Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
5-2023
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Joshua Reid
Committee Members
Scott Honeycutt, Alison Barton
Abstract
Bibliotherapy—the process of utilizing literature for its therapeutic properties—has been around for centuries; however, it wasn’t until a surge of research in the 1920s that the process became recognized as an adequate method of therapy. With the rising mental health crisis looming over the United States, the time to develop, establish, and advocate for a bibliotherapeutic curriculum in K-12 public education is now. Using literary works such as Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, Helena Fox’s How it Feels to Float, and Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, this thesis establishes the literary, therapeutic, and pedagogical reasoning for the implementation of such a curriculum. Using this thesis, further research could be conducted to strengthen the argument herein. Research confirms that increased levels of reading leads to an increased level of empathy. Not only could a bibliotherapeutic curriculum produce a more empathetic society, but it could support the mental health of the nation’s children, adolescents, and young adults.
Document Type
Thesis - embargo
Recommended Citation
Curry, Matthew, "Bibliotherapy: A Literary and Linguistic Analysis of Literature" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4223. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4223
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.