The Use of Fiction in English as a Foreign Language a Means for Enhancing Students’ Professional and Personal Growth

The article analyzes the important role of fiction in teaching a foreign language to students of economics at two Russian universities and Tangshan high school in China. The results of the student and teacher survey aimed at identifying opinions on the use of literary works in EFL teaching are stimulating. It is proved that when choosing literary works for “Professionally-oriented Foreign Language” subject, the following criteria should be taken into account: pronounced professional content in terms of vocabulary, emotional involvement of the reader in the problems raised in the literary fragment; genre accessibility of the work of literature. The main reasons for turning to a literary text are considered, as well as the types of educational activities organized by the teacher for mastering a literary work in foreign language classes. Specific examples of the use of professionally oriented literary text for reading and discussion in English at the Financial University of Moscow are given. The dramatization of T. Dreiser's novel “The Financier” by students of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is examined in detail.