What is Fictional Therapy?

Hi, I’m Emma, and I’m a writer, actor and bookseller based in London. I’ve spent far too much time thinking about what stories can teach us, and how they can comfort us in hard times. You can read more about me here: Emma Hemingford

Fictional Therapy is an advice column. It uses insights from classic literature to shed light on your modern-day problems. So, you might learn what Jane Austen’s novels can teach us about red flags, or what Charlotte Bronte’s work has to say about self-reliance. It’s an agony aunt column for book nerds. If you have ever been described as earnest, pretentious, or sentimental (hi, twin!) then you might like it.

Why not subscribe to read more, or send me your problem? At best, you’ll get some good advice. At worst, you’ll be comforted by the fact that olden days people dealt with the same major heartbreaks & petty grievances that we agonise over today.

Why subscribe?

Subscribe to get a weekly Fictional Therapy column and to see publication archives. Never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox.

Submit a problem

I’ll do my best to solve it with advice from classic literature: Tell me what’s on your mind

Your submission is anonymous, including to me. (I don’t even see your email address.)