finding the book that heals: literature therapy: The Metamorphosis quickie

Thursday 29 March 2012

The Metamorphosis quickie

I just stumbled upon this quick little video that sums up The Metamorphosis. While I wouldn't recommend you merely watch this without reading the book, I do think it's entertaining.

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Introduction

There are people who grump that they have no time for novels. Serious types they are, busy with the important stuff. But researchers are showing that those who make the time for novels have better social skills and are more empathetic.

Why? When we read fiction, we unconsciously live the lives the characters are living. Our worlds are expanded to their geography, ideas and people. We gain so much more experience by seeing the world through the eyes of many people in differing locals, with differing problems, with differing attitudes. We could never absorb that much experience from our own lifetime.

Check out this article if you aren’t convinced: “Reading fiction 'improves empathy', study finds” http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/07/reading-fiction-empathy-study

If you need a more scholarly viewpoint, take a look at "Exploring the link between reading fiction and empathy: Ruling out individual differences and examining outcomes ”
http://www.yorku.ca/mar/Mar%20et%20al%202009_reading%20fiction%20and%20empathy.pdf

In this blog, I want to take the notion a little further. I want to suggest that reading a particular novel can teach you what you need to know about your own life. Some people call this 'Literature Therapy'. Others call it 'Bibliotherapy'. Either way, it means that book can really help you out.

Please feel free to post your comments, queries and concerns! The more brains we pull into this, the better this blog will be!