In literature, a bildungsroman (German pronunciation: [ˈbɪldʊŋs.ʁoˌmaːn]) is a type of story that follows the personal growth and learning of a main character as they move from childhood to adulthood. The word comes from the German terms "Bildung," meaning "education" or "development," and "Roman," meaning "novel."

Origin

The term "bildungsroman" was first used in 1819 by Johann Karl Simon Morgenstern, a language expert, during his university lectures. Later, Wilhelm Dilthey helped make the term official in 1870 and made it more widely known in 1905. The genre has certain rules, subjects, and themes. The phrase "coming-of-age novel" is sometimes used the same way as "bildungsroman," but it is usually used more broadly and less formally.

The bildungsroman genre is often said to have begun with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, published in 1795–96. Some also credit Christoph Martin Wieland's The Story of Agathon, published in 1767. Though the genre started in Germany, it later influenced writers across Europe and the world. Thomas Carlyle's English translation of Goethe's novel (1824) and his own book Sartor Resartus (1833–34), the first English bildungsroman, inspired many British writers. In the 20th century, the genre spread to France and other countries globally.

Barbara Whitman suggested that Homer's Iliad might be the first bildungsroman. The story is not only about the Trojan War but also shows how Achilles grows. At the start, Achilles is young and makes poor choices that harm himself and others. The story ends when Achilles becomes mature and lets King Priam retrieve his son Hector's body.

The genre can be adapted into films, often called "coming-of-age films."

Plot outline

A bildungsroman is a story about a young and inexperienced person who searches for answers to life's big questions, hoping to gain experience and understanding. This type of story began from old folktales about a foolish or youngest child who leaves home to find their fortune. Usually, the story starts with a sad event that causes the main character to begin their journey. In a bildungsroman, the goal is for the character to grow into a mature person, which happens slowly and through challenges. These stories often show a conflict between the main character and society. Over time, the character learns to accept society's values and becomes part of it, with their past mistakes and disappointments behind them. In some stories, the character helps others after reaching maturity.

Franco Moretti argues that the main conflict in a bildungsroman is the idea of modernity, which values youth and progress too much, and how this clashes with the fixed idea of happiness and reconciliation found in the endings of Goethe's Wilhelm Meister and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

There are many types of bildungsroman. An Entwicklungsroman ("development novel") is about general growth, not just self-improvement. An Erziehungsroman ("education novel") focuses on training and schooling, while a Künstlerroman ("artist novel") follows the growth of an artist and shows personal development. Some memoirs and journals, like The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac or The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto "Che" Guevara, are considered bildungsroman even though they are mostly based on real events. The term is also used more loosely to describe coming-of-age films and similar works in other genres.