindle in their students “The Lost Art of Reading” (Ulin 2018) might want to try out some of the genres and novels discussed or mentioned in sections 3 and 4 below. If they are even more curious, interested teachers can read up on post-millennial developments in British fiction in the most comprehensive handbook on the topic to date, which provides not just an overview of the most important cultural concerns and literary developments but which also features model interpretations of a broad range of recent novels (cf. Nünning/ Nünning 2018). 2 The Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change in Contemporary Fiction: Coming to Terms with the ‘Janus-faced’ Nature of Genres and Emerging Genres Let us first turn our attention to the ‘Janus-faced’ nature of genres and to what is involved in the cultural dynamics of generic change, i.e. to the complex ques‐ tion of how one can explain changes of literary genres. In her article on “Genre” in The Cambridge Companion to Narrative, Heta Pyrhönen raises a crucial ques‐ tion - a question that is also of central relevance to the topic of this volume, although studies in the theory and history of genre have so far failed to provide comprehensive and satisfactory answers to it: “What accounts for shifts and changes within a genre? ” (Pyrhönen 2007: 119) Pyrhönen’s observations at the end of her essay provide a useful starting point in that she highlights two main ways of coming to terms with generic innovation: “explanations of generic change need to account both for modifications within the literary system and for the impact of the larger socio-cultural context” (Ibid.: 122). As Pyrhönen and many other genre theorists have pointed out, genres are curiously Janus-faced. On the one hand, they are characterized by relatively fixed sets of conventions or features that make up the repertoire of the respective genre and that fulfil important communicative functions, serving as implicit norms that guide readers’ and writers’ expectations. On the other hand, how‐ ever, genres are also subject to historical changes and cultural variation as the developments of many literary genres in the new millennium show. 21st-century British and American fiction encompasses a number of generic variants and emerging genres, but these new genres can also be seen as re‐ 31 Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change sponses to various cultural concerns and changing historical and medial con‐ texts. Although the complex processes that are involved in the cultural dynamics of generic change cannot be explored in detail in an essay, several hypotheses can be formulated that account for some of the innovative developments and innovations within and between literary genres. As the juxtaposition of the key concepts ‘cultural dynamics’ and ‘generic change’ in the title already highlights, the focus is on the question of how genres are determined not only by changes within the literary system but also by extra-literary, i.e. cultural, factors and contexts. One of the most important prerequisites for explaining generic change is to realize that every genre is always a part of a larger generic system, and that genres tend to mutually shape each other. The mixing of the conventions of two or more genres, which is also called hybridization (cf. Nünning/ Schwanecke 2013), may well be one of the most important catalysts of generic change and of the transformation of the systems of genres. In the new millennium, various forms of hybridization have produced a wide range of new genres of the novel. The English novelist Virginia Woolf was one of the earliest and most well-known critics to draw attention to the fact that novels not only come in many different forms and kinds, they have also been particularly prone to incorporating a wide variety of heterogeneous text-types, aesthetic forms and extra-literary docu‐ ments and materials. Introducing a very suggestive and vivid metaphor, Woolf compared the novel to a ‘cannibal’ that has, in the course of its history, integrated or “devoured” other genres and art-forms: “That cannibal, the novel, which has devoured so many forms of art will [in the future] have devoured even more. We shall be forced to invent new names for the different books which mas‐ querade under this one heading” (Woolf 1958 [1927]: 18). With the benefit of hindsight, we know by now that Virginia Woolf ’s statement that the novel would continue to integrate other forms of art has turned out to be an accurate prediction that has become true in more ways than Woolf could probably have imagined. The contemporary novel has not only been more cannibalistic than its forerunners, contemporary fiction has also generated new hybrid genres, some of which will be introduced below. To an even greater extent than novelists of earlier centuries, contemporary novels show that the genre’s major characteristic is arguably its proclivity for generic mixture and its hybridization, to which both well-established and rela‐ tively new generic hybrids bear witness. While such hybrid subgenres as e.g. ‘fictional autobiographies’ and ‘historiographic metafiction’ can already look back on a relatively long history, more recently emerging subgenres are still clearly recognizable as new generic hybrids. The latter include, e.g., various 32 Ansgar Nünning self-reflexive hybrid meta-genres such as ‘(fictional) meta-biographies’ (cf. Nadj 2006) or ‘meta-autobiographies’, ‘email novels’, ‘graphic novels’, ‘photographic novels’ (cf. Schwanecke 2012), ‘multimodal novels’ and ‘fictions of the Internet’ (see Weigel-Heller 2018 and section 4 below). In addition to such developments within the literary system as hybridization, accounts of generic change should take into consideration the rise of new media. Medialization has recently become one of the most important catalysts of ge‐ neric change, which is clearly recognizable in the cases of the photographic novel and literary ‘fictions of the Internet’. During the last two decades or so the historical conditions and the medial environment have changed so signifi‐ cantly that the literary field and the institutions that constitute it face a broad range of new challenges. Some of the most important innovations and trends include an unprecedented degree of commercialization of literature, the radi‐ cally altered media ecology that makes up the cultural environment of literary narratives (cf. McGurl 2016), and the rise of digital information technologies and networks (cf. e.g. Morozov 2013; A. Greenfield 2017). The narrative theorist Paul Dawson has provided a concise inventory of some of the most important de‐ termining conditions that impinge upon “the status and function of the novel in the public sphere” (2013: 5), which deserve to be quoted at some length: increased sales and cultural capital for literary nonfiction such as memoirs, the per‐ sonal essay and popular history; the commercial orientation of multinational pub‐ lishing houses, large chain bookstores, and online booksellers […]; the competing claims of cinema, television, and new media; the broader challenge to traditional print culture presented by technological advances in online publishing, print on demand, ebooks and ebook readers such as the Kindle and the iPad; and the attendant prolif‐ eration of demotic opinion in public debate via blogs, customer reviews, and opinion polls made possible by the same technology (Dawson 2013: 5). Not only have the main actors and institutions of the literary field been greatly reshaped since the beginning of the new millennium, the acceleration of digital innovations and the unprecedented growth of the digital monopolies (cf. Taplin 2017) have also had great impact on the developments of literature. With the rise of new digital media, various kinds of medialization have also had, and continue to have, great impact on the development of new literary genres. The unprecedented developments of new media, especially of digital media and rad‐ ical technologies, have played an important role in fostering pervasive generic change. The manifold forms, functions and cultural implications of generic change in the wake of medialization have only recently begun to be explored (cf. Schwanecke 2012). Medialization involves existing genres in a wide variety 33 Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change of processes of, to name but a few, competition (between old and new media, including a questioning of existing hierarchies of genres and media), media convergence and adaptation (of, e.g., the novel to a new media landscape), and media critique. As Jan Rupp and I (Nünning/ Rupp 2011; 2013) have tried to demonstrate elsewhere, the novel and other literary genres have played an im‐ portant role as reflexive media of cultural self-inspection, inquiring into their own potentials as well as into the potentials and limitations of other media. The digital media have also been the most important driving force behind establishing new forms of life, while digital forms of life have not only changed the ways in which fiction is read but also the forms and topics of contemporary fiction themselves (see section 4 below). Digital technologies have thus become influential catalysts of generic change, fostering the emergence of new genres that respond to a radically changed media culture and the dominant form of life. Our everyday experience in what Roberto Simanowski (2016) has christened Facebook-Gesellschaft (‘Facebook society’) is largely shaped by the digital infor‐ mation technologies and their relentless rhythms of round-the-clock commu‐ nication and consumption that the art historian Jonathan Crary (2014) has ex‐ posed and critiqued in his sombre exploration of neoliberal capitalism, 24/ 7. The most salient feature of the digital forms of life is arguably the pervasive ‘colo‐ nization’ of both everyday life and the domestic sphere by networked devices, products and services provided by digital information technologies (cf. A. Greenfield 2017: 36, 286). In his brilliant analysis of the contemporary cultural imaginary, Crary illustrates perceptively how the widely used expression ‘digital age’ can be regarded as a questionable act of historiographic construction or even myth-making in that it does not constitute a neutral representation of contemporary culture at all, but blocks out a large number of aspects and experiences that are no less constitutive of the culture(s) of today, but which are incommensurable elements of today’s world with its fixation on technical pro‐ gress and growth (cf. Crary 2014: 36). Although it is important to keep in mind just how comprehensively the digital information technologies and networks that so many people nowadays take for granted have changed everyday experience in the 21st century, it is equally important to appreciate the value of fiction as a corrective to the prevalent one-sided focus on technological innovation. While “digital information tech‐ nology […] inhibits our ability to think meaningfully about the future, tending to reframe any conversation about the reality we want to live in as a choice between varying shades of technical development” (A. Greenfield 2017: 8), the complex story-worlds of contemporary fiction remind the reader that there is 34 Ansgar Nünning much more to a good life than technological devices and that what makes life worth living may have nothing to do with digital technology at all. Generic change and the emergence of new genres can often also be explained as creative responses to cultural concerns and crises. If one wants to account for generic change, it is thus productive to take into consideration the interrelations between the cultural and historical contexts and the development of literary genres. More often than not, crises serve as catalysts of generic innovation in that their consequences give rise to new cultural concerns and themes that nov‐ elists then take up. The disruptions brought about by the rise of digital infor‐ mation technologies and the concomitant changes in the dominant forms of life, far-reaching though they have been, are by no means the only relevant contexts against which recent developments of the contemporary British novel should be gauged. Explanations of generic innovation should also consider that the new millennium has so far been an age of crises (consider the banking debt and other financial crises), overshadowed by acts of terrorism, the so-called ‘war on terror’ (see Hodges 2011) and unprecedented forms of surveillance, but also an age of climate change and the anthropocene (cf. Harari 2016: ch. 2), and an age of world-wide migration and refugee crises. Moreover, these diverse contextual developments are not isolated but rather interlinked in various ways. The banking and debt crises, for instance, were not just cataclysmic events in the systems of finance and the economy but rather had devastating consequences for society as a whole, changing culture, the mental climate and the dominant hierarchy of values in significant ways. As the prolific journalist and novelist John Lanchester shows in his brilliant book Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Ev‐ eryone and No One Can Pay, the “hegemony of economic, or quasi-economic, thinking” (2010: 187) has been damaging for Britain and Europe at large because the “economic metaphor came to be applied to every aspect of modern life, es‐ pecially the areas where it simply didn't belong” (ibid.: 187 f.). He goes on to argue that instead of having discussions about values and principles, the em‐ phasis has almost exclusively been on costs: “the idea of value has gradually faded to be replaced by the idea of price” (ibid.: 188). Reading and teaching fiction could thus be framed as a way of redressing the balance, shifting the emphasis of our cultural conversations from costs and prices onto the values that make life worth living. 35 Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change 3 Generic Pluralism: Post-Millennial Cultural Concerns and New Genres in an Age of Crises Since the turn of the 21st century, a wide range of new genres has emerged in British and American fiction, while well-established genres like fictional biog‐ raphies, feminist fiction, historical novels (and their postmodernist counterpart: historiographic metafiction) have continued to enjoy great popularity (cf. V. Nünning 2007). Whereas specific trends or genres tended to dominate in post-war fiction in the second half of the 20th century (cf. A. Nünning 1998), one of the hallmarks of contemporary Anglophone fiction in the two decades since the beginning of the new millennium has been, and continues to be, generic pluralism and the simultaneous coexistence of heterogeneous developments, genres and literary trends. Nonetheless, commentators on the state of the novel in the early 21st century generally agree that contemporary fiction is characterized by two main tenden‐ cies: on the one hand, there is a realist strand, indicating a return to plot-driven and character-based narratives after the metafictional playfulness that marked a great deal of postmodernist writing. On the other hand, an increasing body of emerging new genres and generic hybrid novels celebrate fragmentation, dis‐ ruption and formal experimentation as part of a critical outlook on what con‐ stitutes ‘reality’, ‘meaning’ and ‘authenticity’. While many of the most popular and well-known British novelists like Julian Barnes, Nick Hornby, Ian McEwan and Graham Swift continue to write novels in the tradition of psychological realism, albeit a kind of self-conscious realism, emerging new genres like the fragmentary essay-novel belong in the second category of literature. But even such an opposition between two main strands arguably falsifies the overall pic‐ ture in that the main feature of contemporary fiction is aesthetic, generic and poetic pluralism. Some of the relatively new genres that emerged in the late 20th century are by now quite well established. Cases in point include such genres as fictions of migration, fictions of memory and condition-of-England novels that often ex‐ plore the notion of Englishness. As Roy Sommer (2001) has shown, fictions of migration, i.e. novels that negotiate the ambivalent experiences involved in mi‐ gration, come in different shapes and types, including the multicultural or ‘Black British’ bildungsroman, the revisionist historical novel that rewrites key epi‐ sodes of colonial history, and the transcultural hybrid novel, with Salman Rushdie being the most popular representative of the latter. Fictions of memory, which are also characterized by a range of generic subtypes, can be seen as an exploration of both ‘Memory’s Fragile Power’, i.e. the precarious character and 36 Ansgar Nünning unreliability of remembering, and of the various Crises of Memory, Identity and Narrative in Contemporary British Novels, as the telling title and subtitle of Dor‐ othee Birke’s (2008) monograph succinctly put it. Although condition-of-Eng‐ land novels have been popular since the nineteenth century, recent exemplars of this genre like Martin Amis’ Lionel Asbo: State of England (2012) or Zadie Smith’s NW (2012) differ from their forerunners in that they focus on the pre‐ carious state of the nation that recently culminated in the Brexit referendum outcome. Some new trends and recently emerging genres can be understood as literary responses to post-millennial events like 9/ 11, the so-called ‘war on terror’, which is an infelicitous misnomer, the financial crises and, most recently, Brexit. Each of these cataclysmic events has inspired so many novels that several new sub‐ genres revolving around the ensuing cultural concerns and social consequences have emerged. While most 9/ 11 fiction and post-9/ 11 novels belong to US-Amer‐ ican literature (see Kovach 2016), the world-wide spread of terrorism and the ‘war on terror’ have also begun to play an important role in the imaginary worlds depicted in such British novels as Ian McEwan’s Saturday (2005) and Graham Swift’s Wish You Were Here (2011). Similarly, novels that focus on debunking the fictions of global capitalism like Sebastian Faulks’ A Week in December (2009), Justin Cartwright’s Other People’s Money (2011) and John Lanchester’s Capital (2012) attempt to gauge, and account for, the serious repercussions and social costs of the plethora of bank, debt and other financial crises since 2008. And most recently we have witnessed the emergence of yet another new genre of the novel unwittingly ‘launched’ by politics, viz. post-Brexit fiction, with novels like Douglas Board’s Time Flies: A Political Satire (2017) and Amanda Craig’s The Lie of the Land (2017) depicting and exploring the lies and consequences of the ill-fated referendum of 2016. 4 New Forms of Life and Modes of Storytelling in the Digital Age of 24/ 7: Fictions of the Internet, the Rise of Fragmentary Essay-Novels and Dystopian Fiction as Paradigm Examples of Emerging Genres in 21st-Century Novels While the rise of the new genres briefly surveyed in section 3 can mainly be attributed to cultural, political and social concerns that have come to the fore since the turn of the millennium, other generic innovations in contemporary fiction can be traced back to the radically altered forms of life (see Basseler/ Hartley/ Nünning 2015) and the disruptions digitalization has caused in many branches and professions. Two genres that have emerged in the 21st century 37 Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change amply testify to how the increasingly digital and medial way in which many people live their lives affects literary storytelling: While ‘fictions of the Internet’ engage with the Internet on a thematic and/ or formal level, the rise of fragmen‐ tary essay-novels can be understood as a creative response to such developments as digitalization, increasing fragmentation and precariousness in many walks of life. Recent novels that can be subsumed under the umbrella of ‘fictions of the Internet’ are characterized by a number of features that Anna Weigel-Heller (2018) has analysed in great detail in what is the first full-length study on the topic: Such novels do not only thematize our (ab)uses of digital communication technology and incorporate formats and text-types from the Internet (e.g. emails, text messages, blogs, wikipedia entries) as storytelling devices, they also debunk the manifold ideological fictions that surround the discourse on the In‐ ternet, showing that sharing and transparency often amount to surveillance and loss of privacy. In doing so, novels like Dave Eggers’ The Circle (2013) and Jarett Kobek’s I Hate the Internet (2016) shed critical light on our digital forms of life. Eggers’ The Circle, for instance, shows what the psychological and social costs are like when we “surrender our private lives believing in the myth of convenience be‐ queathed to us by benign corporations” (Taplin 2017: 12). However, an in‐ creasing number of novelists on both sides of the Atlantic have begun to explore what it means for human beings when everything they do, say and write is monitored, tracked and made subject to surveillance for advertising, economic, political or securitization purposes, and when the choices they are offered are more and more premediated by the design of the digital services and technolo‐ gies. Eggers’ The Circle explores the forms of life that we associate with the 24/ 7-lifestyle in the digital age within the generic conventions of a relatively traditional realistic novel. In contrast to Eggers’ The Circle, Kobek’s unambiguously entitled work I Hate the Internet (2016) is unconventional in many ways, constituting a hybrid be‐ tween ‘fictions of the Internet’ and the fragmentary essay-novel. Kobek’s book flaunts its message on the title page with a paratext, calling the text “a useful novel against men, money, and the filth of instagram”. Rejecting many estab‐ lished fictional modes of narration and representation, Kobek’s highly polemical intervention combines features of such text-types as the essay, the polemic and the opinion piece. Although I Hate the Internet pushes the generic conventions of the novel beyond the traditional limits of narrative and fiction, it still makes for interesting reading and teaching in that it provides lots of food for thought and classroom discussion, especially for members of ‘iGen’ (cf. Twenge 2017), 38 Ansgar Nünning in that the text critiques the dire psychological consequences and social impact of the Internet in general and the so-called ‘social media’ in particular. Other reasons why Kobek’s work I Hate the Internet seems to lend itself to being taught in the foreign language classroom include its topical themes, its highly frag‐ mentary form, the satirical imitation of the voice and hate-speech of trolls, and the provocative challenges that the novel contains to almost everything that is regarded as the new norm in the digital age of 24/ 7. The juxtaposition of dispa‐ rate fragments and opinions, for instance, reflects key features of the digital networks that have so comprehensively transformed “the texture of daily ex‐ perience” (A. Greenfield 2017: 13). One of the main merits of the book is the fact that it exposes the Internet as a medium that promotes neither democratic par‐ ticipation nor transparency, but rather generates ‘fake news’, disseminates lies and fosters polarization. Kobek’s novel could be fruitfully pitted against Jaron Lanier’s non-fiction book Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now (2018). Any teacher or student interested in the questions raised in the subtitle of Twenge’s book, viz. Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids are Growing up […] Less Happy, is likely to find both Kobek’s novel and Lanier’s non-fictional book ex‐ tremely illuminating. Moreover, both digital natives and those who still enjoy what, misquoting Helmut Kohl, one might call ‘the mercy of the early birth’ will learn a lot of what Lanier drily and wittily calls the “mysterious nature of asshole amplification technology” (Lanier 2018: 44). Another emerging genre that has recently risen to popularity and prominence is the fragmentary essay-novel (cf. Nünning/ Scherr 2018), which can also be understood as a literary innovation responding to such general cultural trends as digitalization, disruption and fragmentation. Formally innovative fictions like Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010) and Tom McCarthy’s Satin Island (2015) are paradigm examples of the hybrid genre of fragmentary essay-novels, which can be located within the experimental branch of contem‐ porary Anglophone literature. Although there has been a tradition of novels that combine typical elements of the novel with features of the essay, the fragmen‐ tary essay-novel has risen to prominence in the 21st century. The discontinuous, somewhat incoherent and non-linear form of this genre bears obvious similarities to the fragmentary and heterogeneous quality of the Internet and especially social media, which makes this genre a felicitous choice for younger readers in the foreign language classroom. In a stimulating blogpost essay, the prolific music historian and jazz critic Ted Gioia (2013) has ventured the bold and sweeping hypothesis that “Mainstream literary fiction is falling to pieces”. In his essay called “The Rise of the Fragmented Novel”, Gioia suggests 39 Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change that “a new type of fragmentation has come to the forefront in 21st century novels”. He bolsters his claim by listing no fewer than 57 fragmented novels, many of which would also be good choices for reading and teaching in class, with Ian McEwan’s Atonement (2001), David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas (2004) and Zadie Smith’s NW (2012) being particularly prominent cases in point. While Anne Charnock (2011) argues that “Fractured Novels Mirror the Uncertainty of Everyday Life”, Guy Patrick Cunningham (2012) even goes so far as to suggest that “works that deal with fragmentation, that eschew not only a traditional narrative structure but the very idea of a work comprising a single, unified whole - take on a special kind of relevance”. Taking their cue from Gioia’s essay and from Cunningham’s observation about the enhanced relevance of fragmentary writing in the digital age, teachers could, for instance, discuss hybrid novels like Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010) or Tom McCarthy’s Satin Island (2015). McCarthy’s text can be explored as an innovative aesthetic response to the digital age, especially to the implications that processes of digitalization have for our shifting under‐ standing of ‘reality’, ‘authenticity’, ‘literature’ and ‘fiction’. Moreover, the frag‐ mentary form of McCarthy’s novel reflects the organization of knowledge in digital networks just as its generic hybridity reflects the heterogeneous coexis‐ tence of a wide array of text-types on the Internet. The back cover of the book offers readers a list of genre labels that one might be tempted to use for cate‐ gorizing the text, and that teachers could use as a starting-point for discussing both McCarthy’s work and the differences between the various text-types that are listed. Interestingly, though, of all the candidates considered - “a treatise”, “an essay”, “a confession”, “a manifesto”, “a novel” and “a report” - only the term “a novel” is not crossed out. Although the fragmented style of McCarthy’s novel, which is composed of separate paragraphs, works against the production of a linear and teleologic narrative, undermining the coherence of the narrative, this kind of fragmentation will be familiar to today’s digital natives who take 24/ 7 access to the fragments of the Internet for granted and who might enjoy drawing out connections between the fragments and the recurring characters. Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad would be an equally good choice for the foreign language classroom in that the novel offers both a fictional account of the decline of the music industry (cf. Taplin 2017) and the concomitant rise of networked digital information technologies. Egan’s for‐ mally innovative work, which consists of a collage of thirteen chapters relating different episodes and told in a wide range of narrative situations, also features such new storytelling devices as a chapter presented in the form of PowerPoint slides, which is likely to appeal to younger readers. 40 Ansgar Nünning Teachers looking for interesting alternatives to Aldous Huxley’s and George Orwell’s well-known dystopias Brave New World and 1984, which have been among the canonized classics in the foreign language classroom for longer than most teachers would care to remember, would be well-served by a wide range of contemporary novels that explore contemporary concerns that are likely to be more relevant for “today’s super-connected kids” (cf. Twenge 2017). The handbook edited by Eckart Voigts and Alessandra Boller (2015) not only gives an excellent overview of new tendencies in three very popular genres, i.e. dys‐ topias, science fiction and post-apocalypse novels; it also provides model inter‐ pretations of a host of novels as well as valuable suggestions for choosing suit‐ able texts for the foreign language classroom. The fact that George Orwell’s chilling dystopia 1984 (1949) recently made it to the top of the bestseller lists seems to suggest that readers are eagerly waiting for updates that depict sce‐ narios reflecting on contemporary cultural imaginaries. One of the recent novels by the Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro could be a particularly good choice for teachers: Responding to current debates about animal and human cloning, Ish‐ iguro’s sixth novel Never Let Me Go (2005) provides a fictional delineation and exploration of the dire consequenes of human cloning. As Nicola Glaubitz has shown in her illuminating interpretation, the novel does not flaunt its genre affiliation, but deploys a number of “topoi of eugenic dystopias”, including e.g. “the focus on bodies and reproduction, a state-implemented eugenics program effecting social segregation, hopes of escape through love, the protagonists’ revelatory meeting with the authorities, and the internalisation of euphemistic language” (Glaubitz 2015: 324). Finally, although the somewhat schematic dys‐ topian novel of ideas 2121: A Tale from the Next Century (2013) by the British neuroscientist Susan Greenfield is unlikely to become part of the canon, it does offer us a rather grim and sinister view of a possible future in which technology has radically changed dominant lifestyles and values in a hedonistic, hyper-real and cyber-driven world, while also raising poignant questions about current developments that are not so much dystopian but already very real. 5 The Power and Value of Literary Fiction as an Antidote to the ‘Insanity of Our Times’: Why Reading and Teaching Contemporary Literature Matters in the 21st Century Although the above overview of some recent trends is highly selective and any‐ thing but comprehensive, it may at least serve to give readers some exemplary ideas about the manifold ways in which new genres in contemporary fiction have emerged as creative responses to some of the main cultural changes, chal‐ 41 Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change lenges and concerns of the new millennium. Similarly, the following arguments, hypotheses and reflections about the power of fictions and the value of literary fiction in the 21st century, while not laying any claim to exhausting these com‐ plex issues, attempt to answer the burning question of why reading and teaching contemporary fiction matters in an age in which the prevalent forms of life and communication have come to be largely dominated by digital and so-called ‘so‐ cial’ media. Reading arguably matters more than ever before in that the many distractions of our increasingly digital world have not only begun to hijack people’s attention and assault their ability to concentrate and focus, they also constitute a challenge and threat to the complex processes involved in becoming deep and good readers. Given the wide-ranging impact of digital technology on young people’s brains and minds (cf. Greenfield 2014), the concomitant danger of not fully de‐ veloping a fully elaborated reading brain and not becoming deep readers, and the importance of the ability to read in today’s world, teachers of literature should all listen to Maryanne Wolf ’s clarion-call succinctly expressed in the title of her seminal book Reader, Come Home (2018). Thus, they should do whatever they can to encourage students to read as much as possible so as to ensure that they cherish and enjoy the experience of reading. In addition to the danger of losing the art of reading (cf. Ulin 2018) and of the reading brain becoming atrophied (cf. Wolf 2018), there are a number of other important reasons for why reading matters a lot, as Mark Edmundson (2004) has shown in his passionate book Why Read? , which still is as controversial as timely. In contrast to neuroscientists he is not concerned with the cognitive abilities or neurological processes involved in reading in general, but with the experiences and opportunities that reading literary texts, and a literary education, affords. Edmundson convincingly argues that literary works provide the reader with “a layered experience” (ibid.: 4) as well as “a fresh way to apprehend experience” (ibid.: 46). Literary works thus foster the development of new ideas on such really important issues as how to live well and what makes life worth living. Reading literature, Edmundson concludes, can even enable “acts of self-dis‐ covery” (ibid.: 4), contribute to “human transformation” (ibid.: 51) and change students’ lives for the better by providing them with the vocabulary, new ideas and cultural models. But even the sceptical teacher who is not yet convinced and who still keeps asking “Why is literature worth bothering with? What is at stake in literary studies? ” (Felski 2015: 14) will be hard put to refute the empirical findings of neuroscientists and psychologists about the abilities, competencies and skills that can be attributed to reading literature. As Vera Nünning has shown in her 42 Ansgar Nünning book Reading Fictions, Changing Minds, the cognitive and affective value of fic‐ tion resides in its capacity to foster such key competencies as empathy and perspective-taking (V. Nünning 2014). Reading fictional stories cannot only change readers’ beliefs, it can also improve their meaning-making and narrative competencies, and their abilities to understand other people. The immersion in fictional worlds has thus been shown to enhance a wide range of cognitive and affective abilities that are at least as important for leading a good life as the skills developed in ‘MINT’ subjects. Moreover, contemporary novels often delineate worlds that offer interesting alternatives to the vapid values and shallow worldviews of 24/ 7 communication and consumerism (cf. Crary 2014). One could even go so far as to describe lit‐ erature as an important antidote to what one of the pioneers of digital innovation has provocatively called the “Insanity of Our Times” (Lanier 2018: 25) and “Ass‐ hole Amplification Technology” (ibid.: 44). According to the Internet guru and genius Jaron Lanier, “quitting social media is the most finely targeted way to resist the insanity of our times” (Lanier 2018: 25), but I should like to hasten to add that reading fiction would be an excellent strategy to complement turning away from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. At the risk of putting it too bluntly, one could, following Lanier’s pointed diagnoses, pit the vices of wasting one’s time on social media and the values of reading literature as follows: • While social media is turning people into “assholes” (cf. Lanier 2018: 39), reading fiction is much more likely to change young people’s minds in positive ways, having a wide range of beneficial effects. • While social media is “making what you say meaningless” (ibid.: 65), lit‐ erature shows the complexities of meaning-making and explores notions of what a higher purpose in life and a good life could look like. • While social media is “destroying your capacity for empathy” (ibid.: 81), reading fiction has been shown to foster empathy and perspective-taking (see V. Nünning 2014: 93-129,177-244). • While social media is “making you unhappy” (Lanier 2018: 81), reading literature is a tried-and-tested form of increasing readers’ level of happi‐ ness. In short: There are plenty of good reasons for deleting your social media ac‐ counts right now, but at least as many reasons for reading more literary texts and for taking reading fiction seriously (cf. V. Nünning 2014: 293). Although these inconclusive remarks, just like novels, are unlikely to provide definitive answers to hotly debated questions like “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Gen‐ eration? ” (Twenge 2017), it seems reasonable to assume that the radical altera‐ 43 Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change tions of everyday life ushered in by digital technologies will not only change our brains and minds (cf. S. Greenfield 2014) but also register in contemporary fiction. Novels will continue to play an important role as a medium of cultural self-reflection (cf. Butter 2007) and as an important factor in our cultural ecology (Zapf 2016), but reading fiction may be even more important for developing key cognitive and emotional competencies that everyone needs not just in order to survive or become a useful member of society, but to lead a good life and to appreciate what makes life worth living. Last, but certainly not least, reading and teaching contemporary novels may be the best way to enlighten students about the complex ways of medial and narrative worldmaking, and the power of fictions in troubled times like ours, in which all too many people believe in conspiracy theories, myths and narratives based on nothing but ‘alternative facts’ and ‘fake news’: In the twenty-first century fiction might therefore become the most potent force on earth, surpassing even wayward asteroids and natural selection. Hence, if we want to understand our future, cracking genomes and crunching numbers is hardly enough. 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London/ New York: Bloomsbury Academic. 47 Changing Contexts, New Concerns and the Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change There’s an App for that! ? How Educational Applications Enhance the Teaching of Literature in the EFL Classroom Thomas Strasser Digital technologies like educational applications are being used in the EFL classroom more often these days. The paper investigates the potentials of digital story-telling and tag cloud applications in a blended learning context focussing on productive and receptive skills in the EFL literature classroom. The findings provide support for a line of argumentation that certain educational applications which are methodologically exploited in the blended foreign language classroom considering various dimensions of the teaching of literature elicit motivating phases of L2-acquisition among the learners. 1 Introduction and Basic Considerations Digital technologies like social media, educational applications, learning man‐ agement systems, and mobile devices have had a massive impact on the world of education “as a result of the digital revolution” (Collins/ Halverson 2009: 1). Ten years later this statement seems to be more accurate than ever - especially for the teaching of English as a foreign language. In the late 1980s/ beginning of the 1990s, the computer-assisted language learning approach was quite popular among many language teaching professionals (cf. Ahmad/ Corbett/ Rogers/ Sussex 1985). This rather software-based behaviouristic approach has experi‐ enced a remarkable development towards an interactive concept using cut‐ ting-edge technology and/ or simple (mobile) apps that enhance the use of multi-sensory media for ELT purposes (cf. Bachmair/ Pachler 2014, Buchem 2018, Kress/ Pachler 2007). However, even if the latest educational applications promise a rich and versatile learning experience (cf. Hirsh-Pasek et al. 2015), ELT professionals should still critically reflect on certain technology-driven trends referring to scientific discourse that relativizes the importance of a certain technological determinism (cf. Barberi/ Berger/ Strasser 2016, Strasser/ Himpsl-Gutermann 2016). The dominant form of media consumption especially among young learners is mobile-driven. Mobile devices, such as smartphones, have become “cross-technologies platforms” for all domains of life with a strong “alwaysin-touch” focus (Heinemann/ Gaiser 2016: 64). However, especially mainstream and boulevard media draw certain apocalyptic scenarios when it comes to smartphone use especially in the field of education and learning (cf. Flynn 2015, Spitzer 2016: 16). It has always been the case in human history that innovation is initially accompanied by a certain degree of scepticism, but it seems to be relevant not to plainly ignore the critics, which is often the case in times of digital euphoria and buzzword-4.0-phrase-dropping, but to understand why certain fears especially among teachers are implicitly and explicitly manifest in the public and academic discourse (cf. Bitner 2002, Margaryan/ Littlejohn/ Vojt 2011). Douglas Adams’ approach explaining a person’s general a-priori-fear concerning the introduction of something new in their personal and profes‐ sional environment might help to understand why many people in general are afraid of change especially in the digital era: 1) Everything that’s already in the world when you’re born is just normal; 2) anything that gets invented between then and before you turn thirty is incredibly exciting and creative and with any luck you can make a career out of it; 3) anything that gets invented after you’re thirty is against the natural order of things and the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it until it’s been around for about ten years when it gradually turns out to be alright really (Adams 1999). One can argue that “what makes technology as frightening as it is exciting is that it is so unknown” (Jarvis 2011: 68). Taking these insecurities or fears concerning the use of digital technologies among teachers into consideration, we need to understand that the educational world is in ‘flux’ (cf. Bachmair/ Pachler 2014: 71), where boundary blurring takes place and where society and culture are experi‐ encing the delimitation of mass communication (Bachmair/ Pachler 2014: 53). 2 Screen-based Learning Rowsell and Walsh (2011) postulate that the process of learning has changed be‐ cause we have to consider “the screen as our dominant text structure” (ibid.). Due to an increasing number of (mobile) screens and internet-based technologies such as smartphones, tablets, PCs, most learners have unlimited access to information and learning materials. These devices govern “our understanding of the world and 50 Thomas Strasser curricula need to reflect this dramatic shift in our ideological and interpretative frame” (Rowsell/ Walsh 2011: 56). Especially mobile technologies with their po‐ tentials to enable temporally and spatially de-limited learning are increasingly associated with ELT (cf. Schmidt/ Strasser 2018: 226). ELT methodologies have always been innovative and have used a wide range of tools that enhance the learning experience on a multi-dimensional and multi-sensory level. Whether programmes for mind mapping and designing learning plans, electronic dic‐ tionaries, podcast software and video platforms, programmes for images, audio and video recording, editing multimedia content as supplementary to print textbooks - smartphones and their applications [or functions] offer almost infinite opportunities for a diverse, location-independent, receptive and productive use of a foreign language (ibid.). As mentioned above, mobile learning represents quite a popular form of knowl‐ edge acquisition represented by the individual’s habitus by “immediate access to the world (to be) framed; an expectation of ubiquitous availability of cultural resources for learning and a constant readiness to be a ‘learner’” (Kress/ Pachler 2007: 28). 3 Teaching Literature and Mobile Learning Scenarios The versatile potentials of mobile devices (i.e. the incorporation of audio-visual channels within a learning/ teaching scenario) have already been discovered in the ELT community (Hockly 2011, Schmidt/ Strasser 2018). In terms of multi‐ sensory domains, the concept of multimodality in the teaching of literature seems to be of relevance in ELT. Multimodality is a theory which looks at how people communicate and interact with each other, not just through writing (which is one mode) but through speaking, gesture and visual forms (which are modes) (Kress/ Van Leeuwen 2001, “Multimodality” in Learning Theories 2014: online). In order to emphasise the versatility of mobile learning teaching scenarios within the context of multimodality and teaching literature, the following prac‐ tical scenarios will be presented. But first, here are the actual reasons for the teaching of literature in the EFL classroom (Lütge 2018: 178): • The motivational-affective dimension - When literary texts arouse interest - When literary texts are generally appealing to the readers so that they are motivated to learn more about the text 51 There’s an App for that! ? • The aesthetic and formal dimension - When literary texts are appealing to the reader seen from a formal point of view (i.e. rhythm, rhyme, metaphors, implicit/ explicit mes‐ sages, etc.) • The dimension of language learning and competence development - When literary texts are a catalyst for language learning (vocabulary, grammar, idiomatic language, productive/ receptive skills) • The cultural dimension - When literary texts teach cultural awareness and intercultural com‐ petence Apart from these bullet-point reasons to teach literature in the EFL classrooms, the following activities have proven to be popular when dealing with literature in the foreign language classroom (cf. Lütge 2018: 180): • Production-oriented activities - Generating new texts (e.g. when students are encouraged to write their own texts using an input text as a guideline: e.g. students write their own sonnet based on a Shakespeare sonnet). - Rewriting (e.g. when students write a similar text based on the given input text: e.g. students rewrite a short story altering the protagonist’s fate). - Explaining (e.g. when students interpret or summarise a given input text: e.g. they try to find the meaning of a certain poem). • Action-oriented activities - Acting out a text (e.g. when students act out a certain scene from a given input text: e.g. they act out a scene from Romeo and Juliet). - Transposing a text into a different medium (e.g. when students transfer a certain text or a passage from a given input text into a podcast: e.g. they produce a radio show review of the novel Tortilla Curtain). Literary texts are cultural artefacts for the EFL classroom. Paired with digital technology, such as smartphones, one can assume that … mobility is an individual’s habitus characterised by immediate access to the world (to be) framed; an expectation of ubiquitous availability of cultural resources for learning and a constant readiness to be a ‘learner’ (Kress/ Pachler 2007: 22). Mobile learning can actively be included in the conceptual, pedagogical and methodological repertoire of an EFL teacher. Mobile learning is not the mere sharing or downor uploading of artefacts, but the active and productive cura‐ 52 Thomas Strasser tion, adaptation, modification or creation of new products (e.g. action-oriented activities) (cf. Schmidt/ Strasser 2018: 222). In order to combine continuous literary lessons with digital technologies (i.e. blended learning), the matrix of learning spaces (Toh/ So/ Seow/ Chen/ Looi 2013) seems to be of great applicative help. This model considers seamless learning as an integral part of blended learning scenarios. Seamless learning is “the seamless integration of technologies into classrooms” (Gruber/ Cooper/ Voigt 2012: 2) and the removal of “the border between formal and informal learning or individual social learning” (ibid.). Furthermore, seamless learning can be considered an act of “learning wherever, whenever and whatever” (Chan et al. 2006: 4). Taking the motivational and affective dimensions of teaching literature into consideration (cf. ibid.), seamless learning with mobile technology might be the perfect match: [T]he aim [is] to support continuous, fluid learning experiences - mainly driven by the learner’s desire to inquire or to investigate. The concept of seamless learning is to make the transitions between the different learning situations and context[s] as smooth as possible (Strasser/ Greller 2015: 53). Fig. 1: Learning spaces (Toh et al. 2013) In a blended EFL-literature context, learning spaces can be based on two factors: “physical setting and learning process” (cf. ibid.), as shown in figure 1. In ELT planned learning (type I) often takes place when teachers and trainers work with literary texts in the classroom. Since many students own smartphones by now, the EFL teacher can methodologically exploit the collaborative, dynamic and synchronous potential of these devices in order to initiate processes of collective intelligence, e.g. when the class brainstorms about the character traits of a cer‐ tain protagonist. Here, students do not only collaborate within a digital setting, but also use the discursive potentials of face-to-face-interaction in order to ap‐ proach the learning goal (i.e. gathering as many relevant adjectives, lexical prompts etc. describing the protagonist). 53 There’s an App for that! ? Type II of mobile/ blended EFL learning is characterised by learning in a set‐ ting outside the traditional classroom. It is a planned learning scenario on a field trip, excursion, etc.. EFL students can visit a museum or an exhibition, take pictures of their favourite artist (painter, author, etc.) with their smartphones and reflect on various subject-specific vocabulary like shape, colour, name of artist, material used, language used, etc.. So the goal for learners is to combine the provided lexical input from the continuous EFL lesson with their self-or‐ ganised performance of content collection and curation. Students can use their note-taking apps, which allow fuid, seamless and ubiquitous mobile learning in combination with continuous lessons since the notes and images can be pre‐ sented in the regular classroom as well. 4 Teaching Literature with Apps This chapter presents two apps that can be used when teaching literature in the EFL classroom to facilitate seamless blended learning. 4.1 Shakespeare Sonnets with Storybird In an upper-intermediate to advanced EFL classroom, the teacher discusses Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130. The overall lesson goal is to interpret this sonnet but also to transfer lines into modern/ simple English. For example: “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” can be interpreted by students as “My girlfriend has such dull and boring eyes”, or “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red” as “I have never seen such colourless lips” (Bible 2015). However, the sole translation of Shakespeare sonnets line by line might be‐ come monotonous for young as well as adult learners. Here, the application Storybird (a digital picture book and poem app) can help students associate their interpretations with graphically appealing cartoons and drawings so that the lexical components of a Shakespeare sonnet will be learned more easily (www.storybird.com). Students choose an appropriate image that semantically suits the produced translation (Bible 2015). They can use Storybird with their smartphones, tablets and computers in the classroom or even on the go (on the bus, at home, etc.). Seen from a blended learnig perspective, using Storybird in the EFL literature classroom supports: • Multi-modal learning (learning with text, visuals, productive and recep‐ tive skills) (cf. Kress/ Van Leeuwen 2001) • Planned learning inside and outside the classroom (use of the app in the classroom or at home) (Toh et al. 2013) 54 Thomas Strasser • Productionand action-oriented activities (students produce new text types or transpose existing text; students choose and then create their own cartoon/ drawing related to the content of the original text) (Lütge 2018: 178) • The aesthetic and formal dimension (students interpret/ associate formal and stylistic features of the original text using visual artefacts) (ibid.) • The dimension of language learning (e.g. how to transform ‘archaic’ lan‐ guage into modern English; how to interpret lexical artefacts and chunks of literature) (ibid.) 4.2 How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Wortwolken.com In a pre-intermediate EFL classroom, the teacher copies the text of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss (1957) into the application www.wortwolken.com. The website automatically generates a tag cloud, which displays a certain number of lexical items of the text. The bigger a word appears, the more frequently it ap‐ pears in the actual text. This can be a solid basis for approaching a literary text. Students are asked to analyse, interpret or anticipate the character traits using visual and multimodal artefacts from the wordcloud. Students can even create their own wordclouds with their smartphones, tablets and PCs. This tag cloud applica‐ tion supports reading and understanding for gist since prominent lexical artefacts taken from a literary text are visualised in a graphically appealing way. Therefore, Wortwolken.com and similar apps like Tagxedo, Wordle etc. support: • The understanding of a literary character using associative visual lexical items • Identifying character traits by compiling and reading interdependent lex‐ ical items • Organising character traits in a structured and meaningful way (word count, amount/ size correlation of lexical items) • Emphasising the importance of character development in literature • The appreciation of literature by using and producing a digital, multi‐ modal final product 5 Technology Use vs. Technology Integration The teaching scenarios mentioned above are examples of technology integration and not technology use. Technology use means teachers use technology arbi‐ trarily and as an afterthought, just for the sake of using it for fun. A lot of time is spent on using technology itself, and teachers use technology just to add some colour and flavour. In contrast, technology integration means that teachers have 55 There’s an App for that! ? clear goals about how to use technology: They use technology to achieve in‐ structional goals, and most of the time is dedicated to digital artefacts produced by the learners. Furthermore, teachers use technology for tasks that would oth‐ erwise be difficult to carry out (Türk 2016). Blended learning means the dynamic combination of analogue and digital learning and teaching scanarios. It has never been the aim of technology-en‐ hanced language learning/ teaching to replace the teacher (cf. Ladurner 2008, Tanzmeister 2008), the focus has always been on how blended learning is de‐ signed and structured within an interactive and multi-sensory context. Digital tools and educational applications, such as Storybird or Wortwolken, support the “affective dimension” (Tanzmeister 2008: 17) of learning and teaching pro‐ cesses and meet the needs of a young learner’s zeitgeist. 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Methodology The Challenge of Teaching Dystopian Narratives in the Global Age Learning about the ‘Terrors’ of the 21 st Century in the EFL Classroom Frauke Matz Dystopian narratives remain an established part of German curricular guidelines for higher-level EFL classes (see Volkmann 2010): They offer fictional insights into global discourses and can thus serve as suitable texts when pursuing the pedagogical approach of global education. This article will give an insight into the genre and its current developments as well as discuss ways of fostering critical thinking skills, global attitudes and democratic participation within the context of global education. 1 Introduction Both the role of and approaches to teaching and learning English have changed considerably over the last two decades, as English has gradually developed as the lingua franca of both the global and digital age. Global education, critical discourse competences and environmental learning have gradually, though not explicitly, become the highest goals of learning English as a foreign language (see, for example, Cates 2002, Bassler 2014, Lütge 2015). Learners are, to a large extent, already participating in global digital discourses on a daily basis (see JIM 2017). Hence, it is also important that EFL classrooms not only consider these macrosocial discourses, but also prepare students to acquire communication and critical thinking skills, global attitudes and “democratic participation in the local and global community” (Cates 2002: 41). Although the dystopian genre has - for a long time - been considered mainly in the context of literary learning or political education and learning about eth‐ ical issues regarding genetic engineering (see Matz 2015a), its value in terms of global education has increased ever since the onset of the millennium, as con‐ 1 For an in-depth definition of the dystopian genre see Sargent (1994) and Moylan (2000), as well as Basu et al. (2013). temporary dystopias itself are more and more concerned with current global issues. Hence, it is only logical that, for example, the curriculum for the Abitur in North-Rhine-Westphalia lists Utopia/ Dystopia simultaneously under the two distinct topic areas: • Political, social and cultural realities and their historical backgrounds/ the role of media for the individual and society; • Global challenges and visions of the future/ progress and ethics (QUA-LiS NRW 2018: 6). Furthermore, the guidelines state that Utopia/ Dystopia should be taught in con‐ nection to “[v]isions of the future: ethical issues of scientific and technological progress” (ibd.). In order to achieve this, a careful selection of texts (and tasks) is required, as these negative visions of the future can only successfully function in the context of global education if the generic features are considered. 2 Dystopian Narratives in the EFL Classroom 2.1 The Dystopian Genre as Political Narratives Dystopian narratives are, in their essence, political texts conveying a clear po‐ litically motivated message: In laying out disturbing developments in societies, which are clearly recognisable for contemporary readers, they serve as a critical reflection of destructive shifts, which occur in their respective community. Consequently, Baccolini and Moylan define the literary term dystopia as the “dark side of utopia - dystopian accounts of places worse than the ones we live in” (2002: 1). 1 In order to fulfil its generic function, though, this fictional place has to offer a recognisable connection to the audience’s current socio-economic, political and ecological situation, as it is “a non-existent society described in considerable detail and normally located in time and space that the author intended a contemporaneous reader to view as considerably worse than the society in which that reader lived” (Sargent 1994: 9). Dystopias serve as a criticism and warning “of terrible socio-political tendencies that could, if continued, turn our contemporary world into the iron cages por‐ trayed” (ibd. 2). This connection, this warning is the justification (and should be, hence, a main criterion for choosing dystopian narratives) for reading them in the EFL classrooms, as with 62 Frauke Matz “its capacity to frighten and warn, dystopian writing engages with pressing global concerns: liberty and self-determination, environmental destruction and looming cat‐ astrophe, questions of identity, and the increasingly fragile boundaries between tech‐ nology and the self ” (Bullen/ Parsons 2007: 128). What appears to be the particular significance of these texts is, however, simul‐ taneously a challenge in terms of choosing a text: These pressing (global) con‐ cerns tend not to remain the same. To exemplify this aspect, it might be helpful to consider the two genre-defining classical dystopias of the 20 th century (see Matz 2015a): Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World warned of the unforeseeable consequences of genetic engineering as envisaged in the 1930s. Although this might be of some interest still, the much more frightening aspect today certainly appears to be engineering artificial intelligence. Also, whereas in 1984 George Orwell envisaged the ‘terrors’ of a state which places its people under constant surveillance, people today seem to be quite happy both about the apparent sense of protection this surveillance may give and about participating actively in this surveillance in volunteering personal information and whereabouts on social media. When choosing literary texts for the classroom it is, therefore, an im‐ portant starting point to understand and consider the pressing contemporary global concerns, which need to be dealt with in the EFL classroom. 2.2 World Risks and Thematic Threats To understand the fleetingness of the genre, Beck’s concept of the world risk society can serve as a framework and analogy for dystopian fiction: Beck de‐ scribes the current global society as a society living with risks: “Risk means the anticipation of the catastrophe. Risk concerns the possibility of future occur‐ rences and developments; they make present a state of the world that does not (yet) exist” (Beck 2012 [2009]: 9). Essentially, dystopian narratives do the same. The risks, the “future events that may occur, that threaten us” (ibd.) are, hence, not the same as they were for the societies at the time of publication of 1984 or Brave New World. In understanding how the risks have changed, Beck poses the difference between the ‘old risks’ and the ‘new risks’: “Old risks (industrial accidents, wars) and natural catastrophes (earthquakes, tsu‐ namis) overlap and are becoming associated with new risks (catastrophic climate change, global financial crises and suicide attacks) and thus can trigger in turn new, incalculable and unpredictable turbulences” (Beck 2012 [2009]: 19). In their function as both critique and warning, however, dystopian narratives can only fulfil their generic potential if the risks (or ‘terrors’) are recognizable to contemporary audiences. This, however, makes text-choice an even greater 63 The Challenge of Teaching Dystopian Narratives in the Global Age challenge, as it is “scarcely possible to place limits on the apocalyptic imagina‐ tion” (ibd.). Current dystopian texts such as Baggot’s Pure (2013) and Bacigalu‐ pi’s Ship Breaker (2010) can thus be judged successful in their generic function as they warn of the new risks of destruction due to post-apocalyptic events and environmental destruction. This idea of risks can further be expanded by looking at their fictional rep‐ resentations within dystopias. Bazu et al. (2013: 13-14) have identified four main thematic threats within (young adult) dystopian fiction, which mirror the con‐ cept of global risks and which are applicable to the genre: • the threat of environmental destruction on a global scale, which “sensitize readers to the dangers of environmental ruin”; • the threat of destruction of civilization due to postapocalyptic events, turning “existing communities into dystopias marked by secrecy, fear, and control, as those in power use violence and repression to maintain what little social structure remains”; • the threat of destruction of individuality, as the fictional conformist soci‐ eties “embrace their uniformity out of fear that diversity breeds conflict”; • the threat of enslavement and silencing of citizens, through which these fictional “rigid and repressive regimes are often enforced”. As within the concept of global risks, these threats do not occur in isolation; rather, one threat may appear more dominant than the others, depending on the focus. The dominant threat in Dashner’s Maze Runner (2009) is the threat of environmental destruction on a global scale, but the remaining threats as de‐ scribed above still play an important role within the text. Similarly, environ‐ mental destruction is displayed as a major issue in Collins’ Hunger Games (2008), but the threat of enslavement and silencing of citizens sets the main focus. These threats not only encompass the overlapping old and new risks as described by Beck, they also illustrate that these threats, risks or ‘terrors’ are universal: they are not limited to one (target) culture and they can certainly offer a more diverse perspective on the “[v]isions of the future” than just the focus on “ethical issues of scientific and technological progress” (QUA-LiS NRW 2018: 6). 2.3 Transcultural Perspectives in Fluid Modern Times The universal nature of the risks, threats or ‘terrors’, which are at the heart of dystopian narratives, are “of truly transcultural nature” (Grimm 2012: 16). In its exaggerated and harsh display of the ‘world risk society’ we live in, dystopian fiction can thus help students investigate the present, and also grasp the inter‐ 64 Frauke Matz 2 Beck adds a transnational aspect to this approach, which also gives an interesting aspect to the principle of think global, act local: “The autonomy of the state has ceased to exist among the threats to self and others of world risk society […]. National sovereignty does not make cooperation possible; rather, it is transnational cooperation that makes national sovereignty possible” (Beck 2012 [2009]: 233). connectedness of the global and digital age. This also inevitably entails an in‐ herently transcultural approach to teaching in helping students to acknowledge “the loss of formerly accepted concepts of ‘autonomous entities’ and ‘binarisms’ in the fields of nation, state, culture and individual identity, including their plural forms, specifically in situations of exchange and interplay. Instead, students should at least be encouraged to see individuals as ‘hybrid’, subject to the transformative forces of globalization and media influence” (Volkmann 2015: 244). 2 Baumann has taken this idea of exchange, interplay and hybridity even further in coining the term liquid modernity for this contemporary global and digital age, in which “change is the only permanence, and uncertainty the only cer‐ tainty” (Baumann 2012: viii). He opposes the term ‘postmodernism’ for this global and digital age, which seems to be constantly in flux. His concept of liquidity can be viewed as a vital addition to Beck’s ‘world risk society’, and this idea is certainly worth sharing with students. He clearly states that “under the conditions of ‘liquidity’ everything could happen yet nothing can be done with confidence and certainty. […] Living under liquid modern conditions can be compared to walking in a minefield: everyone knows an explosion might happen at any moment and in any place, but no one knows when the moment will come and where the place will be” (Baumann 2012: xiv). Texts such as Roth’s Divergent (2011) and Shustermanns’ Unwind (2007) can help students understand this concept: When they take action to act against sup‐ pressing forces, the characters only know this will have consequences, but they cannot possibly grasp to which extent. Once students are able to see individuals as “subject to the transformative forces of globalization and media influence” (Volkmann 2015: 244), they will also learn to understand that they are subject to these forces, too, and need to learn to deal with them in a reflective, critical and responsible way. This, however, can feel burdensome. 2.4 The Special Role of Young Adult Dystopian Narratives In a liquid modern world of risks, teenage students live in a world in which nothing seems fixed: It is difficult to envisage which jobs they might take on in their futures, which global settings they will live in, and which digital advances 65 The Challenge of Teaching Dystopian Narratives in the Global Age 3 A forthcoming study supports the argument that students would prefer reading young adult novels in class if these are offered as an alternative to novels written for an adult audience (see Matz/ Rumlich forthcoming). will have happened by then. At the same time, they are faced with algorithms that try to influence their online lives, and a new dimension of fake news and their effect on the democratic world. This may just add to a teenage angst, which often appears to accompany the process of growing up. Young adult dystopias touch upon this angst, these “fears, questions, and is‐ sues that interest children and young adults” (Hintz/ Ostry 2003: 12). The fre‐ quent “traumatic social and personal awakening”, Hintz and Ostry argue, is mirrored in these texts (ibd.). In clearly stating that these narratives can be seen as a “powerful metaphor for adolescence” (ibd: 9), they illustrate the importance of choosing the young adult versions of this genre rather than text intended for an adult audience such as Cave’s Sharp North (2004). Thus young adult dystopias can serve as a more helpful base to approach these ‘terrors’ of the 21 st century than adult versions of this complex genre. It might increase the willingness to engage in the suspension of disbelief, ease into these fictional dark visions of the future and let the scenarios unfold themselves. Although in general students at secondary level really do appear to prefer reading about young adult characters rather than adult protagonists, there is currently very little research which gives definitive answers to the underlying reasons. 3 The suggestion that the life worlds of teenage protagonists are more easily accessible for adolescent students due to their (transcultural) similarities (see Hintz/ Ostry 2003, Matz 2015), however, offers a likely explanation. What is important in a teaching context is to recognise that students need to be involved cognitively and emotionally to achieve the aims of global education, so that teachers can “encourage them to evaluate the world of the text and relate it to their own” (Bredella 2008: 12). 3 Quo Vadis Dystopia? Dystopian Cli-Fi and Ecocriticism As demonstrated above, a necessary generic feature of dystopian narratives is to be fluid. A noticeable current development appears to be the focus on the catastrophic climate change, which may also appear to be one of the most prominently felt and probably current risks. This is mirrored in the immense rise of publications of climate (change) fiction, now commonly referred to as CliFi, in which the threat of environmental destruction on a global scale is dom‐ 66 Frauke Matz 4 The blogger and journalist Dan Bloom may have coined this term, which is now com‐ monly accepted as its own genre (see www.cli-fi.net/ index.html). Not all climate (change) fiction necessarily qualifies as dystopian fiction, though, as the setting of these narratives might also be set either in today’s worlds or in the far-away future. So far, research in this field remains scarce. inant. 4 Prominent examples of dystopian CliFi are Crossan’s Breathe (2012) or El Akkad’s American War (2017). Although ecocriticism can and should be viewed as being part of global ed‐ ucation, the question arises if teaching CliFi needs an ecocritical approach (see Hempel/ Matz 2013), which helps students grasp the interconnectedness of our global society and the problematic stance and immense responsibility of the human race. In any case, the acquisition of global attitudes and democratic par‐ ticipation (see Cates 2002) should be the overall goal when teaching dystopian CliFi. In this context, it is vital that students always reflect on whether the dys‐ topian text they are dealing with actually works as a critique and warning in their view, and whether this is, in fact, a risk, an anticipation of a catastrophe they judge as realistic and a ‘terror’ they should act upon. 4 Teaching and Learning with Dystopian Narratives 4.1 Multimodal and Intertextual Settings As dystopian fiction offers this variety of thematic threats, which are based on today’s ‘terrors’ and risks, intertextual settings are of vital importance when dealing with these issues in class. The immense variety of this dystopian genre lends itself well, for example, to the practice of book circles, which would also provide a frame for the richness of texts: students could be offered a choice as to which novel they would like to read individually or in small groups. To both understand the genre and gain an insight into today’s risks, teachers can then guide students to • understand the generic features of dystopian narratives; • discover, describe and research the underlying global issues in their texts; and • report their findings to the class. When discussing their findings, they could then critically assess whether the novel of their choice is a suitable representation of the genre and whether they understand and agree with this display of the respective risks. This would al‐ ready provide the much needed multi-perspective approach, which could be 67 The Challenge of Teaching Dystopian Narratives in the Global Age enriched even further by watching excerpts of film versions and/ or excerpts from TV series such as Black Mirror. Furthermore, especially when dealing with the threat of environmental destruction on a global scale, students could expand the grasp of ecociritcal aspects if documentaries dealing with climate change were also considered (see Römhild, forthcoming). 4.2 Multimodal Tasks As the overall goal of a lesson sequence dealing with dystopian texts is demo‐ cratic participation, it might help to look into real-world experiential tasks, also using current forms of digital media and online communications. If the dysto‐ pian genre is taken seriously within the context of global education, the principle of think global, act local also applies. Thus, after having identified, researched and discussed the risks displayed in the texts, students can use their newly gained knowledge, their critical thinking and global attitudes to initiate or par‐ ticipate in democratic processes such as online petitions, engaging in online discussions, or partaking in service learning etc.. For global education to be successful in this context, it is not sufficient to just analyse the texts, participate in classroom discussions and prepare for the upcoming exam. Students have to begin to understand that “it’s [their] choice now” (Roth 2011: 23). 5 Outlook Dystopian texts can add to a global and ecocritical perspective when teaching and learning English, the lingua franca of globalisation and the digital age. Hence, the aim when teaching this literary genre has to be to help students to become critical, transcultural speakers, who have acquired global attitudes and can participate in global discourses, following the principles of global education. The richness of currently available dystopian texts allows for an open and student-centred way of dealing with these narratives in class, which should also extend into actual democratic participation. Bibliography Baccolini, Raffaella/ Moylan, Tom (2002). Introduction. Dystopia and Histories. In: Bac‐ colini, Raffaella/ Moylan, Tom (eds.), Dark Horizons, Science Fiction and the Dystopian Imagination. New York/ London: Routledge, 1-12. Bassler, Michael (2014). Environmental Learning. Ökodidaktische Konzepte für den Eng‐ lischunterricht. Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Englisch 125, 2-8. 68 Frauke Matz Basu, Balaka/ Broad, Katherine/ Hintz, Carrie (2013). Introduction. In: Basu, Balaka/ Broad, Katherine/ Hintz, Carrie (eds.), Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults. New York/ London: Routledge, 1-18. Bauman, Zygmunt (2012). Liquid Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press. Beck, Ulrich (2012 [2009]). World at Risk. Cambridge: Polity Press. Bullen, Ellen/ Parsons, Elizabeth (2007). Dystopian Visions of Global Capitalism: Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines and M.T Anderson’s Feed. Children’s Literature in Education 38, 127-139. Cates, Kip A. (2002). Teaching for a Better World: Global Issues and Language Education. Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 5, 41-52. Retrieved from: https: / / www.hurig hts.or.jp/ pub/ hreas/ 5/ 06cates.pdf (last accessed: 01/ 12/ 2018). Gözen, Emine (2012). Cyberpunk Science Fiction, Literarische Fiktionen und Medien‐ theorie. Bielefeld: Transcript. Grimm, Nancy (2002). Utopia and Dystopia. Bright Future or Impending Doom. Resource Book. Cornelsen: Berlin. Hempel, Margit/ Matz, Frauke (2013). Ecodidactics im Englischunterricht: Dystopian Fic‐ tion für ökologische Bildung. In: Eisenmann, Maria/ Hempel, Margit/ Ludwig, Chris‐ tian (eds.), Medien und Interkulturalität im Fremdsprachenunterricht: Zwischen Auto‐ nomie, Kollaboration und Konstruktion. Duisburg: Universitätsverlag Rhein-Ruhr, 169-182. Hintz, Carrie/ Ostry, Elaine (2003). Introduction. In: Hintz, Carrie/ Ostry, Elaine (eds.), Utopian and Dystopian Writing for Children and Young Adults. London: Routledge, 1-22. Lütge, Christiane (ed.) (2015). Global Education in English Language Teaching. Münster: Lit. Matz, Frauke (2014). Dystopische Jugendromane: transkulturelle Themen und interkul‐ turelle Bezüge. In: Matz, Frauke/ Rogge, Michael/ Siepman, Philipp (eds.), Transkultu‐ relles Lernen im Fremdsprachenunterricht. Theorie und Praxis. Frankfurt a.M.: Peter Lang, 143-152. Matz, Frauke (2015a). Alternative Worlds - Alternative Texts: Teaching (Young Adult) Dystopian Novels. In: Delanoy, Werner/ Eisenmann, Maria/ Matz, Frauke (eds.), Learning with Literature in the EFL Classroom. Frankfurt a.M.: Peter Lang, 263-282. Matz, Frauke (2015b). 'Nowhere good' - Global Issues and Young Adult Dystopian Fiction. In: Rossow, Holger (ed.), Globalisation: Myth or Reality? Heidelberg: Winter. Matz, Frauke/ Rumlich, Dominik (submitted, forthcoming 2019). Englischsprachige Ju‐ gendbücher im und außerhalb des Englischunterrichts - Young Adult Fiction als em‐ pirischer Gegenstand der Literaturdidaktik. In: Grünewald, Andreas/ Hithey, Meike/ Struve, Karen (eds.), KONTROVERS: Literaturdidaktik meets Literaturwissenschaft. Trier: WVT. 69 The Challenge of Teaching Dystopian Narratives in the Global Age Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (2017). JIM-Studie 2017. Jugend, In‐ formation, (Multi-)Media. Stuttgart. Retrieved from: https: / / www.mpfs.de/ fileadmin/ f iles/ Studien/ JIM/ 2017/ JIM_2017.pdf (last accessed: 01/ 12/ 2018). Moylan, Tom (2000). Scraps of the Untainted Sky. Boulder: Westview Press. Qualitäts- und UnterstützungsAgentur/ Landesinstitut für Schule (2018). Vorgaben Abitur 2021 - Englisch. Retrieved from: https: / / www.standardsicherung.schulministerium.nr w.de/ cms/ zentralabitur-gost/ faecher/ getfile.php? file=4792 (last accessed: 01/ 12/ 2018). Römhild, Ricardo (submitted, forthcoming 2019). The Didactical Potential of Eco-Docu‐ mentaries in the EFL Classroom. In: Bartosch, Roman (ed.), Transformative Literary Pedagogy. Trier: WVT. Roth, Veronica (2011). Divergent. London: Harper Collins. Sargent, Lyman Tower (1994). The Three Faces of Utopianism Revisited. Utopian Studies 5: 1, 1-37. Sambell, Kay (2003). Presenting the Case for Social Change: The Creative Dilemma of Dystopian Writing for Children. In Hintz, Catherine/ Ostry, Elaine (eds.), Utopian and Dystopian Writing for Children and Young Adults. London: Routledge, 163-178. Volkmann, Laurenz (2010). Fachdidaktik Englisch: Kultur und Sprache. Tübingen: Narr. 70 Frauke Matz Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching Literary Learning with a Lit 21 Genre Katrin Thomson Influenced by socio-cultural phenomena such as medialization, digitalization and the rapid development of new communication technologies, contemporary literature has witnessed and undergone a remarkable transformation in the first two decades of the 21 st century: existing genres have changed their traditional appearance and new literary formats have emerged altogether. Text-talk fiction is one of these innovative Lit 21 genres. Attracting especially a young adult readership, text-talk fiction offers great, yet still mostly untapped potential for the EFL literature classroom. Hoping to inspire and encourage EFL teachers to use text-talk fiction in their classrooms, this article explores the genre’s char‐ acteristic features, discusses the didactic and methodological implications of reading text-talk narratives in the foreign language classroom and presents a series of specific classroom activities. 1 Introduction Since the 1990s, technological innovations, the rapid development of digital media and new forms of communication have shaped and significantly changed the ways we, for instance, connect and communicate with one another (both publicly and privately), consume and use (social) media or access and share information. Medialization, digitalization and technologization as 21 st -century phenomena have not only affected the realms of our private life but have im‐ pacted our society’s cultural practices at large (cf. Nünning/ Rupp 2013: 209). ‘Literature’ as a specific form of socio-cultural expression is highly sensitive to socio-cultural changes and innovations: it picks up on new trends (like, e.g., digitalization), incorporates them into its own modes of expression (like, e.g., narrative texts) and, by doing so, changes its own shape and form. As a conse‐ 1 Specific pre-, whileand post-reading activities for intermediate learners at Sekundar‐ stufe I are provided and discussed in Thomson (2019), which focuses on Nina Schindler’s text-talk novel An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries (2004). quence of such ‘importing’ and ‘incorporating’, existing literary genres either undergo a profound transformation and turn into ‘generic hybrids’, which carry features of both the traditional and the new genre, or new literary genres emerge altogether. Both, generic hybridization and generic innovation, are reflections of what Nünning/ Rupp (2013: 207) refer to as “the cultural dynamics of generic change”. Medialization and digitalization have been identified elsewhere as two of those socio-cultural phenomena that may induce generic change and initiate the development of new literary forms (cf. Nünning/ Rupp 2013: 201, Löschnigg 2018: 327, Kusche 2011: 153). Text-talk fiction is among those new literary genres that cultural change has brought forth. This article, in section 2, sets out to introduce readers to text-talk fiction, its most salient features, hybrid forms and sub-genres. Section 3 will then take a closer look at the didactic and methodological implications of reading ‘text-talk‐ ies’ in the EFL classroom, because the actual act of reading differs significantly from traditional encounters with narrative texts. In section 4, readers of this contribution will find a variety of specific pre-, whileand post-reading activities for Lucy Kellaway’s Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? (2006), which is recom‐ mended to be used in the advanced EFL classroom (Sekundarstufe II). 1 The task designs offered here serve to illustrate how text-talk fiction can be used in ELT to promote literary learning. 2 Defining Text-Talk Fiction: A Lit 21 Genre In light of the enormous variety of literary forms that have been emerging since the turn of the millennium, any attempt to fully and accurately define ‘text-talk fiction’ is inevitably doomed to fail, because there is no one definition that would allow to clearly distinguish this Lit 21 genre from other innovative literary for‐ mats sharing similar structural or formal features. Overlaps with related (sub-)genres occur frequently, and generic boundaries between such literary forms tend to be fluid and permeable rather than clear-cut and fixed. Literary scholars have also just begun to analyze and conceptualize the dynamic inter‐ play between socio-cultural change and literary expression (see the contribu‐ tions in Basseler/ Nünning/ Schwanecke (2013) and Nünning/ Nünning (2018)), and so we are still quite far from a systematic account of the most recent literary developments and generic transformations. According to Löschnigg (2018: 328), “it is still difficult to come up with a precise typology of ‘medialized’ genres in 72 Katrin Thomson 2 The term was apparently first used in 2011 by Callè Friesen, Associate Professor of Education at Buena Vista University, Iowa, USA, who has specialized in Cultural Lit‐ eracy Studies, 21 st -Century Literature, and Teaching Literature to Young Adult Readers. In recent years, a number of different genre labels has surfaced, each unfortunately referring to and meaning something else (for instance, ‘e-mail novel’, ‘internet novel’, ‘digi fiction’, ‘medialized epistolary fiction’). While none of them is suitable to refer to the literary genre discussed here, the term ‘text-talk fiction’, however, allows the author of this contribution to subsume under this heading all of those generic variations dis‐ cussed and referred to here without highlighting or excluding one form or another. contemporary fiction”. The term ‘text-talk fiction’ itself, thus, is not (yet) to be taken as an established generic label within the context of academic literary research or genre theory. 2 Rather, it is to be understood as an umbrella term under which certain literary texts with a shared set of structural and textual features can be subsumed. In a modest attempt to provide a precise definition of ‘text-talk fiction’, ten characteristic features will be discussed in detail below. This rather analytical approach to ‘text-talk fiction’ aims to lay a theoretic foundation before any practical issues of teaching can be considered. Any teaching with innovative genres requires systemtatic genre knowledge and a profound understanding of the genre’s underlying narrative, formal and struc‐ tural principles: (1) Text-talk fiction, in spite of its rather unconventional texture, is closely linked to prose fiction (as opposed to drama and poetry). In terms of plot struc‐ ture, character constellations, character development, length and complexity, ‘text-talkies’ show by far much more resemblance to traditional narrative for‐ mats such as the novel or novelette than, for instance, to a theater play or a poem. Text-talk fiction, therefore, can be classified as a sub-genre of novelistic narration, and its literary forms are also referred to as ‘text-talk narratives’ or ‘text-talk novels’ in this contribution. (2) In its ‘pure’, prototypical form, text-talk narratives solely consist of text messages which, in turn, include both digital formats (such as e-mails, sms, chat messages, IMs via Skype or WhatsApp, computer-typed letters, Facebook posts or tweets) and non-digital formats (such as postcards, handwritten letters, printed leaflets, flyers, posters or notes scribbled down onto post-its, napkins or even toilet paper). The storyline(s), characters, conflicts etc. unfold entirely with and through those messages which the characters send to each other. Nothing is communicated face-to-face, and simultaneous, spoken interaction between the characters does not take place. Thus, spatial and temporal distance between the communicators and their messages respectively marks a constitutive feature of this genre. In a sense, text-talk fiction could be considered the 21 st -century ver‐ sion of its much older sibling - the epistolary novel of the 18 th century. 73 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching 3 However, unlike Löschnigg (2018: 328), whose definition of ‘staged integration’ is restricted to electronic/ digital/ internet formats, this contribution includes all other incorporated forms of communication as well, because also non-electronic formats (like, e.g., a post-it, postcard or handwritten letter) are normally not physically in‐ corporated in their original form but must be imitated on the printed novel page as well. (3) If, as pointed out above, ‘pure’ text-talk fiction entirely and exclusively consists of text messages written and sent by the characters involved in the story, another deviation from traditional narrative texts can then be detected: the lack of a reliable, authorial, third-person narrator. Strictly speaking, every character producing a handwritten or typed message in the story is a first-person narrator as s/ he communicates, conveys, filters etc. information from his/ her point of view. Thus, text-talk narratives present at least two (and more often than not, multiple) perspectives and first-person ‘voices’, while the traditional, extradiegetic narrator is entirely missing. There are, of course, exceptions to this ‘rule’: Roomies (2013), a hybrid text-talk novel co-authored by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando, is an e-mail novel featuring the correspondence between the two soon-to-be college roommates, Elizabeth (“EB”) and Lauren (“Lo”). While for a considerable part of the book the novel consists of the girls’ e-mails sent back and forth, narrated parts (in the traditional sense) are interspersed, with both EB and Lo serving as first-person narrators, who, in turns, ‘guide’ the reader through the developments within the storyworld. (4) The different forms of communication listed in (2) are, of course, not actually ‘used’ in the literal sense of the word, because, obviously, other me‐ dial formats and physical objects cannot be integrated into the paperbound book in their original form or material (cf. Hallet 2009: 132 f.). As Rajewsky (2005: 55) puts it, “a given media product [like, e.g., a printed, paperbound novel] cannot use or genuinely reproduce elements or structures of a dif‐ ferent medial system [like, e.g., instant messaging via smart phones] through its own media-specific means; it can only evoke or imitate them. Conse‐ quently, [one given medium] can only generate an illusion of another medi‐ um’s specific practices” (emphasis in original). Thus, ‘using’ handwritten let‐ ters, postcards, IMs or e-mails in text-talk fiction rather means ‘illusionistically reproducing’ and ‘imitating’ the characteristic shape, typo‐ graphic style, structure and layout of these formats in such a way that readers are able to recognize and identify them effortlessly for what they are. Quite appropriately, Löschnigg (2018: 328) describes the incorporation and imi‐ tation of other medial formats in(to) paperbound narrative texts as a “staged integration of [media formats] into printed novels”. 3 74 Katrin Thomson 4 The two remaining sub-categories are ‘medial transposition’ (Medienwechsel) and ‘media combination’ (Medienkombination). According to Rajewsky (2005: 51 f.), ‘medial transposition’ refers to the transformation of a given media product (e.g. a novel) into another one (e.g. a film adaptation). ‘Media combination’ is defined as the combination of at least two distinct medial forms with each of these forms retaining its own mate‐ riality in the new medial product (e.g. visual poetry). (5) Given the fact that text-talk narratives per definitionem incorporate at least one form of communication or articulation that is traditionally not associated with novelistic storytelling, each literary example of text-talk fiction, by default, represents a form of intermedial narration. In its broadest sense, the concept of intermediality refers to the notion of medial border-crossing, which is achieved by the integration of a distinctly different medium into another (cf. Wolf 2008: 327). Considering the various possibilities of such integration or em‐ bedding (cf. ibid.) as well as the wide “range of phenomena qualifying as inter‐ medial” (Rajewsky 2005: 50), it seems advisable to delineate briefly in what way intermediality manifests itself in text-talk fiction. Drawing on Rajewsky’s the‐ orizing and research on intermediality and intermedial practices (cf. Rajewsky 2002, Rajewsky 2005), one of the three sub-categories she proposes seems par‐ ticularly relevant here: the category she refers to as ‘intermedial references’ (cf. Rajewsky 2005: 52 ff.). 4 ‘Intermedial referencing’, which translates into in‐ termediale Bezugnahme(n), is characterized by the process of inserting distinctly different medial forms into another medium in the ways mapped out above in (3). In contrast to ‘media combination’, only one medium (here: the paperbound book) is materially present whereas the medial form(s) referred to in the printed book (here: e.g., e-mails, IMs, letters, notes) are only imitated in a manner that merely creates the illusion “as if ” they were present (ibid., 53). Provided that readers of text-talk fiction are familiar with the different text types and forms of digital and non-digital communication, intermedial references to those forms are clearly perceptible to readers, since the reproduction of each format’s most salient features on the printed page (in terms of text structure, text layout and linguistic style) enables readers to identify them. For example, the use of from: , to: , RE: , Cc and Bcc, with each item given on a separate line, unmistakably indi‐ cates a reference to the medial format of e-mailing. Likewise, the insertion and proper positioning of a sender’s/ recipient’s postal address, of the date, subject line, text body, salutation and complimentary closing on a book page is a clear pointer to formal letter writing. (6) Depending on the actual number and variety of different forms incorpo‐ rated into the paperbound book, a distinction can be made between the ‘mono-intermedial text-talk novel’ and ‘multi-intermedial text-talk 75 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching 5 These terms, proposed here to distinguish between different quantitative manifesta‐ tions of intermedial references in text-talk fiction, may serve as preliminary labels only. The use of the prefixes monoand multiis motivated by a similar differentiation made within the concept of modality in literary texts, i.e. between monomodal and multi‐ modal novels (see feature (7) below). novel’. 5 The former sub-type designates those ‘text-talkies’ which make use of only one specific form of communication throughout the entire book, i.e. novels entirely consisting of, for instance, e-mails or tweets. For these given sub-genres, the terms ‘e-mail novel’ (cf. Kusche 2011) and ‘twitterature’/ ‘twitterfiction’ (cf. Thomas 2014, Kirchhoff 2016) have come into use as generic labels. • Matt Beaumont’s e: A Novel (2000), Lucy Kellaway’s Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? (2006) and David Llewellyn’s Eleven (2006) are examples of e-mail novels. • Aciman and Rensin’s Twitterature (2009) is a collection of - as the subtitle of this volume reads - ‘the world’s greatest books retold through Twitter’. While the term ‘twitterature’ mostly refers to the transformation of ex‐ isting literary texts into paperbound Twitter narratives, ‘Twitterfiction’ denotes the “so-called user-generated fiction on the Internet” (Kirchhoff 2016: 73), i.e. fictional Twitter narratives created by Twitter users. The latter type, the multi-intermedial text-talk novel, includes those narratives which incorporate at least two or more forms of communication. Examples of this type include the following text-talk novels: • The storyline in Ellen Wittlinger’s Heart on My Sleeve (2004) unfolds through four formats: postcards, chat messages, e-mails and letters. • Alyson Noël’s Cruel Summer (2008) incorporates six different formats: letters, the protagonist’s journal entries, text messages, e-mails, the pro‐ tagonist’s blog entries and other characters’ blog comments. • Nina Schindler’s An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries (2004) makes use of 23 different forms of communication, ranging from rather conventional for‐ mats (such as letters both handwritten and typed, text messages and e-mails) to rather unusual ones (like notes scribbled on napkins, toilet paper or newspaper clippings). These examples may suffice to illustrate that, theoretically, the range and con‐ figuration of medial formats in multi-intermedial text-talk fiction is infinite and might differ from one text to another. (7) Text-talk novels may be written as monomodal or multimodal narra‐ tives. Within the field of literary studies, ‘mode’, in general, refers to the se‐ 76 Katrin Thomson miotic system(s) used in a fictional text for the representation of its storyworld. For instance, a narrative text such as the traditional novel “exclusively relies on the written word in printed form, with black letters on the white page in a paper-bound book” (Hallet 2014: 152). Being usually limited to the verbal mode, the traditional novel, thus, “is basically monomodal” (ibid., emphasis in original). Monomodal text-talk novels, then, are also restricted to the verbal mode, i.e. the messages (like e-mails, sms, letters etc.) are incorporated in the form of ‘plain text’ without the imitation or visualization of these formats’ original materials (here: the ‘compose a new e-mail’-window on a computer screen, the display of a cell phone or the sheet of paper a letter is written on). An extract from Kella‐ way’s e-mail novel Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? may serve as an example (see Fig. 1) of the monomodal text-talk novel: Fig. 1: E-mail correspondence in Lucy Kellaway’s Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? (2006: 57) Multimodal narratives, on the other hand, are characterized by the incorporation of “a whole range of non-verbal symbolic representations and non-narrative se‐ miotic modes” (Hallet 2009: 129), which include, for instance, the visual mode of expression (through, e.g., pictures, photographs, drawings), the use of graphic elements (such as diagrams and graphs) and other non-verbal semiotic modes (like symbols and pictograms). Popular sub-genres of the multimodal novel are, for example, the graphic novel and the comic. In multimodal text-talk narratives, the 77 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching original material and visual features of the medial forms used in the text are imi‐ tated on the printed page. It is through the imitation of, for instance, window frames on computer monitors (e-mail), cell phone displays (sms) or stationery (letters), that the ‘as if’-character is created on the printed page. In Wittlinger’s Heart on My Sleeve, for example, all e-mails and chat messages are integrated into the book in the way they would appear on a computer screen (see Fig. 2): Fig. 2: Imitation of e-mail and chat programs in Ellen Wittlinger’s Heart on My Sleeve (2004: 10) In An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries, the author also incorporates imitations or photographs of visual objects like, e.g., movie tickets, balloons or Valentine’s Day-cards. Their imprints contain pieces of information that are either relevant 78 Katrin Thomson for the development of the storyline or indirectly reveal character traits of the story’s protagonists (see Fig. 3). Fig. 3: Incorporation of photographed movie tickets and a hand-written note in Nina Schindler’s An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries (2004: n.p.) In multimodal text-talk fiction (and in multimodal narratives in general), these visual or graphic elements are not merely illustrations complementing or accom‐ panying the main story text (as it is the case, for instance, in illustrated children’s books). Rather, they are, as Hallet (2018: 345) puts it, “fictional entities and arte‐ facts […] produced, used and located in the storyworld”, and as such they are “an integral part of the narrative discourse” since they are “related to the characters’ […] actions, perceptions and environments and their way of thinking, communi‐ cating and making sense of the world”. Thus, the status of these non-verbal ele‐ ments in multimodal narratives is, he argues elsewhere (2014: 156), “substantially different from that of traditional illustrations or other paratexts”. Consequently, eliminating the non-verbal elements from multimodal narratives would most likely turn them into incoherent or at least incomplete texts. 79 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching (8) Regardless of whether a particular text-talk novel is a monoor multi‐ modal text, the page layout is significantly different from that of traditional narrative texts. In text-talk novels the linear run-on text we usually find in prose fiction is replaced by a series of smaller text units (i.e. the individual text mes‐ sages) which are often also somewhat haphazardly spread across the book page, making it difficult at times to identify immediately the order in which they are supposed to be read. (9) Most narratives classified as text-talk fiction, especially those incorporating digital forms of communication such as e-mails, sms, chat messages or tweets, share certain linguistic features linked to the notion of language economy. Not only the necessity to stay within a given character limit in electronic media for‐ mats (like, e.g., in tweets or sms), but also the desire for quick and efficient com‐ munication in general have led to the emergence of what is commonly known as text message jargon. Also sometimes referred to as internet lingo, net lingo, net speak, digi lingo or cyber slang, this specific kind of language use is char‐ acterized by creative, yet systematic combinations of mostly letters, numbers and symbols to generate acronyms, abbreviations or otherwise condensed lexical units in order to save time and/ or key strokes (Fig. 4 and 5). Fig. 4: Noël, Cruel Summer (2008: 97) Fig. 5: Schindler, An Order of Amelie (2004: n.p.) In text-talk fiction, the most frequently used patterns and formats of internet lingo include: - single numbers or letters used to replace a word e.g. R for are, 2 for two/ too/ to; - combinations of letters and numbers to compensate for a word e.g. gr8 for great, b4 for before; 80 Katrin Thomson 6 For a discussion of typographic elements in multimodal novels see Hallet (2009: 138 f.). - combinations of graphemic and phonological features e.g. plz for please, thx for thanks; - colloquial expressions e.g. dunno for don’t know, gonna for going to; - abbreviations e.g. re. for in the matter of, btw. for by the way; - acronyms e.g. DRIB for Don’t read if busy! , HAND for Have a nice day! ; - combination of letters and symbols e.g. w@ for what, *g* for grin The number and range of net lingo expressions is literally increasing by the minute, and readers might not be familiar with all of them. For decoding the unknown ones, readers can consult net lingo dictionaries (on websites such as www.netlingo.com or www.internetslang.com) which offer large collections of currently used, i.e. authentic, ‘real-world’ expressions. In TEFL contexts, ex‐ ploring features and examples of net lingo use in text-talk fiction may not only promote learners’ language awareness but also foster those aspects of commu‐ nicative competence which are often marginalized in foreign language learning: style, register, language variation and sociopragmatics. (10) The last (but by no means the least important) feature of text-talk fiction to be discussed here is typography. 6 The authors of text-talk novels often make (systematic) use of different typefaces, font sizes, techniques for marking em‐ phasis (e.g. italics, bold print, underlining, upper-case letters) and modes of writing (e.g. typed, handwritten). The integration of such typographic aspects may serve at least three purposes: • to highlight the material side of writing/ typing, e.g. by imitating the writing of a letter with, for example, a fountain pen, typewriter or com‐ puter; e.g. in Heart on My Sleeve, Wittlinger even uses different stationery for Chloe’s, Julian’s and Veev’s handwritten letters, each showing dif‐ ferent perforation, ruling and paper quality • to correlate certain forms of communication or modes of writing with certain protagonists, thereby enabling readers to identify different characters at once; e.g. in An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries, Tim and Amelie have distinctly different handwritings which readers can rec‐ ognize easily 81 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching • to mark paralinguistic aspects of spoken language (such as intonation, voice, tempo, word stress, enunciation) in written texts; e.g. in Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? , upper-case letters are used in Martin Lukes’ e-mails whenever he is angry and virtually yelling at the recipients of his mes‐ sages Considering the characteristic features of text-talk fiction as mapped out above, it is patently obvious that narrative texts told in this unconventional manner ask for a different kind of reading and literary literacy. While text-talk fiction, on the one hand, poses a few challenges to its readers, the act of reading such texts, on the other hand, is in itself a particularly enjoyable, exhilarating and fun experience which young adult readers in general and EFL learners in par‐ ticular should not be deprived of. 3 Reading Text-Talk Fiction: Didactic Implications Text-talk fiction undoubtedly has the potential to increase learners’ motivation to read full-length novels in the EFL classroom and to overcome their often-criti‐ cized aversion to reading English literature (cf. Nünning 1997: 4). For one, it is due to their unconventional texture and page layout that ‘text-talkies’ are likely to attract the interest and attention of potential readers. Flipping through the pages of a ‘text-talky’, one can immediately see and identify the visual imitations of e-mails, sms, chat messages, letters, postcards etc., i.e. forms of communica‐ tion which young adult learners are not only familiar with but also actively use in their everyday life and social contexts. According to Hallet, these narratives - regardless of whether they have been written as monomodal or multimodal novels - “loo[k] more natural and [are] better accessible to many young readers” (2015: 292). While this might be true, reading text-talk fiction can be challenging for a number of reasons though - and not just for foreign language learners. In fact, I would argue that the “higher level of familiarity and recognition value” (Hallet 2015: 295) of text-talk novels alone does by no means make them more accessible, because the impression one might get from taking a quick glimpse into such a book might be a misleading one. Students could jump to conclusions, believing that reading ‘a bunch of messages’ would be an easy task to do, when, in fact, it might even be more demanding than reading a traditional novel. Thus, it cannot be assumed that EFL learners are automatically able to decipher and understand the underlying narrative principles employed by the author in the construction of the storyworld. After all, reading text-talk fiction is an experi‐ ence of a different kind for many EFL learners, because it substantially differs 82 Katrin Thomson from reading the conventional narrative texts usually used in foreign language learning contexts. Although the reading process itself can be challenging, it is through these challenges that text-talk fiction unfolds its full potential for literary and foreign language learning in the EFL classroom. Designing classroom activities and tasks that are conducive to learners’ comprehension of text-talk novels requires the teacher’s awareness of and knowledge about the didactic implications of reading and teaching text-talk fiction. The following aspects, therefore, should be taken into account: Implication #1: Both the sheer amount of seemingly unrelated text messages in text-talk fiction and the absence of an authorial narrator (who, metaphorically speaking, normally takes us by the hand, guides us through the actions, events and developments in the fictional storyworlds and provides information on characters, character constellations, conflicts, settings etc.) leave readers with stories in which information is provided in a highly fragmented manner. How this affects the process of meaning-making can be illustrated with the help of a comparison between the opening sequences from two different novels, the first one representing an example of traditional novelistic narration (here: Dead Poets Society, see Fig. 6), the second one being an example of text-talk fiction (here: Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? , see Fig. 7). Teachers might want to consider such a comparison in their classrooms as well, as it may enable learners a) to activate previously acquired knowledge on novelistic narration and b) to explore the narratological principles used in text-talk fiction: Fig. 6: Opening paragraph in N.H. Kleinbaum’s Dead Poets Society (2005: 3) Rather effortlessly, readers are able to decipher and understand the situational context created in the first few lines of this ‘classic’ novel: the explicit references to the presence of teachers, students and their parents, to the bagpipe music and the procession making its way through the long hallway into the stone chapel make it unmistakably clear that a ceremonial occasion is being described here. Furthermore, the precise details given on the setting (private school, remote hills 83 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching of Vermont, long aisle, venerable chapel), the characters’ age and appearance (three hundred boys, a short, elderly man; academy blazers, swathed in flowing robes) and the character relationships (boys, proud-faced parents, teachers) allow readers to create a very clear and vivid image of this scene. Unlike the opening paragraph cited above, Kellaway’s e-mail novel lacks all of those explicit details. There is no authorial narrator, who would provide in‐ formation on setting, character relationships or the situational context. Here, readers have to draw conclusions and make inferences based on the fragmen‐ tarily provided information in the text messages: Fig. 7: Opening sequence in Kellaway’s Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? (2006: 1) The first e-mail, for instance, only indirectly reveals that it was probably written in a business-related context, and that Sylvia Woods is most likely Martin Lukes’ personal assistant or secretary, as she apparently answers his phone calls, for‐ wards messages to him and takes (indirect) orders from him. The second e-mail, however, implies a different kind of character relationship, since the mutual family name ‘Lukes’ suggests that Jenny must be related to Martin. In addition to that, the elliptic, informal style of writing (e.g. … had a few too many, will try to get back early, dunno) as well as the intimate salutation forms used in this e-mail (darling, love you) also imply that Jenny is most likely Martin’s wife. None of that, though, is stated explicitly in these e-mails. 84 Katrin Thomson In text-talk fiction, readers are requested to fill the gaps left in the text (so-called Leerstellen) by forming their own hypotheses on character relation‐ ships, possible settings, situational contexts and so on. These hypotheses, though, can only be tested, confirmed or revised if the reader in fact continues to read and is willing to become (and stay) actively involved in the process of meaning-making. It is through these gaps that readers are literally drawn into the storyworld’s complex and dynamic communicative processes and become actively involved in the construction and interpretation of the text’s meaning (cf. Winkgens 2008: 415). Their participation in the meaning-making process is intended by novelists, which implies that the gaps left within the narrative texts are constructed very carefully. As I have argued elsewhere, […] die gaps [sind] niemals so groß angelegt, dass sich die Textkohärenz auflösen, der Leser seine Bereitschaft zur ‘Mitarbeit’ verlieren oder die Textrezeption zum Frust‐ erlebnis werden würde. Im Gegenteil: Die narrative Struktur der text-talkies mit ihren bewusst gesetzten Leerstellen lässt die aktive Beteiligung des Lesers am Entschlüsseln von Figurenkonstellationen, am Herausfinden von Figureneigenschaften, am Her‐ stellen von Handlungszusammenhängen usw. zu einem besonderen Leseerlebnis werden (Thomson 2019: 14, emphasis in original). Teaching text-talk fiction in the EFL literature classroom, then, requires care‐ fully designed activities and tasks that both scaffold this complex reading process and enhance learners’ understanding particularly of those storyworld aspects which are only implied but not explicitly mentioned. Such tasks can focus on those categories of literary analysis and interpretation that students have encountered and dealt with before: characters, character constellation, plot structure, setting, time structure - to name a few. Implication #2: As the examples taken from Kellaway’s e-mail novel have shown (see Fig. 7 above), consecutive messages in text-talk narratives are often not directly linked. Instead, they might be addressed to different characters, thereby creating several, more or less parallel strings of correspondences (and plotlines), which the reader not only needs to identify and distinguish as such, but also often has to ‘put on hold’ for the time being until they are picked up again. Since readers are literally and repeatedly left in the dark as regards the accuracy of their hypotheses, a certain degree of “Unbestimmtheitstoleranz im Leseprozess” (Thomson 2019: 14) is needed. It is, however, this kind of uncer‐ tainty and ambiguity during the reading process that creates suspense, excites readers’ curiosity and motivates them to continue to read. Sustaining learners’ motivation and interest in reading a particular text-talk novel, then, calls for student-centered, actionand product-oriented as well as creative activities and 85 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching 7 See Thomson (2019: 16) for specific teaching suggestions as to how the interplay be‐ tween different modes could be explored in Schindler’s An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries. tasks, which allow learners to articulate (in whatever way) their hypotheses and personal interpretations of the text. Implication #3: In multimodal text-talk fiction the combination of verbal (i.e. the written words) and non-verbal semiotic modes (i.e. images, pictures, symbols etc.) increases the level of complexity, both with regard to the text structure and the reading process. Since the incorporation of visual images, photographs, graphics etc. disrupts the “linear continuity of the verbal text” (Hallet 2014: 157), readers are constantly asked to explore not only the design and layout of each individual book page but also to decode, interpret and un‐ derstand the “complex interplay between different semiotic modes and media” (Hallet 2009: 148) incorporated into the narrative. Unlike in traditional narra‐ tives, in which the ‘direction’ of reading a book page is usually pre-determined by the linearity of the printed text, readers of multimodal text-talk fiction are more autonomous in the ‘organization’ and ‘structuring’ of their reading process: “On the reader’s side,” Hallet points out, “continuous decision-making is required regarding the way these other elements [i.e. the non-verbal ones] are to be ‘read’ and evaluated, as well as the amount of attention and ‘reading’ energy to be spent on the respective mode” (2015: 292). Thus, in addition to the ‘traditional’ skills and competences, which we need for reading literary texts (e.g. reading skills, literary literacy, narrative compe‐ tence), decoding and understanding multimodal ‘text-talkies’ also requires a whole range of other skills and competences such as the ability to ‘read’ images (i.e. visual literacy) or the ability to analyze and interpret the interplay between different semiotic modes (i.e. multimodal literacy). Reading multimodal novels, thus, is a highly complex process, which Hallet (2014: 168) refers to as a “multi-literate act”. Using multimodal text-talk fiction in the EFL literature classroom, then, requires activities and tasks which turn learners’ attention to the complex relationships of verbal and non-verbal elements in a given text. 7 As regards the practical side of working with text-talk fiction in the EFL classroom, responding to these didactic implications and challenges appropri‐ ately, for instance on the level of teaching methods and task/ material design, is of crucial importance. Since the full potential of text-talk fiction for literary learning in foreign language settings has only rather recently been unlocked, suitable teaching material is still rare on the schoolbook market. The sample tasks given in section 4, therefore, are only to be taken as a modest attempt to put forward some practical ideas for the EFL literature classroom. Based on the 86 Katrin Thomson 8 Strictly speaking, the term ‘e-mail novel’ is not absolutely accurate, for in Kellaway’s book intermedial references are not exclusively made to the ‘e-mail’, but to two other formats as well. The author also ‘uses’ 12 sms and a fictitious Financial Times article, thereby actually turning her novel into a multi-intermedial narrative. Since the vast number of e-mails outweighs by far the other formats, ‘e-mail novel’ still seems to be a legitimate label for Kellaway’s book. methodological concept of pre-, while-, post-activities, they aim to illustrate how the theoretical aspects discussed so far can inform classroom practice. 4 Teaching Text-Talk Fiction: Lucy Kellaway’s Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? in the EFL Classroom Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? chronicles one year in Martin Lukes’ life. An am‐ bitious businessman in his early 40s, Martin is, more than anything else, ob‐ sessed with his professional career. Doing everything he can to climb up the corporate ladder and earn recognition, he even hires a super-expensive personal business coach (Pandora) he actually cannot afford. Having an extremely big ego, he likes to think of himself as the most brilliant and most creative busi‐ nessman, who develops concepts no CEO could possibly resist. In reality, though, Martin is everything but that: he lacks competence in almost everything he does, and his business ideas are usually useless. However, being a ruthless, greedy, egotistic and phony player with a dog-eat-dog mentality, he nonetheless often manages to outplay his opponents and deceive his colleagues. As a hus‐ band and father, he is a complete failure as well. Although he is married and has a family, Martin has an affair with his personal assistant (Keri). In his wife ( Jenny “Jens” Lukes), he only sees a housekeeper who is supposed to run all sorts of errands for him. He is completely oblivious to the fact that Jenny is making much more headway careerwise than he is. Martin’s relationship to his sons, Jake (15) and Max (12), is rather strained, too, since he barely sees them and misses out on important school events. He also has not spoken to his sister (Katherine) for ages, but when he finally does and finds out that she is a lesbian applying for adoption, Martin is not exactly as supportive as he pretends to be. By the end of the year, Martin has not made any progress careerwise, nor has his personal situation improved. Quite the contrary: he loses his job and gets kicked out by Jenny, who wants to file for a divorce. The story of Kellaway’s antihero unfolds through 930 e-mails on 375 book pages, hence the generic label ‘e-mail novel’. 8 The vast majority of these e-mails is written by Martin but sent to a number of different characters (mostly his co-workers and relatives), whose responses to Martin are mostly only implied 87 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching but not actually included in the printed book. With the main focus being on Martin’s perspective, readers are able to recognize him for the schemer he is, because in his e-mails, he deliberately constructs different, often contradicting truths and realities. As the synopsis above has shown, Martin Lukes is clearly not depicted as a likeable character who could serve as a role model of any sort or to anyone. However, what makes Kellaway’s novel a highly entertaining read is, among other things, the fact that it is written not only in the mode of an e-mail novel but also as a satire both on office life and business practices in the corporate world and on modern family life. As such, it touches upon a wide range of topics and issues, young adult learners of Sekundarstufe II can easily relate to: • pursuing a career: applying for jobs; skillsets, competences and quali‐ fications; job interviews; education; career coaching • business practices: team spirit; competition and rivalry; corruption; bribing; blackmailing; lying; brownnosing; headhunting • gender issues: gender roles; sexism, sexual harassment; homosexuality; discrimination; same-sex parenting; adoption • relationships: marriage; marital conflicts; adultery; affairs; business re‐ lationships with staff and co-workers; family life; family conflicts; fa‐ ther-son-relationships; rivalry among siblings • values: honesty; loyalty; integrity; trust; work-life-balance; health According to the KMK Bildungsstandards (2012: 12), “Themen des Alltags und der Berufswelt” and “Themen der Lebens- und Erfahrungswelt Heranwach‐ sender” can and should be explored at Sekundarstufe II also with the help of suitable literary texts. Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? can certainly be considered one of them. 4.1 Pre-Reading Phase While all of the pre-reading activities given below serve the didactic goals gen‐ erally associated with this phase (i.e. increasing motivation, raising students’ interest, activating knowledge, providing a context, introducing characters etc.), each of them focuses on a different aspect (e.g. forms of communication, char‐ acterization, plot, text types, issues addressed in the novel). Depending on the teacher’s specific objectives and learner groups, students could be asked to en‐ gage in the following activities: 88 Katrin Thomson a.) b.) c.) Book Title The title of this novel is Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? What does the title reveal about the character asking this question? What do you think: Is the character asking this question male or female? Give reasons for your opinion. What could the novel be about? In this activity, attention is drawn not only to a specific form of communication in the digital age (the BlackBerry being the first smart phone with web functions) but also to the main character and his/ her story. Possible answers to a.) could refer to materialistic aspects (since the character asking this question obviously attaches great importance to brand names and high-end labels) and character traits (like the character’s age, social status or tendency to blame others for things that s/ he might have done him/ herself). Question b.) sheds light on gender-stereotypical thinking, and c.) allows students to formulate hypotheses about possible storyline(s), conflict(s), setting(s) or character constellations. Back Page of the Book / Blurb On its back page, the 2006 Penguin Books edition of Who Moved My Black‐ Berry TM ? introduces the novel’s protagonist through the medial format which is also used in the book (see Fig. 8). Fig. 8: Snippet from the blurb of Kellaway’s Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? 89 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching 1a.) 1b.) A thorough study and interpretation of this ‘e-mail’ helps to discover interesting details about Martin Lukes’ personality and his not-all-that-strong work ethos. For example, the time slots reserved for business matters are not only quite short, but they are also outweighed by those he has blocked for private matters. Since the names of some other characters are mentioned in this e-mail as well, students could be asked to hypothesize about Martin’s relationship to them using the contextual information given in each case (e.g. schooling issues, book Novotel, a quick Guiness). The following questions and tasks might help students to decode this e-mail: • What is Martin Lukes’ job? What tasks / duties are typical of such a job? • How would you describe Martin Lukes’ work ethos? Tip: It might help to sort the entries of his agenda into ‘private matters’/ ‘business matters’ and to look at the amount of time he devotes to each of them. • What is (or could be) Martin’s relationship to Kerry, Jens, Jake, Pandora, Keith and Graham. How do you know? / What makes you think so? • Usually, a short text on the back of a novel (blurb), written either by the author or the publisher, provides readers with basic information on the main storyline, characters, setting etc. Using a screenshot of an e-mail to introduce the main character is rather unconventional. What could be possible reasons for it? What could such a page layout and design imply? Book Synopsis On the publisher’s website (www.penguin.com), interested readers can find a synopsis of the novel. This online summary, however, also differs significantly from traditional ones. Like the ‘blurb’ above, it is written in the form of an e-mail, but in contrast to the ‘blurb e-mail’, Martin Lukes, here, addresses the reader directly and promotes ‘his book’, trying to convince the potential buyer to actually purchase it (see Fig. 9). An interpretation and discussion of this e-mail could concentrate on (1) a characterization of Martin Lukes and the techniques used to create that impression of him, (2) Martin’s references to the content of the novel, or (3) the generic implications of presenting a book summary in this par‐ ticular way. Suitable questions and activities to discuss these issues would be: Martin Lukes is the main character of the novel. As we read this summary, why do we get the feeling that Martin could, in fact, be a real person? What impression does Martin make on you? How so? Mark words and phrases in his e-mail that reveal what kind of ‘person’ he is or seems to be. Collect as many characteristics as possible. 90 Katrin Thomson 2.) 3a.) 3b.) What kind of “corporate scandal” and “marital drama” could he be referring to? This book summary could also be used as a blurb on the back of the book. In general, what is the purpose of a blurb? In which way(s) does this e-mail achieve that purpose? Summaries of novels are usually not written in the form of an e-mail. What could be the author’s reasons to use this form? What could Martin possibly mean when he says that this book “pushes the envelope literature-wise”? Fig. 9: Synopsis of Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? , web 4.2 While-Reading Phase The Novel’s Prologue Kellaway’s novel is divided into 13 sections. It opens with a short prologue (con‐ sisting of 22 e-mails), which is followed by 12 chapters, one for each month of the year chronicled in the novel. The brevity of the prologue allows teachers to inte‐ grate its reading into the opening lesson(s) of the teaching unit. In fact, reading the prologue in class is highly recommended because students, especially those unfamiliar with text-talk fiction, need to be introduced to the narrative style of Kellaway’s novel. The reading itself should be done in small, teacher-generated, heterogeneous groups of 3-4 students with mixed language proficiency levels. The groups should be asked to read the prologue as teacher-independently as pos‐ 91 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching 1.) 2.) 1.) sible, consulting their peers (and/ or dictionaries) when help is needed (e.g. in terms of word meaning, pronunciation, text comprehension). All groups should be given the same while-reading tasks, which are, first and foremost, designed to facilitate students’ global comprehension of the text: In your group, read the Prologue together. Help each other out whenever ques‐ tions occur concerning, for example, the storyline, the meaning of words and phrases or pronunciation. Consult a dictionary if needed. Together with your group members, do the following tasks: Find out how the following characters are related to Martin: Graham, Sylvia, Jenny, Sebastian. Discuss what passages or words gave you the necessary clues. Mark them in the text. What happens in this Prologue? In your group, prepare an oral summary. Make notes if necessary. A follow-up activity, focusing on a more detailed understanding of the prologue, could focus on linguistic aspects. Apart from a discussion of certain expressions used in the e-mails, students’ attention should also be drawn to those stylistic features which are characteristic of e-mailing/ online communication (i.e. net lingo): Find the following expressions in the Prologue. Study the context in which they are used and explain what they mean, using your own words. - had a few too many (p. 1) - all very hush hush (p. 2) - It’s got my name all over it. (p. 3) - I’ve got ticks in all the boxes. (p. 3) - we were very much singing from the same hymn sheet (p. 3) - I’m very can-do, very get-up-and-go (p. 3) - I’m a bit out of the loop on food shopping (p. 4) - he has the identical take on the future of marketing (p. 4) - I shouldn’t count my chickens (p. 5) - I wasn’t firing on all cylinders in the board meeting (p. 6) - I’m totally over the moon (p. 6) - Keep this under your hat until it’s greenlighted. (p. 6) - Hair of the dog later? (p. 8) 92 Katrin Thomson 2.) In one of his e-mails, Martin asks Jenny to run an errand for him (p. 2): Darling - […] I know you’re really up against it this pm but wld be v grateful if you’d pick up my grey Hugo Boss suit from the cleaners. Love you M xx What do the underlined parts in this e-mail mean? What are characteristic features of net lingo? Why do people write e-mails, sms, chat messages etc. in this particular way? When is it (in)appropriate? The peculiarities of reading text-talk fiction (see section 3 in this contribution) call for classroom activities which help students realize how such narratives need to be read and that reading ‘text-talkies’ requires their active participation in the process of meaning-making. In a writing task, students could be asked to ‘spell out’ what the novel does not say explicitly. Task designs like the one below do not only foster students’ narrative competence but also enable them to change perspectives, since the ‘gaps’ (see Leerstellen above), which the narrative text leaves, are usually linked to the implied e-mails of the other characters in the novel. Thus, these gaps can only be filled if students take that other char‐ acter’s point of view. In the Prologue, Martin sends two e-mails to his wife Jenny. These e-mails are printed back to back (p. 3f.), and obviously Jenny’s response to Martin is not included in the book. Read Martin’s e-mail again. Imagine you are Jenny. You are about to reply to your husband’s first e-mail. Write this e-mail to him and ‘fill the gap’ between his e-mails. Tip: Check whether your e-mail really fits in between Martin’s two messages, i.e. Martin’s second e-mail must fit to yours as well! The following questions may help you to find ideas for your e-mail to Martin: - How do you react to such a request? Will you help him? Why (not)? - How do you feel about Martin’s PS? - What do you think about your husband’s career prospects and the news on the new job? - What were your plans for the weekend with your parents? - How come that your parents do not like Martin? 93 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching Reading ‘the Rest’ of the Novel Having worked with the prologue in these (or similar) ways, students should then be asked to read the novel at home, ideally - if time allows - chapter by chapter, which should then be discussed in class also in a one-by-one manner (segment approach, cf. Thaler 2008: 105). Taking such an approach, however, does not imply that students should or could be ‘left alone’ with their reading of the novel at home. An effective way of structuring the reading process, en‐ hancing students’ understanding of the text, helping them prepare for in-class discussion of the chapters and permitting them to articulate their personal re‐ sponses to the novel can be seen in the use of a reading journal (alternative terms are reading log and reading diary). While reading journals are, as Hesse (2016: 42) puts it, “often very interesting for teachers to read”, they are, of course, primarily meant to offer students a ‘forum’ for their own meaningful and genuine responses to the text at hand. “Readers,” Hesse therefore points out (ibid.), “can write their own responses to what they are reading, collect questions, statements, personally meaningful text excerpts, write letters to protagonists, rewrite prose as poetry, write (parts of) the story from a different point of view, visualize what they are reading in drawings, etc.” While teachers may very well be able to find in TEFL research literature such useful, yet still rather general ideas on what to include in a reading journal, concrete material for specific novels is hardly available on the schoolbook market. In light of this, a reading journal template for Kellaway’s 94 Katrin Thomson Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? is provided here (see appendix). I recommend creating a digital version for students because a) many of the activities included require students to revisit particular parts of the reading journal in order to add information, examples, ideas etc., b) in the section called ‘Chapter Pages’ stu‐ dents are free to choose those aspects from a given list which they would like to concentrate on, and c) typing the responses on a computer rather than writing them down mirrors the mode of text production also ‘staged’ in the novel. 4.3 Post-Reading Phase From the endless number of possible post-reading activities, four are chosen here to be discussed in more detail. Their task designs not only take into account aspects of creative work, actionand product-orientation, but also open up pos‐ sibilities for oral and written language production at different levels of difficulty and within the larger context of literary learning. Designing a New Book Cover Since its first publication in 2005, Kellaway’s novel has been re-published several times. For each new release, a different book cover was designed (so far, at least six). In a first step, students could be asked to search online for those book covers and, in a follow-up activity, discuss which of the cover pages would appeal to them the most/ least and which of the covers students would consider suitable/ unsuitable, given the content of the story. Needless to say, students would also have to give reasons for their opinions. In a second step, students could work on a creative task like the one below: A new edition of Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? is to be published soon. You are a graphic designer and you have been contacted by the publisher (Penguin Books). They want you to come up with a new idea for the book cover. Design your own book cover for the 2002-edition of Kellaway’s novel. Not only would students have to include those components usually to be found on a book cover, but they would also have to draw on their knowledge about the novel, its storyline and main character. The Blurb Revisited Another activity could concentrate on the blurb again. This time, however, focus is not given to the plot summary but to the quotes (e.g. from reviewers, famous writers or fans) which are often printed on the back of a book in order to promote 95 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching it. They tend to be rather short, ranging from one-word quotes (e.g. Hilarious! ) to two-liners (e.g. Honest and enormously touching - a beautifully written book.). Students could be asked to write their own ‘blurb quotes’, picking up on the novel’s satiric tone: Choose one of the following characters: Jen, Jake, Max, Keri, Phyllis, Graham. Write a ‘blurb quote’ from ‘your’ character’s point of view. Single words are not permitted. Spice up your quote by using irony, humor or sarcasm. Written from Jake’s point of view, for example, such a quote could read as fol‐ lows: “A must-read if you want to meet the best father EVER! ” ( Jake). This post-reading activity, as easy and entertaining as it may seem, is both chal‐ lenging and complex, because students have to (1) activate their knowledge about these characters, (2) formulate concise, to-the-point phrases or sentences from a perspective that is not their own, and (3) find ways of adding a humoristic, ironic or sarcastic tone to them - the latter being something that is rarely asked for in the foreign language classroom. Genre Transformation Students’ narrative competence could be enhanced through a task which asks them to rewrite (parts of) the novel’s prologue in the form of a traditional nar‐ rative text. First, students could discuss what kind of narrative situation should be chosen. An authorial narrator would be a wise choice here, considering that whoever tells the story of Martin Lukes must have full knowledge about the characters involved, their actions, the contents of the (novel’s hidden) messages, the scheming and manipulation taking place in the background etc. Trans‐ forming parts of a text-talk novel into a piece of conventional storytelling ap‐ parently requires significant changes with regard to structural, formal and lin‐ guistic aspects. For instance, gaps in the e-mail novel’s storyline would have to be filled and verbalized, and a different style/ register would have to be chosen because an objective authorial narrator, who is (emotionally) detached from the characters, would have to find a different way of mediating to readers, for ex‐ ample, Martin’s state of mind when he learns that the job he thought he was being headhunted for has been given to another candidate after all: “I don’t fucking believe it. They’ve gone and fucking given it to someone fucking else.” (Kellaway 2006: 7). These necessary changes, however, are most likely to be discovered by students only in the actual process of rewriting. Thus, genre 96 Katrin Thomson transformations like these demand constant redrafting, reorganizing and deci‐ sion-making, which is why this task should be done digitally (i.e. on a PC). Pandora’s Help In Kellaway’s novel, Pandora is the super-expensive business coach Martin hires in order to maximize his chances for a successful career and better jobs. Pandora, whose ‘real’ name we do not get to know and who communicates with Martin only via e-mail, sets monthly goals for his personal growth and gives him (more or less useful) pieces of advice as to how he can achieve them. Pandora’s coaching, however, is not very effective, because Martin never takes her tasks seriously, keeps making excuses and lies to her. Pandora, on the other hand, is not primarily interested in Martin’s personal progress, but in money-making - a negative aspect implied by Pandora’s telling name. The novel, thus, makes fun of the entire business coaching industry, in which more or less qualified ‘coaches’ apparently get richer and richer, while their clients obviously do not make any headway at all. In this context, the following task would allow students to deal with this issue critically - and with a touch of irony and humor: It’s the beginning of the new year and Pandora’s online coaching sessions with Martin are completed. Angelo, a very good friend of Pandora’s, has just started his own career in the online business coaching industry but, as a newcomer, lacks Pandora’s insider knowledge. His business has not been running very smoothly. One day, he writes to Pandora, asking for her advice because she apparently knows all the tricks of the trade. From Pandora’s point of view, write an e-mail to Angelo and give him the advice he has asked for. For your e-mail you may consider these aspects: - What questions might Angelo have asked ‘you’ in his e-mail? What things could he be interested in as someone who has just started his own business? - What is it that Angelo must have done wrong so far? - What should Angelo do to make his business venture more profitable? - Looking back at the year of coaching Martin Lukes, can ‘you’ think of any aspects or examples that could help Angelo to maximize his profits? - What kind of attitude should Angelo take to the business coaching in‐ dustry in general? Why? 97 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching With a few modifications, this task could also be done with students working together in pairs to first draft and then act out the conversation between Pandora and Angelo. 5 Conclusion Text-talk fiction is a Lit 21 genre which differs significantly from traditional forms of novelistic storytelling. Not only but especially through its imitation of different medial forms and ways of communicating, text-talk narratives create a link between the fictional storyworlds and the real-life experiences and com‐ munication practices of young adult learners. Implementing text-talk fiction in the EFL classroom does not only allow for learners’ sensitizing to the more recent literary developments, it first and foremost provides possibilities for lit‐ erary learning in motivating, studentand competence-oriented classrooms. In this article, ten characteristic features of this new genre have been dis‐ cussed and the didactic/ methodological implications for the EFL classroom have been explored, thus providing a theoretical basis for the practical implementa‐ tion of text-talkies. A variety of pre-, whileand post-reading activities has been given for Sekundarstufe II, using Lucy Kellaway’s Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? as an example. 98 Katrin Thomson Appendix: Reading Journal Template for Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? Cover page of the reading journal 99 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching Guideline and task instructions for the General Pages 100 Katrin Thomson Questions for the Chapter Pages and Review Pages 101 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching Bibliography Primary Literature: Aciman, Alexander/ Rensin, Emmett (2009). Twitterature. The World’s Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less. London: Penguin Random Books. Beaumont, Matt (2000). e: A Novel. London: Plume. Kellaway, Lucy (2006). Who Moved My BlackBerry TM ? London: Penguin Books. Kleinbaum, N.H. (2005). Dead Poets Society. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Sprachen. Llewellyn, David (2006). Eleven. Bridgend: Seren Books. Noël, Alyson (2008). Cruel Summer. A Novel. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin. Schindler, Nina (2004). An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries. Toronto/ New York/ Vancouver: Annick Press. Wittlinger, Ellen (2004). Heart on My Sleeve. London: Simon & Schuster. Zarr, Sara/ Altebrando, Tara (2013). Roomies. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Secondary Literature: Basseler, Michael/ Nünning, Ansgar/ Schwanecke, Christine (eds.) (2013). The Cultural Dynamics of Generic Change in Contemporary Fiction. Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier. Hallet, Wolfgang (2018). Multimodal Storytelling in Contemporary Fiction: Graham Rawle’s Diary of an Amateur Photographer: A Mystery (1998) and Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003). In: Nünning, Vera/ Nünning, Ansgar (eds.), 343-359. Hallet, Wolfgang (2015). Teaching Multimodal Novels. In: Delanoy, Werner/ Eisenmann, Maria/ Matz, Frauke (eds.), Learning with Literature in the EFL Classroom. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 283-298. Hallet, Wolfgang (2014). The Rise of the Multimodal Novel: Generic Change and Its Nar‐ ratological Implications. In: Ryan, Marie-Laure/ Thon, Jan-Noël (eds.), Storyworlds across Media: Toward a Media-Conscious Narratology. Lincoln/ London: University of Nebraska Press, 151-172. Hallet, Wolfgang (2009). The Multimodal Novel: The Integration of Modes and Media in Novelistic Narration. In: Heinen, Sandra/ Sommer, Roy (eds.), Narratology in the Age of Cross-Disciplinary Narrative Research. Berlin/ New York: Walter de Gruyter, 129-153. Hesse, Mechthild (2016). The English Teacher’s Handbook of Youth Literature: Why, What and How to Read in the Classroom. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Sprachen. Kirchhoff, Petra (2016). Short - Shorter - #twitterfiction. In: Thaler, Engelbert (ed.), Shorties - Flash Fiction in English Language Teaching. Tübingen: Narr, 71-86. Kusche, Sabrina (2011). Der E-Mail-Roman und seine Spielarten - Eine typologische An‐ näherung. In: Nünning, Ansgar/ Rupp, Jan (Hrsg.), Medialisierung des Erzählens im 102 Katrin Thomson englischsprachigen Roman der Gegenwart: Theoretische Bezugsrahmen, Genres und Modellinterpretationen. Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 153-167. Löschnigg, Maria (2018). Medialization as a Catalyst of Generic Change: Exploring Fic‐ tions of the Internet in Nick Hornby’s Juliet, Naked (2009) and T.R. Richmond’s What She Left (2015). In: Nünning, Vera/ Nünning, Ansgar (eds.), 327-342. Nünning, Ansgar (1997). Literatur ist, wenn das Lesen wieder Spaß macht! In: Der fremd‐ sprachliche Unterricht Englisch 31: 3, 4-12. Nünning, Vera/ Nünning, Ansgar (eds.) (2018). The British Novel in the Twenty-First Cen‐ tury: Cultural Concerns, Literary Developments, Model Interpretations. Trier: Wissen‐ schaftlicher Verlag Trier. Nünning, Ansgar/ Rupp, Jan (2013). Media and Medialization as Catalysts for Genre De‐ velopment: Theoretical Frameworks, Analytical Concepts and a Selective Overview of Varieties of Intermedial Narration in British Fiction. In: Basseler, Michael/ Nünning, Ansgar/ Schwanecke, Christine (eds.), 201-234. Rajewsky, Irina O. (2005). Intermediality, Intertextuality and Remediation: A Literary Perspective on Intermediality. In: Intermedialities 6, 43-64. Rajewsky, Irina O. (2002). Intermedialität. Tübingen/ Basel: Francke. Thaler, Engelbert (2008). Teaching English Literature. Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh. Thomas, Bronwen (2014). 140 Characters in Search of a Story: Twitterfiction as an Emerging Narrative Form. In: Bell, Alice/ Ensslin, Astrid/ Rustad, Hans Kristian (eds.), Analyzing Digital Fiction. London/ New York: Routledge, 94-108. Thomson, Katrin (2019). Text-Talk Fiction im Englischunterricht: Mit multimodalen Er‐ zähltexten literarische Kompetenz fördern. In: Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 16: 1, 12-17. Winkgens, Meinhard (2008). Leerstelle. In: Nünning, Ansgar (Hrsg.), Metzler Lexikon Lit‐ eratur- und Kulturtheorie. 4 th ed. Stuttgart/ Weimar: J.B. Metzler Verlag, 415-416. Wolf, Werner (2008). Intermedialität. In: Nünning, Ansgar (Hrsg.), Metzler Lexikon Lit‐ eratur- und Kulturtheorie. 4 th ed. Stuttgart/ Weimar: J.B. Metzler Verlag, 327-328. 103 Write. Type. Post. Send … Text-Talk Fiction in English Language Teaching 1 According to the Oxford Dictionary (https: / / en.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/ bing e-watch), binge-watching means watching multiple episodes of a show in rapid suc‐ cession, typically by means of digitial streaming. In order to avoid the harmful impli‐ cations of “binge” as in binge-drinking or binge-eating, the American film industry came up with the alternative term marathoning. Series 21: House of Cards and the Shakespeare Effect Sophia von Finckenstein 1 House of Cards, a Series 21 In a broader sense, the term Lit 21, as an umbrella term for new and innovative literary genres, can be referred to as series of the 21 st century, as they are multi-coded texts. The main difference between series 21 and series of the last century lies in their narrative complexity and intensity, which have given rise to a new cultural phenomenon, i.e. binge-watching. 1 The age of series 21 prob‐ ably started with the success of Netflix, which is currently the world’s leading internet entertainment service. Netflix marked the beginning of the Video-on-Demand (short: VoD) era, attracting subscribers from all over the world. Instead of mere broadcasting, Netflix decided to follow the strategy of narrowcasting: catering to individual tastes by providing the viewers with a wide variety of shows and genres. In order to explain the Netflix effect and the narrative power of series 21, the political drama series House of Cards, one of the first Netflix Originals, will serve as an example. House of Cards went down in media history due to changing and transforming the conventional media landscape. This was mainly because of its non-traditional distribution in February 2013: As the first internet series, House of Cards followed the simultaneous release model, publishing all 13 episodes of Season 1 at once. Consequently, the political drama has been open like a book as soon as it was published, and viewers were invited to fully immerse them‐ selves in the narrative world of the show. One of the producers, Beau Willimon, described the showrunners’ goal as “shut[ting] down a portion of America for a whole day”. This strategy turned out to be an immense success and not only 2 These kinds of paratexts are important tools for multi-coding, and also an important feature of series in the age of “Quality Television” (cf. Schleich/ Nesselhauf 2016, 182). 3 For more information on terms regarding series see von Finckenstein/ Thaler in Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht, 04/ 17. 4 In order to create continuity across seasons, Season 2 begins with Chapter 14 and Season 3 starts with Chapter 27 and so on. a) b) marked the turning point in the age of VoD but also paved the way for what is now the dominant mode of consuming series: binge-watching. In the case of House of Cards, the narrative complexity of the show seems to make marathoning inevitable. This is what McCormick points out: “binging is a productive, often deliberate, and potentially transformative mode of viewing […] reveal[ing] more complex relations of narrative power” (McCormick 2016: 104). Therefore, binge-watching a series enables viewers to reach a deeper understanding of the show due to an unprecedented emotionally intense level of narrative engage‐ ment. When it comes to the question of how to read a series 21 best, the answer is: Read it in one sitting, like a good book you get addicted to. The collocation “reading series 21” draws attention to the connection between literature and series of the 21 st century. This connection will now be highlighted by giving examples of the innovative narrative structure of House of Cards. Paratextual Framing The serial frame, following Genette’s conception of paratextuality, com‐ prises all elements which interact with the actual episodes. 2 On the one hand, there is the direct serial frame including “intro”, “outro”, “previously on …” and ”next week on” segment. 3 The indirect serial frame, on the other hand, comprises all additional elements, which might not be so integral at first sight: merchandising like DVD cover, posters, interviews and the DVD menu with its important organising and structuring function. When having a closer look at the indirect serial frame of House of Cards, it is quite striking that episodes are represented as chapters. 4 This is how the producers of the political drama series wanted to establish a literary instead of a TV organ‐ isation - or in other words: House of Cards was intentionally marked as a high quality cultural object implying the prestige of literature by presenting us with chapters (cf. McCormick 2016: 105). Narrative Interactivity The narrative interactivity of House of Cards lies within the fact that the protagonist of the show, the politician Frank Underwood, makes use of asides. Whenever Frank Underwood breaks the fourth wall and turns to his audience, he looks directly into the camera. Frank’s asides gain a new 106 Sophia von Finckenstein 5 Michael Dobbs (born in 1948) is a well-known British Conservative politician and author of the political thrillers House of Cards, To Play the King and The Final Cut. c) meaning in the Netflix context: According to recent statistics, Netflix sub‐ scribers tend to watch their VoD contents on their smartphones or laptops. This indicates what McCormick labels as “screen intimacy” (2016: 106) meaning that the screen is very close to the viewers, e.g. in their laps. Ad‐ ditionally, the same screen is used for personal communication, like chats, e-mails and video conferences. “So when Frank looks into the camera and says, “welcome to Washington” just before the opening title sequence of the first episode, the text has already established a particular relationship with the viewer. We might even think of Frank’s asides in terms of a Skype ontology […]” (McCormick 2016: 106) giving us the impression of a video conference with Frank himself. The consequence is, of course, a special relationship between the audience and Frank resulting in the viewer’s strong desire to sustain this connection. This can be achieved by binge-watching. Adaptation of an Adaptation As a final hint to the connection between House of Cards and literary con‐ ventions, its history as an adaptation of an adaptation has to be mentioned. Fig. 1: Adaptation of an adaptation As illustrated above, House of Cards started with the trilogy of political thrillers written by Michael Dobbs 5 in the late 80s and early 90s. The BBC then turned the successful books into a mini-series consisting of three seasons. About twenty years later, Netflix decided to revive the House of Cards plot initiating a huge success story. The show received many prices and nominations, most notably a Golden Globe for Robin Wright making her the first actress to win an award like that for an online-only web series. 107 Series 21: House of Cards and the Shakespeare Effect In this textual development, the intertextual references to William Shakes‐ peare have to be pointed out, which will be shown later in this article when referring to the literary teaching potential of the show. 2 Teaching Potential of House of Cards 2.1 “Turn over the table”: Promoting Media Literacy In his asides, Frank Underwood shares many words of wisdom with us, one of them being: “If you don’t like how the table is set, turn over the table”. In the context of school, many teachers are upset about their pupils spending (too) much time in front of their computers streaming Netflix contents instead of preparing properly for exams. However, the Netflix effect can become a benefit for learners of English if teachers are ready to “turn over the table” by combining the extra-mural viewing experience with its discussion at school. As binge-watching is explicitly said to be the ideal mode of consumption of series 21, this is what the students should be encouraged to do - not by means of passive consumption but rather attentive viewing allowing the students full story and language immersion. The importance of a “language bath” like that was emphasised by Thaler (2012: 40), who pointed out that students should be exposed to as much authentic language as possible. Recent research (e.g. IQB Studie 2016) has shown that German students are better at speaking English than ever before, and this trend can partly be traced back to their extra-mural activ‐ ities in English, one of them being streaming series. In order to combine the receptive process of viewing with productive tasks, Viewing Journals can be designed by the teacher. In terms of literary and reading didactics, reading dia‐ ries or reading logs would be the equivalent. However, Viewing Journals as tools to accompany the viewing process should be designed as diaries and workbooks in order to stimulate cognitive as well as affective dimensions. Diary tasks could be questions like: How did you feel when …? What effect did the scene have on you and why? What would you do if you were Frank? Is Claire a good person? Discuss by giving evidence from the show. Workbook tasks, such as Do some re‐ search on the term “filibuster”, which Frank mentions in Chapter 22! Analyse and interpret the screenshot! or Which cinematic devices did the director choose for the scene and why? are more focused on increasing the students’ political and film-analytic knowledge. Another aspect which is important for the design of Viewing Journals is to minimise questions in which students only have to re-tell certain aspects of the plot (e.g. Please summarise the argument Claire and Frank have in Chapter 39), as this would be rather dull and demotivating. An alternative way of asking could be: Claire and Frank have a fight in Chapter 39. Whose side 108 Sophia von Finckenstein 6 In a study conducted by the author of this article, 15 students, who worked with Viewing Journals on House of Cards, were interviewed about their experiences: All of the pupils pointed out that they found the journals very helpful to understand the show and would recommend their implementation for teaching English. would you take and why? The aim is to create real writing incentives and give the students a chance to voice their opinions. Especially the provocative scenes of House of Cards offer such writing incentives. There is no doubt that teachers have to invest time in order to create such Viewing Journals. It should be one journal per season and students should have enough time, at least three weeks, to watch the series and work on the tasks. In order to show pupils that this is serious work, the journals should be graded by the teacher; this will be an in‐ centive for the pupils to work hard. Essentially, there are three didactic reasons for combining the viewing of series 21 with Viewing Journals: 1. Students can watch the whole series at home according to their pace and their preferences (with or without English subtitles; pausing or re-watching scenes whenever they feel they have to). This gives every student an equal chance to understand the show. 2. Although filling in Viewing Journals is a demanding and time-consuming task for pupils, journals are essential to reach a deeper understanding of the series and get a sense for cinematic details. 6 This is mainly due to the attentive viewing required. 3. When the teacher collects the journals from the students, he or she can see which scenes were difficult to understand and where the students need additional input. Therefore, the teacher gets valid information for planning the follow-up lessons. Overall, Viewing Journals offer a beneficial way of fostering film literacy com‐ prising the domains of knowledge, skills (namely listening-viewing, analysing and creating) and attitudes (cf. Thaler 2014: 33). A high-quality series 21 like House of Cards can be characterised by a new level of cinematic aestheticism, in which every frame is designed like a painting. Students need to have a basic knowledge of cinematography in order to see and judge this competently. Blell and Lütge (2004: 404) call this Filmizitätswissen and require a Filmästhetische und -kritische Kompetenz in their article on films in ELT. Viewing Journals can guar‐ antee that audio-visual media are not instrumentalised but serve as a teaching subject in their own right. 109 Series 21: House of Cards and the Shakespeare Effect 7 House of Cards did, for example, portray an election campaign in 2016 - parallel to the real fight for the presidency between Trump and Clinton. Further examples of parallels between the series and reality are relevant topics like the fear of ISIS and terrorism, US-Russian relations, cyber espionage and the relation between politics and the media. 8 Stern number 4, 19/ 01/ 17. 2.2 “Welcome to Washington”: Political Learning with a Political Drama Series In the first chapter of the show, Frank Underwood welcomes his audience to Washington. Therefore, he explicitly invites us to follow his lead and to look behind the scenes. Belonging to the genre of political drama series, House of Cards deals with politics and reflects current political events and topics. 7 This is where the teaching potential of the show lies with regard to political learning: House of Cards and its depiction of US politics can be compared to reality. There are some journalists who have pointed out that House of Cards has become our political reality or is alarmingly close to it. A motivating lead-in for discussing this would be to show the covers from House of Cards, Season 1 and from the German magazine Stern  8 . Fig. 2: US Presidents: fiction and reality (https: / / asset3.stern.de/ producing/ 2017/ heft/ cov er04.jpg) After describing and analysing the covers, students could be asked: Why do you think the Stern editors decided to show Trump in Underwood’s signature pose? One of the authors of House of Cards, Laura Eason, explained the parallels between the fictional ex-President Underwood and the real US President Trump by pointing out that both men became possible due to immobility in Washington. In the post-Obama-America, many politically frustrated people were hoping for 110 Sophia von Finckenstein an unconventional politician, who would be more effective and would bring change, whatever the cost. Underwood and Trump both embody change and have revolutionary political agendas (cf. ZEIT interview by Kohlenberg 2016). Of course, the image of the final season of House of Cards, published in November 2018, carried change further by portraying an era of female power. In line with the MeToo-movement and the midterm elections of 2018, when more women candidates than ever before were running resulting in historic wins for women, House of Cards presented us with a very powerful Madame President. Teaching developments like that by combining fiction and reality meets the demands of a contemporary and motivating ELT practice. Fig. 3: A new era of female power (https: / / imgix.bustle.com/ uploads/ image/ 2018/ 11/ 2/ 12 3d5df8-20da-41d3-be20-390909915eed-screen-shot-2018-11-02-at-124016-pm.png) 2.3 The Shakespeare Effect: Macbeth and Richard III The trilogy by Dobbs, the BBC mini-series and the US version of House of Cards are all characterised by their references to Shakespearean drama. Frank Under‐ wood speaks asides and there are many parallels between him and Shakespeare’s villains Iago and Richard III. Claire Underwood is a modern version of Lady Mac‐ beth. The Shakespeare references of House of Cards are once more proof for the fact that the show wants to be associated with the prestige of literature. In terms of TEFL, this is a chance to combine Shakespeare’s works with a modern adapta‐ tion to make the lessons more motivating and appealing for learners of English. 2.3.1 “Hunt or be hunted”: Proving a Villain Frank Underwood underlines that he is a hunter in one of his probably most memorable asides (Season 2, Chapter 14). The deformed Richard III follows a similar strategy on his way to the top when he hunts down several people. A teaching idea for combining Richard III and House of Cards would be to concen‐ 111 Series 21: House of Cards and the Shakespeare Effect trate on the opening scenes. In the opening scene of House of Cards (Season 1, Chapter 1, cold open), which takes place in the late evening of 31 st December 2013, the neighbour’s dog is hit by a car and badly injured. Frank Underwood finds the whining dog and decides to suffocate the animal. He chooses this highly intense moment to turn to the camera and speak his first aside: There are two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain, the sort of pain that's only suffering. I have no patience for useless things. Moments like this require someone who will act, who will do the unpleasant thing, the necessary thing. There. No more pain. By explaining his actions to his audience, Frank makes us his accomplices: From the first minutes of the show, we are directly involved in his plans, fascinated and shocked at the same time. This diabolische Faszinationskraft keeps us hooked to the show. In the context of ELT, the first scene of House of Cards offers plenty of authentic speaking incentives due to its controversial content: killing a dog, people’s best friend, in the first minutes of a series - or helping the dog die who would unnecessarily suffer due to his bad injuries? What kind of person is Frank Underwood and what can we expect from the show? It is not only the content that needs to be addressed, but also the cinematic power of the first scene: We get a low-key style with strong light and dark con‐ trasts and we are put on an eye-level angle with Frank, as soon as he starts talking to us. The field sizes change from head-and-shoulder close-up to full close-up, which establishes once more our special connection to the protagonist. With regard to the montage, Frank washes his hands right after the dog-scene. The opening scene of Richard III, which starts with a monologue by Gloucester (later becoming King Richard III), can be compared with the first scene of House of Cards with a task like: Find parallels and differences between the beginning of Shakespeare’s Richard III and the series House of Cards. Some hints for this task would be points like … • Gloucester is beginning his monologue with the infamous line: “Now is the winter of our discontent”; Underwood similarly heralds a new era by killing an innocent dog. • Gloucester proclaims: “I am determined to prove a villain”; Frank Under‐ wood is also introduced as a villain - in a different way, however. • After having shared his dark thoughts with the audience, Gloucester “hides” them as soon as his brother enters the stage: “Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here Clarence comes”. Similarly, Frank conceals his actions by washing away the blood of the dog. Consequently, both pro‐ tagonists want to keep up the appearance of being innocent. 112 Sophia von Finckenstein 9 Depending on the pupils, the teacher will have to choose a slightly shortened version of the text and include footnotes with explanations of difficult vocabulary. 10 In the case of Claire Underwood, this becomes particularly obvious in Season 3, when she is getting more and more frustrated about only being First Lady and standing behind Frank all the time. Claire Underwood wants to be more than a puppet in beautiful dresses. • In contrast to Gloucester, who refers to his deformed looks as being the main motif for his evil actions, Frank’s outer appearance has nothing to do with his decision to kill the dog. Another idea would be to combine the opening scene of House of Cards with the first scene of Macbeth, in which the witches establish the leitmotif of the tragedy: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”. This leitmotif is also true for the political drama series House of Cards, which will be shown in the following section of this article. 2.3.2 “I love that woman […] more than sharks love blood”: Claire Underwood as a Modern Lady Macbeth The groundwork of this teaching unit is Act I, Scene V and VII of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth.  9 The aim is to give a characterisation of Lady Macbeth by analysing her rhetoric strategies when she is manipulating her husband. After having discussed and analysed the dynamic of the Macbeth couple, three scenes of House of Cards will be shown for comparison, the first being Season 1, Chapter 1, 12: 41-17: 17: Frank does not get the promised post of Sec‐ retary of State and returns home late at night. Claire, however, is still awake, waiting impatiently for him. When Frank tells her and apologises, Claire reacts harshly: “No, that I won’t accept. […] Apologies. My husband doesn’t apologise, even to me.” Claire also says: “You should be angry. […] I want more than I’m seeing. You’re better than this, Francis.” These words trigger not only aggression in Frank but also a plan, which results - not in regicide but - in impeachment, making Frank the most powerful man on earth by the end of Season 2. Before this happens, Claire needs some more “Lady Macbeth moments”, in which she pushes her husband into acting a certain way (e.g. Season 2, Chapter 26; 22: 15-28: 28). These scenes show that there are many parallels between Claire Underwood and Lady Macbeth: Both women act as driving forces by encouraging their husbands to act and be masculine rather than showing compassion with them. They blame their husbands for their weakness, their lack of courage and ambition. Moreover, Claire and Lady Macbeth are no “typical” women. They neither have children nor maternal instinct; both of them do not want to be seen as the weaker sex and give their best to get far in the men’s world they live in. 10 It is certainly no coincidence that Robin Wright had her hair cut when she took 113 Series 21: House of Cards and the Shakespeare Effect the part of Claire Underwood. A leading actress with really short hair is still unusual. Finally, the last minutes of Season 4, Chapter 52 can be shown, in which President Underwood and First Lady Underwood make their first aside together: “We don’t submit to terror, we make the terror.” In this aside, the probably most important difference to Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be found. In contrast to the superstitious belief of the Dark Age in Macbeth, where the witches conjure the evil and make the humans bad, there are no “weird sisters” or supernatural forces in House of Cards. In the series 21, the evil lies within the humans, and it is Frank and Claire who are responsible for the terror. 3 Concluding Thoughts on Teaching English with New Genres of the 21 st Century This article shows that the Netflix effect - with the power and the intensity of series 21 - can be used in effective ways in the foreign language classroom. The first step should be the promotion of film literacy to give pupils a chance to reach a deeper appreciation of high-quality movies and series. In a second step, the students should get the task of watching a series at home with a supporting Viewing Journal. After having received the journals, the teacher gets some in‐ sights into the students’ feelings and thoughts. The following lessons can be planned accordingly: Difficult and ambivalent scenes may be re-watched, taking the film-analysis to the next level. Apart from the Shakespeare references, House of Cards has another major benefit due to its nature as a political drama series. Politics receive a much more desirable image due to its representation in the series. The intense viewing ex‐ perience can lead to an increased interest in politics. A development like that is very desirable for the politically stormy times that we live in. Trump, the BREXIT and right-wing extremism make politically well-informed and alert adolescents inevitable. Therefore, a series 21 in the guise of a political drama can have enormous potential. Bibliography Binge-watch. Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved from: https: / / en.oxforddictionaries.com/ def inition/ binge-watch (last accessed: 31/ 12/ 2018). Blell, Gabrielle/ Grünewald, Andreas/ Kepser, Matthis/ Surkamp, Carola (eds.) (2016). Film in den Fächern der sprachlichen Bildung. Reihe: Film Bildung Schule. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider-Verlag Hohengehren. 114 Sophia von Finckenstein Blell, Gabrielle/ Lütge, Christiane (2004). Sehen, Hören, Verstehen und Handeln. Filme im Fremdsprachenunterricht. Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 6, 402-405. Finck von Finckenstein, Sophia/ Thaler, Engelbert (2017). Fachbegriffe zu TV-Serien. Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 4/ 17, 11-14. Kohlenberg, Kerstin (2016). Ideologie ist für Feiglinge: Lässt sich Donald Trump von House of Cards inspirieren? Ein Gespräch über Realität und Fiktion. DIE ZEIT Nr. 11/ 2016, 3. März 2016. Lampprecht, Martin (2015). Serial Nation: Amerikanische TV-Politdramen als Visionen der Macht. Lecture at the University of Kaiserslautern, 17/ 11/ 15. McCormick, Casey (2016). Forward Is the Battle Cry: Binge-Viewing Netflix’s House of Cards. In: McDonald, Kevin/ Smith-Rowsey, Daniel (eds.), The Netflix Effect. Tech‐ nology and Entertainment in the 21st Century. New York/ London: Bloomsbury, 101-116. Monaco, James (2009). How to Read a Film. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Schabert, Ina (2009). Shakespeare Handbuch: Die Zeit - Der Mensch - Das Werk - Die Nachwelt. Stuttgart: Alfred Kröner Verlag. Schleich, Markus/ Nesselhauf, Jonas (2016). Fernsehserien. Geschichte, Theorie, Narration. Tübingen: Narr Francke Verlag. Thaler, Engelbert (2012). Englisch unterrichten: Grundlagen, Kompetenzen, Methoden. Berlin: Cornelsen. Thaler Engelbert (2014). Teaching English with Films. Paderborn: Schöningh. 115 Series 21: House of Cards and the Shakespeare Effect Teaching Comics Journalism Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan’s Welcome to the New World. The True Story of a Syrian Family’s Journey to America and Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge Claudia Deetjen 1 Introduction Since the late 1970s, a wealth of comics and graphic novels have been published with a wide range of content and in diverse genres to suit an increasingly broad audience of all ages - from superhero, fantasy and crime to coming-of-age tales or memoirs. In this context, non-fiction or “fact comics” ( Jüngst 2000: 18) have emerged as a genre that seeks to inform and educate audiences about all kinds of issues, from historical, political to social or scientific. A subgenre of the non‐ fiction comic, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, is graphic reporting or comics journalism. Functioning as a form of documentary, comics journalism gives account of actual historical events and people, often reporting from past and present crisis areas as diverse as Palestine, Bosnia, Hiroshima, or Ground Zero. Many of these documentary comics, according to Nina Mickwitz, take a political stance and frequently seek to draw attention to what is not cov‐ ered in mainstream news media (Mickwitz 2016: 146). Joe Sacco, perhaps the best known among the comics journalists, has explained why comics are such an attractive medium for journalists and readers alike: “It’s visual and people respond to visuals. With comics you can put interesting and solid information in a format that’s pretty palatable” (quoted in Gilson 2005: web). The article at hand looks at two examples of graphic reporting and discusses their potential for the foreign language classroom: Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan’s web-based comic strip Welcome to the New World. The True Story of a Syrian Family’s Journey to America (2017-2018), published in instalments in The New York Times, which won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning. The comic reportage tells the story of a Syrian family, their flight to the U.S. and the problems upon their arrival and integration into U.S. society. Secondly, Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge (2009) will be discussed, a docu‐ mentary graphic novel, which deals with the effects of Hurricane Katrina hitting the city of New Orleans in August 2005. Both graphic novels may be taught at upper secondary school level in the context of such topic areas as ‘global chal‐ lenges and future visions’, ‘the relevance of media for the individual and society’, ‘ecology and technology’ or ‘the American Dream’ (cf. Kernlehrplan NRW 2014: 40 f.). Generally, documentary comics may serve several purposes in the foreign language classroom: They may be used to foster processes of inter-/ transcultural and global learning about global issues such as war and crisis, questions of human rights, ecological issues and questions of environmental (in)justice. Moreover, comics journalism may be used to foster a critical awareness re‐ garding the conventions of increasingly global and digitised news media as well as multiple literacies, more generally, key skills in working with texts that are both verbal and visual. The following section will first address these areas of skills development to lay a theoretical foundation for the teaching suggestions that follow in sections three and four. 2 Teaching for Multiple Literacies: Comics and Graphic Novels in the Foreign Language Classroom Learners today are growing up in a world that is characterised by processes of globalisation, by global news flows, increased economic, political and cultural interconnections and seemingly limitless opportunities in global travel but also by a shared sense of exposure to global risks such as climate change, global financial crisis or the effects of conflict and war. Interand transcultural ap‐ proaches and global education pedagogies seek to prepare learners to become successful inhabitants of such a world, “global agents who use their knowledge, skills and commitment” in order to succeed on an international job market and to act as responsible “global citizens” when solving joint problems (cf. Cates 2004: 241 f.). In recent years, the idea of the so-called “transcultural speaker” (Blell/ Doff 2014) has been advanced to envisage a foreign language learner who is at home in contemporary globalised cultures, which are no longer clearly definable by the boundaries of national cultures but heterogeneous both on the macro-level of society and on the micro-level of individual lives and identities. A transcultural speaker has achieved so-called transcultural communicative 118 Claudia Deetjen 1 Transcultural learning should be seen as an extension of intercultural learning (cf. De‐ lanoy 2012, Eisenmann 2015). In this vein, Blell/ Doff (2014) have expanded upon Michael Byram’s model of five ICC competences (knowledge, skills of interpreting and relating, skills of discovery and interaction, education and attitudes), proposing a model of inter-/ transcultural communicative competence. competence, 1 and is able to understand and successfully navigate the “dyna‐ mized interand transcultural processes”, which characterise globalised soci‐ eties and lives both in face-to-face encounters and when dealing with “text-con‐ ducted” encounters in literature, film or music (Blell/ Doff 2014: 83). S/ he has acquired “extended global knowledge” about global issues, which is necessary in order to understand and assess global phenomena. Moreover, s/ he has devel‐ oped critical transcultural awareness, the ability to evaluate critically the hybrid cultures and identities created by processes of globalisation - an ability which is based on so-called “border literacies”, on skills to interpret “heterogeneity in general (for example, religion, gender, class, race)” and recognize “multiplicities” or “identity and group affiliation” (Blell/ Doff 2014: 86). A key sub-skill of transcultural communicative competence, moreover, is the acquisition of “multiple literacies” needed when navigating increasingly digital media environments, which are dominated by multimodal texts combining mul‐ tiple sources of information - print, visual or audio. Multiple literacies include “media knowledge” about the diverse semiotic modes through which multi‐ modal texts communicate meaning as well as “profound competences in de‐ coding or producing all sorts of texts” (Blell/ Doff 2014: 86). Moreover, they in‐ clude an ability to read multimodal texts critically and acquire an awareness of their constructedness and functions within respective cultural contexts. In this context, graphic novels are a very valuable resource because they combine im‐ ages and text. As a book-length comic book, graphic novels share features which Scott McCloud has identified as characteristic of comics: They may be defined as “juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey and/ or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer” (2009: 20). When reading graphic novels, students can acquire knowledge about the distinct tex‐ tual conventions through which multimodal texts tell stories via an interplay of visuals and text. Furthermore, the two texts discussed in this article also come in the form of “web-comics”, which may broadly be defined as “any comic for which ‘its natural home’ is the Internet” (Mickwitz 2016: 148). While Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan’s editorial comic is not interactive and in many ways similar to ‘traditio‐ nal’ print comics, Josh Neufeld’s web version of A.D. offers hyperlinks to a wealth of other multimodal sources of information, including film and audio 119 Teaching Comics Journalism 2 Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan are planning to expand the cartoon into two full-length book versions, one for adults and one for children. Moreover David Lindsay-Abaire is developing the comic into a teleplay. 3 There have been several documentary comics in the last couple of years about refugee experiences. Examples include Kate Evans’s Threads: From the Refugee Grisis (2017) about refugee camps in Calais or Joe Sacco’s The Unwanted about the situation of ref‐ ugees in Malta. material, interactive discussion boards as well as news stories, from which stu‐ dents can select information and with which they can actively engage. Using web-comics in the classroom, students may learn how to competently navigate digital media and select relevant information, how to decode and critically assess the multimodal information encountered online, and also learn how to be re‐ sponsible producers of multimodal texts themselves. In this way, they may also acquire a general digital competence, which Aisha Walker and Goodith White define as involving abilities such as basic skills in using technology (= procedural competence), skills in using technology appropriately in different social contexts (= socio-digital comptence) and skills in using technology competently to manage tasks such as the production of multimodal texts (= digital discourse competence) (cf. Walker/ White 2013: 8 f.). Finally and importantly, using web-comics in the classroom allows for individualised learning and hence may foster learners’ autonomy. In the following sections I will explore how the comics journalism of Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan about Syrian refugee experiences as well as Josh Neufeld’s reporting about Hurricane Katrina may be used in the foreign language classroom to foster inter-/ transcultural communi‐ cative competences and to teach multiple literacies, skills in decoding and crit‐ ically assessing multimodal text designs. 3 Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan’s Welcome to the New World. The True Story of a Syrian Family’s Journey to America Journalist Jake Halpern and graphic artist Michael Sloan’s web-comic Welcome to the New World: The True Story of a Family’s Journey to America was published serially in twenty instalments in The New York Times. 2 The web-comic was awarded a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for “an emotionally pow‐ erful series, told in graphic narrative form, that chronicled the daily struggles of a real-life family of refugees and its fear of deportation” (Pultizer.org, web). 3 Welcome to the New World details the true story of two brothers and their fam‐ ilies, who manage to escape Syria and seek asylum in the U.S. on the eve of the election of Donald Trump in 2016. As a piece of comics journalism, the authors 120 Claudia Deetjen highlight, the story they present is ‘authentic’. Its veracity is confirmed through empirical research. The web-comic can be used in the foreign language classroom to a number of pedagogical purposes. It may serve as a starting point to discuss the war in Syria, its effects and the way it has been presented in the news, issues of dis‐ placement and the asylum system as well as, in that context, Donald Trump’s policy on immigration and asylum. In the process, students may acquire inter-/ transcultural and global competences as well as skills in multiple literacies. Since the beginning of the uprising in 2011, the Syrian civil war has had devastating consequences. By 2018 it had caused some 5.6 million people to flee the country while internally displacing some 6.6 milion people. Since 2011 many have sought asylum in neighbouring countries, some 800,000 in Germany. Com‐ paratively few, some 20,000, have fled to the USA (UNHCR: web). Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan’s web-comic presents the everyday challenges that displace‐ ment has entailed for a Syrian family. The web-comic reports about two brothers, Jamil and Ammar, their wives Oulah and Rachida as well as their child‐ ren, who flee from Jordan to New York in November 2016. It describes how the families settle in and make a home, and how they face difficulties in finding a job and a place in their American host communities. When reading the webcomic in the classroom, students may engage in pro‐ cesses of inter-/ transcultural as well as global learning. Students may, for ex‐ ample, gain extended global knowledge about the U.S. asylum system as well as border literacies when exploring the portrayal of American society and the family’s process of integration. The web-comic portrays American society as heterogeneous, exposing anti-Muslim sentiments in the wake of the 9/ 11 attacks. When in school, Ammar’s son Nadir and his daugther Sandra experience their religion as a marker of difference. Sandra feels that she stands out when wearing a hijab and the children are unsure whether and where to pray in school. Fur‐ thermore, the family lives in constant fear of deportation, experiences hostility, and is even threatened with violence, ostensibly because of their Muslim religion (cf. Fig. 1 Halpern/ Sloan 2018: web). 121 Teaching Comics Journalism Fig. 1: Halpern/ Sloan 2018: web The first instalment of the comic appeared on 26 January 2017, a day before Donald Trump signed executive order 13769, which came to be known as the ‘Muslim ban’ stopping the admission of refugees from countries such as Syria. The comic’s title ‘Welcome to the New World’ may thus be read as an ironic comment on the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments presented in the web-comic. In stark contrast with America’s self-image as a nation of immi‐ grants, the web-comic reveals how these Syrian families are, in fact, not ‘wel‐ come’ in the U.S. (cf. Davies 2018: web). On the other hand, the web-comic also presents a successful process of integration into American society. Even though they miss home, Jamil and his family become part of a vibrant Muslim com‐ munity at a mosque in Red Grove Plaza. Aided by so-called sponsors, by ordinary Americans who help refugees to settle in, both families make a home for them‐ selves and master their lives. Ammar’s daughter Lima learns to swim (the first in her family) while Jamil’s daughter Sarah is awarded a prize for her excellent performance during the school year. Ammar’s wife, moreover, learns to drive and takes up her work as an artist again, even managing to organise an exhibi‐ tion, activities which would have been unthinkable in Syria. While Jamil worked in high-skilled ventilation work in Syria, Ammar owned a cell phone store. In America both now do manual labor. Jamil eventually runs a catering business with his wife Oulah while Ammar works as a cook in a country club. It is their children, in particular, who quickly find a place for themselves, excelling at school, dreaming of becoming doctors and lawyers in order to return and help their ailing countrymen at home. 122 Claudia Deetjen A second important focus when discussing the web-comic in the classroom is how it presents the experience of war in Syria. Students may gain extended global knowledge when discussing the family members’ memories of Homs and doing further research on the city and on the war. Both Ammar and Jamil were tortured by the Assad government and still suffer from health problems because of this. Moreover, the web-comic frequently contrasts the memory of past with the reality of present-day Syria. In Fig. 2 (Halpern/ Sloan 2018: web) Nadir and his father Ammar are presented talking about the destruction of their home in Homs. The following two panels show Nadir’s memory of how his bicycle used to stand on the balcony of his family home, a balcony which, as the last panel reveals, no longer exists in present-day Homs. Fig. 2: Halpern/ Sloan 2018: web By contrasting images of present-day destruction in Syria with images of past experience, the Syrian war becomes personal. In this context, the web-comic can also be used to trigger critical reflection on the role of global news media in doc‐ umenting the war and in telling the stories of those who are displaced by it. Often, refugees are spoken about in mainstream media in terms of numbers, pre‐ sented as a faceand voiceless mass of victims without agency (cf. Wright 2016: 462 f.). By contrast, as Jake Halpern has highlighted, it was his “goal […] to hu‐ manize these people”, to offer individual stories of Syrians who successfully master their destinies under difficult conditions (qtd. in Hanson 2018: 100). Im‐ portantly, the web-comic also makes it possible for the family to narrate their own story of the war and thereby to function as so-called ‘citizen journalists’. These 123 Teaching Comics Journalism are ordinary people who post eyewitness accounts of events, e.g. on platforms like YouTube. At the end of the web-comic, the families learn that the home in Homs, which they had left behind, has been entirely destroyed in a bombing attack. A symbol of this loss remains: The key to the house is an iconic reminder of a past that has disappeared. What also remains is video footage of present-day destruc‐ tion, which becomes personal for the reader through the narrated memory of a home that once was the centre of family life (cf. Fig. 3 Halpern/ Sloan 2018: web). Fig. 3: Halpern/ Sloan 2018: web 124 Claudia Deetjen The following classroom tasks, which focus on how the web-comic presents the war in Syria and portrays the families’ integration into American society, may serve to foster processes of inter-/ transcultural learning and the acquisition of multiple literacies. When teaching the graphic narrative, it is generally advisable to make use of both analytic and production oriented approaches. Moreover, special care also needs to be taken that students be made familiar with the ‘language’ of comic anal‐ ysis and that classroom discussion focus on both content and form: Pre-reading tasks • Conduct research on the war in Syria and present your findings to class. Research the history of the city of Homs and collect information about present conditions there. While-reading tasks • Close-read Part I “Landing in America.” Describe how the family’s living conditions in Jordan are pre‐ sented both verbally and visually. Conduct further research online on Syrian refugees in Jordan. Con‐ nect your findings to your analysis of the web-comic. • Draw an additional panel, which presents Jamil’s mother after her sons have left for the USA. How might she feel about their departure? What might she hope for their future? • Close-read Parts 6-8. Describe what the children worry about and how they experience their start in school. Pay attention to both images and text. • Prepare a diary entry: the first week has passed. Nadir writes down what he thinks and feels about his first days at an American school. • Describe what aspects of the war in Syria are re‐ membered by the family members in the web-comic. Analyse how it presents memory both visually and verbally. Post-reading tasks • Read Donald Trump’s comment on Executive Order 13769. Describe how he justifies his measures and analyse the language used to describe migrants and refugees. Do further research on how this policy de‐ veloped. Comment on whether you think these measures are necessary and on their potential ef‐ fects. • Watch the trailer to the documentary “The War on My Phone” (dir. Elke Sasse). Describe what experiences are presented in the trailer. Do further research on the documentary. What are citizen jour‐ nalists? Assess how they are able to report about global events. What limits does citizen journalism have? 125 Teaching Comics Journalism • Do further research on how people live through the war in Syria on the profile section of the webpage “SyriaUntold”. Select a profile which catches your interest and prepare a presentation on it for class. • Do further research online on the situation of Syrian refugees in Germany. Discuss your results in class. Tab. 1: Teaching Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan’s Welcome to the New World: sample tasks 4 Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge is a graphic documentary on Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city of New Orleans in 2005. It is based on interviews, which the author conducted with six New Orleanians, and focuses on how they experienced the hurricane, the process of evacuation beforehand, the flood itself and the aftermath of the storm. The graphic reportage was first published online by SMITH magazine (2007-2008); an expanded print edition came out in 2009. Hurricane Katrina, a category 3 hurricane, was one of the most devastating storms in U.S. history. However, the greater catastrophe was caused by the breaking of the levees in New Orleans, causing almost eighty percent of the city to flood (Gordon 2009: 230). The lower-class population of New Orleans was particulary affected by the flooding, a fact which revealed a history of racial and class differences. According to statistics, the death rate was highest among African Americans for instance (cf. Waterhouse 2009: 174). Hence, while “the disaster […] might have been natural in its shape - the winds, the rain, the flooding - […] at its core, it was human-made” (Dickel 2015: 9). Emergency management, moreover, was ill prepared for the hurricane, federal help was slow to arrive. In mainstream news reporting of Hurricane Katrina, initial coverage of the storm’s impact soon gave way to stories which focused on instances of crime and looting, thereby framing those who were forced to remain in the city - predominantly African Americans - as a potential threat to social order. Also, those who had to leave their homes were often labelled “refugees”. This portrayal has been criticized not only as one-sided but also as detrimental because New Orleanians were thereby framed not as victims in need of rescue and protection but as criminals, who need to be detained (cf. Fox Gotham/ Greenberg 2014: 71). What is more, the label ‘refugee’ turned the inhabitants of New Orleans into “non-citizens of the United States, a foreign body in their own homes” (Dickel 2015: 11). 126 Claudia Deetjen By contrast, Josh Neufeld’s graphic novel aims at showing the complex ways in which New Orleanians were affected by the storm, at making visible how factors like class and race played a key role in this context. The print graphic novel is divided into five parts. The “Prologue” establishes the scene by reporting about the landfall of the storm from August 22 to 31, 2005 and its first impact on New Orleans, Louisiana and Biloxi Mississippi. Throughout the chapters that follow - “The City”, “The Flood”, “The Diaspora”, and the conclusion “The Re‐ turn” - A.D. presents how Hurricane Katrina was experienced by a diverse set of people from different walks of New Orleanian life. In the afterword to the graphic novel, Neufeld highlights that he “felt it was important to tell the story from the perspective of a range of people who had lived through the storm: well-off and poor, black and white, young and old, gay and straight, male and female” (Neufeld 2009: 191). While Kwame is the son of a pastor from New Or‐ leans East, Abbas owns a shop in Uptown; the doctor is an upper-class resident of the French Quarter while Denise, a counselor, and Leo and Michelle, a young couple of little means, are from Mid-City. Moreover, while the protagonists thus represent different strata of New Orleans society, they also experience the storm and the flood each in very different ways. While some are able to evacuate (Leo and Michelle, Kwame), others either stay voluntarily (Abbas and Darnell, the doctor) or are forced to remain in the city (Denise and her family). Furthermore, depending on their place of residence, their financial means or sheer luck, they each make it through the storm more or less (un)harmed. While the doctor, for example, suffers very little damage to his property, Abbas’ store is almost com‐ pletely destroyed, and Denise has to evacuate to one of the shelters of last resort, the Convention Center. Focusing on these multiple perspectives in the classroom allows students to engage with the complex issues, which emerge when looking at Hurricane Ka‐ trina and its impact, and encourages them to learn more about the city and the storm. In his graphic documentary, Josh Neufeld in many ways offers a different version to that offered in some news accounts. When these differences are dis‐ cussed in the classroom, A.D. may be used to provoke critical reflection on media representation of Hurricane Katrina as well as on the conventions of news storytelling, more generally. This may be achieved, for example, by focusing on the story of Denise, a social worker, who is in her forties. When the storm hits, Denise first tries to bring her niece Cydney and her niece’s baby to safety at the hospital where her mother works as a surgical technician. Denied adequate protection there, her apartment ravaged by the storm, Denise ultimately has no choice but to seek shelter at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Denise spends days there waiting for help. People at the Convention Center suffer in 127 Teaching Comics Journalism the heat and are dehydrated. They lack adequate sanitary facilities and even the basic necessities of life. Conditions are so bad that some elderly people do not survive the ordeal. Even though the army arrives, soldiers do not manage to organise help fast enough. In this context, A.D. reveals some turn to looting to supply those basic necessities that are lacking - such as drinks, medication and items of clothing (cf. Fig. 4). Fig. 4: Neufeld 2009: 143 128 Claudia Deetjen 4 An in-depth discussion of how the graphic novel may be used to foster processes of environmental learning is provided by Siepmann (2015). Moreover, because violence erupts as some people fight over a bottle of water, men take out handguns in order to restore order. Showing how dire conditions at times leave no other choice but to resort to ‘crime’ and the threat of violence in order to restore order, A.D. here offers a different perspective on the dominant coverage of the hurricane and its effects (cf. Fig. 4). In this, A.D. teaches the reader to take a more careful look and “bring an intense critical gaze to bear on both Neufeld’s text and the broader visual archive upon which it is based” (Dyer Hoefer 2012: 303). Additionally, exploring the story of Denise and contrasting her experiences of the storm and its aftermath with those of the doctor, for example, may open up discussions on issues of race in American society as well as questions of environmental injustice. In this context, A.D. may also be used to foster extended global knowledge about the unequal effects of climate change as well as its representations in the mass media. 4 Finally, the web-comic may be put to productive use in the classroom as it offers a wealth of additional material through hyperlinks. For example, it in‐ cludes links to audio-files, which provide an additional layer of meaning to the visual and verbal information presented in the comic. When Leo is intro‐ duced, for example, the reader first encounters him in a club. Through hyper‐ links, we are able to access the music track played in the club (One Man Ma‐ chine “Apocalypse Dancecard”). Moreover, the web-comic calls on the reader to conduct further research on Hurricane Katrina and the city of New Or‐ leans, providing access to the Hurricane digital memory bank (run by George Mason University and the University of New Orleans), links to BBC in-depth coverage on Hurricane Katrina, to a New York Times visual archive Hurri‐ cane Katrina. The Storm’s Impact as well as a timeline. Importantly, the web‐ page also has a comment function where readers can post their reactions to the web-comic, get in contact with the author and even with the people fea‐ turing in the text. By offering a starting point to a great wealth of informa‐ tion about Hurricane Katrina, the web-comic (though unfortunately some of the links are no longer active) holds great potential to foster multiple litera‐ cies and develop students’ ability to sift through and select from the material available, thus also enabling them to work independently. In the classroom, these various pedagogic ends may be achieved through sample tasks like the following: 129 Teaching Comics Journalism 5 “So tragically, so many of these people, almost all of them that we see, are so poor and they are so black, and this is going to raise lots of questions for people who are watching this story unfold” (Wolf Blitzer, CNN anchor) (CNN 2005: web). Pre-reading phase • Research online what happened during Hurricane Katrina. Consult the timeline found online at SMITH Magazine as well as BBC-coverage. Present your findings in class. • Watch Wolf Blitzer’s news reporting about Hurri‐ cane Katrina. Brainstorm what you know about the history of African Americans in the U.S. Why might they have been more severely impacted by the Hur‐ ricane? 5 While-reading phase • Close read pp. 92-107. Gather as much information as possible about Abbas and Darnell. Describe how they experience the hurricane and the flood, taking into account both verbal and visual information. How are they different from/ similar to media repre‐ sentations of the hurricane’s impact discussed in class? • Close-read pp. 132-145, pp. 149-153. Gather as much information as possible about Denise. Describe how Denise is experiencing conditions at the Convention Center and analyse how she comments on them. Take into account both visual and verbal informa‐ tion. How is her account different from/ similar to media representations of the hurricane’s impact dis‐ cussed in class? Compare Denise’s experience of the storm with that of the doctor (pp. 62 f., pp. 116 f.). Can you think of reasons for the different experience of the storm and flooding? Conduct further research on this online. • Webquest: Prepare a newspaper report on Hurricane Katrina consulting the SMITH Magazine website. Include information on how the storm unfolded, how it impacted the city as well as rescue efforts. Include first-hand accounts of victims as well as pic‐ ture material. Post-reading phase • Read President Bush’s speech about Hurricane Ka‐ trina. Describe how he portrays the effects of the storm as well as relief efforts. Analyse how he com‐ ments on poverty and race in the context of Hurri‐ cane Katrina. Conduct further research online on how his management of the rescue efforts was seen in the news. What does the term “Katrinagate” refer to? 130 Claudia Deetjen • Comment on the following statement included in the final report of Congress’ investigation committee on Hurricane Katrina: “The media must share some of the blame here … it’s clear accurate reporting was among Katrina’s many victims. If anyone rioted, it was the media.” Do you (dis)agree? Give reasons for your opinion. • Discuss your opinion of Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge in groups. Together, prepare a short comment to be posted online at SMITH mag‐ azine, which includes your evaluation of the graphic novel. Tab. 2: Teaching Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge: sample tasks 5 Conclusion Learners today grow up in the context of an increasingly global and digitised flow of information, which they are constantly immersed in, deriving from the internet, social media, their mobile phones or from television, newspapers and radio. While they are avid consumers of information, they are also active users of WhatsApp, twitter, snapchat and the like. Even though this development has many benefits, it also harbours certain dangers, among them privacy issues, information overload or a failure to distinguish trustworthy information from so-called ‘fake news’. Therefore, it is of central importance that learners are equipped with the multiple critical literacy skills necessary to competently en‐ gage in global flows of multimodal information. This article has shown that using comics journalism, which addresses current issues in the foreign language classroom, may help learners to engage critically with the multi-modal ways of making meaning, which exist around them. When dealing with Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan’s graphic report of a Syrian refugee family or Josh Neufeld’s account of Hurricane Katrina, learners may generally acquire multiple literacies in decoding texts that are both verbal and (audio-)visual. They may also develop skills in selecting relevant information and, most importantly perhaps, an ability to critically assess multi-modal texts in terms of their constructedness and their functions in their respective cultural contexts and news discourses. Comics journalism, moreover, holds great peda‐ gogic potential for inter-/ transcultural and global learning. Josh Neufeld has highlighted that graphic reporting, to him, has the power to make news stories personal: It is “one of the most personal and intimate ways to tell true stories […] Readers feel they are having an actual conversation with characters, rather 131 Teaching Comics Journalism than reading quotes in a newspaper or seeing talking heads on T.V.” (Neufeld 2015, 9). Because of this power to personalise abstract stories about far-away issues, comics journalism may be an important tool in fostering global know‐ ledge, an awareness of joint responsibilities for issues of global concern, which are key traits of active and responsible global citizens. Bibliography CNN (2005). Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: New Orleans Mayor Pleads for Help; Race and Class Affecting the Crisis? Transcripts CNN.com: The Situation Room. Retrieved from: http: / / transcripts.cnn.com/ TRANSCRIPTS/ 0509/ 01/ sitroom.02.html (last ac‐ cessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Blell, Gabriele/ Doff, Sabine (2014). It takes more than two for this tango: Moving beyond the self/ other binary in teaching about culture in the global EFL-classroom. Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht 19: 1, 77-96. Bush, George W. (2005). Remarks on Hurricane Katrina Recovery. September 15, 2005. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: http: / / www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/ cont ent/ article/ 2005/ 09/ 15/ AR2005091502252.html (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Cates, Kip A. (2004). Global Education. In: Michael Byram (ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. New York: Routledge, 241-242. Davies, Dominic (2018). ‘Welcome to the New World’: Visual Culture, Comics and the Crisis of Liberal Multiculturalism. March 1, 2018. Albeit 5: 1, online. Retrieved from: https: / / albeitjournal.com/ welcome-to-the-new-world/ (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Delanoy, Werner (2012). From ‘Inter’ to ‘Trans’? Or: Quo Vadis Cultural Learning? In: Eisenmann, Maria/ Summer, Theresa (eds.), Basic Issues in EFL Teaching and Learning. Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 157-167. Dickel, Simon/ Kindinger, Evangelia (2015). Introduction: The Fire Next Time. In: Dickel, Simon/ Kindinger, Evangelia (eds.), After the Storm. The Cultural Politics of Hurricane Katrina. Bielefeld: transcript, 7-21. Dyer Hoefer, Anthony (2012). A Re-Vision of the Record. The Demands of Reading Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge. In: Costello, Brannon/ Whitted, Qiana J. (eds.), Comics and the U.S. South. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 293-324. Eisenmann, Maria (2015). Crossovers - Postcolonial Literature and Transcultural Learning. In: Delanoy, Werner/ Eisenmann, Maria/ Matz, Frauke (eds.), Learning with Literature in the EFL Classroom. Frankfurt/ Main: Peter Lang, 217-236. Evans, Kate (2017). Threads from the Refugee Crisis. New York: Vero. Fox Gotham, Kevin/ Greenberg, Miriam (2014). Crisis Cities: Disaster and Redevelopment in New York and New Orleans. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 132 Claudia Deetjen Gilson, Dave (2005). The Art of War: An Interview with Joe Sacco. Mother Jones ( July/ August). Retrieved from: http: / / www.motherjones.com/ media/ 2005/ 07/ joe-sacco-inte rview-art-war (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Glidden, Sarah (2016). Rolling Blackouts. Dispatches from Turkey, Syria and Iraq. New York: Drawn and Quarterly. Gordon, Ruth (2009). Katrina, Race, Refugees, and Images of the Third World. In: Levitt, Jeremy/ Whitaker, Mathew (eds.), Hurricane Katrina. America’s Unnatural Disaster. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 226-254. Halpern, Jake/ Sloan, Michael (2017-2018). Welcome to the New World. The True Story of a Syrian Familiy’s Journey to America. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https: / / www.nytimes.com/ series/ syrian-refugee-family-welcome-america (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Hanson, Ralph (2018). Mass Communication: Living in a Media World. Los Angeles: Sage. Jacobs, Dale (2014). Webcomics, Multimodality, and Information Literacy. ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies 7: 3, 25 paragraphs. Retrieved from: http: / / imagetext. english.ufl.edu/ archives/ v7_3/ jacobs/ (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Jüngst, Heike Elisabeth (2000). Educational Comics - Text-type, or Text-types in a Format? Image & Narrative 1. Retrieved from: http: / / www.imageandnarrative.be/ inar chive/ narratology/ heikeelisabethjuengst.htm (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). McCloud, Scott (2009). Understanding Comics. The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Collins. Mickwitz, Nina (2016). Documentary Comics: Graphic Truth-Telling in a Skeptical Age. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Neufeld, Josh (2006-2007). New Orleans after the Deluge. Retrieved from: http: / / www.sm ithmag.net/ afterthedeluge/ (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Neufeld, Josh (2009). A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge. New York: Pantheon Books. Neufeld, Josh (2015). Foreword. In: Duncan, Randy et. al. (eds.), Creating Comics as Jour‐ nalism, Memoir, and Nonfiction. New York: Routledge, ix-xi. Ministerium für Schule und Weiterbildung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (2014). Kern‐ lehrplan für dieSekundarstufe II Gymnasium/ Gesamtschule in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Englisch. Düsseldorf: Schulministerium. Sacco, Joe (2012). The Unwanted. In: Sacco, Joe. Journalism. London: Cape, 109-158. Sasse, Elke (dir.) (2018). The War on My Phone. Trailer. Retrieved from: https: / / www.thew aronmyphone.com/ (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Siepmann, Philipp (2015). Natural Hazards, Human Responsibility: Teaching Hurricane Katrina through Literary Nonfiction. In: Dickel, Simon/ Kindinger, Evangelia (eds.), After the Storm. The Cultural Politics of Hurricane Katrina. Bielefeld: transcript, 131-148. Syria Untold. Retrieved from: http: / / syriauntold.com/ category/ features/ profiles/ (last ac‐ cessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). 133 Teaching Comics Journalism The Pulitzer Prizes (2018). The 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Editorial Cartooning. Re‐ trieved from: https: / / www.pulitzer.org/ winners/ jake-halpern-freelance-writer-and-m ichael-sloan-freelance-cartoonist-new-york-times (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Trump, Donald (2017). Executive Order Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. January 27, 2017. The White House. Retrieved from: http s: / / www.whitehouse.gov/ presidential-actions/ executive-order-protecting-nation-for eign-terrorist-entry-united-states/ (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). UNHCR (2018). Syria Regional Refugee Response. Operational Portal Refugee Situations. Retrieved from: https: / / data2.unhcr.org/ en/ situations/ syria#_ga=2.252495246.640599 97.1545558607-543861436.1531562933 (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). U.S. House of Representatives (2006). Executive Summary. A Failure of Initiative: Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Re‐ sponse to Hurricane Katrina. February 15, 2006. NPR National Public Radio. Retrieved from: https: / / www.npr.org/ documents/ 2006/ feb/ katrina/ house_report/ katrina_repor t_full.pdf (last accessed: 28/ 12/ 2018). Walker, Aisha/ White, Goodith (2013). Technology Enhanced Language Learning. Con‐ necting Theory and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wright, Terence (2016). The Media and Representations of Refugees and other Forced Migrants. In: Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Elena et. al. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 460-474. 134 Claudia Deetjen C. Lessons Drabbles Valentina Kleinert 1 Genre Drabbles belong to the genre of Shorties, i.e. very short narrative texts, also called flash fiction, skinny fiction, prosetry, short short story, or mini-fiction (Thaler 2016). To put it tautologically, Shorties are ideal texts for TEFL because they are short and narrative. A drabble consists of exactly 100 words, with the words in the title not being counted. These 100 word stories usually display a certain structure: Something happens in the story, suddenly there is a turnaround, altering the story by in‐ troducing a new perspective, which surprises the reader (cf. Brookes 2013). It was the Birmingham University of Science Fiction Society taking over the word drabble from Monty Python’s Big Red Book and making the public familiar with this type of Shorties (Thaler 2016: 185). 2 Sample Texts Science fiction writers who have written drabbles include, among others, Brian Aldiss, Gene Wolfe, and Lois McMaster Bujold. An online literary journal which regularly publishes drabbles is 100 Word Story. As the Internet has facilitated a rapid spread of the genre, you should have no problems finding suitable exam‐ ples. A current paperback anthology is Grant Faulkner’s Nothing Short of: Se‐ lected Tales from 100 Word Story.org (2018). 3 Procedure Title Nicolas A. White: What might not Happen (M1) Synopsis This drabble first describes the strenuous living conditions of a certain person. Then the story gets a positive turn as the 1 st person narrator goes through a beautiful experience in nature, which makes him want to capture it. Competences Speaking, reading, lexical competence, heartstorming, text competence, writing Topics Everyday life, stress, making ends meet, nature, yearning for peace, 100 word story Level Intermediate Time 45 minutes Steps (global-to-detail approach) A. Lead-in 1. T introduces the topic with a provocative statement: “As a student you are fine. Many holidays, a lot of free time, no stress! ” 2. S comment on this statement. 3. T announces that the lesson will be about a text that has a similar topic. 4. Before reading, the teacher explains a few unknown words (M2). B. First reading T reads out the text, but only the first part (M3). C. Global comprehension 1. S describe their spontaneous thoughts, emotions and first impressions (heartstorming). 2. T asks them to give an oral summary of the text. 3. T explains that the story has not finished yet, and hands out two dif‐ ferent endings (M4). S have to decide which part they like better, or which is the original text, and justify their answers. D. Second reading 1. T hands out the second part of the text. 2. The entire text is read aloud, first by T, then with S taking turns. E. Detailed comprehension 1. S are given a worksheet (M5), which focuses on rhetorical devices. 2. S search for them in the text and fill in the gaps. 138 Valentina Kleinert 3. Results are checked in class. The functions of the devices are also eli‐ cited. 4. T: “Count the words of the story. Do you have an idea what the story is called? ” 5. The terms “100 word story” and “drabble” are written on the board. F. Follow-up 1. Discussion: What is relaxation for you? Where do you want “to cast a net around the moment”? 2. Homework: S have to write their own drabble. 4 Materials M1: Text What might not happen Blood-red eyes, a forearm against the light, meetings and deadlines to attend. Mouths to feed, cars to buy, doctors to pay. And politics. We built an empire around the fear of making a mistake. Life in a cubicle: A keyboard for my hands, a screen for my brain. I thought it would be different. One time, on the lake, with the sun setting behind the mountains, and a kayak gliding over the water, I tried to cast a net around the moment, keep it from escaping, tried to live in there forever with the fish and the smell of fire. M2: Vocabulary (for part one) English word English explanation cubicle A small space with a desk used for work in a business office. keyboard In this case, used with a computer to type on. 139 Drabbles M3: Text, Part 1 Blood-red eyes, a forearm against the light, meetings and deadlines to attend. Mouths to feed, cars to buy, doctors to pay. And politics. We built an empire around the fear of making a mistake. Life in a cubicle: A keyboard for my hands, a screen for my brain. I thought it would be different. M4: Text, Part 2 Ending 1 (original ending) One time, on the lake, with the sun setting behind the mountains, and a kayak gliding over the water, I tried to cast a net around the moment, keep it from escaping, tried to live in there forever with the fish and the smell of fire. Ending 2 I couldn’t stand it anymore. No changes. Every day the same, day in, day out. I didn’t know a way out. I stayed in bed. No meetings, no deadlines, no doc‐ tors, no politics. Only the white wall in front of my eyes. Then it got black. M5: Finding rhetorical elements in the text Rhetorical device Definition Example from the text Epithet an adjective or short phrase usually used as a way of criticizing or praising someone Parallelism Hyperbole an exaggeration an expression that de‐ scribes a person/ object by referring to some‐ 140 Valentina Kleinert thing which has similar characteristics the recurrence of initial consonant sounds 5 Solutions A.2.: Possible comments • I don’t agree! School is stress too. We always have to be prepared and we must constantly be afraid of unannounced tests. • Yes, that’s right. Compared to my brother, who already works, I have a lot of free time. • For me, school is no stress, but I have so many hobbies that it is stressful for me to do everything. C.1.: Heartstorming Oppressive, pensive, depressed, sad, understanding … C.3.: Possible assessments • I think the first part is the original story because there is a turnaround. The reader doesn’t expect that it will change like this. • In my opinion, the second part is the original because I believe the story is coming to a sad ending. • I like the positive part better because I like happy endings. • I choose the negative part because I think that a pessimistic ending fits better to the beginning of the story and is more realistic. E.3.: Worksheet solution Rhetorical Device Definition Example from the text Epithet an adjective or short phrase usually used as a way of criticizing or praising someone blood-red eyes 141 Drabbles Parallelism the use of matching sen‐ tence structure or phrases • … meetings and deadlines to attend, mouths to feed, cars to buy, doctors to pay • A keyboard for my hands, a screen for my brain. Hyperbole an exaggeration tried to live in there for‐ ever Metaphor an expression that de‐ scribes a person/ object by referring to some‐ thing which has similar characteristics I tried to cast a net around the moment. Alliteration the recurrence of initial consonant sounds sun setting F.1.: Possible answers • My best balance to stress is sport. • To relax, I read a book. • The best way for me to relax is going on vacation at the beach. Bibliography Brookes, Michael (2013). How to Write a Drabble. Drablr. Retrieved from: https: / / drablr. com/ how-to-write-a-drabble (last accessed: 12/ 01/ 2019). Faulkner, Grant (2018). Nothing Short of: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.org. San Fran‐ cisco: Outpost19. Thaler, Engelbert (ed.) (2016). Shorties. Flash Fiction in English Language Teaching. Tü‐ bingen: Narr. White, Nicholas (2015). What might not Happen. 100 Word Story. Retrieved from: www. 100wordstory.org/ 4216/ what-might-not-happen (last accessed: 12/ 01/ 2019). 142 Valentina Kleinert Graphic Novels Cherelle Hobson 1 Genre Graphic novels, alongside comics, mangas, and cartoons, are a subcategory of sequential art, i.e. a combination of visual art and literature with the help of a series of images put into sequence (cf. Eisner 1985, McCloud 1994). What dis‐ tinguishes graphic novels from the other subgenres of sequential art is that they tend to be stand-alone works published in book form, are often more extensive, and the topics covered are regarded as more serious. As they constitute gripping and authentic classroom material, graphic novels are increasingly finding their way into the EFL classroom, and there is a wealth of texts available on the market - from graphic adaptations of the classics to graphic fiction in its own right (Tabachnik 2009). 2 Sample Texts Even though one can argue that the first graphic novels - like Raymond Brigg’s The Snowman (1978) and When the Wind Blows (1982) - already appeared on the book market around the 1980’s, graphic novels are on the rise especially now and make for a rewarding 21 st century literary genre. Graphic novels for beginners: • Frank Cammuso: Otto’s Orange Day (2008): Otto the Cat meets a magical genie, who makes the whole world orange for him. This bright new world looks like a lot of fun, but things begin to change when his mom serves orange spinach for lunch. • (Various authors, Stone Arch Books): My First Graphic Novel (2009 ff.): This series of 25 titles introduces emergent readers to the world of graphic novels. The first pages show kids how to read a graphic novel, each story uses familiar topics, relatable characters and simple vocabulary, and the bold illustrations make the books an enjoyable read. Graphic novels for secondary level students: • John Lewis: March Book One (2013): The first in the trilogy, this graphic novel based on the life of John Lewis, opens with a group of African Americans marching across a bridge. The police tell them to turn around, but they choose to kneel instead. They are assaulted and have tear gas thrown at them. Reading this book in class can help drawing parallels from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s to current events like the Black Lives Matter movement in the USA. • Gene Luen Yang: American Born Chinese (2006): It follows three main storylines that converge in the end, with each one focusing on a character who feels judged. The story features many Chinese stereotypes and in‐ sults prevalent in America throughout the twentieth century. The book can be used to talk about racism, Chinese mythology, stereotypes, and structural devices, e.g. intertwining separate narratives. • Art Spiegelman: Maus (1980 ff.): This classic tells two separate but en‐ tangled stories, i.e. that of concentration camp survivor Vladek Spiegel‐ man’s experiences during World War II, and that of the relationship be‐ tween him and his son Artie. In class, one may analyze social justice issues, or integrate it into a multidisciplinary project with history. • Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis (2008): cf. 3. (lesson plan) 3 Procedure Title Marjane Satrapi (2008). Persepolis Synopsis Persepolis is an autobiographical graphic memoir by Marjane Satrapi about her childhood and coming of age within a loving family, which lived in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq War. In the midst of theocracy, Satrapy traces her family’s efforts to resist the conservatism that dominated Iran. Competences Silent reading, speaking, writing, intercultural competence: comparing different cultures, lexical competence, text com‐ petence: graphic novel genre Topics School, career goals, religion, participation in politics, Islamic and Western cultures, introduction to graphic novels Level Advanced Time 90 minutes 144 Cherelle Hobson Steps (pre-while-post model) As homework preparation for this lesson, S were asked to watch Michael Chaney’s TED talk on “How to read a graphic novel” (www.youtube.com/ wa tch? v=qAyEbgSPi9w). A. Pre-reading 1. T: “When do people tell a story with pictures? ” 2. T: “Why do they tell a story with pictures? ” 3. M1 (worksheet with elements of graphic novels) is handed out, read and discussed. 4. A silent picture impulse (M2) is given. 5. Discussion: “What do you see? Who do you think narrates the novel? What may the novel be about? ” B. While-Reading 1. M3 (vocabulary worksheet) is distributed. 2. T asks S to read the first chapter silently and resort to the vocab sheet if necessary. 3. First impressions of the novel are collected. C. Post-Reading 1. T asks S to predict the continuation of the plot. 2. Group work: S discuss similarities and differences between growing up in an Islamic versus a Western culture in terms of: a. Going to school (classrooms, uniforms, curriculum) b. Career goals c. The place of religion in home, school, and government d. Adults’, teens’, and children’s involvement in politics 3. Homework: Discuss in written form when one should forgive and forget, and when one should fight or at least stand up for one’s views. Further lesson ideas: • Watching an interview with Marjane Satrapi (www.youtube.com/ watc h? v=v9onZpQix_w&feature=youtu.be) • Viewing the movie Persepolis (www.youtube.com/ watch? v=XceZR2diX nA) and comparing it with the novel 145 Graphic Novels 4 Materials M1: Worksheet Graphic Novels: Terms and Concepts (lib-www.freelibrary.org/ programs/ onebook/ obop10/ docs/ Graphic_Novel_ Comics_Terms_and_Concepts.pdf, adapted) Layout Panel: A distinct segment of the comic, containing a combination of image and text. Panels offer a different experience than simply reading text: - Spatial arrangement ► immediate juxtaposition of the present and the past - Transitions: instantaneous and direct, yet the exact timing of the read‐ er’s experience determined by focus and reading speed Frame: The lines and borders that contain the panels Gutter: The space between framed panels Foreground: The panel closest to the viewer Midground: ► centering of image by using natural resting place for vision; placing an image off-center ► to create visual tension Background: ► additional, subtextual information for the reader Graphic weight: A term that describes the way some images draw the eye more than others, creating a definite focus using color and shading in various ways Figures Faces: ► portrayed in different ways: actual person, iconic (representative of an idea/ group) Hands/ Feet: ► to express what is happening in the story, e.g. hands over mouth: fear, shame, or shyness Text Captions: Boxes containing a variety of text elements, including scene-set‐ ting, description, etc. Speech bubbles: Forms enclosing dialogue and coming from a specific speaker’s mouth/ mind; types of speech bubbles: external dialogue (talk be‐ tween characters), internal dialogue (thought bubble) Special-effects lettering: ► a method of drawing attention to text; often high‐ lighting onomatopoeia and reinforcing the impact of certain words, e.g. bang 146 Cherelle Hobson M2: Picture stimulus https: / / blogs.harvard.edu/ mbprasad/ 2014/ 05/ 08/ 43/ M3: Worksheet on vocabulary obligatory (3) = verpflichtend “Then came 1980: The year it became obligatory to wear the veil at school.” decadence (4) = der Verfall “All bilingual schools must be closed down. They are symbols of capitalism. Of decadence.” avant-garde (6) = für neue Ideen ein‐ tretend “Deep down I was very religious, but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde.” degenerate (18) = verfallen “My parents demonstrated every day. Things started to degenerate. The army shot at them.” frivolities (28) = Leichtsinnigkeiten “All of the country’s money went into ridiculous celebrations of the 2500 years of dynasty and other frivolities … all of this to impress heads of state, the population couldn’t have cared less.” sentiment (43) = Gefühl, Empfindung “Politics and sentiment don’t mix.” subversive (47) = umstürzlerisch “Crime: wrote subversive articles in the Keyhan.” cyanide (51) = Blausäure “He always had cyanide on him in case he was arrested, but he was taken by surprise and unfortunately he never had a chance to use it …” console (86) = trösten “At recess, I tried to console her …” nuptial (94) = hochzeitlich “According to Shiite tradition, when an unmarried man dies, a nuptial chamber is built for him.” carnage (101) = Blutbad, Gemetzel “It’s nuts! They hypnotize them and just toss them into battle. Absolute carnage.” vintner (106) = Winzer “My uncle was the vintner. He had a genuine winemaking lab in his base‐ ment.” belligerent (115) = streitlustig, ag‐ gressiv “The walls were suddenly covered with belligerent slogans.” veritable (122) = wahrhaftig “The Germans sell chemical weapons to Iran and Iraq. The wounded are then sent to Germany to be treated. Veritable guinea pigs.” habitual (157) = gewohnheitsmäßig “I heard that in the course of one of their habitual quarrels.” refectory (176) = Speiseraum “I went downstairs with my pot to watch TV in the refectory.” volition (179) = Wille “Explaining to them that, humiliated to have been caught red-handed stealing a fruit yogurt, I had decided 147 Graphic Novels dialectic (53) = dialektisch, spitzfindig “Now that the revolution was finally over once and for all, I abandoned the dialectic materialism of my comic strips.” shunned (58) = gemieden “You know what it is like to be an un‐ married mother in this country. You will be shunned.” to leave the boarding house of my own volition.” insolent (180) = frech, anmaßend “And the sisters who found me inso‐ lent … they should have seen Julie.” lackey (191) = Lakai “My relationship with the school’s lackeys didn’t please my friends much.” … 5 Solutions A.1.: Instagram, Facebook, Youtube (film clips as a sequence of pictures), social media, photo albums, comics, picture books, newspapers, magazines, commercials, movies … A.2.: Pictures help to illustrate a story in a lively manner; self-expression (social media); images are open for interpretation; stories are easier to be read and re-read (for deeper comprehension); to experience reading as a constructive process B.3.: Possible Impressions • The title of the first chapter, “The Veil”, works in a dual fashion, for even though Marjane is forced to wear the veil, she is about to unveil Iranian society to the reader. • Marjane’s mother marches in political protests and questions authority → overturning assumptions students may have about Islamic women (? ) • Images help struggling readers to comprehend (? ) • Students draw parallels to current events (? ) → Saudi-Arabia allows women to drive 148 Cherelle Hobson C.2.: Islamic vs. Western culture • Classrooms: - Islamic girls have to wear a veil - Schools get closed down, children are separated from their friends - Nationalized curriculum - Marjane’s curriculum is probably very restricted to what authorities allow the students to learn • Career goals: - In Western cultures: endless possibilities - In Islamic cultures: restricted; careers are reserved rather for males - women as housewives • Place of religion: - In Western cultures (specifically Germany): clear separation of reli‐ gion and politics - In Islamic cultures: females are obliged to wear veils • Involvement in politics: - In Western cultures: teenagers rather sparsely involved in politics but everyone is allowed to participate without being persecuted - In Marjane’s case: parents are very involved but at the same time afraid of persecution Bibliography Eisner, Will (1985). Comics and Sequential Art. Tamarac: Poorhouse Press. McCloud, Scott (1994). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: William Morrow. Tabachnick, Stephen (2009). Teaching the Graphic Novel. New York: MLAA. 149 Graphic Novels Digital Picture Books Isabel Mair 1 Genre “The picture book is a complex format that tells stories through a combination of pictures and words” (Martinez et al. 2015: 266). Silvey (quoted in Thaler 2016: 194) subdivides picture books into five categories: “pure or true picture book” with no or very little text; “wordless books”, where the whole plot is only told via illustrations; “picture storybooks”, in which illustrations complement the text while the focus is on the text; “illustrated books” with more text than pic‐ tures; finally “toy and movable books” with haptic elements or pop-up-illustra‐ tions in addition to text and illustrations. The didactic potential of picture books for TEFL is enormous, in particular for younger learners: Children need pictures to make sense of the stories which are told to them in the foreign language (mentoring function); the texts are usually short so they can be read in one lesson; they are designed to be read aloud supporting the pupils’ listening com‐ petence; finally they are authentic material, which have “not been abridged or altered for language learning purposes” (Maur-o 2016: 26). These authentic texts are nowadays available in a new format. “The most influential recent development in publishing is the advent of digital formats. E-books have gone from curious novelty to big deal in a very short time” (Teale/ Yokota 2014: 577). The different kinds of digital picture books can be categorized as follows (Teale/ Yokota 2014: 578): • scanning entire print picture books • transforming picture books into film-like creations • transforming picture books with features unique to the digital world • adding interactive features, including games, which extend beyond the story Examples of the first category, i.e. scanned picture books, are to be found in the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL), which makes children’s books from all over the world accessible, online and free of charge. The goal pursued is to “support the world’s children in becoming effective members of the global community - who exhibit tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas - by making the best in children’s literature available” (ICDL website). The collection includes 4,619 books in 59 languages, with all works being pre‐ sented in their entirety and without adaptations to their original. To support teachers, the ICDL offers a 30-page “Teacher Training Manual”, which gives advice on how to use the ICDL in the classroom. There are several reasons why the ICDL should be introduced in elementary TEFL classrooms, and Teale/ Yokota “find these digital picture books to be the most exciting innovation in literature for children in a long time” (2014: 577): • Teaching children how to use the ICDL in class opens up the opportunity for them to use the ICDL in their free time, too, motivating them to read more. • Children can learn about different cultures by reading books from another country translated into their first language or English in the ICDL. • It makes the presentation of picture books easier. When showing a tra‐ ditional picture book to children in class, it is difficult to make sure that all the children can see the illustrations clearly. With the ICDL, the pro‐ jector simply is connected to the computer, and the picture book can be shown with a large display, so all the children can see the illustrations all the time making understanding the story and new words easier. 2 Sample Texts The following texts are all available in the International Children’s Digital Li‐ brary (ICDL) and can be recommended for learners at elementary level. If you are not certain about the suitability of a certain book, Teale/ Yokota (2014) pro‐ vide a list of selection criteria. • Chavan, Madhav (2004). Happy and Sad. This book about emotions shows different situations in which people are happy or sad and specifies reasons for their feelings. • Gowda, Venkatramana (2004). The Day the Vegetables Came to School. This picture book, which deals with the topic of nutrition, is centred around a boy who meets different vegetables on his way to school and is very con‐ fused because they can talk and have school bags on their backs. • If you want to talk about school, use the book and lesson plan below (3.). 152 Isabel Mair 3 Procedure Title Madhav Chavan (2004). The Jungle School Synopsis The animals in the jungle find out that there is a school in the jungle. With great enthusiasm, they search for this school and are very happy when they find the classroom. Their enthu‐ siasm is suddenly gone, however, when the teacher arrives: a lion. Competences Listening, reading, lexical competence, speaking Topics School, school materials, animals, feelings, relationships Level Elementary Time 90 minutes Steps (PWP approach) A. Pre-reading 1. School: T shows the picture of the school and asks S if they know the word in English. 2. S are told the title The Jungle School. 3. S may draw a picture that suits the title. (Note: They learned about animals living in the jungle the lesson before.) B. While-reading 1. T reads out the picture book to the pupils. 2. Occasionally, T stops reading and asks S questions to check their un‐ derstanding of the text, e.g. - Global understanding: What are the animals searching for? - Detailed understanding: Which animal told the others about the school? What objects are in the classroom? Etc. 3. Using pictures (M1), T explains important words from the text: school, room, pencil, classroom, school bag, teacher, blackboard. 4. Additionally, S assign the pictures to the cards with the words written on them sticking the pictures and the words to the blackboard. 5. T stops reading after the sentence “I found a room”, and makes S predict the continuation of the plot. 6. The rest of the text is read out. 7. S summarize the ending. 8. S get together in groups and combine the parts of the domino (M1). 9. T reads out the picture book once again. In order to make S listen care‐ fully and participate in the reading process, S have to think of certain moves to make when words like school, teacher or school bag come up (TPR: Total Physical Response). 153 Digital Picture Books C. Post-reading 1. T makes S discuss in groups: 2. Why are the animals enthusiastic when hearing about the school? 3. What is great about school? 4. T hands out the word search grids (M2) and asks S to solve the task. 4 Materials M1: Word pictures and domino 154 Isabel Mair M2: Word search grids 155 Digital Picture Books 5 Solutions M2: Word search grid Bibliography International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL): A Library for the World's Children. Re‐ trieved from: http: / / en.childrenslibrary.org/ index.shtml (last accessed: 12/ 01/ 2019). Martinez, Miriam/ Minton, Sylvia/ Villarreal, Alicia (2015). Child Illustrators: Making Meaning through Visual Art in Picture Books. The Reading Teacher 69: 3, 265-275. Maur-o, Sandie (2016). Picturebooks in the Primary EFL Classroom: Authentic Literature for an Authentic Response. Children’s Literature in English Language Education Journal 4: 1, 25-43. Teale, William/ Yokota, Junko (2014). Picture Books and the Digital World: Educators Making Informed Choices. The Reading Teacher 67: 8, 577-585. Thaler, Engelbert (2016). Shorties: Flash Fiction in English Language Teaching. Tübingen: Narr. 156 Isabel Mair Fanfiction Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth 1 Genre Fanfiction is “[t]he fan’s interpretation and engagement with a source text [that] lead to the creation of narrative texts produced by fans that clearly relate to one source text, mostly a well-known text of popular culture” (Wenz 2010: 109 f.), so fanfiction is a fictional text in response to another (mostly popular) text. In addition, Jamison (2013: 17 f.) explains that writers of fanfiction adore the text they refer to so much that they often join a so-called “fandom”: “[F]anfiction takes someone else’s old story and, arguably, makes it new, or makes it over, or just simply makes more of it, because the fan writer loves the story so much they want it to keep going.” A fandom is “[die] Gesamtheit der Anhänger eines bestimmten kulturellen Produkts oder Phänomens” (Cuntz-Leng 2015: 482), and their intertextual response can either be a renewal, a continuation, a transfor‐ mation or simply an expansion of the original text (Wenz 2010: 114). One may distinguish between a more historical and a more recent under‐ standing of fanfiction. While the former subsumes under fanfiction all adapta‐ tions of source texts ever made including also Joyce’s Ulysses as a fanfiction of Homer’s Odyssee, others date the beginning of fanfiction back to the foundation of the Sherlock Holmes and Jane Austen Societies. The emergence of television and especially the series Star Trek, with the cultivation of so-called fanzines, favoured the distribution of printed fanfictions and made the genre step into the international spotlight (Cuntz-Leng 2015: 81 f.). Through the means of the in‐ ternet it gained “einen weiteren Schub in punkto Distributions- und Partizipa‐ tionsmöglichkeiten” (Hasenberg/ Peschel 2018: 281). Thousands of those texts are published on fanfiction websites such as Fanfiction.net and are largely non-commercial. In the Internet Cuntz-Leng sees a veritable revolution for fan‐ fiction as it has been providing the possibility to interact “anonym, global, zeit‐ unabhängig und ohne große Kosten” (2015: 79). To sum up, Fathallah concisely states: “Fanfiction […] [is] the […] adaption and re-writing of media texts […] is typically freely shared, makes no money, and, though it has an analogue his‐ tory, now exists primarily on the Internet” (2017: 9). One crucial feature of fanfiction is that it is intermedial: It does not necessarily respond to a written text, but can also allude to TV shows, films, comics or even video games (Wenz 2010: 119 f.). Another salient characteristic of fanfiction is its collaborative nature. “In fan communities, fans are not only authors, but also critics and readers” (Wenz 2010: 110). The users utilize the commentary function (on Fanfiction.net under the section ‘reviews’) to provide the authors with feed‐ back about their textual products so that they then revise their texts. On top of that, fanfiction authors can request so-called beta-readers, who voluntarily (! ) correct first drafts before the author decides to publish the text ( Jamison 2013: 279). In a way, they therefore contribute as co-authors to the final result, so that fanfiction “challenges that [the one-dimensional] model of authorship” ( Jamison 2013: 20). Finally, it is an integral part of fandoms to launch community chal‐ lenges, where users can request stories from other writers with elements they want the story to contain (Cuntz-Leng 2015: 88). According to Cuntz-Leng, fanfiction can be divided into three main catego‐ ries: • Slash, which centres around the love story between characters of the same sex • Het (Heterosexual), which has heterosexual characters involved in a ro‐ mantic relationship • Gen (General) with no sort of romance constituting the focus of the story (2015: 82). As Wenz points out, a “fan text does not necessarily use the same setting and [literary] genre as the source text” (2015: 118). Despite its original focus on the narrative form, fanfiction texts also exist in the form of poetry, dramatic texts, 100-word texts (drabbles), and so-called oneshots (short stories with mostly one chapter), to name a few examples (Cuntz-Leng 2015: 86 f.). Concerning the re‐ lation between fanfiction and source text, a fanfiction text can either be a prequel or a sequel to the original, show a missing scene or centre around an alternate universe, where certain aspects of the source text are ignored or omitted. Apart from that, it not infrequently happens that authors include several fandoms into a crossover, e.g. with characters from both the Harry Potter and the Star Wars universe co-existing in one story (Cuntz-Leng 2015: 87). Fans do not only “participate actively in the production of narratives but also in the construction of a general consensus about a source-text” (Wenz 2015: 110), this general consensus among a fan community being called “fanon” - in con‐ 158 Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth trast to the “canon”, which only includes facts the original text takes for granted (Hasenberg/ Peschel 2018: 279). Fans seem to be so eager in their engagement with the popular source texts that the fanon they create, in terms of quantity, quite often surpasses the original universe they refer to (Cuntz-Leng 2015: 204 f.). Major recurring motifs in fanfiction are the following (Cuntz-Leng 2015): • Pairing, i.e. a “[r]omantisch-erotisches Paar, das im Zentrum der Erzäh‐ lung steht”, • Mary Sue, i.e. “eine vom Fanfiction-Autor selbst kreierte Figur […], die überaus beliebt, allmächtig und allwissend ist und mitunter als zweites Ich des Fanfiction-Autors gelesen werden kann”, • Kink, i.e. an “[e]igenartiger/ perverser Spleen”, which a fanfiction writer openly admits to, • Squick, i.e. “anything that is a deep-seated visceral turn-off for the fan”. As to the TEFL potential of this genre, it should be pointed out that on fanfiction websites, “[t]here is huge productivity […], standing in contrast to young peo‐ ple’s documented limited production activity in formal schooling” (Lillis 2013: 143). The consideration of fanfiction in TEFL may thus be a remedy to reduce students’ reluctance to engage in literary activities. As Vandergriff further ex‐ plains, “[f]anfiction has attracted SLA research attention for its pedagogical po‐ tential”, because it “fosters interactivity between writers and readers” (2016: 77), which may increase the motivation to read and write. Moreover, the engagement with favourite topics and familiar media lead to a lot of joy and excitement, which should be “definitely another vital goal in language classes” (Thaler 2016: 63). Furthermore, fanfiction is a genre that tends to put the emphasis on “pro‐ ductive, generative dimensions of engagement with texts, whereby students are makers and creators as well as analysts and readers” (Beavis 2010: 41). Slipping into the role of fanfiction authors, students can enjoy autonomy in the writing process, give vent to their creative side and “feel able to self identify [sic! ] as second language learners who, whilst expressing concern about possible errors […] are not inhibited from participating” (Lillis 2013: 144). With its focus on intimate topics, fanfiction is also likely to foster tolerance among students since it “increasingly offers a space where gender, like sexuality, is not an either/ or phenomenon” ( Jamison 2013: 19). Finally, teachers can choose from a nearly unlimited amount of multilingual materials with different focus - genre-, styleor lengthwise (Vandergriff 2016: 77). In all fairness, it is also important to mention some potential drawbacks of the usage of fanfictions in TEFL. Unfortunately, a good deal of them is not ne‐ 159 Fanfiction cessarily of good quality, and often they contain sexually explicit content. How‐ ever, in the selection process, teachers can counteract this problem by setting the appropriate filters for their class. Moreover, the question of copyright arises since fanfiction websites are often not as regulated as conventional text used at school (Cuntz-Leng 2015: 79). Apart from that, it is a fact that “by far the greatest number of contributors to FanFiction are […] female and in their teens” (Lillis 2013: 145), so that some students (especially boys) may not be interested in some of the topics that fanfictions offer, especially since they often revolve around love and romances. Finally, dealing with fanfiction can be very time-consuming, as students need to know the original text before familiarizing themselves with fanfiction. 2 Sample Texts Fans can choose from a great variety of fanfiction websites, whose structure is permanently changing (Wenz 2015: 121). There is, for example, Fanfiction.net (w ww.fanfiction.net), which is the most influential one. The most common way for fanfiction websites to help users sort their stories is to use tags or filters ( Jamison 2013: 23). Frequently writers assign their texts to certain age groups, genres and text lengths. Fanfiction.net is suitable for TEFL purposes for two reasons: First, its operators are less willing than other websites to accept stories that are exclusively for mature readers, facilitating the use of fanfictions in class (Cuntz-Leng 2015: 98). Second, it has many practical filters including one to choose the length of the text, and one to prioritize stories with many (positive) reviews, which increases the likelihood of not facing texts of poor quality in class. For example, you may favour oneshots (on Fanfiction.net, fanfictions with fewer than 1000 words) or other similar short literary forms like poems in TEFL contexts. • Fandom: Clicking into books at Fanfiction.net, the hierarchically organ‐ ized list shows the four most popular fandoms on top, which are Harry Potter (793,000 stories), Twilight (219,000), Percy Jackson and the Olym‐ pians (75,000), and Lord of the Rings (56,600). • Daily Prophet: Departing from this ranking, the results were further fil‐ tered to find the most popular (2.446 favs), most reviewed (627 reviews), age appropriate (ranked T: teenager) story, which sticks to a word limit of under 1000 words. What fanfiction.net came up with as a top result was Daily Prophet My Ass! by Wench of Hogsmead from 2005. The 500-word story is a humorous anecdote summarized as “Harry has a little fun with the Daily Prophet’s accusation that he fancies boys. Poor Draco 160 Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth …” (www.fanfiction.net/ s/ 2468349/ 1/ Daily-Prophet-My-Ass). Despite the slightly vulgar title, the story seems applicable for the intermediate Eng‐ lish classroom, as it is a good source for teaching storytelling structure, expressive vocabulary, and tension. It includes many characters who the readership are familiar with while focusing on the protagonists. The au‐ thor sets the story in the Great Hall, so not many further general descrip‐ tions regarding atmosphere and location are needed, which also enables the narration to direct the readers’ attention to the unusual elements supporting the plot. For example, Ron and Hermione’s standoffish atti‐ tude towards Harry instantly signals to the reader that there must have been some sort of prior event having triggered such behaviour. The text also deals with a fear many teenagers may share, i.e. bullying or getting outed in public, in a light-hearted and humorous manner, without ridi‐ culing the topic. The story teaches the lesson that being able to laugh at oneself is a powerful tool for disempowering bullies, finding allies, and debunking rumours. • Game of Thrones: “because you’re different”. This text is taken from the world of the TV series Game of Thrones (or A Song of Ice and Fire, if one refers to the books), which is very popular with students these days. The first sample text with the name “because you’re different” by the user xxxidrilxxx from Aug 23, 2012 (www.fanfiction.net/ s/ 8456027/ 1/ because -you-re-different, last accessed: 29/ 08/ 2018) is a good example of a fan‐ fiction that modifies the narrative perspective of its original, as it offers the (normally not known) P.O.V. of Gendry, one of many bastards of mur‐ dered King Robert Baratheon. • Snape’s Death: Proving that fanfiction is not necessarily narrative prose, this text, set at the end of the last Harry Potter book (or film), is an ex‐ cellent poem from the Harry Potter universe, which teachers could also exploit to encourage students to produce poems themselves in a context that is familiar to them (www.fanfiction.net/ s/ 13046127/ 1/ Snape-s-Deat h, last accessed: 29/ 08/ 2018). Concerning formal aspects, the poem con‐ sists of five stanzas with four lines each, has rhyming couplets and offers an appealing rhythm. The lyrical I of the poem is Hogwarts teacher Severus Snape, who is about to die of a bite wound that Lord Voldemort’s snake Nagini inflicted upon him. While his life passes by him, Snape re‐ flects on his actions that he hopes not to have been in vain. The main topics of the poem are love, loyalty and transience, and the vocabulary used is not too difficult. 161 Fanfiction a) b) c) d) e) 3 Procedure In just one sitting, it is simply not possible to cover this genre as a full under‐ standing of fanfiction involves both reading skills (the users’ function as beta-readers) and writing skills (the learner as fanfiction writer). Title Game of Thrones Synopsis The content is taken from the last episode of the seventh TV season. It is an interior monologue from the P.O.V. of Jaime Lannister, twin brother of Queen Cersei Lannister. After having seen a zombie with his own eyes, he decides to leave behind his power-obsessed sister and lover in the capital. Jaime sets out to join the Northern armies in order to help them fight against the dead who advance further into the Seven Kingdoms. He is especially keen to see Brienne, who he might be in love with. It is interesting to see the author’s own interpretation of Jaime’s thoughts and feelings in a context (a TV series) where spectators can only speculate about the characters’ states of mind. Competences Text competence: fanfiction genre, reading, writing, speaking, media competence: working with websites and weblogs Topics Fighting for the good cause, keeping promises, honour, power, love, disappointment, courage Level Advanced Time Five lessons of 45 minutes each Steps 1. Introduction and reading phase (45 minutes) T activates pre-knowledge on Game of Thrones ► brainstorming ► mind map on the blackboard with the title “Game of Thrones” at its centre. T hands out the worksheet with the fanfiction text “A Journey North” (https: / / www.fanfiction.net/ s/ 12652708/ 1/ A-Journey-No rth) (M1): first four paragraphs; title, author and paratexts not included to keep up suspense. S are asked to scan the text guided by the questions on the handout. Answers are collected in class. T makes S compare the text - still not under the name of fan‐ fiction - to what they remember about the content and style of the books/ the TV show: “As you might have noticed, this story is not written by George R.R. Martin nor is it from the TV series. Let’s take some minutes to compare this text with what you 162 Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth f) g) a) b) c) d) e) f) a) b) c) d) e) know about the original: In which way does it differ style-wise and content-wise? ” T briefly introduces the concept of fanfiction: “What is fanfic‐ tion? Since when has it existed? Where do people publish it? Why does it exist? ” Homework: Using the website “A Fanspeak Dictionary” (http: / / e xpressions.populli.net/ dictionary.html), familiarize yourself fur‐ ther with fanfiction and find five concepts you deem interesting or important. 2. Exploration of Fanfiction.net and beginning of pre-writing phase (45 minutes) Homework is corrected: S’s results about important fanfiction concepts. T introduces the functionalities of Fanfiction.net (computer room: projector): potential copyright problems, questions of quality, features of the website, a search for a fanfiction by set‐ ting filters of length and age, Game of Thrones story on the web‐ site, story’s paratexts (including author’s description and com‐ ments from other users), explanation of the subgenre of oneshot (► later: writing task) S are asked to browse through the website searching for texts under 1000 words, guided by a worksheet on classifying fanfic‐ tions (M2); they are expected to find a text and apply the grid to it; S’s suggestions are collected. S are informed about how fanfiction is written (M3): YouTube video “Writing with Jane: Top 10 Tips on Fan Fiction” (www.yo utube.com/ watch? v=nbct3sDaEFE). Film is viewed twice, and comprehension is checked with the help of the reverse side of the worksheet. S are asked to prepare their story: They may either continue exploring the fanfiction website in search of inspiration or they can already start sketching their first draft. Homework: S have to finish sketching their first draft, paying attention to a good structure and integrating at least one fanfic‐ tion concept (e.g. a pairing). 3. Main writing phase (90 minutes) T emphasizes (once more) features that S should incorporate in their fanfiction: clear structure, at least one of the concepts dis‐ cussed, and a length of one to two pages. S write their first draft (on a word processing programme); dic‐ tionaries are provided; T acts as guide on the side. T briefs the class on feedback rules (M4) - later uploaded on the blog. S slip into the role of beta-readers: They log in to the web blog and search for their partner’s text, which they then examine with regard to form, language (grammar, orthography, expression) and content (coherence, clarity, creativity). They interact with each other and communicate their notes to their partner. 163 Fanfiction f) g) a) b) c) d) S start incorporating their classmates’ suggestions. Homework: Finish the text and upload it to the class blog. In addition, give one comment to a fanfiction you have not already responded to. 4. Evaluation of the project and feedback (45 minutes) T gives room to a thorough evaluation of the project and makes S speak freely about what they have liked and disliked about the teaching unit. This may be done in groups of four students. Guiding questions could be: “What did you like? What didn’t you like? Why? Did the teacher support you enough in the writing process? Why/ Why not? Did the materials help you? Did the project meet your expectations (difficulty/ enjoyment)? ” The comments are collected in the plenum. T voices his opinion on the project. T offers the possibility for S to upload more stories to the web blog and to have these stories corrected. 4 Materials For the whole project, teachers should provide enough dictionaries, both mono‐ lingual and bilingual ones (or online dictionaries for smartphones), which sup‐ ports students in both the reading activity and the writing task. 164 Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth M1: Worksheet “A Journey North” 165 Fanfiction M2: Checklist for stories and methodology 166 Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth M3: How to write fanfiction 167 Fanfiction M4: Feedback guidelines for beta-readers In your role as a beta-reader, you are partly responsible for the outcome of your partner’s final fanfiction. So you should try to follow some guidelines, which will enable you to provide your partner with feedback: 1. Take your role as a beta-reader seriously and try to be as productive as possible. 2. Ensure a positive tone of communication. Creative writing is not easy, neither for you nor for your partner! 3. Respect the choices your colleague has made in his stories. 4. When you begin with your feedback, try to start and end on a pos‐ itive note. 5. In the middle, inform your partner about the aspects you think are improvable and focus on the following points: form, language (grammar, orthography, expression) and content (coherence, clarity, creativity). 6. You should express yourself as clearly as possible. Avoid fuzzy ex‐ planations like “I don’t understand your story”. 7. Writing is a process, so the feedback should focus on modifiable aspects. Do not say things like “Your writing style is bad”. 8. When you receive feedback, accept the criticism and try to put it into practice by revising your story. 168 Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth 5 Solutions 1.a. Mind map for the pre-reading phase 1.d. Worksheet answers (M1) 1. The story takes place in King’s Landing, the capital of Westeros, and is situated at the end of the seventh season, when the remaining noble houses have just gathered around to discuss a potential alliance against the (un-) dead. The story is written from the perspective of Jaime Lannister. 2. Jaime is torn between his sister Cersei, who he is increasingly disgusted by, and the need to confront the zombie army together with the other noble houses. He wants to leave behind his past and meet Brienne, who he might be in love with. 169 Fanfiction M3: Youtube worksheet 1. Spell check, proof-read sufficiently and consider getting a beta-reader. 2. Check your grammar. 3. Plan/ structure. 4. Accept criticism (this will be important for the feedback guidelines). 5. Don’t overdo sexual descriptions. 6. Don’t lose yourself in flowery language. 7. Know your audience. 8. Avoid Mary-Sues and try to stick to using characters from the canon. 9. Be true to your source and try to put as much effort in the design of your characters. 10. Show, don’t tell: Have your characters do something rather than say something. Bibliography Beavis, Catherine (2010). Twenty First Century Literature. Opportunities, Changes and Challenges. In: Wyse, Dominic/ Andrews, Richard/ Hoffman, James (eds.), The Rout‐ ledge International Handbook of English, Language and Literacy Teaching. London: Routledge, 33-44. Brooklynhills & Kristina96 (2017). Reviews for ‘A Journey North’. FanFiction. Retrieved from: www.fanfiction.net/ r/ 12652708/ (last accessed: 29/ 08/ 2018). Cuntz-Leng, Vera (2015). Harry Potter Que(e)r. Eine Filmsaga im Spannungsfeld von Queer Reading, Slash-Fandom und Fantasyfilmgenre. Bielefeld: Transcript. Fathallah, Judith (2017). Fanfiction and the Author. How Fanfic Changes Popular Cultural Texts. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Freeman, Megan (2003). A Fanspeak Dictionary. Expressions. Retrieved from: http: / / expr essions.populli.net/ dictionary.html (last accessed: 29/ 08/ 2018). Hasenberg, Tobias/ Peschel, Carolin (2018). Textuelle ‘Röntgenbilder’ eines geschichts‐ kulturellen Phänomens. Überlegungen zu didaktischen Crossover-Potentialen von Literatur- und Geschichtsunterricht am Beispiel von Fanfiction mit ‘Anne Frank’.” In: Eggers, Michael/ Hamann, Christof (eds.), Komparatistik und Didaktik. Bielefeld: Ais‐ thesis Verlag, 277-305. Jamison, Anne (2013). Fic. Why Fanfiction is Taking over the World. Dallas: Smart Pop. Lillis, Theresa (2013). The Sociolinguistics of Writing. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Thaler, Engelbert (2016). Teaching English Literature. Paderborn: Schöningh. 170 Maximilian Leoson, Julian Schafroth Vandergriff, Ilona (2016). Second-Language Discourse in the Digital World. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Wenz, Karin (2010). Storytelling Goes on after the Credits. Fanfiction as a Case Study of Cyberliterature. In: Simanowski, Roberto/ Schäfer, Jörgen Schäfer/ Gendolla, Peter (eds.), Reading Moving Letters. Digital Literature in Research and Teaching. Bielefeld: Transcript, 109-128. WorldEnoughAndTime1 (2017). A Journey North. FanFiction. Retrieved from: www.fanf iction.net/ s/ 12652708/ 1/ A-Journey-North (last accessed: 29/ 08/ 2018). XenaTwin (2018). Snape’s Death. FanFiction. Retrieved from: www.fanfiction.net/ s/ 1304 6127/ 1/ Snape-s-Death (last accessed: 29/ 08/ 2018). Xxxidrilxxx (2012). Because you’re different. FanFiction. Retrieved from: www.fanfiction .net/ s/ 8456027/ 1/ because-you-re-different (last accessed: 29/ 08/ 2018). Zebra Fox (2012). Writing with Jane: Top 10 Tips on Fan Fiction. YouTube. Retrieved from: www.youtube.com/ watch? v=nbct3sDaEFE (last accessed: 29/ 08/ 2018). 171 Fanfiction Text-Talk Fiction Eduard Gitt 1 Genre Text-Talk novels are multimodal and intermedial text types (cf. Thomson in this volume and Thomson 2019: 12). Multimodality is generally defined as the prac‐ tice of using multiple semiotic codes, e.g. images, sounds, graphics and the like, which authors use to create meaning in a text (Siegel 2012: 671). So the reader does not only have to read the text but also give an adequate amount of attention to auditory and visual elements as they function not only as decorative support of the story but contribute to its meaning. Text-Talk novels do not contain real time records of spoken face-to-face interactions between the protagonists but rather screen-to-screen conversations. Messages to the characters comprise emails, IMs, SMS, blogs, tweets and posts on social media - basically everything that can be sent, received and accessed with electronic devices like PCs or mobile phones. However, non-digital media like typed and handwritten letters, street signs, sticky notes, postcards and napkins with handwritten messages on them can also be bearer of messages adding to the storyline. Multimodality and intermediality put the reader in a rather active mode of reading. Every detail on a page can be important for the story, e.g. dates and timestamps in chats and posts, so the reader must carefully observe when mes‐ sages and posts were created, because sometimes there are huge temporal gaps between them, and the reader only realizes what happened in these gaps from the messages themselves. Likewise, user names are of great importance, since they often do not correspond with real persons’ names, yet reveal something about the bearer’s self-perception. Moreover, Text-Talk novels urge the reader to take an active role not only by what actually is written, but even more so by what is not printed in the book. These texts completely relinquish a narrator, i.e. there is no introduction of characters, time or place, and neither is there any “voicing of opinions and eval‐ uations” (Fludernik/ Pirlet 2011: 227), which generates an obvious lack of coher‐ ence. Thus it is the reader who has to fulfil the typical functions of a narrator finding out by himself about relationships between the characters, and even their real names. The mode of telling a story without a narrator, only through messages, posts and blogs, also produces an uncommon sort of perspectivity. Text-Talk novels usually use first-person point of view, but this is true for every character in the novel bringing about a type of multiple first-person perspectivity. In its basic structure, Text-Talk novels follow the tradition of the so-called epistolary novels, i.e. novels written as a series of documents, with the usual form being letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other docu‐ ments were also used. They were widely read during the 18 th century: about a fifth of the prose in the 18 th century were epistolary novels (Schmidt 2012: 195). However, “new times call for new literacy practices” (Siegel 2012: 672), and Text-Talk novels may prepare students for their future lives, in which they have “to navigate this new literacy landscape” (Ib.). In a world which is becoming increasingly multimodal and intermedial in all spheres of life, “students will need to become designers of meaning with facility in the full range of design elements or modes of meaning making - including visual, audio, gestural, spa‐ tial, and multimodal meanings (Ib.).” Moreover, both weak and strong students may profit from the new format with the former benefitting from the manage‐ able length and the multimodal appeal, and the latter challenged by the lack of a narrator, which can give rise to various creative tasks. 2 Sample Texts • Schindler, Nina (2004). An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries. This story of erstwhile lovers, which is told in letters, notes, e-mail, text messages, and illustrations, is about 17-year-old Tim, who is infatuated when he sees the girl of his dreams. When her name and address falls from her bag, he courageously writes to his fantasy woman. But the address belongs to someone else: Amelie. • Wittlinger, Ellen (2004). Heart on My Sleeve. Completely told through on‐ line and snail mail correspondence, this novel introduces Chloe, who meets Julian, another prospective freshman, and the two high school se‐ niors begin a long-distance relationship. • Noël, Alison (2007). Kiss & Blog. This young adult blog novel recommends an appropriate revenge when your best friend ditches you for the popular crowd. Best friends forever, Sloane and Winter were tired of being out‐ casts, so they both wanted to become popular. 174 Eduard Gitt • Noël, Alison (2008). Cruel Summer. Having got rid of her dopey image, Colby Cavendish is looking forward to a hot season of beach parties and dates with Levi Bonham. But she is completely distressed when her pa‐ rents make her spend the summer in Greece with her strange aunt Tally. The story is told using letters home, the journal her mother gave her (Colby’s Journal For Desperate Times), and her new blog. • Rudnick, Elisabeth (2010). Tweet Heart. The lesson plan (see below: 3.) is based on this novel written entirely in emails, tweets, and instant mes‐ sages. 3 Procedure Title Elisabeth Rudnick: Tweet Heart Synopsis “Claire is a #hopelessromantic. Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect. Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him. Bennett is a man with a plan. Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and sud‐ denly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone. But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected …” (Blurb) Competences Reading, creative writing, text competence, literary compe‐ tence, lexical competence, language awareness Topics Love and partnership, friendship and dating, virtual commu‐ nication and possible problems with it Level Text itself is mostly intermediate, but the form may cause dif‐ ficulties Time 45 minutes (first of a sequence of lessons) Steps 1. T presents some net-lingo from the book: (M1): Where do people speak and write like this? 2. T shows book cover and book title (M2): What could the novel be about and how may it be presented? 3. S are asked to read the first three pages silently (tweets). 4. S voice their first impressions concerning both form (narrative told in tweets) and content (characters, relationships). 5. S read the next three pages (email). 175 Text-Talk Fiction a) b) 6. The content is summarized. 7. First impressions of this example of twitterature are collected. 8. Homework: Read the next 20 pages and do the following two tasks: Track the characters: Gather some information about them like names (real names, nicknames, usernames), age, hobbies, dreams. Make a mind map of character relationships and interactions between characters. 4 Materials M1: Net lingo Abbreviation Meaning 2nite BRB B4N BFF cuz FUD GR8 ILY IMHO J/ K LOL NIMBY NP OMG POV rRBTL ROTFLMAO THX or TX or THKS SH yyr Tonight Be Right Back Bye For Now Best Friends Forever (Best Friend's Funeral) because Fear, Uncertainty, and Disinformation Great I Love You In My Humble Opinion Just Kidding Laughing Out Loud (Lots Of Love) Not In My Back Yard No Problem (Nosy Parents) Oh My God Point Of View are Read Between The Lines Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off Thanks Sh** Happens you your 176 Eduard Gitt M2: Book cover 5 Solutions 8.a.: Character mind map 177 Text-Talk Fiction 8.b.: Relationship mind map Bibliography Fludernik, Monika/ Pirlet, Caroline Pirlet (2011). Narratology. In: Middeke, Martin et al. (ed.), English and American Studies: Theory and Practice. Stuttgart: Metzler, 225-30. Schmidt, Johann (2012). Von der Restauration zur Vorromantik. In: Seeber, Hans (ed.), Englische Literaturgeschichte. Stuttgart: Metzler, 161-230. Siegel, Marjorie (2012). New Times for Multimodality? Confronting the Accountability Culture. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 55: 8, 671-80. Thomson, Katrin (2019). Text-T@lk Fiction im Englischunterricht: Mit multimodalen Er‐ zähltexten literarische Kompetenz fördern. Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 16: 1, 12-17. 178 Eduard Gitt Digi Fiction Anja Wahler 1 Genre Various genres of Lit 21 depend on the internet. FanFiction is often created, shared and reviewed by fan communities online; Text-Talk-Novels consist of fictional conversations via chat, emails, Twitter or blogs; and finally, a new genre has emerged, which is entirely based on digital expression: Digital Fiction. Such Lit 21 works are often easier to relate to for students. “Many have noted the fascination and opportunities for engagement, production and creativity that young people find in digital texts and communication, the richness and com‐ plexity of such texts as new cultural forms and the opportunities they offer for extended studies of digital texts and literacy in school” (Beavis 2010: 41). According to the Digital Fiction International Network, Digital Fiction is de‐ fined as “fiction written for and read on a computer screen that pursues its verbal, discursive and/ or conceptual complexity through the digital medium, and would lose something of its aesthetic and semiotic function if it were re‐ moved from that medium” (Bell et al. 2010: 4). So meaning as well as structure and form of such a work are closely related to the digital context of its production and reception, and audiovisual material, e.g. images, video and sound, may add to the meaning of the words. If they were taken away such a work of fiction would not be complete. Digital Fiction originated in the 1980s when Interactive Fictions were first created. They allowed the reader to influence the storyline by typing text com‐ mands. Later the variety of forms increased; however, the fact that the reader could navigate the story, for example through mouse clicks, and had to actively engage with it, stayed an important characteristic. Digi Fiction requires the reader to be more active than a reader of a traditional printed medium (Bell et al. 2010: 4). Contemporary digital fiction contains more visual and auditory ma‐ terial than the first generation, with the shift between first and second genera‐ tion happening around 1995, when primarily text based works were replaced by more multimodal ones (Rustad 2014: 146). Digi Fiction can have a motivating effect on reluctant readers, even though the combination of visual, auditory and textual stimuli may be overwhelming for some students, and is likely to encourage students to spend even more time in front of a screen. Furthermore, the multimodal input caters for different learner types, and also makes digital works great media for “dismantling sim‐ plified binary oppositions such as ‘we’ and ‘the other’” (Rustad 2014: 143), as they “represent a potential dissolving and dissemination of the authorial voice, because [they] can offer a place for different voices to emerge and thus resist simple and unitary models of subjectivity” (Rustad 2014: 143). 2 Sample Texts • Pullinger, Kate/ Joseph, Chris (2005 ff.). Inanimate Alice (https: / / inanimat ealice.com/ ). This ongoing digital story, which includes text as well as video, pictures, sound and even short games, relates different, increas‐ ingly complex episodes with game designer Alice, who lives in various parts of the world. • Bouchardon, Serge/ Volckaert, Vincent (2010). Loss of Grasp. Winner of the 2011 New Media Writing Prize at Bournemouth University, this digital creation deals with the notion of grasp. When do we feel we have a grip on our lives? Six scenes show a character who is losing grasp (https: / / bo uchard.pers.utc.fr/ deprise/ home). • The 39 Clues (2008 ff.). This interactive series of adventure novels written by a collaboration of authors chronicles the adventures of two siblings, who discover that their family has been the most influential one in history (https: / / the39clues.scholastic.com). • Zuiker, Anthony (2009). Level 26. This crime novel also invites readers to log on to a website about every 20 pages using a special code to watch a “cyber-bridge”, which is a three-minute film clip tied to the story. • Cumming, Charles (2008). In 21 Steps. In this fast-paced thriller, the reader can track the journey as the story is shown through Google Maps. • Pullinger, Kate/ Joseph, Chris (2009). Flight Paths: cf. lesson plan (3.) 180 Anja Wahler a) 3 Procedure Title Pullinger, Kate/ Joseph, Chris (2009). Flight Paths. http: / / flight paths.net/ Synopsis The story, which is divided into six different chapters, centres around the encounter of Yacub, a young Pakistani man who tries to enter England as an airplane stowaway, and Harriet, a well-off London resident, wife and mother. Competences Multiliteracies Topics Immigration, intercultural encounter, refugees Level Advanced Time 3 lessons at school, 3 home sessions A. First lesson 1. S are asked to predict topics by looking at the title ► travel? 2. T: “What different forms of travel and reasons for travelling do you know? ” 3. S read chapter 1 on their own devices (Digi Fiction emphasises reader engagement through clicking forwards and navigating through the story). 4. The storyline of episode 1 is summarized. 5. As this networked novel offers a high degree of reader participation in the process of its creation, S give feedback on whether they wanted to upload images, sounds and videos. 6. Homework: Reading chapters 1-4, including digital reader participation B. Second lesson 1. The content of chapters 1-4 is retold (homework). As the story contains several time lapses, changes of perspective and ambiguities between reality and imagination, it is important to achieve basic comprehension among the S. • Who are the main characters? • How do they differ? • What different places is the story set in? 2. The answers are noted down in a worksheet (M1). 3. Audiovisual analysis: S are asked to re-read chapter 4 focusing on the effects of visuals and sound: • Do the sounds incorporated match the text? How do they support the story? • Do the visuals match the text? How do they support the story? 181 Digi Fiction b) c) a) b) c) d) S’s answers are discussed first in pairs, then in class. T may have to point out specific passages in the text and ask about their possible meanings, for example: “Why may the author have de‐ cided to keep Yacub’s side of the screen completely black? ” The worksheet is completed (M1). 4. Homework: Reading chapters 5 and 6, making use of the interactive elements. C. Third lesson 1. Comprehension: The events of the last two episodes are summarized. 2. Intercultural learning: S give feedback on the intercultural dimensions of the story, possibly linking it to their own personal experiences. 3. Genre: The digital dimension of the reading experience is discussed. 4. Creative writing: S can choose the task they prefer, and may start writing: Rewrite chapter 5 from Yacub’s perspective. Fill in the gap between chapter 1 and 2: What happened in be‐ tween? Write a letter from Yacub to his sister, explaining his decision to go to England. Work with your neighbour and write a dialogue between Harriet and Yacub eating at the kitchen table at her house. 5. Homework: Finish your writing task. 4 Material M1: Worksheet Timeline Setting 1: Setting 2: Setting 3: Protago‐ nists Charac‐ teristics Visual 182 Anja Wahler Auditory 5 Solutions M1: Completed worksheet Timeline Setting 1: Dubai (1 st chapter) Setting 2: Pakistan, decision to fly to England (2 nd chapter) Setting 3: remaining chapters in Richmond, London Protago‐ nists Yacub Harriet Charac‐ teristics • From Pakistan • Young immigrant • Trying to escape poverty • From Richmond/ London • Wife and mother • Well-off, privileged Black screen • Narrow, dark space he is trapped in • Future not hopeful Pictures of supermarket/ parking lot • Daily routine • Abundance, consumerism Visual open sky ► common ground music • tense • resembles fast heartbeat • sound of cash register • sound of trolley Auditory • sounds mingle as encounter approaches • noise of crash ► clash of rich and poor 183 Digi Fiction Bibliography Beavis, Catherine (2010). Twenty-First Century Literature. Opportunities, Changes and Challenges. In: Wyse, Dominic/ Andrews, Richard/ Hoffman, James (eds.), The Rout‐ ledge International Handbook of English Language and Literacy Teaching. London: Routledge, 33-44. Bell, Alice/ Ensslin, Astrid/ Rustad, Hans Kristian (2014). Introduction: From Theorizing to Analyzing Digital Fiction. In: Bell, Alice/ Ensslin, Astrid/ Rustad, Hans Kristian (eds.), Analyzing Digital Fiction. New York: Routledge, 3-20. Rustad, Hans Kristian (2014). (In-)between Word, Image, and Sound: Cultural Encounter in Pullinger and Joseph’s Flight Paths. In: Bell, Alice/ Ensslin, Astrid/ Rustad, Hans Kristian (eds.), 143-158. 184 Anja Wahler Contributors Dr. Claudia Deetjen Claudia Deetjen holds a doctoral degree in American literature from the Uni‐ versity of Bayreuth. She has taught courses on American literature and on the teaching of Anglophone literatures at the universities of Bamberg, Bayreuth and Münster. Currently, she is working as a secondary school teacher and as an author of schoolbooks and completing a post-doctoral project on Anglophone refugee writing and transcultural and global learning at the University of Würz‐ burg. Her main research interests include inter-/ transcultural and global learning through literature, environmental education, media and film literacy. Sophia Gräfin Finck von Finckenstein Sophia von Finckenstein is research assistant of TEFL at Augsburg University. After studying English and German in Augsburg and working as a teaching assistant in London, she was a member of LeHet (Förderung der Lehrerprofes‐ sionalität im Umgang mit Heterogenität), a nationwide programme of the Qua‐ litätsoffensive Lehrerbildung, where she was part of the competence team for implementing and analysing media. Accordingly, she developed her research foci media and literary competence. She intends to finish her doctoral thesis on teaching English with political drama series by April 2020. Her project (title: Kompetenzentwicklung im filmbasierten Englischunterricht: Eine Studie zu kog‐ nitiv-affektiven Prozessen Jugendlicher am Beispiel der Politdramaserie House of Cards) involved a long-term empirical film project at a Bavarian Gymnasium. Prof. Dr. Frauke Matz Prof. Dr. Frauke Matz is Chair of Teaching English as a Foreign Language at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. After completing her studies in English and History at the University of Essen, she received her M. A. in English Studies from the University of Wolverhampton and completed her Graduate Teacher Training with CILT and the University of Birmingham. She also com‐ pleted her PhD in English Literature and worked as a Language Teacher in Eng‐ land and Germany. After having worked at the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Justus-Liebig University Gießen she became Chair of TEFL at the Uni‐ versity of Münster. Her research interests lie in the field of teaching methodology of literature, with a special focus on young adult fiction, the role of cultural studies in the EFL context, alternative forms of summative assessment, such as speaking exams and portfolios, and the development of mediation competence. Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Ansgar Nünning Ansgar Nünning is Professor of English and American Literature and Cultural Studies at Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen. He is the founding and managing director of the “International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture” (GCSC), funded by the German Excellence Initiative since 2006, and of the European PhDnet “Literary and Cultural Studies”. He is one of the leading narratologists and has published widely on English literature, and literary and cultural theory. Several of his monographs, encyclo‐ pedias and textbooks have become standard works in literary studies and in teaching literature (e.g. the two-volume Englische Literatur unterrichten, co-authored with Carola Surkamp). He is the editor of e.g. the Metzler Lexikon Literatur- und Kulturtheorie: Ansätze - Personen - Grundbegriffe (5th ed. 2013) and of the WVT-Handbook The British Novel in the Twenty-First Century: Cul‐ tural Concerns - Literary Developments - Model Interpretations (co-edited with Vera Nünning, 2018). Prof. Dr. Thomas Strasser Thomas Strasser is Professor of language methodology and technology-en‐ hanced learning and teaching at the University College of Teacher Education Vienna, language teacher, teacher trainer, ELT author, and international speaker (> 30 countries). He is an international reviewer (European Commission - Ho‐ rizon2020, TESOL International, EUROCALL journal, and many more renowned academic journals) and academic counselor for various international universi‐ ties and the Goethe Institut, especially in the field of (language) learning and digital technologies. His numerous publications include the practical resource books Mind the APP! Inspiring internet tools and activities to engage your students (2012), Mind the APP! 2.0. Inspiring internet tools and activities to engage your students (2018), course books like TOP Spot (2016) and over 40 scientific publi‐ cations (Springer, Routledge, etc.). He is a member of the Fulbright Committee for the Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship Programme, and worked as a guest professor and researcher at the Leuphana University in Lüneburg (mo‐ bile-assisted language learning/ game-based language learning). Prof. Dr. Engelbert Thaler Engelbert Thaler is full Professor of TEFL at Augsburg University. After teaching English at Gymnasium for 20 years, he did his doctoral thesis on Musikvideoclips im Englischunterricht and his habilitation at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 186 Contributors Munich on Offene Lernarrangements im Englischunterricht. Rekonstruktion, Kon‐ struktion, Konzeption, Exemplifikation, Integration. His research foci are improving teaching quality (Balanced Teaching), teacher education and training, developing coursebooks, media literacy, and teaching literature. He has published more than 600 contributions to TEFL. His recent publications include Singer-Songwriters - Music and Poetry in Language Teaching, Short Films in Language Teaching, Englisch unterrichten, and Standard-basierter Englischuntericht. Thaler is also editor of the journal Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht, several coursebooks and language teaching series. Dr. Katrin Thomson Katrin Thomson is Senior Research and Teaching Assistant of TEFL (Akademi‐ sche Rätin) at the University of Augsburg. She studied English and German at the Universities of Jena and Nottingham (GB) and received her teaching degree for secondary schools (Gymnasium) from Jena University in 2005. She completed her teacher training with the Second State Examination in 2012 and received the Hans-Eberhard-Piepho-Award for her Second State Exam thesis from the German Association for Foreign Language Research (DGFF) in 2015. In November 2018, she successfully completed her PhD project at Jena University. Before taking up her current position at Augsburg University in 2017, Katrin had held positions as TEFL lecturer and research assistant at the Universities of Jena (2005-2010), Münster (2012-2017) and Wuppertal (2015-2017). Being very much devoted to preand in-service teacher education, she has also hosted practice-oriented TEFL workshops on a regular basis since 2007. Her interests in research and teaching include TEFL methodology, student-activation in CLT, teaching literature and culture, film literacy, gender issues and firstand secondphase teacher education (with a special focus on classroom discourse and re‐ flective competences). 187 Contributors