Bildungsroman
Americannoun
plural
Bildungsromans,plural
Bildungsromanenoun
Etymology
Origin of Bildungsroman
1905–10; < German, equivalent to Bildung formation + -s noun ending in compounds + Roman novel
Explanation
Pen a novel that follows the moral and psychological development of a character from youth to adulthood, and you've written a bildungsroman! Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a great example of a bildungsroman. This German literary term comes from Bildung, "education or growth," and Roman, "novel." You can think of this type of book as a novel that focuses on the spiritual education or psychological growth of a protagonist over time. If you love so-called "coming-of-age" books, you're already familiar with bildungsromans — and now you have a new word for them!
Vocabulary lists containing bildungsroman
Literary Genres - Advanced
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Part 2 Literary Terms (Unit 5)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kuang once again crafts a unique Bildungsroman that doesn't fulfill the usual expectations for what fantasy is or perhaps, what a Western fantasy is expected to be — and that is its most profound strength.
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2022
In the Bildungsroman of Mr. Johnson’s life, his chapter as a journalist in Brussels occupies a particular place.
From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2020
The show is an epic Bildungsroman and dank autofiction, built tough by the RZA, about a young black man hoping to mold himself into a god.
From The New Yorker • Nov. 1, 2019
It has its roots in the Bildungsroman, perhaps Germany's most significant contribution to the flowering of the novel.
From The Guardian • Mar. 21, 2011
One might say, indeed, that at the beginning of the 20th century the traditional form of German fiction, the Bildungsroman, had come into its ancient rights again.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 7 "Geoponici" to "Germany" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
