This paper reports on findings from a classroom study on the introduction and effectiveness of new methods of instruction using English literature in a Japanese high school setting. It is based on data compiled during a two-year research project. In this paper, we will detail the investigation and findings from an analysis of student questionnaire responses about their perception of introducing literary texts and language learning activities after two years of instruction. To track students' perceptions and the effectiveness of the introduced method in the English class, a pre- and post-questionnaire were administered to 41 Japanese second-year high school students. The findings indicate that the project design was highly motivational and provided ample opportunities for the students to think about literature in language learning.