Abstract

MODZELEWSKI, Helena. The educational potential of literature: The feminine characters of the Latin-American romantic novels. Perfiles educativos [online]. 2011, vol.33, n.134, pp.171-185. ISSN 0185-2698.

The tales are not only a way to relate stories, they also have a huge educational potential. A paradigmatic example of this assertion is, amongst others, the pedagogical value of the great national epics. In this article the author claims the potential of literature, overshadowed by the modern rationality, essentially scientific and technical, that has lead to a curricular oblivion of humanities in many domains of education. The purpose of this article is to refer to some aspects related with education that can be found by reading three Latin American romantic novels named after their feminine main character: Jorge Isaac's María, Mármol's Amalia and Orrego's Teresa. On one hand, the author emphasizes the importance of those novels for the construction of social behaviors and identities and, by means of an in-depth analysis of those literary works, she endeavors to justify the potential of literature when used in education.

Keywords : Literature; Civic education; Self-understanding; Identity; Romanticism.

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