This study investigated five secondary teachers' selection of literary texts and perception of the role literature plays in the English as a second language classroom. The teachers were chosen from four schools in the Melbourne metropolitan area and were interviewed individually except for one school where two teachers were interviewed for the research. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed and formed the main body of data. As supplementary data, interviews were also conducted with ten students (one 'good' student and one 'weak' student chosen by each teacher). The case studies revealed that criteria for text selection were related to considerations for students' needs, features of the text, the teachers' preferences in reading, practical issues related to the availability of text and examination requirements. The research confirmed the perceptions of writers on this area who have maintained that literature is often used as a context for generating language activities and for imparting knowledge about the target culture. The data also found that literature was used to affirm the students' own cultural identities.