What is a Bildungsroman?
The term Bildungsroman is used to describe a genre of fiction which describes the protagonist's formative years, the process of growing up and/or their spiritual development. These novels often focus on the psychological and moral views of the protagonist.
The term is a compound form of the German nouns Bildung = education and Roman = novel.
There are many notable examples of Bildungsroman, such as Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha.
It is importance to understand the term because lots of these novels appear on A level specifications, such as Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye.
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Answered by Bethany C. • English Literature tutor
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