The Bildungsroman

Bildungsroman A bildungsroman is a novel that traces the psychological and moral development and maturation of the main character or characters. Sometimes also referred to as a ‘coming of age’ story. Usually, this presentation pertains to the protagonist. It can also, however, show the inverse development of the antagonist.

Plot of Bildungsroman 1) Emotional loss for youth 4) Youth learns, matures 2) Youth leaves home on “journey” 5) Young adult accepts values of society. Society accepts him. 3) Encounters many conflicts 6) Adult returns home with new knowledge to benefit society. External - man vs. society Internal - man vs. himself

Construction of the Bildungsroman The writer creates situations that allow the reader to see the young protagonist grow and experience struggles in this journey to adulthood through formal education, personal experience and various kinds of relationship. The writer often shows the protagonist struggling with the transition between the innocence of childhood and the responsibility that comes with adulthood. Think: how might these struggles relate to the title of the novel?

Examples of the Bildungsroman Charles Dickens's Great Expectations Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird