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A Bildungsroman (pl. Bildungsromane) is a sub-genre of novel, that follows its protagonist morally and psychologically developing from childhood to maturity. The term originates in German, and translates to „novel of education” or „novel of formation“. (Klarer 12)
The term Bildungsroman is nowadays often interchanged with „coming of age“. (“Bildungsroman”)
Origin
The Bildungsroman has originated in Germany, with the first classic example of the genre being “Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1795-96). ("Bildungsroman")
The philologist Johann Karl Simon Morgenstern is then credited with coining the term in 1819 in his lecture „On the Nature of the Bildungsroman“. In his lecture Morgenstern stated that “the genre was to portray the hero’s Bildung (formation) in all its steps and final goal as well as to foster the Bildung of the readers” (Summerfield & Downward, 2010, 1). From there the genre has spread to the rest of the world.
Structure
Litcharts states: “The typical Bildungsroman has a three-part structure:
> The set-up, which introduces the protagonist, most often during his or her childhood.
> Experiences that shape the protagonist's character, often culminating in some sort of spiritual crisis or loss of faith.
> The protagonist reaches maturity, which usually involves them finding a sense of peace with themselves, or of belonging in the world.” (“Bildungsroman”)
The bildungsroman traditionally ends on a positive note, with the protagonist finding a sense of belonging. (“Bildungsroman”)
Gender in Bildungsromane
From the origin of the genre, the traditional protagonist of the Bildungsroman has been male. This is rooted in the role of feminine individuals in western society in 18th- 20th century, as well as their confinement in domestic positions. (Šnircová, 136)
The Female Bildungsroman began to appear in the 19th century. However, unlike their male counterparts, the heroine of bildungsromane’s self-actualisation was mostly focused on romance or starting a family.
“Many female protagonists in women’s coming-of-age novels wish they were boys because in their minds the life of a boy is easier, successful, and more adventurous. In Little Women, Jo March desperately wants to be a boy because she understands that adventure and power belong to males.”
(Slabá, 8)
Examples
Some notable examples of the Bildungsroman include “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, or “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens.
Examples of female Bildungsromane include “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, or “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
An example of contemporary fiction, that has characteristics of a bildungsroman, is the Hunger games series by Suzanne Collins.
Sources
“Bildungsroman.” LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/bildungsroman. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.
Klarer, Mario. Introduction to Literary Studies. Routledge, Accessed 15 Oct. 2023
Morgenstern, K., & Boes, T. (2009). On the Nature of the “Bildungsroman.” PMLA, 124(2), 647–659. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25614309
SLABÁ, Markéta. Coming of Age Narratives by Canadian Indigenous Women Writers [online]. Brno, 2021 [cit. 2023-10-15]. Dostupné z: https://is.muni.cz/th/kzmhm/. Bakalářská práce. Masarykova univerzita, Filozofická fakulta. Vedoucí práce Martina HORÁKOVÁ.
Summerfield, G. & Downward, L. (2010). New perspectives on the European Bildungsroman. London: Continuum.
Šnircová, Soňa. “Queering gender in contemporary female Bildung narrative.” Journal of Language and Cultural Education, vol. 3, no. 3, 2015, pp. 135–143, https://doi.org/10.1515/jolace-2015-0027.
Veronika Kalinová (537463)
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