Can literature be taught? Is there one correct way or a variety of ways to teach literature and what is it that teachers want to achieve by using literature in the teaching of English? This essay investigates and compares the aims and objectives of teachers from two upper secondary schools regarding the teaching of English literature. Furthermore, its focus is to discover what it is the teachers consider important, attainable and relevant for their students. In order to do this, I have looked at the following three areas - the National Curriculum Guidelines, the teachers’ aims and objectives and the role of the student. The teachers in the study tended to have an instrumental approach to literature, but at the same time believed that literature would “foster” their students by strengthening moral character. Fulfilling the Curriculum goals and motivating the students to read appeared to be some of the challenges faced by the teachers.