Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): MJSELT Volume 5 Issue 1 June 2023

Bibliotherapy is used in both clinical and non-clinical settings to develop wellbeing and happiness through a structured study of literature. This paper examines ways to apply non- clinical bibliotherapy in the college literature classroom and discusses how happiness is often stigmatized in so-called “high” literature. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the insecurities it has created about human existence, it is relevant to explore how the reading of literary fiction can help students make sense of the world in a good way. Many students struggle with mental health issues, low self-worth, and other existential problems that prevent them from transcending the limitations of their personal lives and seeing the “bigger picture” of human existence. Reading literary texts within a supportive, structured classroom that emphasizes collaboration, communication, and creativity in discussing and analyzing the assigned texts builds coping skills and enhances problem solving abilities. Through bibliotherapy, the literature classroom can become a safe space for students to explore how they react emotionally to the readings and how to process those feelings constructively. The benefits of reading literature are explored through the method of bibliotherapy’s four stages: identification, catharsis, insight, and universalization. Detailed discussion of class activities and assignments within each of these stages uses Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847) and Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower (1993) as examples.