A bildungsroman is a testament to how literature deals with the souls of individuals. It highlights how our lives are a multi-dimensional confluence of revenge, tragedy, comedy, and satire, seasoned with age and made amicable by experience.
A bildungsroman is a jargonic term used for a coming-of-age story. It is a literary genre that focusses on the protagonist’s spiritual journey from a point in his or her childhood to adulthood. Coined in 1819 by Karl Morgenstern a philologist, this term is a combination of two German words ‘Bildung’ meaning education, and Roman’ which means “novel.” The first book to ascribe to this genre was Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Published in 1796, this German classic records the titular character Wilhelm Meisters journey to self-discovery through the medium of theatre and art.
The Shift
Literary works of this genre are character-centric and lay special emphasis on the shifts in prespective that accompany life-altering experiences and help mould a more realistic worldview of the character.
A bildungsroman is a testament to how literature deals with the souls of individuals. It highlights how our lives are a multi-dimensional confluence of revenge, tragedy, comedy, and satire, seasoned with age and made amicable by experience. Some popular literary works of this genre include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, and The Lord of the Ring” series by J. R. R. Tolkien.
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