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Chapter 3: The Story Within
Cultivating the bibliotherapeutic ear
We will focus on a basic question that we, as therapists and educators, constantly ask ourselves: What is the story, really about?
That is – what lies beneath, at a deeper level, in the behavior of that person, in what they tell us? What connects the external world to the internal world, and how does what we see on the surface tell us what’s happening inside?
April 28, 2026
Assignments
In this exercise, we will practice applying Carol Gilligan’s four modes of listening, alongside an attunement to core themes and subtext, to journal writing.
You may choose one of the following:
An excerpt from your own journaling
A passage from the diaries of Franz Kafka or Anaïs Nin (available on the course website)
A journal excerpt by another author of your choice
Using Gilligan’s framework, select at least one mode of listening from the following:
Listening for the plot: What is happening? What events are described?
Listening for the “I”: Create an “I-poem” to trace the speaker’s sense of self
listening for contrapuntal voices — identifying different, sometimes conflicting voices within the text (for example, a voice of care vs. a voice of autonomy, or desire vs. obligation).
Listening for what is absent: silences, absences, gaps or voices that are difficult to articulate.
In addition, attend to the following:
What is the core theme of the text?
What might be the subtext (e.g., a possible title or key sentence)?
What is not said? What question(s) remain with you after reading?