Relatings as Embodiment: Students’ “Learning How to Go on” in the Teaching of Nineteenth Century Classic Literature

This chapter explores different forms of students’ embodied participation in learning practices of nineteenth century classic literature in a Nordic upper secondary classroom context, looking at the role embodiment plays in the understanding of relatings. Utilising a rich data set from a PhD project in literature education, three classroom scenes are analysed using a theory of practice architectures (TPA) lens that focuses on embodied aspects of classroom interactions. Analysing scenes 1 and 2, this chapter examines how particular students cope bodily and emotionally with the transmission of an authoritative body of knowledge by focusing on their sayings, doings and relatings as having a frontstage and backstage dimension. In scene 3, the importance of students’ shared perception of and embodied interaction with their surroundings as a means of realising an inquiry-oriented approach to literature teaching is explored. The chapter contributes to TPA by connecting Erving Goffmann’s notions of frontstage and backstage to the accomplishment of the project of a practice. From a teaching perspective, findings contribute to the disciplinary understanding of L1 teaching by making the case that embodied and emotional aspects of teaching and learning literature could and should count as disciplinary learning and knowledge in the subject.