Applying Transreading in Teaching Literaturphilosophie

Abstract

This chapter illustrates how to apply the multilingual and multicultural method of transreading in teaching Literaturphilosophie. Transreading integrates four components: lento reading, poetic translation, cultural hermeneutics, and creative writing; its principles can be distilled from the methods employed by trailblazers in trans-lingual, trans-continental, and trans-era dialogue. As will be demonstrated, transreading, when incorporated into the classroom—even the classroom with a homogenous student body—promotes multilingual and multicultural perspectives. In Part 1, a teacher describes how transreading enables her effectively to introduce philosopher-poet Olav H. Hauge to non-Norwegian audiences, while showcasing student responses in the journey to decoding Hauge's intellectual collages. In Part 2, three students share their individual transreadings of Laozi, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. This panoramic picture of its academic, pedagogic, and artistic applications establishes how transreading benefits scholars, educators, and students alike by combining proven techniques that enable cross-cultural critique with deeper understanding.