To Witness and to Testify: Preservice Teachers Examine Literary Aesthetics to Better Understand Diverse Literature

Ethnically unfamiliar literature can provide opportunities for teacher candidates to expand their repertoire of available texts to better support students in their care. However,ethnically unfamiliar literatures can be difficult for readers to understand and appreciate. This article addresses this disconnect by infusing multicultural literature study among preservice teachers with the explicit examination of the literary aesthetic. Attention to literary aesthetics provided participants new literary language for analysis and response, the opportunity to apply existing analytical skills in new ways, cultural context to inform their analyses, and permission to admit deficiencies of knowledge or explore personal struggles.