Blog Hop- Bibliotherapy

Another meme, this time from the Blue Bookcase. And, my, my, my, two legit posts in one day. That's what happens when you're pleasantly bored on summer break and your husband plays videogames on Wednesday nights.

This addition's meme states: Discuss Bibliotherapy. Do you think literature can be a form of therapy? Is literary writing more or less therapeutic than nonfiction or pop lit?

Bibliotherapy is what has gotten me through, well, what has gotten me through life. My first inclination is to say its therapeutic qualities come from the fact that I can "get lost in another world" or "focus on a character's life instead my own," but for me personally that's a cliched bunch of BS. When I'm bothered by something it's extremely difficult for me to forget about the issue- no amount of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, David Mitchell, Michael Chabon or Jeffrey Eugenides is going to do that (sorry boys).

But what reading does in my times of need is distract and relax. I read for twenty, thirty, or two hundred and fifty minutes and I feel better. My nerves have been calmed, my head has been cleared, and I have renewed perspective that will let me better tackle whatever it is that is pissing me off or bringing me down.

For me, primarily literary writing and occasionally nonfiction writing is ideal- reading "pop lit" would probably make me more miserable. Stephanie Myers is supposed to make me feel better? Sure, maybe I can transfer my anger to her for being successful for writing such crap, but it's not going to get me to my happy place. And Nicholas Sparks, James Patterson, and Michael Connolly (who is a very nice man, he spoke to one of my classes in college) lack any depth to stand a chance against my complicated, deep, very dramatic life problems. So, basically, no pop lit... ever (okay, I'm sure there are/will be exceptions, but as a general rule).

I do understand the draw, for some people, though. We all unwind in different ways and it's a matter of personal preference. I was in a monumentally foul mood yesterday and turned to Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston in The Switch, the movie equivalent to "pop-lit," for assistance. Hey, at least my best friend didn't replace my sperm donor's offerings with his own and I didn't start dating the man who isn't my kid's father after all. My life is cake.

Bibliotherapy is far better than a shrink. It's cheaper, makes house calls, and is available while bathing. Bibliotherapy is the best therapy.

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