1. - Latvijas Universitāte

A. Skalberga. Kinofilma literārās kompetences veidošanā 173
the individuals’ critical orientation in the media, to assist in the development of their
capacity to assess films by their quality, to discern the visual material as imaginary
or documentary product, while early acquisition of media competence and cinematic
language matters from the pedagogical point of view.
Study themes which ensure the development of students’ skills in studying and
assessing film can be integrated into the literary discipline, which I suggest as a move
supported by the following considerations: 1) literature is frequently made into film,
which is a text illustration in itself and therefore can be approached as a mode of
interpretation of literary work; 2) film can be used as an introduction to interpretation
of literary work or, alternatively, as a testing material for student’s advancement in the
perception of text; 3) film is an art form in its own right with its specifics (language,
aesthetics, narrative) comparable to aspects of literary work.
The media can significantly widen the educational content; namely, in literature
learning, the range of the study categories used in analysis of prose, drama, and poetry
texts can get set aside with the visual sign structures. Such an allocation is compatible
with the essence of literature since, having acquired skills to read visual text – having
become informed, knowledgeable, analytically prepared film viewer – the young learner
will be able to interpret literary text better, although on the condition that film analysis
he or she has been prepared in has enabled articulation of clear views on the aesthetic
structures in film. In turn, understanding of aesthetic structures in film serves better
comprehension of literary structures. Similarly to literature, film is a form of the cultural
production/self-expression of society; what is more important – it is the dominant media
of the 21st century with formative impact on world views and values of the young. It
falls upon school and the teacher of literature to promote skills of film assessment and
analysis in young learners according to their age.
This article posits and explores such questions as why it is important to make film
studies part of literary education and how they can augment the development of literary
competence in young learners.
Keywords: reader, literary competence, literary work, film, media competence,
viewer.