BILDUNGSROMAN: originally a German term meaning “education” and “novel”. It is a novel that tells the story of a protagonist who develops over time. It focuses on their education, emotional and psychological growth, and shows how they overcome obstacles. Very simply put, it is a story about growing up. The genre was especially used in the 19th century, with the development of the novel form.

Novels like Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1861), Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847), or The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876) all follow the same technique: we follow the main character from childhood to maturity. We see how they overcome great emotional loss (such as the death of a parent), endure many failures and eventually find their place in society.

→ «about psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood.”

→ The set up = exposition that introduces us to the protagonist (who can be the Orphan, the Misfit, the Runaway, the Artist)

→ Formative experience = what shapes the protagonist, some sort of crisis or loss of faith or grief

→ Maturity = finding a sense of peace or belonging or identity

→ Realization of social expectations or norms