Bildungsroman Meaning & Definition
Bildungsroman
‘Bildungsroman’ is a phrase made up of two distinct words- one is the German word ‘bildung’ which means ‘shaping’ and the other is a French word ‘roman’ which means ‘a story’ or ‘a novel’. Literary this term ‘bildungsroman’ refers to a genre of novel that deals with the theme of a person’s intellectual, psychological and moral growth or development. In other words, to say, this type of novel traces the process of a young person toward self-understanding and a sense of social responsibility. In English, the term “Bildungsroman may be translated as “Novel of Growth”.
The credit of being the exponent of this genre of novel goes to a German writer by the name of J. W. Von Goethe. His ‘Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship’ is said to be the paradigm of this genre of novel. In English, some novels by George Eliot, Henry James, Charles Dickens, and some others belong to the genre of bildungsroman. There are some features (characteristics) that are traced to be common to this genre of novels. They are- (1) It deals with the theme of a person’s (hero’s) mental and moral growth. The hero is an orphan who is adopted by a negligent relative; he generally belongs to the lower class of society. He encounters numerous difficulties which cause him to suffer in life. He often becomes the victim of circumstances. He has a flow of character, but not of a serious kind. He wanders from place to place in search of fortune and social position. He involves in an unsatisfactory love affair. (2) Characters are drawn from both lower and middle classes of society. The characters are type as well as individual. (3) The story is told in the first person (in the autobiographical method) (4) There is a blend of humor and pathos but pathos prevails over humor. (5) The structure is often flexible. (6) Like a tragi-comedy it makes a happy ending. 0 0 0.
N. B. The article originally belongs to the book entitled ‘Menonimus Dictionary of Literary Terms‘.
Books on Literary Criticism by M. Menonimus:
- World Short Story Criticism
- World Poetry Criticism
- World Drama Criticism
- World Novel Criticism
- World Essay Criticism
- Indian English Poetry Criticism
- Indian English Poets and Poetry Chief Features
- Emily Dickinson’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
- Walt Whitman’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
- Critical Essays on English Poetry
- Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: Return of the Spirit-An Analytical Study
- Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: ‘Yawmiyyat Naib Fil Arayaf’-An Analytical Study
- Analytical Studies of Some Arabic Short Stories
- A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Pre-Islamic Period (500 AD-622 AD)
- A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Early Islamic Period (622 AD-661 AD) …
Related Search:
- English Meaning-Cambridge Dictionary
- Definition & Meaning-Merriam Webster
- Definition and Meaning-Dictionary.Com
- Bildungsroman Definition Meaning & Synonyms Vocabulary.com
