1. The Coming of Age Genre
Introduction

2. Genre definition
A coming of age story depicts an adolescent’s movement toward adulthood and the corresponding awakening to a new understanding of his or her identity and the surrounding world.

3. Discussion
What are some examples of coming of age texts (films, books, TV shows, etc.) that had an impact on you?
Why is this genre compelling and sometimes personally powerful for the reader?

4. The Bildungsroman
The Bildungsroman is a coming of age novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character.
The Bildungsroman originated in Germany in the latter half of the 18th century and has since become one of the major narrative genres in European and Anglo-American literature.

5. Bildungsroman characteristics
The main character’s growth process, at its roots a quest story, can be described as a "search for meaningful existence within society.”
To spur the hero or heroine on to their journey, a loss of innocence or discontent must jar them at an early stage away from the home or family setting.
The process of maturity is long, arduous, and gradual, consisting of repeated clashes between the protagonist's needs and desires and the views and judgments enforced by society.

6. Bildungsroman characteristics
The protagonist often encounters issues with friendship, family relationships, love, sexuality, gender, cultural and racial backgrounds, and class and socioeconomic status.
Eventually, the spirit and values of the social order become manifest in the protagonist, who is then accommodated into society. The novel ends with a self-reflection by the protagonist of himself and his new place in that society. 

7. Bildungsroman examples

8. Discussion
With a partner, create a list of common experiences, realizations, tensions, awakenings, rites of passage, etc. that you think are part of the coming of age process.