Main Article Content
Abstract
This paper sets out my acquaintance with the work of ESREA since 2016, my reading about autobiographical research and the development of my ideas for a study of The Companionship of Books or what is now known as bibliotherapy. I have defined this as how reading books can help to make us feel better. The paper looks at what kind of books this might be and suggests that most may be found in the area of literature, although not exclusively so, and other types such as autobiography or natural history books are suggested. Theories underpinning bibliotherapy are put forward both by literary specialists and by psychotherapists. The views of my own literature students are also set out and examined as are my own views. I refer to my own early experiences of the restorative power found in literature, particularly poetry, and this is referred to as part of a longer autoethnographic enquiry into the subject which this paper is the preface to. A number of personal stories relating to reading books for assistance in difficult times are referred to, again poetry featuring significantly, but also the value of libraries in supporting and enabling individuals to survive life's rigors. Finally, a parliamentary report is mentioned, referring to the role of the arts in general as a source of improving our mental wellbeing and the contribution to played by two of its proponents in furthering this aim. In my conclusion the importance of adult education is stressed in ensuring that The Companionship of books can help us to progress in a post-pandemic world.
Keywords
Article Details
Copyright (c) 2021 INSTED: Interdisciplinary Studies in Education &Society
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
TCE (INSTED) is an open access journal, which means that access to the full texts is free of charge. People using the journal may download publications, copy and print them, as well as post on their websites links to the full texts of the journal's publications. Texts can be used as long as readers do not exceed the licenses. Authors submitting manuscripts for publication obtain copyrights. Unless otherwise specified, published texts are available under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0 International license.
References
- All Parliamentary Group (2017). Creative health: The arts for health and wellbeing.
- Bainbridge, A., Formenti, L., and West, L. (2021). Discourses, dialogue and diversity in biographical research: An ecology of life and learning (Vol. 10). BRILL.
- Berthauld, E. and Elderkin, S. (2013). The novel cure. Canongate.
- Byrne, P. (2016) relitfoundation.org.
- Chapman Hoult, E. (2012). Adult learning and la recherche feminine: Reading resilience and Helene Cixous. Palgrave MacMillan.
- Cixous, H. Cohen, K., and Cohen, P. (1976). The Laugh of the Medusa. Signs: Journal of women in culture and society, 1(4), pp. 875-893.
- Cleeves, A. (2020). Stories have always been healing so I’m funding bibliotherapists. The Guardian, 4 September.
- Clough, P. (2002). Narrative and fictions in educational research. Open University Press.
- Denicolo, P., Reeves, J, and Duke, D. (2018). Fulfilling the potential of your doctoral experience. Sage.
- Douglas, K., and Carless, D. (2013). A history of autoethnographic enquiry in Holman Jones, S., Adams, T. E. and Ellis, C., Handbook of autoethnography, 84-106. Routledge
- Edmondson, M. (2004). Why read? Bloomsbury.
- Eliot, G. (1856). The natural history of German life, Westminster review in British Library
- Etherington, K. (2004). Becoming a reflexive researcher. Jessica Kingsley.
- Goldman, L. (1995). The first students in the Workers’ Educational Association: Individual enlightenment and collective advance, in S.K. Roberts, Ed., A ministry of enthusiasm. Pluto Press.
- Green, K. L. (2018). When literature comes to our aid: Investigations into psychological understanding in the writing of Seneca and Montaigne, Wordsworth and George Eliot. The University of Liverpool Repository.
- Griffiths, J. (2016). Poetry can heal and I needed it desperately. The Guardian, 18 June.
- Griffiths, J. (2016). Tristimania. Penguin.
- Hudson, K. (2019). Thank you to . . . the librarian who saved my life before I knew it needed saving. The Guardian, 29 December.
- Hudson, K. (2020). Lowborn. Vintage.
- Joyce, J. (1936). Ulysses. Bodley Head.
- Layard, R. with Ward, G. (2020). Can we be happier? Evidence and ethics. Pelican.
- Lefteri, C. (2019). The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Manilla Press.
- Lenehan, M. (2019). Why a functioning civil society needs adult education. tes, 25 October.
- Leyland, P. (2019). Norwegian Wood: The language of poetry and song. Paper presented to the ESREA conference in Norway on Artful language and narratives of adult learning, Bergen, March.
- Leyland, P. (2019). Norwegian Wood: The language of poetry and song’, International Journal for Talent Development and Creativity, pp. 181-187.
- Leyland, P. (2021). Dealing with the dog. Authors Electric.
- Marmot, M. (2015). The health gap: The challenge of an unequal world. London: Bloomsbury
- Malyn, B. O., Thomas, Z., and Ramsey-Wade, C. E. (2020). Reading and writing for wellbeing: A qualitative exploration of the therapeutic experience of older adult participants in a bibliotherapy and creative writing group. Couns Psychother Res. 20, 715-724.
- McCann, C. (2020). Apeirogon. Bloomsbury.
- Merrill, B. and West, L. (2009). Using biographical methods in social research. Sage.
- Minoui, D. (2021). The book collectors of Daraya, translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud. Picador.
- Minoui, D. (2021). Syria’s rebel librarians. The Guardian, 16 March.
- Murakami, H. (2003). Norwegian Wood. Vintage.
- Murray, L. (2009). Killing the Black Dog. Short Blacks.
- Parsons, C. (2021). Richard Flanagan: What the writer needs is a mad courage. lithub.com.
- Shah, Bijal. (2020). https://booktherapy.thinkific.com/certificates/5j3ptoozvo.
- Shelley, P. B. (1832). Poetical Works, edited by Hutchinson, T. Oxford University Press.
- Storm, H. (2021). The thin line between everything and nothing. Reflex Press.
- Thomas, D. (1952). Collected poems 1934-52. Dent.
- Wilkinson, R. and Pickett, K. (2018) The Inner Level. Allen Lane
- Wood, J. (2015). The nearest thing to life. Jonathan Cape.
- Woolf, V. (1931). The waves. Random House.
References
All Parliamentary Group (2017). Creative health: The arts for health and wellbeing.
Bainbridge, A., Formenti, L., and West, L. (2021). Discourses, dialogue and diversity in biographical research: An ecology of life and learning (Vol. 10). BRILL.
Berthauld, E. and Elderkin, S. (2013). The novel cure. Canongate.
Byrne, P. (2016) relitfoundation.org.
Chapman Hoult, E. (2012). Adult learning and la recherche feminine: Reading resilience and Helene Cixous. Palgrave MacMillan.
Cixous, H. Cohen, K., and Cohen, P. (1976). The Laugh of the Medusa. Signs: Journal of women in culture and society, 1(4), pp. 875-893.
Cleeves, A. (2020). Stories have always been healing so I’m funding bibliotherapists. The Guardian, 4 September.
Clough, P. (2002). Narrative and fictions in educational research. Open University Press.
Denicolo, P., Reeves, J, and Duke, D. (2018). Fulfilling the potential of your doctoral experience. Sage.
Douglas, K., and Carless, D. (2013). A history of autoethnographic enquiry in Holman Jones, S., Adams, T. E. and Ellis, C., Handbook of autoethnography, 84-106. Routledge
Edmondson, M. (2004). Why read? Bloomsbury.
Eliot, G. (1856). The natural history of German life, Westminster review in British Library
Etherington, K. (2004). Becoming a reflexive researcher. Jessica Kingsley.
Goldman, L. (1995). The first students in the Workers’ Educational Association: Individual enlightenment and collective advance, in S.K. Roberts, Ed., A ministry of enthusiasm. Pluto Press.
Green, K. L. (2018). When literature comes to our aid: Investigations into psychological understanding in the writing of Seneca and Montaigne, Wordsworth and George Eliot. The University of Liverpool Repository.
Griffiths, J. (2016). Poetry can heal and I needed it desperately. The Guardian, 18 June.
Griffiths, J. (2016). Tristimania. Penguin.
Hudson, K. (2019). Thank you to . . . the librarian who saved my life before I knew it needed saving. The Guardian, 29 December.
Hudson, K. (2020). Lowborn. Vintage.
Joyce, J. (1936). Ulysses. Bodley Head.
Layard, R. with Ward, G. (2020). Can we be happier? Evidence and ethics. Pelican.
Lefteri, C. (2019). The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Manilla Press.
Lenehan, M. (2019). Why a functioning civil society needs adult education. tes, 25 October.
Leyland, P. (2019). Norwegian Wood: The language of poetry and song. Paper presented to the ESREA conference in Norway on Artful language and narratives of adult learning, Bergen, March.
Leyland, P. (2019). Norwegian Wood: The language of poetry and song’, International Journal for Talent Development and Creativity, pp. 181-187.
Leyland, P. (2021). Dealing with the dog. Authors Electric.
Marmot, M. (2015). The health gap: The challenge of an unequal world. London: Bloomsbury
Malyn, B. O., Thomas, Z., and Ramsey-Wade, C. E. (2020). Reading and writing for wellbeing: A qualitative exploration of the therapeutic experience of older adult participants in a bibliotherapy and creative writing group. Couns Psychother Res. 20, 715-724.
McCann, C. (2020). Apeirogon. Bloomsbury.
Merrill, B. and West, L. (2009). Using biographical methods in social research. Sage.
Minoui, D. (2021). The book collectors of Daraya, translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud. Picador.
Minoui, D. (2021). Syria’s rebel librarians. The Guardian, 16 March.
Murakami, H. (2003). Norwegian Wood. Vintage.
Murray, L. (2009). Killing the Black Dog. Short Blacks.
Parsons, C. (2021). Richard Flanagan: What the writer needs is a mad courage. lithub.com.
Shah, Bijal. (2020). https://booktherapy.thinkific.com/certificates/5j3ptoozvo.
Shelley, P. B. (1832). Poetical Works, edited by Hutchinson, T. Oxford University Press.
Storm, H. (2021). The thin line between everything and nothing. Reflex Press.
Thomas, D. (1952). Collected poems 1934-52. Dent.
Wilkinson, R. and Pickett, K. (2018) The Inner Level. Allen Lane
Wood, J. (2015). The nearest thing to life. Jonathan Cape.
Woolf, V. (1931). The waves. Random House.