| Abstract |
The present study is part of the field of literature teaching and starts with the reflection arisen in recent decades regarding the necessity for the presence of classic texts in contemporary educational programmes, a reflection that stems from the belief held by some that the content and language of these works do not rouse the interest of today's student, especially since the values and perceptions promoted therein often seem to run counter to the discourse of political correctness. However understandable the roots of this concern may be, the fact remains that the educational function of classical works is irreplaceable, since they never cease to provide us with models, values, and examples of beauty and offer boundless opportunities for reinterpretation of familiar human relationships and passions. After all, as H.G. Gadamer and I. Calvino point out, a classic is the literary work that has the ability “to tell each generation something new, as if it had been written especially for it,” which may be subject to re-readings revealing new elements or re-illuminating old meanings with new ones, as the timeless language speaks simultaneously of yesterday and today. However, the characteristics of the contemporary student, with their limited reading experiences, and the electronic age, with its multiple stimuli, demand a radical restructuring of the way classics are received and the actualisation of their teaching. This actualisation, first of all, takes into account the philocaly (i.e. the personal evaluation of what is beautiful) of young readers, as evident from the recording of their reading preferences (with the help of a reading survey of 104 school students in the prefecture of Rethymnon and with the assistance of the writer's 10 years of teaching experience). It also takes into account the complex sociohistorical physiognomy of the world in which these readers live. At the same time, it studies issues such as: a) the concept of childhood, which appears to be radically revised, as contemporary children in the Western world mature before their time and enter hurriedly the world of adults, since the Internet and television comprise the preeminent egalitarian means of communication (the same knowledge is offered to everyone, regardless of age, and in this way exclusivity in knowledge of the world, one of the main differences between childhood and adulthood, is eliminated) b) the need to redefine the boundaries of the school literary canon, which is now called upon to keep up with the representations, concerns and anxieties of the modern world, but also to expand its content with what the students themselves read and enjoy daily as literature c) the approach to knowledge with a more holistic and critical regard, with the utilization of interdisciplinary and intertextual approaches d) the didactic exploitation of the image and the New Technologies, in order to strengthen - through parallel reading of the texts - the students' interest in literature. The educational utility derived from such a philosophy is certainly not limited to theory, since the paper focuses on the study and re-reading of a writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The writer in question is Grigorios Xenopoulos, a creator who, although often targeted as "commercial", nevertheless possesses characteristics that enable us - from the point of view of modern aesthetics - to attribute to him the status of "classic" and to use it with a didactic scope in the modern classroom. That is why we present here a comprehensive proposal for contemporized teaching, which is primarily aimed at students and teachers of Secondary Education (without limiting the array of its didactic utilization in the last form of Primary Education). This proposal, consists of indicative didactic thoughts and ideas, of five complete educational scenarios (corresponding to the three forms of Gymnasium and the first two of Lyceum) and a school Anthology (for Primary, Middle and High School). Here, specific features of the author's art emerge, with the contemporary recipient in mind, i.e. the child and teenager of the 21st century, a reader who is, to all intents and purposes, inexperienced in the act of literary reading, yet extremely demanding. Thus, Xenopoulos' exemplary “dimotiki”, which flows effortlessly, without linguistic obstacles or superfluousness, becomes a means of language cultivation for students, especially those who have difficulties in understanding Greek. His narrative fluency and cinematic writing, combined with his engaging plots, are used to bring to the forefront the exciting and entertaining character of literature, as his works remain suitable for honing the skills of a student audience in reading literature and for their gradual familiarization with more demanding and elaborate achievements. The anthropocentric and psychographic element, on the other hand, with their timeless dynamics, emphatically demonstrate the fact that Xenopoulos's texts can be read recontextualized with the experiences of our own time and help us, at the same time, come to terms with the weaknesses and passions of our mortal nature. Moreover, the erudition that distinguished this author and the simultaneous cultivation of many genres of narrative discourse allow us to introduce into the classroom a variety of texts, many of which offer themselves to interdisciplinary and intertextual approaches. Finally, as this creator has been repeatedly adapted for television and film, and has also provided us with a large body of theatrical plays, we have the opportunity to use this material in the context of more creative and imaginative teaching, which will attract the interest of students, introduce them to the secrets of various narrative languages, and help them discover inclinations and talents. All of the above, then, are opportunities and possibilities generously offered to us by our contact with the work of Grigorios Xenopoulos. By harnessing the classic/timeless dynamic of his texts, expanding their boundaries so that they harmonize with the philosophy, rhythms and demands of contemporary educational culture, we shape readers and build the foundations for a reading habit. But, more importantly, at the same time we convey knowledge, values and skills necessary for the modern man and citizen, who remains vulnerable as ever to the challenges of the 21st century.
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