We proposed to begin to develop a set of computer assisted tools to enhance the teaching of literary works as a function of language learning. The works on which we chose to focus were materials written by women in French and Spanish. Works of literature are difficult for students learning a foreign language for several reasons.
Students lack an adequate vocabulary, and their immediate comprehension is limited.
They often find that complex grammatical structures are impediments to their understanding. Finally, students often are not familiar with many of the cultural and geographical references that abound in most literary works. Our initial conversations led us to believe that digital technology had an appropriate place in the teaching and learning environment. With careful design and effective articulation of course goals, the student using our tools would have assistance readily available for guidance. The type of assistance that we want to provide to the students consists of lexical and cultural annotations that would make the text more reachable for them as well as enhance their awareness of background information.