Reader-Oriented Strategies for Teaching Poetry

Abstract This article is an attempt to address a major issue which is widely neglected in the area of pedagogical studies. Unfortunately, the mere focus of educational researches has been on the issue of teaching foreign languages. It is wrongly presumed that any person who is an expert on a subject – including literature – can be automatically considered as a teacher in that field. Here, the focus is on the major contemporary developments in the field of teaching poetry and the introduction of a number of practical strategies as resource ideas for the teachers of English poetry. The importance and impact of reader-oriented theories on teaching methods is an instrumental factor and is the major concern of this article. Therefore, the article creates a balance between the theoretical issues in the field with practical advice – in the form of strategies inspired by reader-oriented theories – for the teachers of English poetry.