Developmental theories, especially the moral development theory of Lawrence Kohlberg, can enhance the teaching of adolescent literature. Expanding on J. Piaget's model of moral development, Kohlberg's model consists of three levels--preconventional, conventional, and postconventional--subdivided into six stages: (1) punishment and obedience, (2) instrumental exchange, (3) interpersonal conformity, (4) social system and conscience maintenance, (5) prior rights and social contract, and (6) universal ethical principles. To use Kohlberg's theory in literature classes, teachers should match literature assignments to student levels of moral development. They should also consider the moral aspects of the literature to be used in the classroom, ideally following a developmental sequence of moral complexity. Within a larger context, English teachers can relate moral issues in fiction and nonfiction to actual moral dilemmas faced by students and to world events. Combatting censorship attempts is also a moral imperative for the teacher that goes beyond the classroom and perhaps even beyond the school. (JL)