Dictation in the language arts class most often involves lists of isolated spelling words. However, in France and in other European countries, the dictation of literary passages is a common activity in the language arts class and appears to be of great interest and benefit to students. Among the values of such dictation are the following: students gain experience in writing more mature thoughts, vocabulary, and sentence structures than they are apt to produce on their own; students acquire a feeling for the language of literature; and students are taught punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary in an interesting context rather than in isolation. Dictation also allows students to experience the writing process in a relatively relaxed way, without most of the possible burdens of choice inherent in freer kinds of writing activities. Teachers should seriously consider incorporating literary dictation into the language arts class. (GW)