De schoonheid van een imperfecte robot: Large Language Models en creatief schrijven in het Nederlandse literatuuronderwijs

This paper presents a creative writing approach that is aimed at critical literacy with regards to large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT. We propose to connect creative writing with digital literacy on the one hand, and ‘literary literacy’ on the other. By appealing to students’ literary imagination, we teach them to engage creatively and critically with (dominant discourses surrounding) LLMs, empowering students to understand the (im)possibilities of such models. Simultaneously, our approach allows students to gain insights into literary traditions, forms, and conventions, and enables them to challenge or play with such conventions. We first offer a theoretical foundation for our educational vision, introduce a Writing Model and situate it within current debates about digital literacy and creative writing in language/literature education in the Netherlands. We then report on our experiences with a Bachelor’s course in Creative Writing at Utrecht University, which focused on LLMs.