BILDUNGSROMAN

AP Literature 2014-15

Bildungsroman

German Bildungs: pictures Roman: novel/book Goethe’s The Apprenticeship of Meister

(1795-96) a story that focuses on psychological

and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood

coming-of-age tale/initiation archetype

Plot Structure

Emotional loss causes the protagonist to leave on a journey

End goal: achieving maturity must come gradually and with

difficulty Conflict often between the

protagonist and society

Examples

Jane Eyre Great Expectations To Kill a Mockingbird The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Portrait of an Artist Catcher in the Rye The Kite Runner Never Let Me Go

Assessment :

Considering your summer reading, could your novel be considered a bildungsroman? Explain your answer in 5-8 sentences using evidence from the novel.

Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neal Hurston Harlem

Renaissance Written over 7

weeks while working as an anthropologist in Haiti

Notes on the text: Watch for

elements of a bildungsroman and other archetypes presented in the story

Watch for dialect