Holding on to the unstable present time. A pedagogy hope through literature

Abstract

This contribution aims to explore how a pedagogy of hope, informed by literature, can offer perspectives, interpretations, and frameworks for reflection and action in navigating the present moment. This era, marked by increasing cognitive, if not existential, saturation, complicates the search for “lights”, or meaningful trajectories. Faced with the acceleration and fragmentation of contemporary life, individuals often struggle to find coherence and resonance in their experiences. In this context, literature, when placed in the service of pedagogy, emerges as a powerful tool of hope and liberation. Through narrative and symbolic reflection, literary texts provide individuals with the opportunity to engage with alternative realities, fostering new ways of seeing and understanding the world.
Far from being a mere pastime or an intellectual exercise, literature assumes a crucial role in rediscovering new rhythms and deep interpersonal resonances. It opens a privileged channel of connection with the world, allowing for an expansion of perception. Through digressions, variations in rhythm, and non-linear structures – such as the narrative loop – it enables disengagement from the accelerated and fragmented time of the present, offering a renewed axis of resonance. This shift in perspective permits a reconsideration of reality, not solely as an intellectual construct but as a lived, embodied experience.
Literature’s ability to revisit reality and intertwine it with new perspectives fosters an understanding that transcends pure rationality. It enables a deeper, more immersive engagement with life, counteracting the superficiality imposed by the frenetic pace of contemporary existence. In doing so, literature cultivates a pedagogy of hope – one that encourages reflection, nurtures critical consciousness, and opens pathways for renewed ways of being in the world.