Keyword: «postmodern fairy tale»

The article examines the potential of an English lesson as a platform for the development of critical thinking in adolescents. The author argues that working with authentic problem texts of modern culture, in particular postmodern fairy tale novels, allows for the integration of subject (linguistic) and meta-subject (intellectual) educational outcomes. The article substantiates the thesis that a foreign language ceases to be an end in itself, turning into a tool for deep substantive work, analysis of nuances, irony and stylistic features, which increases the motivation and meaningfulness of the learning process. Adolescence is defined as a sensitive period for such integration, and a foreign language lesson as a unique opportunity to form a critical reader's position through intercultural communication.