Though there are different versions of the history of literature in the language learning classroom (see Paran, 2006), it is now safe to say that in many contexts, literature has been achieving recognition in ESL/EFL education, gaining attention in both research and actual teaching contexts in recent decades, as discussed in Tsang and Paran et al. (2021). A major reason is the whole-person development ideology, in which affective factors (e.g. emotional engagement, self-understanding, and understanding of others) and generic skills (e.g. creativity and critical thinking) are emphasised in foreign language (FL) teaching and learning. For instance, Sivasubramaniam (2006) underscored the rampant textbook culture of reductionism in language learning (e.g. narrowly focusing only on development of linguistic skills), depriving learners of the opportunity for emotional engagement, and imaginative and expressive use of the FL, as well as discouraging them from perceiving FL learning as a lifelong education goal and a rewarding experience. Therefore, ‘students are illiterate even if they can read and write’ since the ‘calculative-thinking’ culture promotes a practice in which students read and write to meet requirements, and thereby students are deprived of learning experiences that facilitate their ‘becoming better readers, writers, thinkers and citizens’ (Sivasubramaniam, 2006, p. 256). Likewise, Paran (2008, p. 469) argued that ‘language learning is not only about language—it is about learning as well; it is not only about training, but also about education’. Therefore, venturing beyond mere proficiency development in FL classrooms is of wide currency.