The Prima Vista Line by Line Research Method

Abstract

In this article I argue for the justification of an experimental research method in poetry response in English as a foreign language. I claim that to exploit the resources of student readers in a better way, a method is needed to elicit uncensored primary responses that are often lost in the classroom. Unless student readers are allowed to encounter a poem personally and sincerely, and read it line by line, the primary reactions will be lost and language learning through poetry will be hampered. The primary reactions include the readers’ experiences in terms of knowledge of language and poetic devices, in addition to emotional and psychological reactions during the reading of a poem in English. On the basis of reader-oriented theories of literature I challenge traditional approaches to poetry research, which in turn may affect the teaching of poetry in a foreign language.