셰익스피어와 심미적 감성: 문학의 영어교육적 함의와 가능성에 관하여

Shakespeare and Aesthetic Sensibilities: On the Pedagogical Potentials and Implications of Literature in English Education

With growing societal demand for English education to move beyond the functional language training model, the Ministry of Education proposed, in 2022, a new set of goals in English education aimed at fostering creativity and aesthetic sensitivity. This paper explores the potential of literary education within this context, focusing on Shakespeare as an exemplary figure of creativity and aesthetic capability in English literature. The pedagogical potential of Shakespeare’s works is examined with three thematic focuses: “encountering and coexisting with the other,” “mastering one’s self, desires, and destiny,” and “collaborating with co-workers in Shakespeare.” The representation of outsiders in Shakespeare’s works would help students to reflect on recognizable differences and the inevitability of coexisting with others. Characters pursuing extreme desires and ambitions may challenge us to reconsider the meaning of mastering one’s fortune and becoming oneself. As a playwright skilled in collaboration, Shakespeare also exemplifies the aesthetic potential of working together—a foundational tenet of 21st-century culture. Through these thematic focuses, this paper proposes that engagement with Shakespeare’s works would enable students to realize the pedagogical potential of literary texts in cultivating creativity and aesthetic sensibility via English language education.