INTERTEXTUAL READING STRATEGIES IN AN INTEGRATED LITERATURE COURSE

Abstract

The article examines intertextual reading as a leading methodological and didactic principle for implementing an integrated literature course in general secondary education institutions. Its conceptual status within the system of competency-based literary education is clarified, where it is presented not only as an analytical technique but also as a means of organizing curricular content and students’ cognitive activity. The potential of the intertextual approach for developing interpretive, intercultural, and reading competencies is revealed, along with its role in fostering students’ ability to construct meaning independently and critically reflect on literary phenomena. The author proposes a system of intertextual reading strategies encompassing thematic-problem-based, genre-typological, narrative-character-based, cultural-historical, and reception-oriented comparison. Their content, logic of application, and didactic potential are described, and methodological formats for implementing these strategies within the integrated course of Ukrainian and world literature are outlined. Particular attention is paid to cultural-historical interpretation and reception-oriented comparison as means of overcoming formal comparativism, which is often reduced to a superficial search for similarities, and as tools for developing students’ critical thinking, historical and cultural sensitivity, and interpretive flexibility. It is demonstrated that the systematic implementation of intertextual reading facilitates a shift from the isolated analysis of individual literary works to their comprehension within a network of cultural, generic, and semantic connections, which corresponds to contemporary benchmarks of reading literacy. The alignment of the proposed approach with the requirements of international educational quality assessments, in particular the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), is emphasized, as these assessments stress students’ ability to establish connections between texts, interpret them in different contexts, and critically evaluate information. Prospects for further research are outlined, including the empirical verification of the effectiveness of the proposed strategies, the development of tools for assessing intertextual competence, and the integration of digital resources into the organization of students’ interpretive activity.