L’intervista impossibile: da genere letterario a genere testuale per la didattica delle lingue

The so-called “imaginary interview” offers an opportunity to present aspects of culture in the language classroom. This is achieved through the creation of an imaginary dialogue with a great historical figure from the past or from fiction. This technique is both entertaining and creative, while simultaneously developing the learners’ communicative and interactional competence. This paper will firstly trace the origins of the imaginary interview in the field of literature and media communication, with particular attention to the Italian context. It then examines the contribution of Anthony Mollica, who has proposed the use of the textual genre of the imaginary interview in language teaching and learning as an activity of recreational linguistics, offering numerous methodological and practical suggestions.