The paper considers the problems of applying the Russian as a foreign language teaching technique for teaching literature at pre-university department. In spite of the reduced scope of additional educational program in literature as provided for by the new requirements, in this audience, studying the Russian writers’ works corps is coupled with difficulties of both linguistic and mental nature. The teaching starts in groups having A1 mastery level of Russian, and, alongside with the non-mother tongue, the attendees have to master a course of Russian literature ranging from folklore and Old Russian literature to that of the 20th century within an incomplete academic year. The specific character of students’ audience and program requirements prescribe the necessary use of the main principles of RFL teaching – communicative, linguistic, didactic and psychological ones. The authors of the paper pay a special attention to practical application of the said principles giving numerous examples of study assignments and exercises of various types. The paper can be targeted to RFL teachers, students of philology and to everyone interested in problems of techniques of teaching literature in a non-mother tongues.