Russian formalism in class: an introduction to poetry

Abstract

The present work aims to point out possible connections between theoretical literary texts and the practice within the classroom, derived from a successful experience with two classes of the last year of primary education. It represents an introduction to poetic language, produced from Chklovski’s theory, an important name in Russian formalism. After presenting to students the notion of strange they were invited to choose a common object and to describe it in a singular manner, in the form of a poem. This activity will be presented and discussed, with the aim of showing how the proximity between the students’ reality and the literary universe, through creation, can make them to experience literature in a more ample manner.