Das Potenzial der Literatur für Selbst- und Welt- reflexion im Fremdsprachenunterricht

The Corona pandemic has highlighted the consequences of individuals remaining in filter bubbles, in which background assumptions and subjective value systems are not recognised as such and are thus neither evaluated nor reflected upon. However, mutual understanding, or at least the willingness to engage with other perspectives, is the basis for our democratic coexistence. This article addresses the question of how the use of literature in the foreign-language classroom can contribute to stimulating the students’ self-reflection and reflection on the world. It discusses an understanding of the EFL classroom as an irritation-friendly space, in which the potential of literature can be explored through a changed view of the learners. It also argues for the consideration of the developmental tasks of adolescence as text selection criteria. Finally, it explores a comparison of the didactics of Fremdverstehen and a pedagogy of discomfort.