The Role of English Literature in Enhancing EFL Learners' Creative Writing:A Case Study of Sudanese University Students Majoring in English

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate how teaching literature contributes to enhancing students' creative writing. It intends to explore the correlation that exists between the study of literature and developing students' creative writing of stories and poems. The study also attempts to underline the significance of creative writing in overall language development and literary understanding. To realize these objectives the study uses a descriptive analytical research design. Analysis of a literary text, creative writing test and teachers' questionnaire were used as data collecting tools. The study first has examined how teaching literature enhances creative writing and develops students' imagination. It also tests the ways that can be adopted to develop writing stories and poems by students. The activities and methods that are to be employed by literature teachers to develop writing stories and poems were also examined. The study expounded the contribution of creative writing to students' language development. Finally, the teachers' attitude to literature was investigated. The results indicate that teaching different genres of literature contributes to enhancing students' writing of stories and poems. The findings reveal that exposing students to the models, styles and elements of different literary genres can be considered as good and useful ways to develop creative writing at university level. The results also showed that training students in writing stories and poems in the early stages through assignments, group writing and writing workshops is a good method that can be adopted by literature teachers to develop creative writing.