The rhizome text: implementing an intertextual affective approach to L2 Spanish writing

ABSTRACT

While the effects of emotions in the reading of literary texts are considered in reader-oriented approaches to literature and in cognitive psychology research, the potential of connecting the reader's affective dimension to literary texts in the teaching of L2 writing skills has not been properly explored. This observation formed the primary motivation to develop and implement a new approach to L2 Spanish writing, centred on the intertextual dimension of the written text and on affective responses to reading. Based on this experience, a variety of questionnaires and practical strategies are offered here to guide literary readings as a basis for developing L2 writing skills. The rewards and challenges of implementing this approach, as the final section will show, might serve as referential background for educators seeking to promote creative writing in L2 education.

KEYWORDS:

• L2 writing skills
• creative writing pedagogy
• L2 Spanish
• reception theory
• intertextuality
• affective responses to literature

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Carmen Sanjulián and Vicky Puche for being wonderful co-editors of La letra en blanco: escritura creativa en la enseñanza ELE. I am also indebted to all those enthused students and illustrators who contributed to this literary journal with their words, photos and drawings.

Notes on contributor

Patricia Garcia is an Assistant Professor in Hispanic Studies at the University of Nottingham. Her research is mainly in the areas of contemporary Spanish short fiction, the Fantastic and second language writing skills. She is also interested in the philosophy of space and its application to the study of literature. She is part of the Research Group on the Fantastic of the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and a member of the editorial board of the academic journal Brumal: Research Journal on the Fantastic. Her most notable publications include various peer-reviewed academic articles, as well as a book on the issue of space and the postmodern Fantastic (Routledge 2015). She has previously lectured at Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University. She has been a guest lecturer at the Lebanese American University and the Indian Institute of Technology and a research fellow at the Centre Culturel Irlandais (Paris) and the International Writers Centre of Rhodes.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. For example, Unit 2 of Curso de lectura, conversación y redacción, is based on the short story collection ‘Un cuento para cada día del año’ by Laura G. Corella (1997, 21), leading to the following writing task: ‘Haga frases parecidas incluyendo las palabras o expresiones en cursiva’ (‘Write similar sentences including the following words or expressions marked in italics’, my own translation).

2. Note for example the final task of ‘Una fiesta’ (‘A party’): ‘Vamos a imaginar que nuestra clase organiza una fiesta. Decidid en pequeños grupos qué necesitáis [ … ], cuánto queréis gastar y quién se encarga de cada cosa. Si decidís hacer la fiesta de verdad, podéis preparar un cartel’ (‘Let's imagine we are going to organise a party. In small groups, decide what you need [ … ], how much you want to spend and who is responsible for each thing. If you decide to organise a real party, you can create a leaflet/flyer’, my own translation) (Gente Hoy 1, Libro del alumno, 2013, 55). The final task in every teaching unit is a summary of the contents presented in the form of a specific communication context (recreating realistic situations). As the instructions illustrate, the writing task is often reduced to something additional and/or only deriving from other tasks.